LEARN YOUTUBE & EARN FROM YOUTUBE

Every day, YouTube attracts millions of users seeking information, inspiration, or simply entertainment. To ensure its smooth operation, YouTube maintains a comprehensive set of policies covering Community Guidelines, Copyright, Monetization, and Legal Removals. These guidelines encompass all content types, including videos, comments, links, and thumbnails.

YouTube employs a combination of human reviewers and machine learning algorithms to enforce these Community Guidelines uniformly for all users, irrespective of their background, beliefs, or affiliations. Central to YouTube's operation is its robust copyright policy, which mandates that creators only upload original content or content they have explicit authorization to use. Violating this policy may result in loss of income, copyright claims, and channel strikes, ultimately leading to channel termination.

For aspiring creators, the ultimate goal is often joining the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP). To become eligible for YPP, channels must meet certain criteria:

1. Achieve 1,000 subscribers and accumulate 4,000 valid public watch hours within the past 12 months, or

2. Garner 1,000 subscribers and amass 10 million valid public Shorts views within the past 90 days.

 

Upon meeting these eligibility requirements, creators can start earning revenue through Google AdSense. Additionally, creators can opt to receive notifications about their eligibility status by enabling the "Notify me when I'm eligible" feature in the 'Earn' section of YouTube Studio. Once eligible, creators can monetize their content and participate in the YouTube Partner Programme.

Prior to launching a YouTube channel, it's essential to familiarize yourself with YouTube's community guidelines and copyright policies. Moreover, maintaining honesty throughout your content creation journey on YouTube is imperative.

YouTube serves as a platform for both video publishing and consumption, offering not just social interaction but also lucrative business opportunities. Meeting the requirements of the YouTube Partner Program makes us eligible to earn income through Google AdSense.

In this book, I share my personal YouTube journey and insights gleaned from research on YouTube's functioning. Primarily, I discuss how to enhance the searchability of our videos organically by leveraging various features available while uploading content.

It's crucial to note that YouTube's search function plays a significant role in expanding the reach of our videos. By optimizing our videos during the upload process, we can increase the likelihood of appearing in search results for relevant keywords.

Additionally, it's worth mentioning that YouTube naturally promotes high-quality content. However, by implementing the strategies outlined in this book, we can further enhance our visibility in search results and consequently reach a wider audience.

 

A Platform of Opportunity

As many are aware, YouTube serves as an online platform where users both consume and create content. As viewers, we consume content, while as creators, we become publishers, offering our own videos to the platform. 

YouTube provides income to quality publishers based on various factors outlined in the YouTube Partner Program, including the reach of their content and other specified criteria.

 

Understanding the YouTube Partner Program

As a YouTuber, our primary goal is to attain partnership status with YouTube through the YouTube Partner Program. To achieve this, YouTube has set forth several criteria, with two being particularly crucial:

1. Accumulating 1000 subscribers.

2. Accumulating 4000 watch hours within the last 365 days. or

 Garner 1,000 subscribers and amass 10 million valid public Shorts views within the past  90 days.

Upon meeting these requirements, YouTube extends an invitation to join their YouTube Partner Program. Subsequently, we are required to create a Google AdSense account, link it to our YouTube channel, and provide bank account details to receive income.

The YouTube Partner Program encompasses various conditions and criteria, which can be found detailed on their official website.

Once partnership status is attained, YouTube shares a portion of the income generated from our videos based on their views. Increased viewership directly correlates with higher earnings.

Getting Started: Initiating Your YouTube Journey

We can initiate a YouTube channel by creating a Google account, which doubles as a Gmail ID. Once set up, we can begin uploading videos and gradually work towards monetization. Monetization entails becoming a part of the YouTube Partner Program.

In this book, I delve into explaining how to naturally grow on YouTube using a systematic approach. In the upcoming section, we will explore this in detail. At this point, I believe an introduction to YouTube suffices; there's no need for further explanation.

  

Now, let's delve into the technical aspects – how to achieve systematic growth on YouTube.

Systematic Growth: Strategies for Success

Here, I'd like to share some valuable insights gleaned from my own experience. Having launched my YouTube channel in January 2020, I've amassed a wealth of knowledge over the past four years. It took me a year and a half to reach the threshold for my first payment. It's been a lengthy journey; while some YouTubers achieve success within weeks or months, my path has been different. However, I now realize that the delay has been instrumental in my growth, allowing me to learn valuable lessons that are unique to my journey. So, I'm here to share these tips alongside my personal YouTube experience – it's not just a story, but rather, my YouTube journey.

In January 2020, my friend shared his New Year's resolution to become a YouTuber. Inspired by his ambition, I decided to adopt the same goal and shared it with my college professor, who offered tremendous support. When I mentioned starting the following week, my professor advised me, "Dear Albin, if you want to start something, begin today itself. Otherwise, it might never happen." This became my first piece of advice to my readers: If you aspire to be a YouTuber someday, start your channel today.

In January 2020, we launched our YouTube channel with the initial goal of reaching 1000 subscribers. However, achieving this milestone proved to be challenging. In the first two weeks, we shared our channel link with all our contacts, urging them to subscribe. While this effort yielded around 150 subscribers, the journey to 1000 seemed daunting.

Around the same time, many of my friends also embarked on their YouTube journey, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite publishing over 10 videos on various Computer Science topics with the guidance of my professor, our channel struggled to gain traction. Despite efforts such as creating attractive thumbnails and sharing links via WhatsApp status updates to attract new viewers, our growth remained stagnant. Most of our videos garnered only 50 to 300 views, leaving me disheartened.

 

Tips for Consistent Growth: Nurturing Your Channel

I found myself questioning how to attain 1000 subscribers and accumulate 4000 watch hours with such limited views. Despite witnessing my friends gradually abandon their YouTube aspirations due to similar challenges, I refused to give up. My channel held numerous aspirations, and I was determined to achieve at least monetization.

After experiencing setbacks with my initial strategies, I delved into researching how to grow on YouTube. Through studying successful channels in my niche, I uncovered several overlooked issues.

·        Thumbnail

Initially, my thumbnails were straightforward. However, I noticed that many successful channels utilized captivating questions, assumptions, and images to attract viewers. Adopting this approach, I revamped my thumbnail strategy, incorporating attractive visuals, bold titles, and various symbols like question marks and exclamation points. This adjustment resulted in increased viewer engagement. It's crucial to maintain honesty in thumbnails, avoiding misleading images or titles.

·        Title

Similarly to thumbnails, my titles were concise, containing fewer than 50 characters. Despite having a 100-character limit, I underutilized this space. Realizing this, I crafted new titles with a maximum of 100 characters, incorporating both English and regional languages. Coupled with the updated thumbnails, these longer titles gradually attracted a broader audience.

·        Description

I had previously neglected the importance of YouTube video descriptions. However, upon further research, I discovered their significance in improving search visibility. With a 5000-character limit, I began dedicating more attention to crafting detailed descriptions. I included relevant keywords and phrases to enhance searchability, and even added hashtags related to the video topic. By fully utilizing the description space, I observed my videos appearing more frequently in search results. I highly recommend this approach to my readers. Additionally, seeking assistance from tools like ChatGPT can aid in identifying potential search terms.

·        Tags

Let's discuss tags, not hashtags. In the YouTube Studio, after uploading a video, we have the option to edit its details, including title, description, and thumbnail. Towards the end of this editing section, there's an option to add tags, where we can input keywords relevant to our video content. It's crucial to maximize the use of tags to enhance search results. Here's another vital tip: to find effective tags, search for similar videos on YouTube. For instance, if your video is about "best computer schools," search for that term, and YouTube will suggest related phrases such as "best computer schools in India," "best computer schools in Kerala," and "best computer schools nearby." Copy and paste these suggestions into your tags to improve search visibility. This method leverages the most searched terms in your niche, increasing the likelihood of your videos appearing in top search results gradually. After uploading all your videos, allocate some time to discover new tags and incorporate them into your videos.

Yes, consistency is paramount to success, so never cease content creation. After uploading each video, allocate at least half an hour to meticulously set up its title, description, hashtags, and tags. Additionally, dedicate ample time to designing an attractive thumbnail; treat this aspect with as much importance as video creation itself.

Consistently adhere to all the systematic approaches outlined above and aim to publish at least three videos per week. While I recommend this count, you can also opt for producing one high-quality video per month – the choice is yours. However, I personally advocate for more frequent uploads.

Above all, never compromise on elements such as title, description, hashtags, and tags. These are critical components that contribute significantly to the visibility and success of your videos.

Establishing Yourself as a YouTuber

By consistently following the strategies outlined above, your channel is bound to experience growth in subscribers, views, and reach. However, maintaining reliability is equally crucial. Your content should never mislead viewers, and honesty should be at the core of everything you produce. Over time, you'll build trust with your audience. Additionally, strive to focus on consistent content and maintain stability in your chosen topics.

 

Always keep in mind that in commerce, the customer is king; similarly, in YouTube, the subscriber holds a similar position of importance. Respect your subscribers and never betray their trust in you.

In conclusion, becoming a YouTuber is not an easy endeavor; it requires smart work and dedication. Approach it with sincerity and a willingness to put in the necessary effort. Be prepared to wait for YouTube's natural growth process; monetization doesn't happen overnight. Personally, I only achieved monetization after one and a half years of consistent efforts.

Essential Apps and Tools for Every YouTuber

·        Youtube Studio

Before discussing any third-party apps or software, it’s important for YouTubers to be familiar with YouTube Studio. Available at [https://studio.youtube.com/](https://studio.youtube.com/) or as an app on the Play Store and App Store, YouTube Studio is an essential tool for managing your channel. It allows you to edit video content, set titles and descriptions, add thumbnails, and include tags and links. Mastering YouTube Studio is crucial for optimizing and managing your videos effectively.

·        Video Editing Tools

Video editing tools are crucial for creating polished and engaging content. Here are two highly recommended apps:

  VN Editor 

   VN Editor is a user-friendly video editing app that offers a range of powerful features. It provides intuitive controls for trimming, cutting, and merging clips, along with various effects and transitions. VN Editor supports high-quality exports and is suitable for both beginners and advanced users.

  KineMaster

   KineMaster is a versatile video editing app known for its extensive functionality. It offers multiple layers for video, images, and text, along with precise editing tools and a rich library of effects and transitions. KineMaster is ideal for creating professional-looking videos with its robust features and user-friendly interface.

·        Image Editing Tools

Image editing tools are essential for creating eye-catching thumbnails and editing other images used in your videos. Here are two highly recommended apps:

  Canva

   Canva is a free and user-friendly tool perfect for designing thumbnails and other images. It offers a wide range of templates, graphics, and fonts, making it easy to create professional-looking visuals. Canva's simplicity and effectiveness make it a popular choice for many YouTubers.

  Malayalam Text Editor

   The Malayalam Text Editor is particularly useful for those creating content in the Malayalam language. While it primarily supports Malayalam fonts, it also includes options for English fonts. This app is frequently used for adding text and editing images for videos in Malayalam.

 

Acknowledgments

 

"But by the grace of God I am what I am."

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the following individuals and resources:

  Mr. Sobin Mathew: My professor at JPM Arts and Science College, Labbakkada, where he currently serves as the Head of the Department of Computer Science. His support has been invaluable not only in academics but also in my personal growth.

  Robin Roy: A dear friend who inspired me to start my YouTube channel. Robin is now an established YouTuber with the channel "PSC Junction" and a Kerala PSC Trainer.

  Abhijith Gopinath: My best friend who has provided consistent support for all my initiatives. His encouragement and help with my YouTube channel, as well as his assistance in improving my English, have been greatly appreciated.

  My Parents: Special thanks to my beloved Chachan and Amma, who have always supported my interests and stood by me without imposing any particular career path. Their encouragement and interest in my writing and YouTube channel growth mean the world to me.

  My Teachers: A heartfelt thank you to all my teachers for their guidance and support.

  Unsplash: All images used in this article are sourced from Unsplash, a platform offering copyright-free images. You can explore their collection at [Unsplash](https://unsplash.com).

 

Your support and encouragement have been crucial to my journey, and I am deeply grateful for each of you.

 

Conclusion

Furthermore, the journey to becoming a successful YouTuber entails more than just creating content. It involves understanding your audience, identifying trends, and continuously refining your craft. This book delves into the intricacies of content creation, discussing techniques for engaging viewers and building a loyal fan base. It also explores the various tools and resources available to YouTubers, from analytics platforms to editing software, empowering creators to optimize their content and maximize their impact. 

Moreover, the book delves into the importance of consistency and authenticity in building a personal brand on YouTube. It highlights the significance of staying true to oneself while also adapting to the ever-changing demands of the platform. By fostering genuine connections with their audience and staying true to their passions, YouTubers can cultivate a community that supports and sustains their growth.

In essence, becoming a successful YouTuber is a multifaceted journey that requires dedication, creativity, and resilience. This book serves as a roadmap for aspiring creators, offering practical advice and invaluable insights gleaned from the experiences of successful YouTubers. By embracing the principles outlined in this book and approaching their YouTube journey with passion and perseverance, aspiring YouTubers can unlock their full potential and thrive in the dynamic world of online content creation.