Howdy Partner

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/03/2012 (5340 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Last week, I wrote about my journey to becoming a YouTube partner (bit.ly/howibecameayoutubepartner). This week, I want to give a few tips on how you can become a successful YouTube partner too, by making good videos that will allow you to reap revenue. Of course, my channel and content are labelled “technology,” but if you are interested in doing comedy or any other genre, most of these principles will apply.

First things first: What is a YouTube partner? Well, this is how YouTube explains it: “You’ve got great videos and a growing audience. Let YouTube help you take your channel to the next level through our Partner Program. Generate revenue from your videos and access YouTube’s specialized partner features and tools, including rentals, content management and analytics.”

The first thing you are going to need to do is create an account. It’s crucial that you choose a good user name. You want something both catchy and professional. People don’t want to subscribe to an account called “funnyguy1234” or “MacPro78.” If your name is, say, Blake Wheeler, and you want to talk about television, a good name would be “BlakeWheelerTV.”

The next step is to begin creating the content. I could talk about editing software or what kind of camera is best and most cost-effective, but really, you just need to make watchable and enjoyable videos. Of course, it helps if your videos are displayed in high definition, but in the end, it won’t matter. If you build good videos, people will come.

I participated in an online YouTube partner seminar, and they taught us the perfect video length is roughly three to five minutes. Anything over 10 minutes is too long and boring. If you are doing a review of something, be well-spoken and be sure you know what you are talking about. Many times I have made mistakes in videos, and users absolutely trolled on me in the comment section.

After your video is created, be sure to upload it and create professional-looking titles and BE SURE to fill out the description and tags fully! Many times people just throw a link in the description box and expect to get views. If you fill out a lengthy description, YouTube knows more about the video, allowing them to rank it higher in searches, which is crucial for getting views. Write good titles; don’t call your video “apple imac 27 inch review.” People will see that as an unprofessional video and they won’t click through to it. A much more user-friendly title would be “Apple iMac 27-inch Review (Late February Model).” Many video creators overlook the simple things like titles and tags. Don’t do that; they are important.

Next item on the agenda is networking. Network, network, network. I assume, along with your videos, you will have Facebook and Twitter pages so your fans can chat with you and ask when new videos are arriving. The most important part in becoming a YouTube partner is to meet other YouTubers. Getting to know other people who want to become a partner, just like you, helps you a lot. You guys can give each other shout-outs on Twitter accounts and make videos with each other — YouTube is a great community. The more people you know on YouTube, the better off you will be.

Creating content is super important, but creating constant content is even more so. Making videos once a month isn’t going to help you build a fan base. The more videos you put out there, the more chance you will be seen — which means a better chance of growing.

Now that you have your channel created, and you have a few dozen videos, hundreds of subscribers and thousands of hits, you are ready to apply to the program. My rule of thumb when people ask me if they are ready to become a YouTube partner is you should have at least 1,000 subscribers and at least 25 quality videos.

Becoming a YouTube partner is a fun thing to try, and with enough sweat and hard work, I believe anyone can achieve it. Just remember, good name and professional videos, description and style — and quality over quantity, but quantity helps. I realize that statement is really cliché but it’s true. Good luck to you, future partners. Making money from something fun is really awesome.

David Bell (@thedavidbell) is a young entrepreneur in Winnipeg. He specializes in emerging technology and online aspects of business, including web and social-media consulting. Access his company online at iBXMediaGroup.ca He is an active member of the YouTube community (www.ibellix.com), with more than two million views and 5,000 subscribers. He was also a Dragons’ Den contestant. Email: thedavidbell@me.com