Every day, more than 122 million people browse YouTube on their computers and phones. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, the platform raked in $8.1 billion of global ad revenue. Want a small piece of the pie? Here’s what you need to know to start a YouTube channel for your business and make money online.
You’ve almost certainly come across YouTube while browsing online. The free video sharing website was launched in February 2005 by three PayPal employees. Back then, its headquarters were above a pizzeria in San Mateo, California.
The first-ever YouTube video depicted co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo. As of December 2024, the 18-second video has over 342 million views.
Every day, over one billion hours of video are viewed on YouTube, which is now the second largest search engine after Google.
YouTube users can view, like and comment on videos as well as subscribe to channels. The platform makes money from ads and shares some of the revenue with content creators.
YouTube’s audience is varied and constantly changing to include increasingly older generations. According to a Global Media Insight report:
Popular with kids, teens, adults and the seniors alike, YouTube is a great way to reach out to potential customers and clients from a variety of backgrounds.
Many businesses would benefit from opening a YouTube channel. You could use it as a place to upload news about your industry or brand, demonstrate products, showcase recently completed projects and build a following for your company.
Having a YouTube channel is a great way to demonstrate your industry knowledge and skills and establish yourself as a trustworthy, authoritative source of information. One of the biggest benefits of YouTube, there’s no fee to be a content creator. It’s completely free to upload.
The only cost is your time spent planning, filming and editing new content as well as managing YouTube comments and your community.
Surprisingly, you need very little to start a YouTube channel for business purposes. At the very minimum, you can get by using a smartphone with a decent camera and internet connectivity. In Canada, some of the top sites for buying YouTube channel equipment include:
Even though you don’t need much to get started, if you’re serious about making a go of YouTube, you should invest in some basic equipment.The actual equipment you’ll need depends on your business. For example, a drain specialist filming on location will need a different set-up than someone shooting in a warehouse or office.
You’ll need some sort of camera to get filming. It could be as simple as a modern smartphone (especially if you purchase an aftermarket mic to improve the audio).
A DSLR-type camera would work well, as you have swappable lenses, the ability to zoom and HD movie recording in most devices. You might prefer a camcorder-style device that shoots in 4K, a very common resolution in small form factors. Even if you don’t want to publish videos in 4K, you can film in the higher resolution and crop your video, giving you more creative options when editing.
If you want something smaller, a GoPro action camera or similar can work if you hook it up to an aftermarket microphone.
It’s tempting to concentrate on the camera, but your microphone is really important too. Poor sound quality may put off some people more quickly than visual problems. So, invest a good amount of funds into a decent microphone or sound recording device, as on-board mics tend to be pretty low quality.
There are many different types of microphones. To narrow it down, use a shotgun, condenser or lavalier mic if you’re only recording in reasonably controlled environments.
Check out RØDE, which produces mics to suit everyone from YouTubers using a smartphone right up to professional-grade broadcasters mics. Remember to put on a windshield when outdoors.
A tripod is useful if you’re filming solo. It’ll keep your shot steady, while giving you the option of pan and tilts. Shaky handheld footage can be a big put-off. If you’re fortunate enough to have someone to operate your camera, you might be able to skip this one.
If you’ll be doing more handheld shooting, look for a camera cage, a grip or even a motorized gimbal to stabilize your footage.
You’ll need a computer to edit your videos. It doesn’t have to be too fancy or powerful, although editing 4K footage and working with motion graphics requires more computing muscle.
Some YouTubers like the portability of a laptop, which offers the ability to edit videos anywhere. But if you want higher computing power and a device that’s comfortable to use over long periods, look at a desktop instead.
You can get multiple monitors, but you don’t need to. Make sure you get something with a decent graphics card, a meaty CPU and a good chunk of memory.
You can edit videos for free with programs that come built into your operating system. On Macs, there’s iMovie, and Windows has the Clipchamp video editor (Windows 11) or the Photos app (Windows 10), which includes a basic video editor.
Alternatively, you can go for a more advanced program. Use a free program like Blender, Lightworks or Shotcut. Or, you might choose to invest in a dedicated, professional-grade app like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X or VEGAS Pro.
It’ll reflect well on your business if you make your footage it look as good as possible. Lighting is one of the key ways to achieve that. It doesn’t cost much to get a simple LED light video light that mounts on your camera’s hot shoe mount or a light that lives on an adjustable stand. These help if you’re filming in a gloomy office, as it’s surprising how dim standard office lighting is.
If you want more, purchase a three-point lighting kit. With a key light, fill light and backlight, you’ll have an evenly lit face with a flattering lack of shadows, while the backlight will cast a subtle glow on the back of your head, separating you from the background.
If you’re filming on your business premises or in one spot, set up a studio. It doesn’t have to be anything too flashy, but it should look better than simply sitting in your office desk with messy heaps of paperwork behind you.
Backdrop kits are sold online, from plain, professional black-and-white screens to patterned ones. You could even get really fancy and purchase a green screen, which lets you add in a digital backdrop via your video editor.
If you’re presenting tutorials, set up a workbench or countertop in front of your camera, so you’re naturally face-to-face with the audience. It’s possible to film over your shoulder, so go with the style that suits you and your business. To easily make a pro-looking, branded set, creatively display elements like your logo and other products.
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You can make money from YouTube in two ways: directly and indirectly. Direct monetization consists of sources like the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which pays ad commissions on a monthly basis to member channel owners.
There are also indirect means of making money like pointing your viewers to your business website or using affiliate links to earn a small slice of a sale.
One great example of a company relying on YouTube to really scale up its marketing is Andertons Music Co. in the UK. The company sells musical instruments and has a range of video types, including:
As of December 2024, the channel has nearly 1 million subscribers. Each video has a detailed description with information about the products featured, surrounding items used and corresponding links to the brand’s online store. In a 2018 interview, the British music store’s owner, Lee Anderton, said YouTube was instrumental in taking sales from US$2 million to US$30 million annually.
Then there’s merchandise. You might wonder, “Why would someone want to wear a T-shirt or hat with my company logo?” Simply put, having a well-made YouTube channel makes sporting your merch desirable and cool.
It depends on your business. Some companies do a weekly podcast, related to their industry. Others focus on product reviews or feature showcases (e.g. music shops, car dealers, tool companies, hardware stores, kitchen products).
For some service businesses, you might publish tutorials or similar informational content that’s useful to your customers. For instance, if you sell spare parts, create how-to guides on fitting parts as replacements. If you sell tools, use those tools to construct something.
Sell furniture? Film room makeovers. Workshop shelving manufacturers could do “before and after” transformation videos of garages and industrial units. You get the idea. Show off your products in use.
Some businesses have gone beyond posting straightforward videos, and it has paid off.
Blendtec, whose founder has dropped just about everything—from an iPhone X to golf balls, diamonds and timber—into the brand’s food processors. The most viewed video on its channel, which shows an iPad being blended in a Blendtec appliance, has over 19.5 million views!
"Will It Blend? is really a public demonstration of the kinds of things that I have been doing for years. The way to measure performance is to place it in an extreme situation. Every time I would jam a 2X2 board into a blender, people in the plant would watch. The decision to tape these tests and place them on the web was a cost-effective way to demonstrate that Blendtec blenders are not your typical blenders."
Dickson discussed how the videos had affected the company’s bottom line. “The videos were placed on the internet in early November [2006]. Within just a few short days, we had millions of views. The campaign took off almost instantly. We have definitely felt an impact in sales. Will it blend? has had an amazing impact to our commercial and our retail products.
Red Bull is another example of a brand that knows its customer base well. It now has 20.5 million subscribers on YouTube. The energy drinks maker produces a mix of content that mainly focuses on Red Bull athletes partaking in extreme or intense activities.
The most important thing to remember is that your content must be high quality, interesting, useful, well made and branded. If you’re uploading rushed or poor-quality videos, your channel won’t grow.
Not sure where to start with content creation? Consider hiring a freelance writer to create scripts. If you’re a talented creative writer, check out our guide on how to make money from freelance writing for ideas on boosting your income.
Take time to plan out your videos. You don’t necessarily need a script, but a rough outline of what you’ll talk about and shoot is a big help. You should also plan out a content schedule, because YouTube favours channels that regularly upload content.
Some people like to be spontaneous and show some of their personality, so having less of a concrete script to follow will help that. You need to think about what shots to film for B-roll and which clips will enhance your point.
You need to find a format that works for you. Sometimes, you can’t plan this; it just happens organically. Maybe your audience will respond really well to a particular video and you can extend that concept to additional uploads. Developing a niche or some sort of hook is always good, although it can also get stale. Experiment with different video ideas, and see what works.
Titles are one way of enticing people to watch your video. Some talk about “clickbait,” or text that is so curious, outlandish or attractive, that people just have to view the video. But, you shouldn’t really go down that route.
Make simple, relatively short titles that explain your video. You can use questions to interest users like “Is this the best drill we’ve ever made?” or an explanatory title like “Why we’re really proud of this new product.”
This is probably one of the biggest attributes when it comes to getting people to watch your video. Pictures speak a thousand words, so having a great thumbnail can make the difference between a video that’s lost in the outback of the internet or watched and actively commented on.
For branding, try to make consistent thumbnails to make your videos stand out and become recognizable.
The description box lets you write brief notes about the video, include time references for people to skip ahead, drop links to your site or product(s) and promote your social media accounts. Include keywords that naturally relate to your video to help YouTube’s algorithm point viewers to your content.
Accurately represent your videos, or people might leave halfway through, feeling short-changed or duped. Don’t forget that what you put at the top of the description is most likely to be seen. YouTube collapses descriptions to just one or two lines, so the upper region becomes the “above the fold” area.
Also, take a note of what rival channels are doing, as aligning your uploads with theirs may increase your chance of getting cross-promoted or recommended.
In your description, use tags to assign descriptive keywords to your videos. But note that, according to Google, “Tags can be useful if the content of your video is commonly misspelled. Otherwise, tags play a minimal role in your video’s discovery.”
Ideally, you’ll publish videos at 1080p HD or better quality with nice, clear sound. Nothing turns people off more quickly than poor image and audio quality or a poor mix of volumes in the video.
People frequently complain that, when a videos is too quiet, they turn it up, only for an extremely loud noise to play and give them the biggest scare of their lives. You can solve that by consistently mixing your sound to a sensible level. YouTube will also smoothen things out for you a little.
Look for the normalize function in your video editor. Generally, picking a modern camera and reputable brand aftermarket mic will give you much higher quality audio and visuals than many videos already on the site. Don’t forget to light things properly, and don’t be afraid to add extra clips with close-ups and different angles to make your videos hold people’s attention.
Editing can turn a series of imperfect videos and audio clips into polished and professional pieces of work. During the editing process, you should:
The editing process takes a long time, sometimes longer than filming and recording. That’s because you’re working with different assets from various sources like your camera, microphone recorder and stock sites.
There are over 113 million YouTube channels. Having a unique name is essential for helping your brand stand out. If your business name is generic, add some excitement with a more creative YouTube channel name.
Once you’ve started a YouTube channel for your business, how do you get it to grow?
Commenting on other channels is one great way to grow your YouTube channel. Find related, even competitor-owned, channels and comment on their videos. Be respectful, positive and business-like.
YouTube comments can often descend into very negative verbal sparring, so, if you enjoyed a rival’s video, tell them so. You might stand out, develop a good relationship with them and potentially bring subscribers to your channel looking for similar content.
Setting up social media channels for your company and brand is another way to share your YouTube videos. Because people are actively encouraged to share and interact with content on social media platforms, you’ll be able to leverage a potentially far-reaching network to find new viewers.
Have you ever noticed yourself finding a new channel and then watching almost every video it has ever published? Likely, that’s because it has sticky content.
These videos are specifically designed to hold people’s attention, perhaps with a continuous format. With this type of content, people will always be looking forward to your next upload. A series is a great way to make sticky content.
If you have an online store, promote your YouTube channel there. Make videos about your merchandise, and include these videos in product descriptions. When shipping orders, drop in a business card with your channel’s info, encouraging customers to subscribe. You might also be able to set up a small discount on your site for subscribers.
Keep tabs of the YouTube trending page, use YouTube studio analytics and consider purchasing software like TubeBuddy or vidIQ, so you can better understand what people are searching for and how to improve your channel. If you don’t have a video answering viewers’ queries, make one. Turn it into a series if it gets a lot of search volume.
When people comment on your videos, even if it’s not with particularly glowing praise, take time to respond. Doing so can turn a casual viewer into a subscriber or a harsh critic into an ardent fan. Also, don’t take the negative stuff too seriously. Rise above it, remembering that you represent your business.
Pin comments you think are useful or noteworthy for other viewers, and give a heart to any you like. This will feel like a little reward for those who make the effort to like and comment on your videos.
You should encourage commenting and rating, as these factor into YouTube’s algorithm. If you can’t think of anything to say, you can always thank people for taking time out of their day to offer some feedback or input.
Regularly posting content keeps people coming back for more. If you say, “Tune in every Wednesday for our latest video,” then people will be tempted to come back. Also, the frequency that you upload factors into the YouTube ranking algorithm. You don’t have to upload every day, but the more frequent, the better.
Collaborating with other channels is another way to present your content to a new viewership. Suppose you run an aftermarket car parts business. You could team up with an automotive enthusiast’s channel to do a build. Then, on your channel, you could do a behind-the-scenes video.
This works best when you’re able to partner with larger, established channels. You could provide the components for free in return for the exposure.
Competitions are another way of gaining new subscribers, but you need to make sure these are in line with YouTube’s Community Guidelines, Terms of Service and local laws. Cross-promote your competition with established YouTubers. Try to give away good prizes and make it easy to enter the contest, for example, asking entrants to comment on your video and then randomly selecting a prize winner.
With persistence and a lot of effort and time, YouTube can eventually become a full-time career for some. For many, it remains a side hustle and a way of supplementing income. If you’re selling products and have a business, it could become your key point of marketing.
The main problem with abandoning your job or business to work solely on YouTube is that it takes time. Very few people become big on YouTube quickly, so it could be years before you start to see your channel gaining momentum and followers.
View your YouTube channel as a supplement to your job, income or business, and you could do very well from it. (Also, people can quickly discern if you’re just there to make moolah.)
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