Ever thought of making videos and earning in YouTube? Are you looking for your perfect YouTube niche? Then this guide is for you my friend. But first lets see some statistics first.
According to Logograb it is estimated that an average person will look at videos five times longer than images. This data shows that people are psychologically more attentive in moving visuals than static images. These facts make us see that the future of social media will lean more towards videos. Advertisers are also taking advantages of this. Did you know that Videos drives 59.3% more ad click in Facebook where only 29.6% are for images and 11.1% for others base on the statistics of Databox.
Videos are the way to go my friend. If you are thinking of doing some content creation, I would suggest going more with videos if possible than written content. Vlogging is more future proof than blogging. Because of this more and more people produce video contents on sites like YouTube.
For a quick history, YouTube is an American Online Video Sharing platform crated by three PayPal employees (Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim) way back in February 2005. It was later by Google in 2006 in a whopping $1.65 Billion USD. Kudos to their researchers for their gift of foresight in acquiring this massive gold mine we all know and love today.
FINDING THE RIGHT NICHE
I know you are all excited now but take some time to settle down and think about the most important step to begin with in starting a YouTube Channel, finding your golden niche! So, what would determine a good niche. Well my friend may these few guidelines help you in choosing one:
- THINKING OF YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
When starting a YouTube Channel, I find it best to think of your target audience. The audience may be specific but with lots of demands. For example, a channel for cooking for people with little time to prepare for meals. Another example would be an exercise channel that can be done all at home.
It will be much easier to choose an audience that you know by heart. By doing so you can focus your video planning specifically for that audience. Audience research will also be much easier. You only need to research about specific current events that your audience are interested. You may also join specific groups that will help you understand your audience more and learn what interest them and what makes them happy.
2. COMPETITION AND DEMAND
This part might be a little complicated and needs a ton of research. When choosing a golden niche, I find it best to look for a specific one that is easier to target but still has a lot of demands and with low to medium competition. In a perfect world, you will have a niche that has high demand but low in competition. We do not live in a perfect world so we should just find that balance in demand and competition.
Tools that can be use:
This tool can help you determine how many searches there are per month on a certain search word/s. It will show you the average number of searches and competition levels.
I mainly use this to determine current trends and hypes that are happening. It can show you the top search keyword currently today. It can also be used to compare keywords and to see if the demand for the keyword is increasing or decreasing thru time.
Top Niches:
- Tech Videos
- Food
- Vlogs
- Humor
- Travel
- Fashion
- Gaming
- Tutorials/How to’s
- Fitness
- Child Videos (Just look at the views and subscriber of Cocomelon)
3. LAWS OF YOUTUBE AND RULES OF THE YOUTUBE PARTNER PROGRAM (YPP)
If you are really aiming to monetize your future YouTube Channel, then you should take into consideration what niches and channels are allowed to be monetize. As of writing of this article, YouTube Partner Program sets the following rules in order to be included:
- Follow the YouTube monetization policies
- You should live in a country where YouTube Partner Program is available.
- Your channel should have more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12months
- Have at least 1000 subscribers
- Have linked AdSense Account
What you will get when your YouTube Channel has been accepted in the program:
- Access to the Creator Support Team (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/3545535)
- Access to the Copyright Match Tool (https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/7648743)
- Access to Monetization Features (https://support.google.com/adsense/answer/72857)
Checklist:
- Double check that you have followed YouTube Policies and Guidelines. This will be reviewed by YouTube representatives and it was also said that they even recheck existing channels to make sure that they continue to follow said policies.
- Enable the 2-Step Verification of Google Account. This mean your device is protected by your password and another device. From my understanding, this is optional, but it will speed up your application.
- Have the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) threshold: at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours.
- 1 AdSense Account
Steps To Apply:
- Sign into your YouTube account.
- In the top right corner click your profile picture and then YouTube Studio.
- Click Monetization in the left menu.
- If you meet the threshold, signed the term and this will make the Done sign green. Click it and sign on the “Review Partner Program terms” card.
- If your accepted, CONGRATULATIONS! If not, reapply after 30 days.
4. WHAT YOUR HEART IS PASSIONATE ABOUT
Last but not the least, make a channel on about what genuinely interest you. If all goes well, you will be making videos on that channel for an awfully long time. Make sure that making them will make you happy and not just something that you need to do.
REFERENCES:
Elise Dopson. Sep 2020. Videos vs. Images: Which Drives More Engagement in Facebook Ads? Retrieve from URL: https://databox.com/videos-vs-images-in-facebook-ads
Logograb. February 2019. What Will Social Media Look Like in the Future?. Retrieve from URL: https://blog.logograb.com/social-media-future/#:~:text=The%20future%20of%20social%20media%20is%20mobile.,in%20mind%20from%20the%20start.
Wikipedia. Youtube. Retrieve from the URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube
Diana Soara. Mar 2018. How to Choose The Best Niche for Your YouTube Channel. Medium. Retrieve from the URL: https://medium.com/@diana_21435/how-to-choose-the-best-niche-for-your-youtube-channel-2e0fb5f465b0
YouTube Help. YouTube Partner Program Overviews & Eligibility. Retrieve from the URL: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72851?hl=en
Paige Cooper. August 2019. How to Make Money on YouTube: 6 Effective Strategies. Hootsuit. Retrieve for the URL: https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-make-money-on-youtube/