How Do I Start a YouTube Channel and Make Money in 90 Days or Less?

What do I need to start a YouTube Channel?  How long will it take to earn from my YouTube Channel? Everyone asks themselves these questions before considering starting a YouTube channel.

YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users and is a good way to earn passive income. You can post any video content on YouTube from educational videos, to travel videos to lifestyle, comedy, and cooking. There is space for everyone.

It may seem like an uphill climb to start a YouTube channel and make money from it. But it is possible as long as you are willing to start and invest your time and effort into it. If you want to build a personal brand, build an online presence or audience, or boost your revenue then you should start a YouTube channel.

Do you want to start a YouTube channel and don’t know where to start? This article shares the equipment you need to start a YouTube channel, a step-by-step guide, and tips to monetize your YouTube channel.

What Equipment Do I Need to Start a YouTube Channel?

Most beginners wonder, what equipment do I need to start a YouTube channel?” and for good reasons. The digital space has evolved and content creation is a competitive game, so even if you can use your phone and press record you will not go far with blurry videos and unclear audio.

However, you don’t need to break the bank to get started. Waiting until you get the perfect equipment to start a YouTube channel will only make it hard to start.

The most essential equipment you need as a beginner is a good camera phone, a basic microphone, a tripod, and a free video editing tool such as Capcut, Inshot, iMovie, or Windows Movie Maker. Lighting is important but you can take advantage of natural light to save on cost if your budget is constrained. Use a basic wall in your house as a background and spice it up with a bookshelf, frames, or plants.

In case have some savings you could invest in a good DSLR camera (Nikon, Canon, or Sony) or an iPhone, lighting such as a ring light or softbox. You can also invest later in paid video editing tools such as Adobe Premiere, Davinci Resolve, or Filmora Wondershare.

Start from where you are and don’t overthink it. As you get more experience in Content creation you will also improve your equipment. So don’t wait until you have everything. Just start.

How to Start a YouTube Channel Step-by-Step

Before you can make money on YouTube you need to start and optimize your channel. Here is a step-by-step guide for starting a YouTube channel.

1. Decide on Your Niche

What do you want your YouTube channel to be about? Do you want to create videos on lifestyle, travel, cooking, or fitness?

The best success tip for beginners is to choose a niche that you are passionate about and won’t get bored creating hours of content. It should be a topic that you either have an interest in or are an expert in and has endless content ideas.

Another way to help you decide is to think about the topics you constantly search for online, talk about endlessly, or lose track of time while doing it. Although it is okay to change your niche in the long run, you risk alienating the audience you had already built before.

Having a clear niche in mind will help you decide who you are creating your content for (target audience). Consider their pain points and how your content will help them address them and provide value to keep them coming back.

You may ask, “Which content is most popular on YouTube?” Some of the most profitable YouTube niches include finance, health and fitness, self-improvement, cooking and food, educational content and tutorials, technology and cars, fashion and makeup, gaming and travel. However, the same niches are also competitive, so you need to choose one you are passionate about and willing to be unique and put in the work.

2. Pick your channel name

Most beginners get stuck at choosing the best name for their YouTube channel. The first option is to use your name or your company name. Some of the successful YouTubers who use their name include Mel Robbins, Alex Hormozi, Ali Abdaal and Peter McKinnon.

The second option is to use a word or phrase related to your chosen niche. For example, if you are a blogger and want to share blogging tips and tutorials, you can combine the word with your name and name it something like Alex Blogger. Alternatively, if you don’t want to use your name you can use a phrase like Blogging Passion as the name of your channel.

Don’t overthink it though, it is possible to change your channel name if you change your mind about what you chose initially. Use this free YouTube name generator to help you choose a good name for your channel.

3. Create your channel

It is free and easy to create a YouTube channel as long as you have a Google account. All you need is to go to YouTube click sign in and create a channel with your Gmail account

You will be required to add the necessary details on your channel like the channel name and basic contact information like your website and social media channels to allow your viewers to reach out.

Write your channel description in the About section and describe what your channel is about. Ensure to use keywords related to your niche in the description. Also, add your channel tags on the settings with keywords related to your niche to inform YouTube what your channel is about.

Then, create and upload a channel icon (profile photo), an eye-catching banner, and a video watermark. Ensure that you have consistent branding in your videos like colors for the banner and video thumbnail to stand out.

You can use Canva to create YouTube thumbnails and banners. Use big bold fonts and bright colors on your channel art and thumbnails as they are the first thing viewers will see before they click on your content.

4. Create a consistent content strategy.

If you want to make a full-time, passive income on YouTube you must be consistent. Decide how often you will post every week and stick to it. But, it has to be realistic and you can stick to it for a long time without getting burnout.

So, if you are juggling YouTube and a full-time job or family responsibilities you can start with posting once a week. Don’t start posting 3 videos every day as it is a recipe for burnout and you may find yourself hating the process after a while.

The best tip to remain consistent is to brainstorm content ideas, create a content plan ahead of time, batch-create content and schedule your videos for a week or two when people are mostly online. This will help you avoid missing a week when unforeseen circumstances come up.

5. Optimize Your Channel SEO

So it is time to start creating content. From the time you post your first video, you need to optimize for SEO. Use relevant keywords in your titles and video description to boost your SEO. YouTube is a search engine that works similarly to Google.

If you optimize SEO based on what users are searching for the algorithm will likely recommend and suggest your videos to new viewers which will boost your channel performance.

Use the YouTube autocomplete feature where you type part of the words of your topic idea and let YouTube complete it for you. What appears in the bar shows what people are searching on YouTube and if you add those keywords to your titles you will see a boost in viewership.

6. Keep improving your content and equipment

In the beginning, your video creation skills may not be at par with creators who have been in the game for 5 or 10 years, and it’s okay. However, strive to improve in every video whether it’s a thumbnail or the title or video description.

Furthermore, whenever you get a budget consider improving your equipment like lighting, the microphone, or hiring a video editor. You can also enroll in free or paid YouTube courses on Udemy, Skillshare, or Coursera or watch YouTube tutorials to improve your skills. Consistent little improvements will set you up for success.

Once you have posted about 5 videos or more monitor your YouTube analytics as they will give you an idea of what is what is working and what you need to improve.

Ensure to ask your viewers to like, share, and subscribe to your videos so that you can be eligible for YouTube monetization. In the next section, we will look at ways that you can monetize your YouTube channel. Keep reading.

How to Monetize Your YouTube channel

Most people assume that the only way to make money on YouTube is through ad revenue (views) but there are more. Let’s look at the best ways to monetize your YouTube channel.

1. Affiliate marketing

The reason why affiliate marketing is the first best option to monetize your YouTube channel is because you don’t have to get to a threshold to start making money.

You can put affiliate links in your YouTube video description and earn a commission if someone buys through your links. Some of the best affiliate programs to consider include Amazon Associates, Commission Junction, Click Bank, and Rakuten.

2. YouTube partner program

Aside from earning from ad revenue where you get paid for views, the YouTube partner program has more advantages.

To be eligible you need to be in a country where it’s available, follow YouTube monetization policies, have no community strikes, have an active AdSense account for YouTube, and have access to advanced features of your YouTube channel.

Your channel should be eligible for monetization with either 1000 subscribers or 4000 valid watch hours in the last 12 months or 1000 subscribers and 10 million valid shorts views in the last 90 days.

The advantage of the YouTube partner program is aside from ad revenue from views you will be able to choose how to earn from your channel through paid memberships, Super Chat, and Super Stickers where views donate through a tipping jar, shopping cart, shorts feed ads, watch page ads and more.

3. Selling your own products

Selling digital products is another good way to monetize your YouTube channel even if you have not qualified for the YouTube partner program.

You can do video reviews of what you sell and tag the products in your description with a link to your e-commerce shop. Some of the things you can sell are eBooks, merchandise (coffee mugs and t-shirts), and online courses.

4. Paid membership

The newly introduced YouTube Premium allows viewers to watch content on YouTube without ads. As a creator, you will be paid a portion of their subscription fee based on how much the viewers who use YouTube Premium watch your content.

The advantage is you can earn from both YouTube premium subscriptions and from ads placed on your content. However, you need to be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program to qualify.

5. Sponsored videos

Once you gain popularity and a wide viewership you can approach brands or they can approach you to advertise their products in your videos.

Some brands pay better than others but this also depends on your niche, target audience, and your reach. The best thing is to build a personal brand around your niche for you to build credibility, authority, trust, and visibility. Ensure to endorse products that you would use personally and be honest with your audience and sponsored content.

FAQs

• How many YouTube subscribers do I need to make money?

Before you can monetize your YouTube channel with AdSense you need to have at least 1000 subscribers either 4000 watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million short views in the last 90 days.

• How do beginner YouTubers make money?

Beginners can make money on YouTube by placing affiliate links on their video descriptions, sponsored videos, or selling their own products. They can only earn through the YouTube partner program if they meet the required threshold to monetize their channel.

• How do I start a YouTube channel and get paid?

To start a YouTube channel and get paid you need to choose a profitable niche, create high-quality content, keep a regular publishing schedule, and then monetize your YouTube channel with affiliate marketing YouTube AdSense.

• How much does it cost to start a YouTube channel?

It is free to start a YouTube channel as long as you have a free Google account. However, you need to buy equipment like a good phone camera, a microphone, and video editing tools.

Final Thoughts

It is still profitable to start a YouTube channel and make money in 2024. However, creating a channel and running a successful YouTube channel are two different things. You need to choose the best niche for you, create consistent content, keep improving your channel, and be patient to stand out and build an audience. It doesn’t end there, ensure to promote your channel on social media to increase viewership and build a following.

Ready to start your YouTube channel and make money? use these tips to get started today. What are you waiting for?

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