Renzo, Hungry Hugo, Teacher Schmidt, Gnu: For millions of teenagers and young adults, these "personalities" are part of everyday life. For them, these people are stars – stars on YouTube and YouTube influencers. But what does it take to be a successful influencer or star on YouTube and co.? We've done a bit of research and provide some tips for YouTube beginners below.
Tip 1: Find a topic you are knowledgeable about
At the end of the day, for an influencer, it's about producing content that is searched for, viewed, shared, and liked online by as large a group as possible. You need to repeatedly cover a certain topic and constantly create new videos about it. It's not advisable to choose something you think is popular right now but about which you know very little.
Do you travel a lot and enjoy it? Then make that your topic. Do you cook a lot and enjoy it? Then that could be your topic. Do you love natural sciences and have a talent for explaining even chemistry and physics in an exciting and understandable way? Then you should choose that as your YouTube field for producing videos and good content.
Tip 2: Present your content differently from other YouTube influencers
Before you start, a heads-up: unless you've chosen a very specific, exotic niche topic, there will likely already be YouTube influencers and numerous videos on your specialty. So, first, get an overview of the "competition."
- What are your colleagues doing?
- What could/would you do differently/better?
Once you've familiarized yourself with fellow influencers and reviewed their relevant YouTube videos and YouTube channels, look for an approach that frames your topic somewhat differently. Perhaps present your content and videos in the form of a theatrical play, build small Lego models as an embellishment, or always present your content, for example, at well-known or special locations.
There are no limits to your creativity here. If you've found something, combine your topic (e.g., travel) with something your fellow influencers aren't doing (e.g., building Lego models to go with it), and you've created a brand with recognition value. Try to be successful with it.
Tip 3: Try to learn as much as possible about your target audience
An overview of your own target audience is also important. So, seize every opportunity you get to interact with your target audience and your fans. As long as the comment sections are manageable, respond to comments yourself regularly.
But you can also prepare for your target audience and their needs. When looking at your fellow influencers, simply sort their posts by the number of likes, comments, and interactions. Carefully read through several of the discussions. This will give you a feel for what interests your target audience, what resonates well, and what doesn't. What causes friction, what can you use to provoke? And you'll probably also find a few mistakes and statements that are less well-received by your target audience. With that, you already have some information ready. You now know roughly what interests your future followers and how they tick. And you know your fellow influencers and what you can do differently/better/more uniquely in your videos.
So, let's go.
Tip 4: Perseverance is important
However you approach it, from the very beginning, you need to stay committed and show perseverance. It's unlikely you'll achieve a breakthrough with your first video. The initial experiences might even be frustrating. There's no script or magic formula for success as a YouTube influencer. As always, it's the familiar trifecta: producing the right topic at the right time for the right target audience. Of course, a bit of luck is involved. But the more often you deliver good content, the greater the probability that you'll hit the jackpot with a topic at some point. Then you'll have the recognition and the followers, and the path ahead will become a bit easier – as long as you keep at it. Because as soon as you stop producing good content, you can lose the fanbase you've built up.
Tip 5: Always stay authentic as a YouTube Influencer
No matter how or from where you make your videos – whether you professionally set up a room, perfectly light it, and then sit in front of a good camera, or whether you simply pick up a smartphone and film yourself – the most important thing is to stay authentic and that the setting suits you.
Because as a YouTube influencer, you are the actual product – with all your strengths and weaknesses. You won't succeed in constantly pretending to have qualities you don't possess. So, stay who you are and be authentic. Then it will probably also be easier for you to deal with criticism and negative feedback – and there will definitely be some. Because in addition to genuine fans, haters will probably also subscribe to your channel and participate in discussions. And since you can't please everyone – especially not on the internet – shitstorms, insults, and the like are unfortunately part of it.
Tip 6: Don't buy followers and be careful with stealth advertising
While the first tips outlined things you absolutely should do for your success, there are also a few things you'd better avoid. First and foremost, buying followers and subtly promoting products.
Especially in Germany, advertising must always be labeled as such. Otherwise, fines can be incurred. So, if you make videos about "content/products" for which you are paid by a company, you must label this. Of course, it is difficult for outsiders to understand where you are merely giving a "personal recommendation" for a product and where, for example, you have a concrete assignment to present something (in the best possible light). But at the latest, when you actively earn money from the sale of products or offers via so-called affiliate links, the intention of your video is certainly obvious. And with overly obvious advertising, you forfeit the most important asset you have as a YouTube influencer: your authenticity and your credibility.
The same, of course, applies to purchased followers. Because anyone who needs to cheat here can't be credible, honest, and sincere.
Tip 7: Influencer marketing and a good campaign for you as a Youtuber, your channel, and you as a person
What you are allowed to do, however, is marketing / influencer marketing. Create your own campaign that promotes you, your video, and you as a brand and as a YouTuber. It doesn't always have to be factual content. Use a day or two for a video whose sole purpose is to advertise your YouTube Channel. In this context, combining it with the social platform Instagram is also very good, where you can, for example, occasionally present the making-of a video in image or video form. In addition to Instagram, you can use other social media channels. You have even more possibilities through your own website where you can also blog or show vlogs (video blogs).
Tip 8: The right mix to earn money as a YouTube Influencer
Be prepared to start your influencer career as an unpaid hobby. Even if creating your videos will be a lot of work for you as a creator. Especially as long as you don't have a large and stable fanbase, you won't get offers for "paid posts" and will hardly cover your running costs with advertising.
But as already mentioned, with a bit of luck, talent, and a feel for the right topic at the right time, this can change from one video to the next. In this case, don't put all your eggs in one basket, but explore all the possibilities that exist.
Sponsored Posts, Affiliate Links, Advertising, and Crowdfunding
- Paid posts, so-called Sponsored Posts, are one option. Here, companies use your fame and pay you to talk about topic XYZ. However, you should use sponsored posts very sparingly. Authenticity is lost faster nowhere than when you are suspected of having been bought – and possibly even against your own conviction. It is also imperative to label these posts as Sponsored Posts.
- Use Affiliate Links if you review products (or services) from companies. If a purchase is made via the link you published, you earn a commission. But beware: if you give all products you review 10 out of 10 points, this quickly becomes unbelievable. Be honest here, even at the risk of not earning anything from products you didn't like.
- The best way to earn money as a YouTube influencer is through advertising. This refers to advertising that the YouTube platform plays before your videos. You then receive a small share of the advertising revenue. These contributions range from a few cents to a few euros per video. The more people have watched your video, the higher the contribution. From half a million subscribers – according to one estimate – up to 20,000 euros per month can be earned on YouTube through advertising. If you combine this method with the other two sources of income, life as a YouTube influencer with many subscribers can certainly be quite good. Then you've made it, and YouTube influencer is your new full-time job.
- Crowdfunding campaigns are also possible on YouTube. Here, you promise your donors regular output or consideration of specific interests and topics. However, this is not easily earned money. The money flow creates an expectation on the part of the donors that you then also have to meet. And it is possible that your approach and your ideas will be severely restricted.
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