Introduction

Maybe you’re looking to become a YouTube sensation with your next video or simply want to share your insights or expertise with the world. Perhaps you’d even like to use YouTube and video to help your business, which could be a local coffee shop or a Fortune 500 company. Maybe YouTube can actually be your business. No matter how you plan to use your video-making skills, YouTube has made sharing the results of those skills easy. And with the tips and techniques included in this edition of YouTube Channels For Dummies, you’ll be ready to take full advantage of YouTube’s user-friendly platform when creating your very own YouTube channel.

YouTube started off years ago as a simple video sharing site, ultimately going on to change the entertainment business and so much more. In many ways, it democratized creators and viewers, ultimately influencing how products were marketed, sold, and used. YouTube globalized the viewing experience, reinventing how people experience video content. Any viewer who wants to see any video anywhere in the world only has to type www.youtube.com into their favorite browser or bring up the YouTube app on their mobile phone.

Let’s not forget that YouTube became one of the largest search engines in the world as well. Businesses started using videos to launch and support products all while bring a human face to the company. We also witnessed the rise of YouTube influencers, savvy participants who were often better connected to a company’s audience than the business itself. They set the tone.

As easy as it is for a viewer to take full advantage of YouTube, it’s almost as easy for a contributor to become part of the YouTube mix. After setting up an account, it’s a snap to start uploading videos. And, if the videos you’re uploading take off, you could become famous and even earn a good chunk of change from your YouTube exploits.

Notice that we said, “if the videos you’re uploading take off.” That can be a very big if. Not just any video will do. The truth of the matter is that the low-quality, badly shot videos that were popular some years ago no longer cut the mustard. Viewers expect higher quality these days, which is why you need to step up your game and produce the best possible content. This book can help show you the way.

About This Book

In some ways, reading a book to find out all about YouTube channels seems a bit odd. Isn’t YouTube the place that specializes in videos designed to teach you about any topic on Earth? Why not just stick with the YouTube videos that are all about YouTube?

First off, it’s a bit self-referential and insular to get all your information about YouTube channels from YouTube videos. Second, that video purporting to tell you how to strike it rich on YouTube may have been shot and edited by the neighbor kid down the street who has never made a dime from YouTube and who may never move out of Mom and Dad’s basement. In other words, just as you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the Internet, you shouldn’t believe everything you see on YouTube. Sometimes it pays to listen to the true experts (like us) who have a track record in advising folks how to put their best foot forward on YouTube.

We also know that there are only so many hours in a day and that everyone’s schedules seem to be getting more hectic each day. That’s why this book that doesn’t beat around the bush — it gets straight to the point so that you can get in and get out with the information you need. In that sense, YouTube Channels For Dummies is the exact opposite of all those wordy instructional manuals that spell out a hundred ways to do something. No matter if you’re looking to set up a channel, create an effective header, or figure out ways to maximize your monetization potential, we show you the quickest, most effective way to get the job done.

Preparing the third edition of YouTube Channels For Dummies required us to examine several significant advancements inside and beyond YouTube. Since the first and second editions, we’ve seen the rise of Shorts, concise video segments often captured, edited, and uploaded from a mobile device. We are also seeing the rise of Artificial Intelligence (AI), which is greatly impacting how content is programmed and produced. Finally, YouTube has made big changes in YouTube Studio, the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), and the tools to help creators and businesses understand their audiences and make money.

You’ll also learn about the relationship and differences between YouTube Ads and Google Ads. Since publishing the first edition nearly ten years ago, YouTube and its ecosystem have grown by leaps and bounds. In this edition, we distill all the richness and complexity down so you can understand how everything works while getting up to speed and building an engaged audience.

Foolish Assumptions

Whether you’re experienced or have just started your channel, you should treat YouTube with an open mind. Just because it’s easy to make a video and upload it to YouTube doesn’t mean that you won’t hit the occasional bump in the road, so don’t fool yourself into thinking you don’t need help from time to time. Imagine whether you can see yourself in one of these categories:

• Newbies: You shoot lots of videos but have never uploaded one to YouTube. But then the feeling overtook you to upload your best ones and share them with the world. No problem: This book can answer some of your most basic questions.

  You want your videos to look really cool so that you can post them on YouTube and all your other favorite social media haunts, and if you use this book to answer your most basic questions, trust us — your movies will be awesome.

  This book doesn’t require your fluency in technospeak. Instead, it’s written using a down-to-earth tone. Through clearly written explanations, lists, illustrations, and tips, you’ll find out how to best use your equipment, set up video shoots, and navigate the YouTube upload process.

• Creators: There’s never been a better place for independent creators to build their brands. It doesn’t matter if you’re a budding fashion and beauty expert or a seasoned small-engine repair technician — YouTube is where you can showcase your expertise and connect with people who care about what you do. Even if you’ve been doing this for some time, you’ll find that there are now more capabilities. Maybe you’ll become the next Mark Rober, the ingenious former NASA engineer with some pretty cool science and gadget videos. With nearly 60 million subscribers, he clearly got people interested.
• Students: If making videos is what you do and you’re interested in sharing your work, this book can get you started by helping you set up your own YouTube channel. Since you already understand the fundamentals of making a video, you can concentrate on the creation and maintenance of your channel. Before long, you’ll be uploading videos, building a following, and maybe even transforming your channel into the next Khan Academy.
• Videographers: You’re already comfortable with making movies, you know all about effective editing practices, and you’re ready to share your professional work with the world. You’ll find tons of info in this book to help set up your channel and grow your audience so that you can transform your video page into a moneymaking endeavor. Ripe with tips, this guide puts you in the easy chair, filling in the blanks with the best ways to showcase your videos and effectively monetize your content.
• Business professionals: YouTube is great for business because it can help drive awareness and increase sales. These days, consumers turn to YouTube to learn more about the products or services they’re considering. YouTube creators have become trusted advisors for viewers and more frequently collaborate with many of the world’s most famous brands to give buyers (or potential buyers) all the information they need to enhance their product choices.
• Entrepreneurs: You may already have a moderate following on YouTube, whereas others are new to the game. Regardless of your level of success, you share the same goal, and that’s to use YouTube as a business tool. Whether you’re looking for the best ways to earn money with your channel or looking at the bigger picture for promoting your business or service, this book has much to offer for finding the most effective strategy.

How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into five sections, with each section detailing the various phases of setting up and mastering your channel. If you see a particular area that concerns you, you should feel free to skip those chapters. Think of it as a smorgasbord of information.

• Part 1: Getting Started with YouTube: This section provides a swift overview of the YouTube ecosystem and how all the pieces fit together. You’ll be up and running quickly, no matter if you’re a beginner looking to share videos with a global audience, a working video professional looking to take advantage of monetization, a business owner looking to close the distance, or anyone in between.
• Part 2: Making Great YouTube Videos: The chapters in this part cover modern video production and cinematography....