Starting a YouTube channel seems like an easy way to get a secondary source of income and a big shot at being your own boss in Uganda. While the Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) proposed that Ugandan blogs, YouTube channels and Facebook live bloggers should be regulated, starting a YouTube channel is still a good idea if you can meet a few requirements and are willing to throw your best at it.
Some YouTube content creators have quit their full-time jobs and aligned resources for the success of their respective channels, but this may unquestionably not be advisable for someone who is thinking of starting their YouTube channel now. The actuality is making money on YouTube entails stalwart long-term effort and of course, a creative mind. You have to first create good videos consistently and then think about the monetary returns.
So here’s the reality check!
- You are super mistaken if you take YouTube to be an immediate source of income.
- It’s not about creating a single viral video, it’s about consistent high quality content.
- You may hardly make a single penny from your YouTube channel for the initial couple of years.
- Many mainstream channels that have all the resources such as camera persons, producers and some of the best video directors are yet to make a significant amount from their channels.
- On the other hand, there are individuals such as Kansiime Anne seeing much success on their YouTube channels and are earning decently from YouTube.
Setting up your YouTube channel
> Sign up for a Google account and sign into YouTube.
> Choose your genre and name of the channel.
> Create a unique thumbnail and appealing cover image.
> Start uploading your content.
Cheat codes to earn big from YouTube
- Content is King! Regular quality content that engrosses a large segment of global audience should be the cynosure of your YouTube channel.
- Plan ahead. For consistency reasons, it’s recommended to have ready to upload videos for 2 or 3 weeks ahead. This gives you room to create quality content without the pressure of not meeting deadlines.
- Follow video production basics. The videos should be mute-friendly with kosher subtitles and a good voice over. Choose good angels and shots for your videos to make them more captivating.
The Requirements to Earn from YouTube
In order to get the adverts (which are the source of income), you will need to sign up for the YouTube Partner Program. You can only sign up for this program after your channel meets certain thresholds. In order for a channel to be eligible for YouTube monetization, it needs at least 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months and a minimum of 1,000 subscribers.
The owner must also be at least 18 years of age. These numbers can be tracked by referring to YouTube Analytics when you open your channel. Once the numbers are right, you will have to connect your YouTube channel to a Google Adsense account to get paid for monetised videos.
These could be other earning sources on your YouTube channel
You have now made it to the YouTube elite group. You have built a sufficient subscriber base and your channel is pretty popular. It’s time to market it further to earn more moolah. YouTube may provide you with a good amount but you could add more to that through the following.
1. Making sponsored videos:
Companies really want to be marketed in every way possible. Making exclusive videos for certain brands or businesses that are in line with the genre of your YouTube channel could be another source of income. For instance, if your channel is about Smartphones, then you could feature sponsored smartphone reviews. If your channel has a huge outreach, then businesses are willing to pay to take it to their advantage.
2. Product placement:
We’ve seen this in movies and certain TV shows. Here, you can incorporate products from the sponsoring brand while making your channel content. For example, if it’s a food-based channel, you could be paid for incorporating a certain “Mchuzi Mix” somewhere in the video.
