Watching videos is something we all do on the internet nowadays, but did you know that you can make money from it? All you need is a reliable method for identifying the best videos to watch, and a little bit of entrepreneurial spirit.
It takes some research to find the best videos to make money from. You can use tools like Google Trends to easily find what is most popular at the moment, or you can search for videos by keywords and see what comes up. You also want to make sure that the content is actually good before you start making money from it.
Monetizing Videos
This is actually the process of making money from videos. When you find a video you think is good, you can search for “monetize this video” or “make money from this video” and you will see a list of all the different methods Youtube and other platforms offer for making money from videos.
The first step in this process is to choose the right niche. This is the category of videos you will focus on making money from. You don’t want to try and make money from videos related to sports or gaming because there are already a lot of businesses trying to do that. Instead, find a niche like “Make Money videos” or “How to be a YouTube creator.”
Now that you have your niche, you can pick out a specific technique or strategy to help you make money from videos. The first step is to choose the right platform. You want to find a place that is easy to use and where your videos will reach a large audience.
The Rise of TikTok
This is arguably the most popular place on the internet for people to watch videos. It was originally created as a direct competitor to YouTube, but now that it is so popular it has its own perks. Like most social platforms, TikTok offers a variety of ways for users to make money. You can become a “creator” and gain access to premium features. Or you can become a “brand partner” and integrate your products into videos in exchange for a cut of the profits.
However, one of the more popular ways to make money on TikTok is to become a “featured creator.” These creators are essentially influencers who have thousands of followers and regularly get paid to post on the platform. They can post videos once or twice a day and often times will have sponsorships with brands looking to benefit from their large audiences.
The Perks of Being a Creator On TikTok
The sheer number of people on TikTok makes it a potentially profitable platform. It is estimated that there are over a billion monthly active users on the app, with 300 million of those users using the platform actively every day. This daily activity means that your target audience is constantly available to view your content.
TikTok rewards creators for attracting and engaging their audience. Create a compelling story and solid branding, and you can attract sponsorships and even become a millionaire. Thinkers like Ray Wang and Andy Boxall forecast that by 2022, 56% of all consumer revenue will come from companies sponsored by digital influencers.
Watching Videos to Learn
With so many options for making money from videos, it is tempting to just click on the first few results you get when you search for “make money from videos.” However, if you want to get the most out of this content, you need to set some time aside to actually watch the videos. This is especially important if you want to learn something. Learning to drive a car can be extremely dangerous if you don’t have the time to properly practice. The same goes for many other skills that can be improved through learning from videos.
There are a few different approaches you can take to learn from videos. You can either play the part of the learner, watching the video and taking notes or you can be a “teacher” and the person teaching something through the video content. The type of learner you are determines how you will approach taking notes, but in any case, you should try and find a way to learn from videos. It can definitely be beneficial to your growth as a driver, salesperson, or entrepreneur.
YouTube: The Original Video Hosting Platform
Let’s not forget about YouTube, the original video hosting platform. It was launched in 2005 and has since become the number one place for all things videos. Back then, people would simply upload their videos to YouTube and leave it at that, but as time went on, people realized that there was more they could do with their content than just leave it on the platform. They could use tools like Google Analytics to learn more about their audience and engage them more directly.
YouTube creators can make money in a variety of ways. You can promote your channel and become the go-to source for any type of videos on your topic. Or you can become a freelancer and use your channel to post videos for brands and businesses to use. Or you can create instructional videos for other creators to use and profit from.
The advantage of YouTube is that it is the largest of the video hosting platforms. There are over one billion monthly active users on the platform, which makes it a potential goldmine for advertisers. Advertisers have seen huge success on YouTube since its inception and as a result, there are more than 500 million monthly active users using YouTube’s ad-supported “Free” tier.
Creating YouTube Lists
YouTubers have all seen those “Recommended Videos” playlists. These are just a few of the suggestions that YouTube algorithmically creates for its users based on your previous preferences and activities on the platform. Create a YouTube list of your favorite videos and use that list as a starting point for your content strategy. You should make a point to check out these lists because they can occasionally feature some golden nuggets of video content that are worth your time.
Vimeo: Hybrid Video Hosting Platform
Vimeo is another popular video hosting platform with 500 million monthly active users. It is primarily used for professional and creative content and offers a variety of paid and unpaid opportunities for content creators.
Vimeo creators can make money in a variety of ways. You can become a freelancer and use the platform to post valuable video content that is guaranteed to attract customers. Or, you can develop a community around your content and engage with your audience through interesting contests, giveaways, and other fun ways to engage with your audience.
Videos on the platform are watched more than twice as often as those on YouTube and can be monetized through a variety of ad placements and membership plans offered by the platform. Plus, unlike YouTube, Vimeo doesn’t require you to use its ad-supported free version to build a presence on the platform.
Blogs
Blogs are still going strong, even though people are now more likely to read text on their smartphones than they are to visit a blog. Perhaps people are still feeling nostalgic about getting lost in an interesting story or discovering something new through an engaging piece.
The concept behind a blog is still the same as it was a decade ago. A blog author will occasionally post new content, which they hope will gain traction and attract an audience. But now that audience will almost always be on the internet, looking for new content.
Bloggers can make money online through different avenues. You can become a freelance writer and earn money through affiliate partnerships or you can create a podcast and integrate your affiliate links into the show’s content. Or, if you are the creative type, you can create a YouTube channel filled with helpful tips and useful insights and then use affiliate marketing to make money from your content.
E-commerce
This one may surprise you, but YouTube, Twitter, and even Pinterest have all become essential part of the e-commerce funnel. More and more businesses are seeing the value in having video content on their websites. It provides customers with a clear picture of what the business is about, what it offers, and most importantly, how they can be of assistance. If you want to get started with e-commerce on a small scale, you can try Amazon’s Associates program, which allows you to incorporate your blog into their platform and earn a commission when someone makes a purchase through your affiliate links. Alternatively, you can try shopping through traditional channels like store websites or social platforms like Facebook to gain more traction with a larger audience.