YouTube content creators are more valuable now than ever as YouTube watch time has recently jumped 80% in the U.S. compared to last year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Obviously, this global quarantine has created unprecedented challenges for many brands. On the other hand, there are still ways that you can adjust and change along with the world. One of the ways you can do this is by working with YouTube content creators.
What Are YouTube Content Creators?
If you’re totally new to the YouTube game, you’re probably wondering what YouTube content creators even are. Maybe you have an outdated view of YouTube as simply a video content site that regular people randomly upload funny videos onto. Or maybe you only use it to watch music videos made by your favorite artist.
While these conceptions still apply, YouTube has become such a massive and valuable platform that there are people whose sole job is to create content for it. We know what you’re thinking — how are people able to make money simply by making videos? Well, it all comes down to advertising.
Brands have keyed into the reach of YouTube and have realized that YouTube advertising can be extremely effective. Content creators have realized this too and have been able to monetize their content by selling ads on their channel to various brands. This, in turn, creates a mutually beneficial relationship whereas content creators have the name and the viewers that brands want to utilize and reach.
When done right, advertising alongside YouTube content creators can be an extremely beneficial strategy and investment for any brand looking to reach their target customers or potentially break into new markets.
How Does Content Creation Work?
You must be thinking that there has to be a catch… content creators just make videos and get paid for it? This sounds pretty easy. However, there’s so much more to it than that. After all, not everyone who has ever uploaded a video onto YouTube can be termed a “content creator” and make money as a result. So, how does content creation really work and how does it become profitable?
The first thing content creators need to do is to find their niche. They tend to go with something that they’re passionate about in order to share that passion with others through their content.
For example, some popular topics include fitness, cooking, beauty, etc. From there, they can start creating engaging content that viewers will enjoy watching. But they don’t stop there.
Obviously, there are tons of different channels and endless amounts of content on YouTube, so content creators will also need to find a way to set themselves apart from everyone else by developing their own personal brand.
After the groundwork has been laid, content creators can really start planning out their content. One popular thing to do is to post consistently or only on certain days of the week. Content creators have had a lot of success with promoting and sharing their release schedule so that viewers know when to expect new videos and can really look forward to them.
As content creators begin to publish more and more content to grow their channels, they should also be engaging with their viewers not just to gain devoted followers, but also to benefit from YouTube’s search algorithm as well.
Who Are the Top YouTube Content Creators?
If you’re still not convinced of the whole YouTube content creating sphere, we have tons of examples of successful content creators who have amassed huge followings and have been able to monetize their content by partnering with brands and essentially giving them exclusive access to their followers.
For the year 2020, here are the top five YouTube content creators:
- Ryan Kaji: This nine-year-old tops the list with $29.5 million in earnings along with 12.2 billion views and 41.7 million subscribers.
- Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson): Known for his crazy stunts and entertaining humor, this YouTuber earned $24 million thanks to 3 billion views and 47.8 million subscribers.
- Dude Perfect: Consists of five guys who do funny stunts and competitions that earned them $23 million last year with 2.77 billion views and 57.5 million subscribers.
- Rhett and Link: These quasi-talk show hosts have a huge following with 41.8 million subscribers that they have amassed since starting all the way back in 2012. They have 1.9 million views and have earned $20 million.
- Markiplier (Mark Fischbach): This video game expert has amassed 27.8 million subscribers, 3.1 billion views, and $19.5 million in revenue.
Why You Should Advertise on YouTube
The benefits of advertising on YouTube are quite impressive. If you still aren’t convinced by some of the points that we’ve already covered, here are some numbers that are bound to make you a YouTube believer:
- YouTube has a massive reach with 2 billion total users and almost 5 billion video views every single day.
- YouTube is the second most visited site on the web, coming only after Google.
- Advertising on YouTube is easily trackable and offers insightful metrics that can help you see the effectiveness and reach of your ad.
- Advertising on YouTube can be cost-effective, especially compared to traditional ad space on television, for example, that will cost you a pretty penny.
How To Work With Content Creators
Clearly, you should be advertising on YouTube and working with content creators if you aren’t already. But how can you actually go about doing this?
The first step involves thinking about what you would like to accomplish by partnering with content creators. Setting goals and targets ahead of time will help keep you on track throughout the process. It will also help you determine your target audience and budget.
Once you have that information, you can start looking for the right content creators. The key word here is “right.” Many brands will automatically go with the most popular creators, only to find that they aren’t really the best fit for what they are trying to achieve.
You can avoid this problem by doing your due diligence on the front end and only working with content creators who align with your brand values and brand image. Be sure to study their content, their reputation, and their viewers intensively before reaching out to ensure proper brand suitability.
From there, you can start to build a relationship with your desired content creator. In order to really get them on board, the relationship also has to be beneficial for them — so you may need to offer them something upfront to make it worth their while. After all, odds are that you aren’t the only brand that has reached out to partner with them, so you want to set yourself apart from the competition and make them want to partner with you specifically.
Throughout this process, just be sure to be upfront about your expectations as well as provide information that you want them to include in their content — all while still giving them some creative space to make it seem genuine.
Final Thoughts
As you can see, working with YouTube content creators can be beneficial for everyone involved. In 2020 and beyond, this is definitely something that brands need to be investing in as YouTube continues to gain viewers and popularity in the age of quarantine.
With the right strategy and research from the experts here at Channel Factory, you can efficiently advertise your brand with the help of YouTube content creators.
Sources: