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Are you worried that it’s “too late” for you to start a YouTube channel in 2023? If it’s not too late, how do you get monetized as fast as possible on the platform?

I have some good news for you… it’s not too late to start!

That might be hard to believe, so instead of telling you it’s not too late to start on YouTube, let me show you WHY and HOW. When you’re finished reading, I think you’ll be convinced.

5 Facts About YouTube

YouTube is a dominating platform and it shows no signs of stopping. It has been since its birth in 2005 and continues to be today.

Let’s start off with hard facts and stats about YouTube to show that it’s worth investing your time into.

1. YouTube is the world’s 2nd most visited website.

If you just think about how many websites you visit on any given day and how many websites exist in general… that’s a huge deal.

To add to that, the first place spot belongs to Google. And that’s great news because Google OWNS YouTube. So Google is dominating the web.

2. Over 2 Billion logged-in users visit YouTube each month

You read that right. Not million. Not each year. Not just any user.

2 billion logged-in users a month. How crazy is that?

3. Over 1 billion hours of content is watched daily.

Here we are with that word “billion” again.

With that much content being consumed, you are guaranteed to have one of your videos watched and enjoyed by someone you don’t even know.

4. YouTube, on mobile alone, reaches more people in the US than any TV network.

We always knew that social media and streaming services would take over TV, but YouTube alone is proving that point.

And the best part about that is it’s not a service you have to pay for, and it’s not a platform where only large, household names can publish content on.

5. 74% of US adults use YouTube

Which is nearly twice as much as Instagram usage (40%).

That means you have MORE of an opportunity to be discovered on YouTube, because MORE users are using it every day!

It’s already pretty clear that YouTube is an amazing platform to use and have success with.

Now, let’s talk about monetization. The opportunities to monetize on YouTube stand apart from any other platform.

3 Facts about YouTube Monetization

We all know getting monetized on YouTube is extremely important, but what are the chances of you even making money on YouTube?

Let’s jump in with some more stats:

1. The number of channels that earn five figures per year ($10,000+) on YouTube grew by 50%, year over year.

2. The number of channels earning six figures per year ($100,000+) on YouTube grew more than 40%, year over year.

3. YouTube’s global ad revenues in 2021 were $28 billion. That’s 46% more than in 2020. And about 55% of YouTube’s ad revenue goes back to its creators.

With those numbers, you can safely assume creators as a whole made roughly $15 billion at most. The money is already there. Advertisers are seeing the value in this method of marketing, and you can choose to snatch up some of that for your own income!

YouTube Loves Niches

There are countless themes and niches on YouTube with channels catering directly to those niches. And for every channel in a niche, there are exponentially more viewers craving their content.

And YouTube loves that.

If you look at YouTube’s trending page, you notice that it isn’t only gaming content or only music videos. There’s also cooking and vlogging and tech videos. You name it, there’s a viewer for it, and YouTube will happily show it to you.

But what’s your niche? How do you find your niche? And most importantly, how do you make the most of your niche once you find it?

Here are some examples of what’s popular on YouTube right now to give you a few ideas.

Education

Views of videos with variations of “beginner” in the title increased more than 50% between March and July 2020. These videos got more than 10 billion views in 2020 alone.

People are always wanting to learn new things and don’t know where to start.

If you’re able to teach a unique skill you have to “beginners,” you have a niche right there that people will love and YouTube will reward you for.

Gaming

People watched 100 billion hours of gaming on YouTube in 2020. Clearly, people want to watch gaming content and when they do, they watch a lot of it.

If you’re a gaming channel, there are surely people out there who will love your content.

Gaming is not going out of style.

Fitness

72% of people used YouTube to exercise or keep fit in 2020.

While that stat was from two years ago, fitness wasn’t just a 2020 trend. Just look at fitness content that has been posted this year alone.

There will always be people looking to exercise and live a healthier lifestyle. If you are passionate about fitness, your content can help those people.

And YouTube will thank you for it.

Lifestyle

Daily views of videos with “home office” in the title increased 210% in March 2020, and daily uploads of videos with “at home” in the title increased 700% in the same period.

You could chalk it up solely as a result of the pandemic, and that’s a fair assessment. However, even as we’re slowly coming out of the pandemic, the “at home” lifestyle is only growing more and more popular.

All the hobbies and activities that people picked up in 2020 are still enjoyed today and are becoming common-practice: working from home, gardening, home renovations, etc.

People are paying more attention to their lifestyle. The question is, are they also paying attention to your content in the “lifestyle” niche? They won’t until you start.

As you can see, from those stats alone, YouTube is THRIVING for everyone. Not just specific niches. It’s up to you if you want to hop on the train and accept your cut of $15 billion.

Time to Get Monetized

Alright, now that you’re ready to start posting on YouTube, how does one get monetized?

There are 4 requirements you must meet to get monetization access on YouTube:

1. You comply with all YouTube’s policies and guidelines.

2. You have an AdSense account set up.

3. You need to have at least 1,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel.

4. Your videos have generated at least 4,000 Watch Time hours over the last 12 months.

So when I shared this information with my Patreon group, I had someone share with me that 4,000 seemed like an IMPOSSIBLE goal, and I get it! That’s a big number.

So this is how I broke it down, so you can see how attainable it actually is!

Reaching 4,000 Hours

First, we want to break down those 4,000 hours into a step-by-step goal we can reach.

If you need to hit 4,000 in 12 months (or 52 weeks), that means you need 76 hours of watch time per week.

Now, let’s say your channel has 500 subscribers, and you post one 10-15 minute video every week. If you post 1 video, and all 500 loyal subscribers watch 12 minutes, that’s 6,000 minutes (100 watch hours). That’s already over the 76 hours of watch time you needed.

That’s it.

The thing with YouTube that you have to remember is that YouTube is a MARATHON, not a sprint. 

Instant gratification on this platform does not exist. With Instagram, you get the instant gratification of posting a photo and immediately getting likes and comments.

YouTube is not the same when you’re starting out. It takes someone who is determined and resilient to post consistently, but I guarantee that the long-term results will outweigh that lack of instant gratification.

3 Tips For a Fast-Growing YouTube Channel

To wrap this up, I want to leave you with a few tips for how to have a channel that will get monetized fast.

YouTube Growth Tip #1: Be Consistent

I know you’ve heard this a million times already, but that should speak to its validity. In terms of setting up systems to support your consistency, my secret to consistency has been batching.

Batching is when you focus on doing ONE TASK in one sitting.

So I will script 4 YouTube videos in one day. And then I’ll record 4 videos in one day. Then all I have to worry about is editing, but at least I’m 4 weeks ahead!

I have this video here that shows you how to post consistently on Youtube and never run out of content ideas.

YouTube Growth Tip #2: Create Discoverable Content

Keep in mind who owns YouTube…Google. These two platforms are the TOP TWO search engines in the world. Emphasis on the search.

How can you title your videos to match what people are searching for? How can you craft your content so that it becomes what others are searching for?

If you’re new and you want to be discovered, make it easy for people to discover you.

YouTube Growth Tip #3: Creating Binge-Worthy Content

Do you have any idea how many hours in a single day people collectively watch shows on streaming services?

Imagine that your content was being “binged” on a daily basis. That’s a lot of hours and a lot of watch time.

This goes hand-in-hand with niching down. If someone lands on your channel because they watched your “Home Office Tour” video, but then they’re recommended a video on “My favorite salads for summer”…you probably just lost some watch time.

How can you create a THEME for your content that the viewer can naturally follow and binge? Maybe one video is “Home Office Tour” and then another one is “5 Office Must-Haves from Amazon.”

Imagine your channel as a Netflix show, and you want the viewer to BINGE!

Get Started on YouTube Now!

As you can see, now is the perfect time to start your channel! You have every tool you need at your expense.

Don’t wait anymore. While you’re waiting to start a channel, someone out there is waiting to watch your content.

YouTube isn’t dying. YouTube isn’t short on money to pay its creators. You aren’t short on themes and niches to choose from. All YouTube is missing is you.

Take these tips and enjoy your journey of starting and growing your very own YouTube channel.

Once you do, let me know what happens! I want to hear your stories, your successes and even obstacles you had to overcome.

And if you have any other tips for anyone else out there wanting to start their YouTube channel, comment down below! We’d love to hear your thoughts.

Follow your joy!