What You Need To Become a Professional YouTuber

For those who just started on YouTube and haven’t considered turning it into a full-time gig, this is not the article for you. If you want to learn how to turn content creation into a career on YouTube, you need to find some level of success first. Now, if you’re someone who has a decent subscriber base and wants to continue rising through the algorithm, there are some changes you’ll need to make in order for that to happen, and we’re here to help you figure out what those are.

Build a Professional Setup

One of the first things you should do when taking content creation more seriously is to invest in some serious gear. This doesn’t have to be all at once, but buying a better mic or a higher-quality camera are good places to start. As time goes by, you might want to look into getting a green screen and setting up some professional lighting. Once you set your lights up properly, your video quality will have a noticeable difference.

Of course, you might be a YouTuber who doesn’t show their face—that doesn’t mean you can skip this step. Instead, you’ll want to invest in better editing software and take some classes to learn how to make your graphics more engaging. Regardless of what you do, if you want this to be your profession, you need it to look professionally done, as it will attract a much larger audience.

Create a Recognizable Brand

We’re sure by now you’ve already determined your niche through the types of videos your produce, but now you need to brand yourself in a way that appeals better to them and other potential subscribers. Creating an eye-catching logo is an obvious starting point, but finding an appropriate color scheme and maybe even a theme song both go a long way, too. Right now, you’re just a person; you truly need to become a brand to have a chance at taking off.

Find Ways To Monetize Yourself

Now it’s time for the most crucial tip on how to turn content creation into a career on YouTube: start monetizing yourself. Of course, you’re already aware that this is the key to making this a full-time job, but do you know how to do it? Well, first, you should start by becoming a YouTube Partner if you haven’t already. This is how your videos will directly earn money.

However, you can’t always count on YouTube. Maybe they don’t think your content is kid-friendly enough, or there’s another Adpocolypse. You can’t rely on them entirely. That’s why you need to diversify by selling branded merch, getting sponsorships, and maybe even setting up a Patreon.

Optimize Your Videos

Finally, you should start trying to optimize your videos. There are three main things you’re optimizing for: viewers’ attention, potential ad revenue, and algorithm attractiveness. Those first two will significantly impact the third one, but make sure you don’t game the algorithm too hard. If you do, you might one day become a content farm that only makes videos that maximize profits. Once this is the goal, YouTube is no longer your career—it’s an obligation.