Do you want to make money on YouTube? Millions of creators are earning a very good living from the platform by uploading content that drives huge views and engagements. Whether that income is from advertising revenue, merch sales, or brand deals, we keep you updated with best practises and ideas.

How To Make Money on YouTube

Do you know how to do keyword research so you understand what videos people are actually searching for on YouTube? Do you know how to create a custom YouTube thumbnail? Do you know how to create a Playlist on YouTube?

vidIQ has a ton of tips that will help every creator maximise their video content. We publish content every week to keep you up to date with all the best practices.

YouTube Tips & Tricks

YouTube Shorts content is set to explode! 

All the latest tips, tricks, and rock-solid advice you need for this new feature.

YouTube Shorts

Ask any YouTuber and they will tell you that generating significant views and subscribers isn't easy. But with the right strategy and tools, any video creator can build an engaged subscriber base when they understand what those subscribers want to watch.

Appealing to an audience to watch content you are passionate about making is just the first step, you need to know how to reach them and get your videos discovered. Our guides to how to guide more views on YouTube will give you the best tips to succeed on the platform.

How To Get More Views on YouTube

Six months ago, we told creators to experiment with YouTube Shorts. We advised them to film vertical videos under 60 seconds (as the requirements suggest), post them to YouTube, and create a featured section on their channel to house the content.

Why did we suggest this? In just a few weeks, we saw channels getting thousands of views from Shorts. They mostly came from the YouTube Shorts shelf, a display area where different Shorts are featured. By the time a creator’s video left the shelf, it would have hundreds, thousands, or millions of views.

That’s how powerful Shorts are. With them, you can gain more subscribers in two weeks than you’ve had all year. Without them, you’ll miss a valuable opportunity to get discovered on the platform.

How to Create a YouTube Short: The Complete Beginner's Guide

If you want to know exactly why that is, watch our latest video about Shorts and the competition that’s quickly surrounding them.

The best time to post a Short was months ago. But if you hurry, you can still reap the benefits of creating content that gets played millions of times.

Need a push to get started? Here are three undeniable reasons to experiment with Shorts.

Reason 1: Creators Are Still Getting More Views and Subscribers From YouTube Shorts

The first reason is a little obvious but worth repeating. Extra views from Shorts have helped many channels grow, and they’ve got the numbers to prove it.

. In September 2020, he had 40k total channel views. After posting original, 3D-animated Shorts, he now has more than 3M subscribers and almost 2B views.

How This YouTube Creator Got 1.5 Billion Views In Just 80 Days

Jake isn’t the only creator to reap the benefits of Shorts. There’s also MrBeast, a popular creator who grew his 

 to 4.79M subscribers. Professional YouTube channels such as 

 have Shorts with more than 200k views each. Members of the vidIQ community have seen explosive growth, and some TikTok creators have successfully transitioned to Shorts.

You could be next if you act now. Shorts are viewed 3.5B times each day, so there are plenty of people willing to watch your videos.

Reason 2: Pretty Soon, You’ll Have to Compete With Creators From the U.S.

Did you hear the news? Beginning in March, U.S. creators will get a beta version of the in-app Shorts camera.

The announcement came from Neal Mohan, chief product officer at YouTube. On Feb. 17, he shared the news in a 

“Currently, Shorts is available in beta in India. Since the beginning of December, the number of Indian channels using Shorts creation tools has more than tripled... In the coming weeks, we'll begin expanding the beta to the U.S., unlocking our tools to even more creators so they can get started with Shorts.”

To be clear, anyone can post a Short today. As long as a video is vertical and under 60 seconds, YouTube will recognize it as a Short. What Mohan is mentioning above refers to a TikTok-style camera that’s only available in India. With it, creators can record, edit, and post Shorts directly inside the app, adding music and other special effects to their content.

When the U.S. market gets the Shorts camera, things are going to get very competitive. More creators will have tools for creating better Shorts. Plus, thousands of people who never posted a Short will do so just because there’s a new feature encouraging it.

In the coming weeks, it’s going to be harder to do what creators like Jake, MrBeast, and LegalEagle have done. Rather than wait, it's better to experiment with Shorts right now.

Reason 3: If YouTube Monetizes Shorts, You Can Make More Money

Right now, there’s no way to monetize Shorts. The Shorts display area doesn't support ads, and advertisers may not want to appear on a seconds-long video.

But if you think about YouTube’s history, things are always changing at the company

Just because creators aren’t making money from

Shorts today, that doesn’t mean they won’t in the next five or 10 years.

It's likely YouTube isn’t doing this for free. With content as popular as Shorts, the platform could be searching for ways to monetize it as we type.

Before that happens, put yourself in a position to earn Shorts revenue. If you start posting them now, you can increase your chance of monetizing that content.

Use These Tools to Start Leveraging YouTube Shorts

Even if you decide to post a few Shorts, you’ll need a way to measure their impact on your channel. When you 

, you’ll find two powerful tools within the Chrome extension – one for tracking Shorts views and another for researching popular Shorts on YouTube.

This dashboard is on the top right corner of all YouTube pages. Hover your mouse over the menu to discover how many Shorts views your channel earned in the last 48 hours. For easy access, click the box beside this metric to add it to your dashboard.

This tool lets you research the most-viewed videos on YouTube for any keyword. To access it, go to the YouTube Studio and click 

Type #Shorts into the search bar, then filter the results to show channels with 1,000 or less subscribers. This will show you all of the small channels on YouTube getting tons of views with Shorts. You can use this as motivation to start posting your Shorts or an idea generator for future Shorts.

Shorts are doing well on YouTube. They’re going to be around for a long time, so don’t wait to post your first vertical, less-than-a-minute video. Do it now to reap the benefits before creators in both India and the U.S. can do the same.

Is it too late to capitalize on the viral nature of YouTube Shorts? No, not yet. But in the coming weeks, it may be harder to stand out with short video content.

3 Reasons to Upload YouTube Shorts Before the Competition Gets Tough

The process of creating a successful YouTube video begins way before you upload it to the platform. In fact, it begins way before you even pick up your camera!

On this episode of TubeTalk, the vidIQ team discuss the elements that go into making the best content you can create and publish, something we put into practice on 

Should you research vs. relying on your gut instinct?

TubeTalk has been informing video creators and marketers since 2014, and is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to TubeTalk on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode!

You can also find the complete list of all the

The secret sauce to success on YouTube is all in the preparation. Find out why on this episode of TubeTalk.

The First Steps to a Successful YouTube Video!

The ability to screen-record your computer, smartphone, or gaming console simplifies the YouTube journey - especially for gaming or reaction-style channels.

For these types of creators, what takes place on 

 screens is exactly what viewers want to see. They’re looking for action-packed gameplay and visual tutorials that add more context to a video. 

If that perfectly describes your channel, watch our video highlighting the best screen recording software right now:

Now that you have some background knowledge, it’s time to take your video content to the next level. But before you do that, answer this one simple question: 

What type of videos do you produce for YouTube?

Keep your answer in mind as you read this guide. There’s a wide variety of screen-recording apps and products, and it’s important to choose the best software for your content.

If you have a Nvidia graphics card, you may already unknowingly have this screen recording software. ShadowPlay

is built into modern graphics cards, and once you set it up, all you have to do is issue a quick keyboard command to activate it. From there, ShadowPlay will start capturing your screen.

If you discover that you do have ShadowPlay, don’t get rid of it. This fantastic software yields the highest frame-rate footage you’ll ever see.

Just keep in mind that it doesn’t work with every program and can sometimes fail when you’re using it. We don’t know why it happens, but maybe it’s just a sacrifice of capturing high-quality video on a PC.

With OBS Studio, you may have to adjust your settings to get the highest video quality from screen captures. But don’t worry - there are plenty of tutorials to help you do that. OBS is free, open-source, and definitely worth the learning curve.

 if you’re into live streaming. It’s the same thing as regular OBS, except it’s strongly tailored toward gamers. For example, you can use Streamlabs OBS to go live on Twitch, YouTube, or Facebook within minutes. You also get personalized streaming overlays, 46 handy apps, and fun alerts when viewers send monetary donations during live streams.

Let's shift gears for a minute and talk about screen recording on a mobile device. First of all, consider yourself lucky if you have an iPhone. iOS users don’t need to hunt for screen capturing software because it’s already built into their devices. If you're an Android user, capturing your screen isn’t always easy. Certain versions of Android have a built-in screen capture, and some don't.

If your device doesn’t, our top recommendation for screen capture software is AZ Screen Recorder. It’s a great choice because the free version doesn’t add a watermark to your captures. Plus, there's no limit on how much footage you can record.

Capturing Video Footage on a Gaming Console

Compared to PC recording, capturing the screen of your gaming console is a different process. Gamers ask us how to do this all the time, so we’re happy to finally share an answer.

The PS4 and Xbox One both feature built-in screen capture software. Of course, a new generation of consoles is on the horizon with the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but there’s a good chance they’ll both have that feature. As far as the Nintendo Switch goes, there's a built-in screen capture software, but it only grabs 30-second clips.

Purchase a Capture Card to Record Gaming Console Screens

If you haven’t bought a capture card yet, it may be time to invest in one. This wonderful device lets you record and stream content from your video game consoles - and honestly, it’s the mark of a serious gamer.

Dan, our executive producer here at vidIQ, uses the 

 from Elgato. There are newer, fancier capture cards out there, but it does a great job for him.

And guess what? Even if you’re using a PlayStation or Xbox with built-in screen capture, it’s still a good idea to use a capture card. You’ll get high-quality clips that you can quickly drag from your desktop to any video-editing software. From there, you can work your magic and upload the finished video to YouTube.

That about covers it for screen capture software! Here’s a quick recap of all your options:

Capturing your desktop or your mobile screen is free and produces high-quality recordings.

Capturing your console's screen is trickier. It requires some money, but in the end, you'll get high-quality footage. And that’s totally worth it.

So, which will it be for you: Nvidia's ShadowPlay, OBS Studio, AZ Screen Recorder, or a capture card for your console? We always love hearing from the vidIQ community, so tweet us your thoughts 

Want To Get More Views as a Gamer on YouTube?

If you want to take your YouTube gaming channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users (many of them gamers!) and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

Want to take screen recordings of your computer, smartphone, or gaming console? Here’s a list of free and paid software to try.

The Best Screen Recording Software for YouTube

 is something most creators aspire to. While YouTube’s basic tools are helpful for any user, YPP grants 

 for building a career on the platform, such as:

access to all of YouTube’s monetization features

access to YouTube’s creator support teams

a copyright match tool to ensure your content isn’t stolen

Of course, these perks aren’t granted to just anyone. 

1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of Watch Time

 on your channel. And even then, you need to set up an AdSense account and accept all of YouTube’s terms and conditions to move forward with the application.

But once you’ve achieved those milestones and clicked apply, how long does it take YouTube to review an application? Is it a matter of days, a fast turnaround few creators would complain about? Or is it closer to weeks, perhaps months?

If you want the answer with a bit of entertainment, watch this video about our experience applying to YPP for the first time in eight years:

On the other hand, if you want to read the full story of what really happened - plus the time period for YPP’s acceptance - keep reading.

How Long It Takes to Get Monetized on YouTube

OK, here’s the truth: We had a relatively short and seamless experience applying to the YouTube Partner Program. We had two channels that qualified for the program, which were our 

 vidIQ channels. So we found the application screen in the YouTube Studio, clicked apply, and crossed our fingers. 

Luckily, we weren’t kept waiting for too long. Actually, we hardly had to wait at all.

After applying to YPP on Friday, October 16, the Spanish vidIQ channel was accepted just 60 hours later!!!

We couldn’t believe it. In just a few days, YouTube gave us permission to monetize our channel with every advertisement type. We had the power to display pesky banner ads, which viewers have to click just to get rid of. We even had access to pre-roll ads, which play before a video begins.

Even more surprising, the Russian vidIQ channel got monetized too. We’re not sure when that happened because YouTube hasn’t sent us a notification email. But that’s OK. Maybe emails take longer to send from Moscow. The important thing is that all the monetization features were there, and we could finally take our Russian channel to the next level.

Why the Monetization Process Can Take a While

Now, some of you who’ve applied to YPP may be saying to yourselves, “It took me weeks, months even, to be accepted into the program!” And that’s true. Years ago, the process did take much longer.

But today, there’s another reason your application could be delayed, and it has to do with COVID-19.

 that with reduced staffing in their buildings, things like creator support and applications for YPP could take longer than usual. View their statement below:

As you can see, YouTube doesn’t primarily use software or an algorithm to review applications. Instead, it uses human reviewers. They decide whether your content is viable for companies to place advertisements on them. And with less in-office staff, that could slow down the entire process.

However, YouTube hasn’t cited COVID-19 as an application delay for a couple of months now. Their support page still says YPP reviews could take a month, but that’s probably just a safety net for YouTube. It ensures that creators don’t have unrealistic expectations of monetizing their channels, even if some are getting approved in just three days.

As long as you hit the requirements for YPP, it seems as if the reviewers will process your application as fast as possible. That’s what happened in our experience, but as always, each creator is on a journey of their own.

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps. 

How long does it take to get accepted into the YouTube Partner Program? Well, the answer may shock you...

This Is How Long It Takes To Get Monetized on YouTube

We all want to grow our YouTube channels and while we heavily rely on our analytics, sometimes it's those little tips that can really help us.

While we need to focus on the major metrics such as CTR, Retention, Watch Time, etc. we shouldn't forget to focus on the little tweaks that could end up having a very positive impact too.

On today's episode of TubeTalk, Alan Spicer and I chat about these quick wins that anyone can do on any channel size. Discover how leveraging the following can give your channel a boost:

Why You Must 'Niche Down' if You Want to Succeed on YouTube

Focusing in on just one type of video content can really make you stand out as a YouTube creator. It can also make your YouTube channel grow super fast! Find out more 

You can also find the complete list of all the 

On this episode of TubeTalk, you will learn 5 quick and easy ways to help your channel grow.

5 Quick & Easy Tips for Growing Your YouTube Channel

YouTube shorts are the new hot trending topic in the YouTube world. But what are they? 

YouTube has not been totally clear about how they work, so we decided to do our own investigation into YouTube Shorts.

On this episode of TubeTalk, vidIQ's own Rob Wilson, Dan Carson, and Liron Segev answer all your YouTube Shorts questions including:

What are the requirements for creating them?

Do you need to have #shorts in the title and description?

Should you put Shorts on your main channel

Want to Know Even More About YouTube Shorts?

How Creators Can Get More Views With YouTube Shorts

Can You Get 1 Million YouTube Views By Making Short Videos?

YouTube Shorts: What We Know About How They Work

In this episode of TubeTalk, vidIQ does its own investigation into YouTube Shorts. You're welcome.

YouTube Shorts: The Ultimate Guide

To say 2020 has been weird is an understatement! So as we round off the year and head into the final quarter of 2020, what should we focus on as YouTube creators?

While it's easy to be despondent, you can easily double-down on the skills you have and still finish this year on a high note! In this episode of TubeTalk, we're joined by YouTube mastermind Benji Travis. As one of the guys behind the influential 

, he knows a thing or two about YouTube success! In this episode you will learn:

Important lessons for creators from the 2008 recession

That you have skills that businesses need

Want to Know the Five Big Mistakes YouTubers Make?

Benji has joined us before on TubeTalk to talk about the top five mistakes YouTube creators often make. These mistakes can often block their path to success. 

TubeTalk has been the #1 podcast for video creators and marketers since 2014. It's one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry, so don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to TubeTalk on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode!

2020 has been a very challenging year, but YouTube creators can still end the year on a successful note. Find out how in this episode of TubeTalk.

What YouTube Creators Need to Focus on for the Rest of 2020

Convincing viewers to subscribe to your YouTube channel may be the hardest thing you’ll ever do. It takes time and effort to create unwavering loyalty among viewers, so of course, no one gains millions of subscribers overnight. 

In fact, before that happens, you may ask viewers to ‘like, comment, and subscribe’ hundreds of times.

But once you get the number you’re looking for - several hundred, a thousand, or even hundreds of thousands - that’s going to feel amazing. All the hard work of starting a channel, sticking to a niche, and uploading consistently will finally be justified.

And guess what? Nothing will bring you down - not the army of bots spamming your videos with sub4sub comments, not even the discrepancy between 

. Nothing will steal your joy except maybe, quite possibly, seeing a number like this on your channel analytics dashboard:

By the way, that’s how many subscribers our YouTube channel, 

, has lost since joining the platform: 349,032.

But why does this happen? How can any creator lose so many subscribers on a free platform?

If you’re experiencing the same thing, don’t worry. 

The relationship between creators and viewers is just like any other. It goes through changes, seasons of uncertainty, and sometimes it ends altogether. To prepare yourself for the impact of losing fans, watch our “Why Am I Losing Subscribers” video on YouTube:

As long as you’re gaining more subscribers than you’re losing, that’s a win. But if you need more proof, here are six reasons why all YouTube creators lose subscribers at some point:

7 Reasons Why Your YouTube Channel is Losing Views (And How To Fix It)

1. You’ll Lose Subscribers when YouTube Deletes Fraudulent Accounts

It’s true. Now and then, YouTube audits your list of subscribers to track down annoying bots and spam accounts. This process includes some form of account verification, and if YouTube detects any suspicious activity, it may remove those accounts from your subscriber list or the platform altogether.

In the past, YouTube performed these audits three or four times a year, but the process is more nuanced today. Instead of waiting for bot and spam accounts to pile up through the year, YouTube audits accounts in real-time -  or at least within 24 to 48 hours of you gaining new subscribers. That lets the platform remove illicit users as soon as they subscribe.

 from your channel, just know this: There's nothing to worry about, and it’s not your fault. Your subscriber count may decrease, but that just means your channel - and all of YouTube - is becoming a better place for viewers and creators alike. Here's some info on that topic:

2. Viewer Fatigue Can Make Fans Unsubscribe

Have you ever stopped watching your favorite YouTube channels for no particular reason, even though you enjoy the content?

If so, you’re not alone. Thousands of people experience viewer fatigue on YouTube, and if that feeling becomes too heavy, unsubscribing is just one way for viewers to reclaim their headspace.

Rob Wilson, our YouTuber in residence here at vidIQ, found himself in that exact predicament. In 2015, he fell in love with the work of filmmaker and storyteller 

. Around 7 p.m. each night, he’d watch his daily vlogs after downing a cup of tea, which became his ritual for 18 months.

But one day, Casey decided he wouldn't upload daily vlogs anymore and took a break from YouTube. When he returned to the platform, he also decided to post non-vlog content every few days. All of that led to Rob watching less of Casey’s videos over time.

The interesting thing though, is that Rob maintained his subscription to Casey’s channel for quite a while. Only after seeing Casey’s videos constantly pop up, and realizing he was never going to watch them, did Rob finally hit unsubscribe.

3. Viewers Unsubscribe When They Outgrow Your Channel

 and watch our videos regularly, you know our value proposition to you. As you embark on the journey of mastering YouTube, we educate you on how to overcome the challenges of being a creator. 

But does that mean we're going to educate you from zero subscribers to 100 million subscribers? Probably not.

It's not feasible to target every YouTuber - the beginners, the intermediate, the advanced - so we speak to one particular audience. Right now, those viewers have channels with less than 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of Watch Time. Basically, they’re working toward 

When you reach 50,000 subscribers and have already monetized your channel, your relationship with us could change. If we're honest, maybe the vidIQ channel is no longer for you when you’ve secured huge brand deals and sponsorships.

Always remember that your viewers are on a journey of self-discovery. They may outgrow your channel as their interests change, and that’s OK. There are more than 2 billion monthly users discovering new things on YouTube, and many of them will fall in love with your past, present, and future content.

4. Viewers Unsubscribe When You Don’t Post Evergreen Content

As a creator, you should understand the potential shelf life of the topics you cover. 

For example, if you started a YouTube channel about fidget spinners back in 2016, where would you be now? Fidget spinners are still cool, but nobody's watching videos about them. And what about the cultural phenomenon that was “Game of Thrones"? The television series was popular on YouTube for 10 years, but unfortunately, the show ended.

I think ASMR is a good topic to evaluate too. It had phenomenal growth in the last five years, and prior to that, many of us didn't know what that abbreviation meant. Now it seems to be an ever-expanding universe with no end in sight. However, as a creator, you can’t be blindsided by its current popularity. There has to be an inflection point somewhere in the future where the topic plateaus or dips in popularity.

If there’s a trend you want to cover on YouTube, act fast, and enjoy the extra views and subscribers you may receive. Just keep in mind the probability of your audience unsubscribing when the trend inevitably dies.

5. YouTube is Competitive. Viewers May Unsubscribe to Watch a Better Channel

This is a bold statement, but probably true nonetheless: If we uploaded videos about YouTube growth education 10 years ago, we’d have millions of subscribers right now. That's because a decade ago, there were fewer YouTube education channels to compete with.

Because there are so many good channels today, including our own, the views and exposure in this niche are divided amongst several creators. So here’s a reminder for every YouTuber: 

If you stand still, never seeking to improve your channel, someone better is going to take your audience.

It wasn't always this way. A decade ago, individual creators making content from their bedrooms dominated YouTube. But these days, YouTube is filled with traditional media companies who’ve taken the platform seriously, or new groups creating phenomenal channels run by skilled production teams. The world is realizing the power of video, so it's becoming increasingly difficult for individual creators to dominate YouTube. 

It's possible, of course. Just extremely challenging.

To make sure your audience grows with you, do everything in your power to become a better content creator with each upload.

6. Viewers Unsubscribe When You Don’t Stick to One Niche

And now, let's talk about the one thing we always cover: the focus of your YouTube channel.

To start, here’s a scenario among viewers and creators that happens repeatedly. After watching one of your videos, new viewers will subscribe to your channel under the assumption that the video they watched reflects your entire channel. 

But upon diving deeper, those viewers may realize your channel is all over the place. They may find gaming content, sports commentary, DIY challenges, and crafting videos during a five-minute scan. All those unrelated topics make it hard to know what a channel is really about.

To keep your audience, don't confuse them by uploading videos about many different topics. 

Instead, try to stick to your channel’s niche. It’s OK to branch out a bit and even ride the wave of certain trends, but you should only do that when they align with your channel’s focus. We did a video on the simple mistakes creators often make on YouTube that includes advice on niching down on your content:

So, losing subscribers is a natural part of the YouTube journey. I would estimate that channels with a million subscribers have lost 100,000 along the way - and I'm probably being generous with that number. 

Your current subscriber count is the number to pay attention to

. If it keeps decreasing overall, analyze your YouTube data to see what’s going wrong and get yourself back on track.

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

And if you’re really serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

 and learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

Are you slowly losing subscribers on your YouTube channel? Here’s why.

The First Steps to a Successful YouTube Video!

Liron Segev

The Best Screen Recording Software for YouTube

Lydia Sweatt

This Is How Long It Takes To Get Monetized on YouTube

Lydia Sweatt

5 Quick & Easy Tips for Growing Your YouTube Channel

Liron Segev

YouTube Shorts: The Ultimate Guide

Liron Segev

What YouTube Creators Need to Focus on for the Rest of 2020

Liron Segev

6 Honest Reasons You Might Be Losing YouTube Subscribers

Lydia Sweatt