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

This post is all about how you can monetize your content on YouTube to start generating revenie. The are four golden rules to making money on YouTube, and they are:

You need to have 1,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel

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

You comply with all YouTube's policies and guidelines

#1 The YouTube Partner Program Requirements

Commonly known as the YouTube Partner Program, or YPP for short, you'll need to hit all four requirements before your channel will be accepted.

Let's start with the 1,000 subscribers. This one is pretty straightforward, it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to 1,000 subscribers, once you hit that milestone, you've reached that requirement.

As well as 1,000 subscribers, you also need 4,000 hours of Watch Time on your videos over the last 12 months. There is some confusion with this one, so let me try and clarify that. First of all, this is not about how much video content you, the YouTube creator watch. This is all about how much video content is watched on your channel from people all across the world. It’s all those hours of video that people have watched on your channel in the last 12 months (from any given date). You could well have well 4,000 hours of Watch Time over the lifetime of your channel, but it's only the last 12 months that count for YouTube Partner Program requirements.

Another couple of things to tell you about Watch Time. Live streams do count towards that total. Unlisted videos also count towards that total. But if you delete any videos, that Watch Time will be removed from your channel Watch Time hours. And one more final thing, if you are already in the YouTube Partner Program, and if your channel falls below 4,000 hours of Watch Time, YouTube won't automatically remove you from the partner program, but they can do it at their discretion. If you want a much more detailed video on the topic of 4,000 hours specifically, check out this video:

If you want to check the progress of above requirements, you can do so by clicking on your logo in the top right-hand corner of most YouTube pages, and then clicking on YouTube Studio Beta. You can view all of your analytics here, but to quickly check progress on monetization, hover your mouse over "Other features", and then click on "Status and Features". On this screen, you should see a monetization box, and if you click "Learn more", it will tell you exactly where you currently stand with subscribers and Watch Time hours.

But if all of that sounds like too much hard work, then we've got a free tool that will do all of this much quicker and more efficiently. If you 

 on pretty much every YouTube screen, you will see a collection of real-time stats all about your channel. It will show you your channel's views per hour, views over the last 48 hours, and your subscriber count. But the really cool thing is that it will track your progress to 4,000 hours of Watch Time too! Once you hit 4,000 hours, that number will turn green to show you you've reached that monetization requirement.

#2 Following YouTube Rules for Monetization

Next on the list is the rule book. If you want to monetize your content, you need to make sure you stick to it, as YouTube state:

When you apply for the YouTube Partner Program, you'll go through a standard review process to see whether your channel meets YouTube's policy and guidelines. Only channels that meet them will be accepted into the program.

YouTube also constantly check channels in the program to see whether they continue to meet YouTube's policies and guidelines. These policies and guidelines that are very comprehensive, given all of the growing pains YouTube have had of finding the right balance between creators, viewers, and advertisers. I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with these 

 if you want to monetize your content in the future.

However, if you are in a TLDR mood, to summarize, apply common sense. If you think a video might be inappropriate, chances are it is, and you make such content at your own risk.

#3 Copyright and Monetization Policies on YouTube

Among YouTube's policies and guidelines is the huge topic of copyrighted material. Essentially, if you use other people's work, then you could be using copyrighted material without their permission, and YouTube does not want you to do that. It will almost certainly get you demonetized or prevent you from entering the YouTube Partner Program. Let's look at this in a little more detail.

For most of you, this is the most important monetization policy. You have to make sure that you're adding value to any third party content you monetize, and that your content has significant original commentary, educational value, or editorialized statement. And let's be clear, that still might not be enough. This does not give you a license to use other people's content in your videos all the time, because if you do, YouTube may use this as an argument not to monetize your content.

YouTube confirms that if all or most of your channel is dedicated to reused content, and you're not transforming the original work by adding your own unique value, 

then your channel is not eligible for the YouTube Partner Program.

 The spirit of this policy is to make sure that YouTube are incentivizing unique and original content into the YouTube Partner Program, and that YouTube are protecting and rewarding the creators who work hard on original content.

Now, some may see YouTube's spirit of a policy as an excuse to demonetize channels they don't want in the monetization program, but let's have a look at it from this point of view. You spent days, hours creating a magnificent piece of content, and it goes viral on YouTube. And then a dozen random video creators steal that content, upload it, generate hundreds of thousands of views, and end up profiting handsomely from it. How would you feel if that happened? That's what YouTube is trying to protect - original content from video creators.

Admittedly, reused, duplicate content, and copyright content is a broad gray area on YouTube, and they don't always get it right. And you may look at some channels on YouTube and see that they're clearly flaunting these rules. Well, you don't know what their individual circumstances are, they may have permission to use that content, or they may get caught in the future, and you don't want to follow the examples of channels that are doing this. It's not a road to success.

Ultimately YouTube is the gatekeeper. They hold all of the keys. You are on rented ground, and if you flaunt these rules, and break them, then don't be surprised when YouTube comes after you.

#4 Linking a Google Adsense Account with a YouTube Channel

If you are going to earn money from your videos, YouTube needs a way to pay you, and at least to begin with, this will be done through an AdSense account. A few things you need to know about this, if you already have an AdSense account, you can use that. You can connect multiple channels to one AdSense account, and if you haven't got an AdSense account, you can set one up during the YouTube Partner Program application process.

#5 Applying to the YouTube Partner Program

Let's remind ourselves of those requirements one more time: You need:

1,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel

4,000 Watch Time hours on your videos over the last 12 months

To comply with all YouTube's policies and guidelines

When you've applied YouTube Partner Program, it may take up to a month for the platform to make a decision. That’s because actual humans will review your channel so it’s a manual process. Some channels have been approved in days, so it could be quicker. However, if it does take longer than a month, then your channel will usually be placed in further review. When this happens, unfortunately, the wait times can get very long. Three, six, possibly even 12 months. In some unfortunate cases, YouTube never seems to come to a decision, leaving the creator in monetization limbo.

We appreciate that this can be a very frustrating position to find yourself in as a video creator, as many of you have commented about this on our videos here at vidIQ. Unfortunately, we ourselves cannot help push the process forward for you, so what we recommend you do is to talk to TeamYouTube on Twitter, make sure that everybody knows that you have an issue with your monetization decision.

YouTube say that this will never speed up the process, but at least having some decision is something you should deserve as a video creator.

#6 Being Rejected from the YouTube Partner Program: Next Steps

Now let's say that you've applied for the YouTube Partner Program, but you've been rejected. What can you do?

When you are rejected from the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube will give you a general reason why. Unfortunately, they won't tell you specifically what video or content is causing the issue, so you may be left blindly adjusting your channel. However, the good news is you can reapply for the program in 30 days' time.

Again, this is where you will have to use your common sense. If you think there are videos that are walking the community guideline and policies tightrope, then they most likely are and you need to adjust them. If there are videos that have copyright content on them then those are probably causing a problem with YouTube as well, so you will need to delete them.

Creators have asked when they apply for the partner program, will having a community guideline strike or a copyright strike against my channel prevent me from getting into the program? The answer is probably no, it definitely won't prevent you, but it is going to have an impact.

There is a dedicated support page with advice on what you should do if you are rejected from the YouTube Partner Program, and 

Once you are in the Partner Program, and you want to take your monetization a step further by earning money from Super Chats, membership, and merchandise, take a look at this video on the subject:

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 

Want to know how to monetize your channel and start making money on YouTube? Take a look at our beginner's guide!

How to Monetize Your YouTube Channel - A Beginner's Guide

Many creators tend to focus on one specific platform at a time, and that's often the right approach. However, that isn't to say that you can't successfully repurpose that content to build new audiences and communities elsewhere on the web. Or use that content to drive traffic to another property, such as a website.

On this episode of TubeTalk, we talk to Stephen Farnsworth of 

 about how he and his wife (the actual stay at home chef in the partnership) have leveraged both YouTube and blogging to build an engaged community around the content they create. Click on the podcast link above and take a listen!

Subscribe to TubeTalk: The Video Marketing Podcast!

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. Subscribe today so you never miss an episode! You can find vidIQ's TubeTalk at:

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 

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.

Having a great YouTube channel and an amazing blog is a sure-fire way of building an engaged and loyal audience. On this week's TubeTalk, we chat to a creator who has leveraged both platforms and found real success on both.

How to Use Both YouTube and Blogging to Build Your Audience

iJustine has built up an incredible brand presence across all the major social media platforms. She's always evolving, always staying that one step ahead, and making the content she creates absolutely relevant to today's audience.

, she knows what it takes to succeed on YouTube and she’s here to give us some golden tips. Such as why collaborations are amazing but not essential, how bringing your personality to the content you create is a winning formula, and how creators can help their community during this current pandemic.

Click on the podcast to listen, or read the full show notes below.

iJustine - How to Rock Your YouTube Channel: Full Transcript

Liron Segev: Today I am super, super excited to be joined by one of my personal favorite tech YouTubers. I've been watching her content since way back when I lived in South Africa. She was actually part of my inspiration for moving to the US - so I’m a bit of a fanboy. She has over 6.3 million subscribers on YouTube, 1.4 million subscribers on Instagram and absolutely killing it on TikTok. She brings us this amazing tech content. She does it in her own way. iJustine, welcome to TubeTalk.

 Thanks for having me. This is so exciting.

Liron Segev: For those who've don't know, how would you describe iJustine in a tweet?

 Oh, I would say my content is basically me. So when people are coming to my channel, there's nothing really specific that you're going to find. It’s mostly tech stuff, but I also love cooking, travel, my dog. My channel is based on my interests, but also around finding a community of people who also love the same things. But for the most part, I love tech, so that's what I've been focusing a lot on the past couple of years.

Liron Segev: How long have you been uploading content for?

 For about 10 years. Well, it's maybe 14 at this point. It was 2006 but over the past couple of years I just kind of stopped the daily vlogging because it was just beyond exhausting, and it just was not fun anymore.

I always said when I'm doing something that isn't fun anymore, I have to pivot and shift to find something else, and creating more consistent tech content was great because it was still topical. You have a quick turnaround time but I'd still be able to infuse personality into it while covering tech in a really fun way. It's been really fun and it's just crazy to see it all kind of come to this point.

Liron Segev: And it's evolving all the time. I mean if you look at your content from years ago compared to your content now, it's completely changed but it still has you. You've always been the pivotal part of your own content. Do you find that you naturally tend to evolve your content or has this been something to appease the YouTube algorithm?

 I think it's natural. I mean, obviously, we focus on the algorithm. We think about it, we blame it for everything, even though sometimes I know it's like, "I know that video wasn't that good," so it was technically my fault, but I'm going to blame the algorithm. But I think it was just a natural progression because I've always created content about things that I liked and enjoyed.

I've been loving TikTok so much because I can actually sort of go back to being like my crazy weird self, which is always what I started doing on my channel, and then I started taking it a little more seriously to cover tech in a more serious way, but also really fun.

But I think just making content that is fun is just really what's important, especially now. It's just finding something you're passionate about and just going back to, making it fun, and not worrying about the production as much because it's like, let's just get the content out. It doesn't even matter at the end of the day sometimes.

Liron Segev: Yeah, it's a great platform. It gives you the ability to express yourself and just create stuff that you love. I mean, you've seen a lot of creators who really put out so much content just trying to appease that YouTube algorithm and more content and more content. Getting those views, it's absolutely draining.

 Yeah, I mean back in the day I used to have four or five different channels. I mean I ran a gaming channel, which I posted and edited three videos a day, and a daily vlogging channel, and then a daily iPhone video channel, and then my main channel, which I was posting on three times a week. So I was posting 40 or 50 videos a week, by myself, with zero help. So that's when I was like, this is crazy. It got to be too much.

Liron Segev: That's the kind of commitment you have to have your channel to be able to grow that.

 But I realized it wasn’t healthy. I think when you are younger you do take your health and energy levels for granted. Now I'm like I can't stay up all night and edit. I really try but I can't.

I think it's knowing when you have to take a step back and you have to focus on yourself that’s really important. And sometimes I'm like, I'm not going to meet this deadline. I'm not going to meet the embargo, and if I do I'm going to make myself sick, and I'm not going to be able to function tomorrow. So I think it's just realizing do what you can but you have to come first or you're not going to be able to be present for your audience or your work.

I definitely have ups and downs as most creators do, and what I will do is if I'm feeling great, I will shoot a bunch of videos, some of them which won't be timely.

I just posted a video on my channel that I shot back in June of last year. I was like, well, I might as well just post it because we were making lattes at home. So even just having those spare videos for times when you need it is really crucial. I can breathe because I know I have a piece of content to put up.

Liron Segev: Well, that's a great golden tip right there.

 Yes, it’s good to try to just have a couple of extra videos.

Liron Segev: Okay, we have to address the elephant in the room. One thing we hear time and time again that it's too late to be a success on YouTube. It's too saturated, I've missed this boat, I should've done this years ago.

 I should have joined TikTok a long time ago, and I didn't. But it really isn't ever too late because you really don't know what's going to happen.

I think being able to find that audience, especially around something that is heavily searched for, you could hop on that, and make content that answers people's questions, especially in the tech space.

If you have that same question of how do I pair my Nintendo Switch Pro controller to my Nintendo Switch, somebody else has that, so simple things like that that you can create content around, it ends up being evergreen content. I don't think it's ever too late. I mean it's definitely more difficult, so I think just keeping consistent and really enjoying what you're making is a huge part of it.

Liron Segev: The one problem that a small channel is going to face is they're not going to be first, right? We all know that the bigger channels, the bigger influencers, get invited to the events, get access to devices early, and therefore by the time a device launches, they're going to get those initial juicy eyeballs and views right off the bat. How does a small channel try to compete in that space at all?

 I mean, I think a lot of the bigger creators do get things. There are even products that I won't receive and I know my friends will get it. So sometimes I'll be like, okay, "Well if I know I'm getting this phone after them, I might skip the unboxing because, yeah, you've seen it. Sometimes you can even make jokes and be like, I know you've seen a bunch of videos, but here's my take on it.

Adding that personal spin and opinion I think is really important. And then find something else fun that you can do. For me, a lot of times for some of the new Samsung devices or some of the newer phones, everyone has done an unboxing. Everyone has already seen that.

So I'll take it out and actually use it, and I'll use it either for a week and I make a video vlogging, actually using the device. I think just showing what it can do as opposed to just reading off some spec sheets and stuff like that that people have already seen and heard. People want to see what it does and how it actually works.

Just try to do something different than what everyone else has already done.

Liron Segev: And make it personal. That's what I love about your channel. It's always been about you. It's all about how technology fits into your life. So if you can't be first, well, bring it back to you. What do you bring to the device? What do you bring to the table? What do you bring to whatever your channel is about that's not a copy of somebody else, but it's you, and therefore that's what the audience connects with.

 For sure. Yeah. There are even some lenses that I was trying to find, and I was like, "Why is no one using the lens? I want to see it zoom. I want to hear what the lens sounds like if it's on the body of the camera and there's a microphone attached. It's these weird things that I will end up testing out that I'm searching for myself. I was like, "Man, this lens would have been so cool. Why is no one just giving all the weird information that you wouldn't."

I want to know what this auto-zoom sounds like if I'm not using a microphone on it. It's strange things like that that you're just answering the questions that you would probably have. I guess that is the bigger tip.

Liron Segev: I love that because if I have that question, probably thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of other people have that same question and don't make the mistake thinking that, "Hey, it's obvious. I know how to do this, therefore everybody knows how to do this." That is absolutely not the case.

Let’s shift gears slightly and talk about collaborations because that has to be one of the number one questions we get asked time and time again. You've done a lot of these collabs with a lot of big people, and a lot of small creators. What is your take on this whole must-do collaborations? Are they absolute must or are they kind of nice to have?

 It definitely helps, but I feel bad because I think people will think, "I have to collab. I have to collab." But at the beginning of my channel, I didn't really collab with anyone. It's surprising, I'm an extreme introvert so I'm like if I can just sit in my house. This whole isolation quarantine thing? I'm thriving. This is what I love. It's hard for me to go out. So I'm like now that thing that I was forcing myself to go outside, I'm like, "Oh, great."

I don't want people to think that you have to collab because I think building your channel yourself, you don't ever want to be like, "Oh my gosh, well, I owe my entire channel to so-and-so for giving me all these views and subscribers." I think that sometimes it is hard too because then that person I guess feels like, they're like, "Oh, well, I made that person," if that makes any sense at all.

But I think collaboration is definitely fun, and to be able to work with people that you look up to and people that you enjoy creating content with is, is amazing.

But, at the beginning don't focus on trying to get a collab because if you're a smaller channel and you reach out and you say, "Hey, I'm going to be starting my YouTube channel soon. Do you want to collab? I mean most likely, I'm like, "Okay, cool. What kind of content are you going to make?" I feel like as a bigger channel you have to be careful with who you collab with because you don't know what that person is going to do.

Will they have a scandal in the next week? Will they do something crazy and then put your reputation on the line? So I think people do have to take that into consideration. Is this a risk? Is it a liability? It's weird because a lot of people don't think about that, and it's something that I do really think about a lot.

I love collabing, and I definitely have a close collab circle of people that I continuously work with. I think they're fun and I think it's just trying to find a fun way to do them,. But don't feel like that's the only way to do it. It's helpful, but you can do yourself.

Liron Segev: You don't have to. That's the message. It's nice to have. It's awesome if you do it with your friends and you're really adding value to each other and that's great. But is it a make or break thing? Definitely not.

 No. I mean, I think there are people that can go their entire careers and not have to collab. But if you can, I'd definitely recommend it. But if somebody turns you down or doesn't write back? Nope. Keep trying.

Maybe try in another five months or another six months depending upon how your channel is doing. Because again, you got to be careful, too, about who you collab with.

Liron Segev: When it comes to YouTube, it's kind of divided into those two sections. You've got the entertainment and you've got the how-to, right? Now entertainment's obvious - we subscribe because we want more of that content.

But it's not so obvious when it comes to the how-to channel. I mean, once I've told someone how to unblock the toilet, there's no real reason to subscribe to me, right? So especially in the tech space, once you've told someone the 10 best settings for the Galaxy S10, well, they've got it. That's pretty much they're done. So what would make someone stick around in how-to channel and actually subscribe for the rest of those videos?

 If they're doing it in a fun way. I mean, if somebody is teaching me how to do something and they're really funny, I'm like this is great. This is good content, it’s fun, and you're getting an answer. But a lot of these channels you can base it strictly off search. Even if you don't have a lot of subscribers, you can continuously be getting that content through recommended videos through search.

I actually don't look at my analytics that often because it stresses me out. It's really funny because years ago when I first started, I mean, I was obsessed. I would look, I'm like, "Oh these are down. This isn't working out." And then, finally, when I stopped looking, things started looking up.

I mean, I check every once in a while just to see, "Okay, monthly views are down. That's okay. It's like a slow tech time." I think just not becoming obsessed is really a difficult thing, especially when the analytics are all there. But with analytics, everything changes every single day, so you can't ever really pinpoint a specific thing. You just have to be able to change and pivot.

Really speaking to your audience and reading comments, I think, is the best way to gauge what they like, who's watching, and how they found your content.

I think one of the joys of having a smaller channel is you can actually have those dialogues. You could really get that feedback and actually have conversations. Whereas now, I mean, I try to respond to a lot of the comments, but then you get a lot of spam. You see those same people continuously commenting, so you can engage with a lot of people that are consistently there. But it gets harder as the channels get bigger, and you do sometimes feel disconnected from your community.

That's why I'm always active on Twitter and just always reading comments. I think it's just trying to value those moments with your audience because a lot of those people that have started watching me from the beginning, they're still there. I still see them and we have this bond from back in the day when I used to live stream.

Liron Segev: Your community is your audience, and it's really important to serve your audience, to serve that community. At the end of the day, they're the ones who are going to watch your videos. They're the ones who are going to comment. They're going to be the ones who are going to share, and those are the ones that you build a relationship with.

The more you engage with your community, the more you ask them questions, the more you put surveys up, you put polls up, those are the viewers who are going to tell you what they want to see

iJustine: For sure. Yeah. And I think you can develop this audience that has the same interests as you. I mean, I probably have made the mistake of making a lot of different content. Since I've been doing that from the very beginning, I think it helps my channel. It's helped, but it's also kind of hurt because I think a lot of people that have that one consistent thing, people know what to expect. Whereas mine, I mean, they don't really know.

But, I just think sometimes we all think too much about what we're doing. Just create and have fun. And I think TikTok, again, it's crazy and weird, but it helps me go back to that simple way of creating. Whereas now, I mean, we'll overthink a YouTube video. We shoot for an entire day, like 12, 18 hours doing an iPad review and then edit for like another 20 to 30 hours and then post it. I'm completely dead, and then I make a 15 second TikTok. I was like, yeah, that was fun.

Liron Segev: It's a lot of work. People really don't see that.

 A lot of the tech stuff is a very quick turnaround time. I'm so grateful, though, that I've been working with my friend Tyler for the past, I guess, a year now. He edits maybe about half of my videos now, which is great.

For the most recent iPad review one, we'll kind of tag-team a video where he'll start the rough edit, and then he'll be halfway done, and then I'll work on the first half, fine-tuning that, and then he'll be working on the back half. He sends me the back half and then I put them all together. I was like, okay, that's just definitely saved a lot of time. It's just interesting to see these different ways of working.

And it's not even sometimes about the gear that you have. It's storytelling. This was a really fun test. For my birthday this year, I was quarantined, so I thought, "What am I going to do?" So I filmed my day and then I wanted to teach myself to edit on LumaFusion on the iPad. So I'm like, "I'm going to shoot this entire video. This is my birthday treat to myself. I'm going to learn how to edit all on the iPad, shoot everything with the iPhone.

It was actually the best birthday ever because I just learned a skill, learned how to edit with an iPad and basically proved to myself that if you want to have a YouTube channel you just need a phone. You can create everything on that.

Granted, I did edit on the iPad, but LumaFusion is on the iPhone so you can do anything just with an iPhone. It really, I don't know, it just kind of like brought me back to, wow, this is a really powerful device. I mean, it was a 14, 15 minute video that I edited, added voiceover all on iOS. It was like, this just proved you don't need to have everything. Just get yourself an iPhone, you're set.

I mean, I'll sometimes have a crazy expensive camera and I'll be like, "Man, I've messed up the settings. I'm just going to use my phone." And it works.

I think a lot of things, obviously, lenses do make a difference but, for the most part, you really can do everything on the phone. I don't know. I'm just really excited about the future of mobile tech because it's amazing.

Liron Segev: We've spoken a lot about your channel. We've spoken about some amazing tips that you can give creators to be really inspired to understand it's not about the gear, it's not about the collaboration. It's about good content. It's about bringing yourself to the party. It's about sharing good value and engaging you with your community.

Liron Segev: As we’re wrapping up, if you could put something up in Times Square or a tweet for the whole creator community would see, what message would you give us?

 Be kind. I think that's just such a huge answer. I mean, especially right now, I think just being kind to people. A lot of us tech people have the knowledge to help homeschooled kids who don't know how to set up their computers.

And for elderly people who don't have access to a computer to be able to talk to their family who are now in isolation. That's been something that I've been focusing on right now is trying to find the easiest way to get this tech to the people and get the knowledge to them on how to use it.

So I think, right now, if somebody out there has an extra webcam, an extra microphone, or an extra computer, reach out to your community and find somebody who can use that.

That's been my big personal project, just reaching out to people around and just trying to be kind and help, because I think right now is a time that we really all have to be kind because that's really the only answer I think.

I'm definitely excited for the future of tech, and I think everything that's happening right now, I think it's really going to change the way that we interact. I mean, the technology is going to change and adapt to the way that we need it.

I mean, I'm excited about the future, and I'm just really just humbled by how kind people have been to everyone. It's been really cool to see. And then, again, if there are people that you know that you can help with any extra video tech that you have because some of these people can't be connected.

That's where it's breaking my heart because if they don't have the means to get this tech, they're not able to do their homeschooling. So it's like how do we get this tech in the hands of people that need it?

YouTube OG iJustine has been publishing content since 2006 so she knows what it takes to succeed as a creator. She gives us her advice on collabs, how to build a community around how-to channels, and how creators can help others right now.

YouTube Superstar iJustine Interview: How to Rock Your Channel

Are you thinking of starting a gaming channel on YouTube? Or perhaps you've been gaming for a couple of years but now want to get serious about generating significantly more views and subcribers.

vidIQ's resident online gaming expert Dan Carson is here to help you wherever you are on your YouTube journey. In this week's episode of TubeTalk, he walks us through the most common mistakes YouTubers make when it comes to researching, creating, optimizing ,and publishing gaming content.

While gameplaying or streaming Fortnite, Minecraft, Animal Crossing, and GTA content sounds fun (and it is!), you won't build your channel until you undersatnd what kind of value you bring to your audience.

Only by creating a strategy that sets you apart from the millions of other creators in the space will give you the tools to succeed.

start a successful gaming channel like PewDiePie

, Markiplier or Game Grumps then take a listen to the podcast and find out what those huge creators are doing right.

For more solid advice around growing a gaming channel on YouTube 

Gaming is one of the most fiercely competitive verticals on YouTube, so avoid these mistakes and set yourself up for success as a gamer!

The Top 5 Mistakes Gaming Channels Make on YouTube [and How to Correct Them]

 in just 24 hours? Well, it's pretty simple actually. You pick the richest company in the world and you exploit the biggest tech search blind spot I have ever seen. I love case-studies like this!

But first, let's start with a little story.

Weirdly, I discovered this teeny YouTube channel, whose views had completely blown up literally overnight, because of my yearning for the new Samsung Galaxy Chromebook. I'm one of the few people in the world who gets Chromebooks. I love the fact that they're super light-weight, and even after years of use they never really slow down.

So when Samsung announced the Rolls-Royce of all Chromebooks, with a 4K AMOLED display with a stylus, I was all, "shut up and take my money". Even though it costs an eye-watering $999 USD, and it isn’t even available to buy in Canada (where I’m based).

So, if I can’t get my hands on the new Chromebook, what are the alternatives? I started to search around.....

Now, I was always under the impression that iPads were tablets. These days, however, Apple seems to be touting them as a viable alternative to the traditional computer. But I always thought computers needed a keyboard and at the very least, a track-pad, to give them the productivity you need.

And apparently, Apple now has an answer: the 

, a first-party accessory that attaches itself directly to the tablet.

Despite the price tag of $299 USD, it did capture my attention. But I needed to do the research here. I'm not just going to jump straight into this. But if I am going to do the research, I'm going to do what everybody else does - I'm going to search for it on YouTube.

Now, being a tech enthusiast, I assume that when I search for a product such as the “iPad Pro Magic Keyboard”, the usual creator suspects are going to appear: MKBHD, Unbox Therapy, Linus Tech Tips, and so on.

And when I searched for “iPad Pro Magic Keyboard” on YouTube, the auto-suggestion list was full of all of the keywords and phrases you might expect. So far so good.

But on April 19th 2020, that same search didn't return any videos about thw iPad Pro Magic Keyboard from any major tech creator. Not one. And I thought that was pretty odd.

I even checked on the Apple website just to confirm the keyboard was actually out. And it was, although there is a lengthy shipping delay. But on that particular date, I didn’t see any content in the YouTube search results from the creators I know, love, and most importantly, trust.

So let's go back to the YouTube to see what results 

First of all, from a VidIQ perspective, we think ‘iPad Pro Magic Keyboard’ is a fairly juicy keyword. Our keyword tool (which you can access by 

) confirms that search volume interest is increasing, and there’s not enough video competition to keep up with demand. That’s a win for any creator right there.

No matter which way you slice and dice it, the launch of any Apple product is a massive global event. Which means it is always a BIG thing in the tech community.

On April 19th, YouTube pushed one creator in particular to viewers searching for ‘iPad Pro Magic Keyboard’. Up until that date, 

 only had 1.2K subscribers, and was just one of the millions and millions of channels posting random content. The creator didn’t even appear to have any strategy around optimization or a growth, as witnessed in the poor quality of titles, descriptions, and thumbnails.

Then, out of the blue, this TikTok-length video appears on their channel - and hey, it’s all about that Magic Keyboard that every Apple iPad owner is starting to get really, really excited about.

You can see from the VidIQ Historical View Count feature, how the video quickly gained massive traction.

So how did a 19-second video from a tiny YouTube channel generate 75,00 views in twenty-four hours? And how did that creator's videos jump to the top of the search rankings for a very juicy Apple tech phrase?

I think it's pretty simple - the absence of options. I think for a brief moment of time, that video was one of the, if not, 

 first videos to offer a genuine review of the Apple Magic Keyboard. And with that golden opportunity, the creator did what we always recommend you do, double down on your best content.

There is a well-worn debate that often rages amongst YouTube creators - quantity versus quality. Most will rightly argue that quality should take precedence. But this is a perfect example where I would argue the exact opposite. At least to a certain degree.

When you have everyone's attention, because there is no competition, you should push out as much content as possible because that window of opportunity is not going to last long.

So yes, six videos from MrExitStrategy's small channel in a 48 hour period may seem a little excessive, but when you do a search for that 'iPad Pro Magic Keyboard' and all of the results at the top of the search engine are from the same creator, whose videos are you going to click on?

The videos themselves tell me two things. First of all, this creator really does like his computers. And secondly, sometimes all you need is a mobile phone and something interesting to film. I think, basically, in this situation this creator has two objectives for serving their audience:

Give the audience more iPad Pro Magic Keyboard content

Make more videos based on viewer feedback

At the time of writing, MrExitStrategy’s YouTube channel has now generated 

. Of course, he has over the required 1000 subscribers too so he’s now eligible to 

It is a little concerning that a channel with that many views only has a tiny amount of subscribers. But this is a feature of many, many tech and educational channels.

Well, often viewers just their specific questions answered, they don't want or need to subscribe to the channel after that. And to be honest, the quality of the videos on MrExitStrategy’s channel does suggest that the creator isn’t using any kind of strategy to encourage viewers to subscribe for future content.

So you might see this as a smash and grab. The opportunity was there and the creator grasped it with both hands. So what's going to happen to those search results when all of the other tech creators get their hands on this product?

How Smaller Tech Channels Can Win at YouTube

On April 20th 2020, I did an incognito search for ‘iPad Pro Magic Keyboard’, so that my watch and search history wouldn't influence any results.

And I witnessed a brand new set of well-established super popular creators, such as The Verge, 

, and Peter McKinnon, top the search rankings.

To find our hero of this particular case study, I had to scroll way down the list. When you no longer have something unique to present to the audience, quality is always going to win out.

What's very interesting about all of these new videos I saw flood in was when they were published. All at exactly the same time. 9AM EST on April 20th 2020.

The reason for this is, of course, major tech companies will send out new products to the most trusted creators and ask them not to publish their reviews or unboxing videos until a certain date and time.

So all of these big creators, like The Verge (video below), were waiting for that release embargo date to arrive.

But those rules don’t apply to your average consumer who orders a product from a website and just happens to get it before the release embargo. And again, that probably comes down to the unique challenges that the 

Want to grow your YouTube channel as fast as possible so you can monetize it? Read how one very small creator did just that!

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