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

Travel is one of the biggest and most competitive verticals on YouTube, with millions of videos around the topic being uploaded every day.

But breaking through to become a successful travel-focused creator means exposure, brand deals, and the chance to break away from the 9-5 life.

On this week's episode of TubeTalk, we talk to Bryce Jurgy, the dad from the Jurgys, on how his family's travel and adventure channel found success in a such a crowded space.

With 226K subscribers, and over 32M YouTube views, the story of the Jurgys is an inspiring one, and is essential listening for anyone thinking of creating content around travel and lifestyle. 

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.

How do you carve out a successful career as a travel channel on YouTube? In this week's episode of TubeTalk, we talk to one family that's done just that!

How to Find Success as a Travel Channel on YouTube

When inspiration strikes your creative mind and you must share it with the world, you can safely assume many have enjoyed the same stroke of brilliance. So how can you find an audience amongst such competition? One possibility is to follow the wise advice of Stephen Sondheim:

You gotta get a gimmick if you wanna get ahead.

While quality content will always be king, a bit of uniqueness will help you stand out on the horizon.

Examples to follow include the highly successful 

Cooking with Dog, Epic Rap Battles of History

 boasts over 1.5 million subscribers in a cramped field of cooking shows where few will ever find their way to massive success. The unnamed chef cooks Japanese style dishes and only speaks Japanese. That’s a hard recipe for finding a global audience.

But, the chef with no name is joined by an easy to love canine companion who translates the culinary instructions in English with a strange French accent. Combining all those ingredients creates an enjoyable and unique viewing experience for wannabe cooks and non cooks alike.

Next, history is a topic too many have relegated to the forgotten lessons of our past school days. But, through the magic of YouTube, history comes alive via the highly entertaining creations of 

The musical battles comprised of historical figures and events are followed by over 14 million subscribers. A pair of talented hosts have garnered enough attention to be joined by celebrities such as Keegan Michael Key, Jordan Peele and Snoop Dog to name a few.

By pitting historical figures such as Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill against each other in a lyrical argument of accomplishments, the creators have blown past the field of history buff video makers to transcend the topic, and reach a huge audince.

Lastly, how does one create a successful niche amongst the countless science channels? Why not use cute little animated birds to act out your simple explanations of complex topics such as, 

? Do it well and your channel may be as successful as the unpronounceable, 

, which educates its 11.8 million subscribers with a dry humor and a little birdie gimmick.

Done well, gimmicks compliment the host's personality and subject. They allows creators to be unique even when the topic isn’t. They allow people who thought they have no interest in your subject to think again.

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Over 1 million creators use vidIQ to help with keyword and competitor research, channel audits, and so much more. 

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

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

With over 500 hours of video being uploaded to YouTube every minute, how can you stand out in the sea of content?

How to Stand Out in a World Where Everyone’s a Creator

British exercise coach and rising YouTube superstar Joe Wicks has somehow made homeschooling interesting and simultaneously saved many parents from insanity during the current pandemic.

In the process, he’s added more than 1.5 million followers to his YouTube channel since March 2020. At time of writing he now has 2.4M subscribers, and just under 170M YouTube views.

As a nutrition and fitness coach known as the 

, Wicks saw an opportunity to reach a new audience amid the coronavirus pandemic.

He's built on his existing business by launching his hugely successful online physical education classes, “

”. These live-streamed classes are aimed at kids of varying ages while they’re social distancing at home.

His first 'PE with Joe: 9am Workout' was uploaded to YouTube on the 23rd of March 2020, and has generated a staggering 6.7M views to date.

So whether you’re just starting out on YouTube, or you’re a seasoned creator looking to increase your number of followers, here are four takeaways you can learn from Joe Wicks.

No, you don’t need to be able to do 50 squats, followed by 30 seconds of high knees, and then 20 star jumps.

But you do need to be flexible to change. Wicks saw a window of opportunity in society’s current lockdown and adapted accordingly to increase the content he offers. This has seen him increase his followers across all platforms.

By being flexible, Wicks has been able to diversify his target audience to now include children.

Now, he’s not selling his products to children. His “P.E. With Joe” classes are free. But his sessions have become so popular that many parents confess to getting involved in them. It’s the parents who are potential customers for Wicks’ other products, which are based on healthy eating and fitness.

So don’t be afraid to expand your content a little to attract new audiences and potentially increase your revenue.

Never underestimate the power of a live stream.

This content marketing method takes much less time and money to put together, with no editing required (Wicks’ toddler daughter has even been spotted invading his classes on occasion).

It makes your audience feel like they get to know you a bit better. They get to see the unedited version of you, and that can help build the level of trust the audience feels for your brand.

Also, by directing your content to a targeted audience who are already interested in what you have to say, you have a better chance of conversions.

In addition to inviting people virtually into his home in real time, Wicks makes his sessions personal.

Given the popularity of his classes with young viewers, he’s been doing shout-outs and reading messages from fans during his lessons to create engagement.

By adding this personal element, Wicks creates a bond with his audience while simultaneously encouraging them to keep consuming his content and engaging with him.

So if you’re a creator looking for ways to increase your followers and take advantage of the fact a large part of the world’s population is stuck inside for the foreseeable future, try to incorporate these four aspects when creating your content.

Now, if you don’t mind, I have 20 push-ups and 10 squat lunges to do.

Joe Wicks has become the UK's favorite fitness instructor by providing free workouts on YouTube to families stuck at home during lockdown. Find out his secrets to success.

4 Awesome Lessons Every YouTube Creator Can Learn from Joe Wicks

This post (and the video above) is for those gamers and channels who create content around Fortnite. We've had a lot of requests about how to get a ‘Support a Creator’ code. The code I'm referring to is part of an 

1,000 followers on a major social platform.

 That could be YouTube, but it also includes Twitter, Instagram and other social media sites. Having that minimum number of subscribers or followers unlocks the ability to get your hands on your own code.

Once you have one of these codes, you can share it with your audience and encourage them to use it in the Epic Games Store. This code tells Epic that you got somebody to purchase something from their store, and you end up getting a cut of those profits. This is another pretty unique way to monetize your YouTube channel.

Why Having a Fortnite ‘Support a Creator’ Code Matters

The consensus amongst gamers seems to be that if you're a Fortnite player, you're not really legit unless you have one of these creator codes. A lot of viewers and creators alike see getting your hands on your own unique code as sort of a rite of passage. I can understand why, but I would also encourage you not to put that kind of pressure on yourself when making Fortnite content.

Obviously the biggest reason people want this code is because it's a free way for their viewers to support them.

If you're spending your V-Bucks anyway, then using your favorite creator’s code at check out will earn them a little money. In the Epic Games Store itself, these codes can earn your favorite creators’ discounts. 

How to Get 1000 YouTube Subscribers as a Fortnite Channel

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

 with the ability to get this creator code, it starts to make a lot of sense as to why we see so many Fortnite channels popping up in the gaming niche.

__So now the question remains, how can you as a Fortnite creator with less than 1,000 subscribers get yourself one of these codes? __

Fortnite isn’t a brand new game anymore, and new creators are popping up all the time. So it's important to stand out. And as a new Fortnite creator with less than 1,000 subscribers, you have your work cut out for you.

Just playing Fortnite isn't gonna be enough to get you discovered. Your content needs to solve a problem or answer a question that the viewers might have. And the best thing you can do with any popular game is to go after the questions that new players are going to ask.

How-tos are always a great place to start; how to build in Fortnite, how to level up fast in Fortnite, how to get neon wings in Fortnite, etc. I encourage you to try to think back to when you were a new player in Fortnite. What questions did you have? What problems did you try to solve? Read this advice from vidIQ on 

how to get your first 1,000 subscribers if you're a gaming channel

’, and that was an incredible deep dive into all the different things you could do to get there. I encourage you to check that out.

Fortnite content may seem oversaturated, but it’s still possible to grow a successful YouTube channel around it, even today. It just takes a little more thought. You need to put yourself in the shoes of a new Fortnite player, someone who was once like you, just trying to get better at the game. They turn to YouTube looking for answers, so answer those questions and solve the problems that they have.

I wish you Fortnite creators good luck in getting your creator codes. And remember that you can still make excellent content in the meantime as you work your way towards that goal.

What is Epic Game's 'Support a Creator' program? And what do Fortnite gamers need to do to get a coveted code? Find out now!

How to Get a 'Support a Creator' Code for Fortnite

The last few weeks have been an immensely challenging time for teachers, parents, and students alike. With the world of education thrown into chaos because of the coronavirus pandemic, parents and guardians are having to balance working from home with home-schooling, while teachers face the enormous task of keeping an anxious and remote classroom engaged and productive.

 to guide parents and help teachers (like 

), and alongside these stands YouTube, one of the most accessible and comprehensive libraries of educational content around the world.

 (video below) are publishing structured, exciting and insanely informative videos that provide invaluable knowledge and advice to specific, as well as general, audiences and age groups.

But YouTube presents two opportunities here. It’s a learning resource for sure, but it also offers __limitless opportunities for educators to turn online and offer up their expertise to others. __

And beyond YouTube, there are also a huge number of ways for creators to turn their unique skillset into a way to generate revenue and possibly turn their profession or hobby into a way of earning a living full-time.

Turn Your Profession or Passion into an Online Resource

So how do you turn your skillset into something you can create online video content around? Whether you are starting from scratch, or have a YouTube channel but you’re not sure what your strategy should be, there are two things you should be doing right now:

Picking up inspiration from other creators in your space

Learning to succeed at YouTube is the only way to stand a chance of earning a decent living from the platform. Luckily, vidIQ is a creator-obsessed resource with an enormous amount of content to guide you through your journey. Check out the other articles 

. Wherever you are on your journey, we have an answer to your question (and if we don’t, please reach out so we can find the solution for you).

__We even have a vidIQ Academy, with courses dedicated to every aspect of building and growing a YouTube channel. __

Right now our most popular Academy course ‘

How to Build Your YouTube Channel in 30 Day

’ is absolutely free to all users until June 14th 2020. But don’t worry, you’ll still be able to access it as a paid user beyond that date).

It’s an in-depth walkthrough of everything you need to know to hit the ground running, so sign up today to hit the ground running. Now on to the second point:

How Other Creators are Using YouTube to Teach Others

While we HIGHLY discourage copying what other channels in your vertical do for many, many reasons, it would be odd if you didn’t identify who your competitors were, the kind of content they are publishing, and how engaged their audience is with that content. You can be sure that when your channel is successful enough, you’re competitors will be watching you.

The tutorial/how-to genre on YouTube is one of the biggest, one of the broadest, and one of the most valuable. We can’t cover every creator, but we can check out some who are doing great things in the space right now.

For traditional educational topics like science, maths, languages, social studies, and history you have the heavy hitters like 

But there are millions of other creators publishing content around very specific educational and informative topics, and their channels are generating massive views and subscribers.

 for example who attracts significant views for her videos on sex education, body-positivity, relationships, and disability. Make sure to check out her video on 

, and how she uses YouTube to promote her work as an author:

” offers up a ton of advice around living with ADHD as an adult. It’s an incredible example of a creator with first-hand knowledge of their subject creating educational and informational content on how to thrive.

And how about this channel as an example of how to teach others some incredible life skills? 

 has generated nearly 3.8M subscribers by creating content around building confidence and laying the foundation for good relationships with everyone in your life:

Beyond YouTube: How to Make Money for Being an Expert

Do you have an aptitude for teaching a particular skill and want to explore how to build a successful career around that? Of course, as a teacher or a professional in another field, there are clear career paths that you can follow to achieve those goals.

But for millions of people around the world, this pandemic has stirred up a great many fears about those traditional career paths. Being furloughed or even worse, losing their job security entirely, has unlocked the desire to control their own careers going forward.

On the flip side, many of those who have been lucky enough to keep their jobs but have been working from home, are now dreading the return to a stressful commute and the 9-5 drudge.

 series, we’ve interviewed some incredible creators and industry experts about creating a career around a particular set of skills.

Jess Catorc from Teachable offers extensive advice about building a community on YouTube around your educational content but 

then utilizing other platforms to sell courses

. In the last few years, there has been an explosion in sites that allow you to create your own online courses, and sell lessons around your expertise. These include:

For teachers, Gabby Wallace, a YouTuber with 1.6M subscribers offers advice on how to leverage the 

huge demand from users to learn new skills

, plus how to monetize your educational content on the platform.

Finally, Josh Horton is a professional juggler, with over 500K subscribers on YouTube, tells us the fascinating story of 

how he turned a passion of his into tutorial content

Whatever skill you have, there will be someone out there willing to learn from you. And if you're passionate enough, you could turn those tutorials and online lessons into a full-time career. Why not make a start on that dream career path today?

YouTube is an incredible platform for any teacher or educator looking for a recession-proof way to build an online career. Find out how.

How Educators and Teachers Can Make a Living from YouTube

Do you dream of your videos going viral on YouTube? Do you wish you could crack the code and find the secret formula for viral video success?

On this week's episode of TubeTalk, we talk to Cory Williams, the "world's first professional YouTuber," with several billion views to his name. He's found massive success with multiple videos, and he's going to share some of his inside tips and tricks with us today. 

Have you ever wanted to know the secret sauce to viral video success on YouTube? Find out on this week's episode of TubeTalk.

The Secrets to Going Viral on YouTube [Expert Insights]

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!

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 Find Success as a Travel Channel on YouTube

Liron Segev

How to Stand Out in a World Where Everyone’s a Creator

Michael Greyshock

4 Awesome Lessons Every YouTube Creator Can Learn from Joe Wicks

Rhian MacGillivray

How to Get a 'Support a Creator' Code for Fortnite

Dan Carson

How Educators and Teachers Can Make a Living from YouTube

Carla Marshall

The Secrets to Going Viral on YouTube [Expert Insights]

Liron Segev

How to Use Both YouTube and Blogging to Build Your Audience

Liron Segev