YouTube as a full-time job

For Starters

Hands up if you’ve never been on YouTube? (…crickets…) I didn’t think so. YouTube is one of those platforms that has cemented itself as an almost everyday thing in our lives. With more than 2 billion logged-in monthly users and 74% of adults in the United States using the platform, its easy to see how YouTube has the importance that it does in our lives. YouTube has also become a budding new employer for a new generation of content craters. This week I’m looking in to how YouTube allowed individuals to quit their jobs and make a living off of YouTube full-time.

Image by: NordWood Themes

History

YouTube is the most popular video hosting sites on the internet. It is at the very heart of our daily content consumption yet some don’t know the origins of the platform. YouTube began as the brainchild of three employees at a startup called PayPal (small world). In 2004, Chad Hurley, Steve Chen and Jawed Karim began to design a video hosting site that began as a site for people to upload video dating profiles. Having worked at startups in the past, Hurley, Chen and Karim knew how much work needed to be done to launch an idea from nothing and in 2005 launch their site YouTube. 18 months later Youtube is sold to Google for $1.65 Billion and the tech giant turns it into the most popular video hosting website in history.

Image by: Laura Chouette

YouTube’s gravy train: Partner Program and AdWords

Now that we understand the history of the platform we can tackle the main subject of this post, how are people making money with YouTube and turning it into a career? The answer is simple, through the use of YouTube’s Partner Program and the Google AdWords platform. In 2007 Google was looking for ways to market and monetize the video hosting platform when they stumbled upon a brilliant idea, put ads infront of the videos. If people wanted to watch the content, they had you sit through an advertisement. But content creators weren’t going to just let YouTube take all of the money from their content (the viewer was trying to watch the creators content anyway), so YouTube created the Partner Program to incentivise creators. The threshold was simple, get 1000 subscribers and have 4000 watch hours in the past 12 months. With this new program YouTube was able to sell even more of its newfound ad space and creators were able to get paid.

Image by: Gianandrea Villa

YouTube as a career

With the launch of the Partner Program and the user of AdWords, content creators are able to make money off of their content of they grow their following enough. It’s reported that YouTube will pay on average $.18 per view. With a channel of just 1000 subscribers a content creator can make $180 per video. With most content creators releasing 1-3 videos per week, one could make around $540 a week for their content. It’s easy to see how popular YouTube personalities like Binging with Babish are able to afford a beautiful house in Brooklyn with his following.

In closing

When you look at it is easy to see how YouTube became such a moneymaker not just for Google but for content creators. Businesses and genuine people were able too shared their product and find their niche in their market and were able to get paid through the YouTube Partner Program. Do you have a YouTube channel? Have you thought about making one? Who is your favorite YouTuber? I’m looking forward to hearing about it in the comments.

Talk soon,

Caelan

Twitter: Are you an avid YouTube user? Do you know the history of the platform or how much money a YouTuber could make? Maybe this is the next platform your brand should join. Learn more in my latest blog post: https://bit.ly/32959wh #Youtube #Youtuber #Content

Facebook: YouTube has cemented itself as one of the most popular and important social platforms of the 21 century. This week I dive in to the history of YouTube as a career and speak about YouTube’s Partner Platform.

Click the link to learn more: https://bit.ly/32959wh

Do you have a favourite YouTuber? I’d love to hear about it in the comments.

TikTok’s rise to social media stardom

For starters

I’m going to be completely honest with you right off the bat, I have no idea how to use TikTok. At the ripe old age of 24 I seem to be out of touch with the youth of today. I have no idea how to navigate the app, post a video or what an “FYP” is (it means For You Page by the way). I do know that it is an inescapable fact of life that TikTok is the hottest social media platform off the last year and that everyone who is anyone is on there. For this week’s party I decided to take a look at TikTok, is history and why it’s so incredibly popular.

Image by: Hello I’m Nik

History

TikTok as a brand has had a pretty short existence, but its parent company ByteDance has been around much longer being launched by a Chinese engineer in 2012. In 2016 ByteDance launched the Douyin app (which is what TikTok is called in China) and lauched its global app named TikTok later that year. In their TechCrunch article called “TikTok’s epic rise and stumble” from November of this past year, Rita Liao and Catherine Shu lay out a pretty in-depth timeline on TikTok’s history and meteoric rise. One can’t talk about TikTok’s place in the world without talking about its political troubles. During the Trump administration in the US concerns were raised about the app’s potential to be a national security threat, with these allegations being raised amid trade wars with China and ex-President Trump’s overall dislike of China. This caused the former President to ban the app in the US, and caused TikTok to sue the administration as the US is one of its biggest markets.

Image taken from TechCruch article

Why is it so popular?

TikTok has exploded over the last five years into one of the leading social media apps on there. With 689 active monthly users worldwide and over 2 billion downloads, its importance on the global social media market cannot be understated. But what makes it so popular? Why is it taking over as the leading app to be on in 2021? In his March 2019 article on the subject, John Herrman states the following:

Imagine an Instagram centered entirely around its “Explore” tab, or a Twitter built around, I guess, trending topics or viral tweets, with “following” bolted onto the side.

TikTok uses machine learning and hashtags to create a simple but effective way of feeding you content, with almost no respite from it on the app (I felt like I was drowning the first time I opened the app). With its endless stream of new content, with the help of machine learning to tell it what sort of videos you’re more inclined to actually watch, TikTok is able to show you what what content you want and will never run out of it. Powerful tool I must say. John Herrman also touches on its content creating abilities:

It’s mode of creation is unusual, too. You can make stuff for your friends, or in response to your friends, sure. But users looking for something to post about are immediately recruited into group challenges, or hashtags, or shown popular songs. The bar is low. The stakes are low. Large audiences feel within reach, and smaller ones are easy to find, even if you’re just messing around.

TikTok makes it easy for anyone to get involved in its platform as it literally tells you what to post. It will show you a song and tell you to “Duet” it, or get you in on the latest viral meme or dance challenge. All of this combined makes TikTok an addictive source of content, from the casual lurker to the hustling social media professional.

In closing

TikTok is an inescapable force in the social media landscape, and whether you like it or not it’s here to stay. With its low barrier to entry and it’s vital content, Tikatok will remain popular for a long time coming and might usher in a new era of content creation. Are you on Tikatok? What do you think of the platform? Do you feel as our of touch as I feel with the youth of today? I look forward to hearing your responses.

Bye for now,

Caelan

Twitter: TikTok has taken the social media landscape by storm. This week I look into how TikTok came to be, and why its so popular with younger audiences today. Click the link to read more: https://bit.ly/3meJXhC

Facebook: Do you know what FYP stands for? How about how to ‘Duet’ something? In this weeks blog post I tackle the history and popularity of the hottest trend in social media, TikTok. Are you on TikTok? I’d love to know. Click the link to read more: https://bit.ly/3meJXhC

Influencer Culture and why it is important in 2021

For Starters

Social media is an incredibly tool that can be used and abused in a variety of different ways. From large companies all the way to individuals, social media can be used as an incredibly effective tool in the way people do business. One of these ways is through its use as a marketing tool. With it’s persistent notifications and endless stream of content, social media is one of the ways marketers and brands are getting their products out into the world and gaining new customers. One of the ways that even small brands have been able to grow their audience and reach in a given ‘niche’ is through the effective use of influencers and brand partnerships. Over the past few years, I’ve personally seen the rise of this so-called ‘Influencer Culture’ and seen how its taken over my Instagram feed (and taken off as an incredibly lucrative job, see: how much money Kylie Jenner can make per sponsored post on Instagram). I decided to take a look at Influencer Culture this week to see what I could learn about its origins and why it is an important thing for brands to consider in 2021.

Image by: Trey Ratcliff

Definition

Before diving into its history I wanted to briefly define what an influencer actually is. Like a lot of tech terms that are thrown around and have made their way into our collective vocabulary, we sometimes use them without knowing how to define them. I know from personal experience that I had a weird time trying to define what an influencer was before researching for this post. To me, an influencer is someone who uses their social media platform and following to represent brands (their own or sponsored) to aid in selling their products. A more concise definition from a superb article on WIRED by Paris Martineau about influencers would be “someone with the power to affect the buying habits or quantifiable actions of others by uploading some form of original – often sponsored – content to social media platforms.” influencers can come in many forms and from all sorts of social media platforms, and have more of a grassroots path to fame than a typical celebrity. They generally begin by cultivating a following with free online content (posts, eBooks, YouTube videos) and then, while gaining a medium to large follower base, look to leverage said follower base into more paid or sponsored content from brands in their specific niche. People look at influencers as more of a friend who is telling them about a cool thing, rather than a super famous actor plugging a product.

History

The history of influencers can be traced back (much like my last post on podcasts) to the beginnings of the internet. Back in the mid-90’s the internet was still in it’s infancy, and many brands were still using traditional marketing techniques as a way to show their products to customers. With the advent of the internet came the emergence of online messaging boards and forums, a place where users can find a likeminded community or social network of other individuals to discuss specific topics ranging from products to movies and everything in-between. At the time consumers began looking to these forums for information about products that they were considering buying, and found ‘super-users’ with a perceived amount of knowledge and expertise reviewing said product or answering their questions directly. Many brand began to look to these users as a new method in their marketing campaigns. With the rise of personal blogs in mid-2000’s, many brands began sending products off to these influential bloggers to be reviewed or written about as blogs were becoming the new place to be on the internet.

Image by: Kristina B

Importance for brands

In my opinion, the emergence of modern day influencers came with the rise in popularity of Instagram. Instagram has become one of the most important and used social media platforms worldwide and brands who are looking to stay current with consumers need to take notice. Like with the blog, brands are able to send their products away to influencers in their niche to be reviewed or shared to followers from around the world. Influencers are able to stage photoshoots of them wearing the clothing, using the tool or talking about the book, link to the brand’s page or Instagram store, and put a bow on the post with carefully curated hashtags for maximum engagement. Smaller brands and local businesses are teaming up with ‘micro-influencers’, influencers who have under 25 thousand followers, to help market their products to a larger audience and gain traffic on their pages and posts. Brands and influencers are finding new ways to partner up and have a more mutually beneficial relationship through the use of giveaways which drive traffic through their contest eligibility: follow both accounts, like the post, save the post, and tag friends for more entries for example. I believe influencers are an incredibly important tool for brands to tap in to whether they are a giant corporation, or a local coffee shop as they add credibility to your brand and give it a potential large boost in traffic.

In closing

Influencers are everywhere today and are being used to their fullest potential by the most popular brands. When considering a marketing strategy or launch of a product, consider putting some time into researching who are the influencers in your given niche or industry, and don’t be afraid to reach out to see if a partnership could be made. You never know how many potential new customers you might get with a little time and money invested. How do you think influencers can help you or the brand you represent? What are other ways brands and influencers can partner up to make it a more mutually beneficial relationship? What influencers are you following on your social media platforms? I’d love to read your replies.

Bye for now,

Caelan

Twitter: Influencer culture is rampant in 2021. In my latest blog post I tackle the history of influencers, and why they are so valuable to brand. Click the link to learn more: https://bit.ly/39eT78D #influencer #influencerculture #socialmediatools

Facebook: What is an influencer, and why are they such an important tool for brands to utilize in 2021? All this and more in my latest blog post. Click the link to learn more: https://bit.ly/39eT78D

Listening to a lot of podcasts in 2021? You’re not alone.

For Starters

Podcasts have become one of the most popular and important forms of social media content in recent years. With just a few simple tools like a laptop microphone and a Spotify account, anyone and everyone from large corporations to regular people can now create content and blast it out on the web.

Podcasts are a more personal and engagement friendly content vehicle than say a more traditional press release or blog post. Hosts are able to show their personal and charismatic side in an more informal context, while smart producers are able to cultivate a large social media following as well as bring on popular and/or informed guests relevant to the discussion in podcast’s field. With the on-going global pandemic, more and more people are looking to podcasts as a way to feel grounded and learn about what’s going on in the world while being stuck in their homes.

Image by: Zoomar

History of the Podcast

Podcasts are one of the hottest social media commodities globally in 2021, though most people don’t actually know the origin of the podcast. The term comes from a mixture of two words: “broadcasting” and funnily enough, “iPod.” The creation of the podcast can be attributed to two people, Adam Curry and Dave Winer in 2004. Curry and Winer we’re able to harness the power of radio broadcasts and created programs to be able to download them to mobile devices, most notably Apple’s iPod. In his article on the subject (and the first official use of the word “Podcast”), then Guardian reporter Ben Hammersley explained that “Online radio is booming thanks to iPods, cheap audio software, and weblogs.”

Since then the popularity of podcasts has exploded to become a worldwide phenomenon. From being named the New Oxford American Dictionary’s “word of the year” in 2006 to having Guinness World Record’s about the number of downloads of individual episodes, podcasts have taken over as one of the most popular media trends worldwide. For more information on the history of podcasts: An article on the Complete History of Podcasts from Oliver Skinner of Voices.com, and a Podcasting Historical Timeline from the International Podcast Day website.

Podcasts during Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has affected more than 120 million people globally, but has changed the way every single person on the planet lives their life. From grocery store lines, to food and toilet paper shortages, to working and learning in remote environment Covid-19 has changed the way the world operates. People are feeling isolated away from their classmates and colleagues, and trying to find ways to stay sane while at the end of their Netflix queue.

Enter the podcast; a content and social media platform whose listenership has continued to rise for over a decade, and is easily accessible through your smartphone. With seemingly infinite topics and episodes ranging from 5 minutes to 3 hours, podcasts have been a way for people to learn about what is going on in the world from the comfort (and confines) of their own home.

Image by: Patrick Breitenbach

What podcasts are you listening to?

On a more personal note, and I’m sure you can tell, I am an avid podcast fanatic. During the Covid-19 pandemic I have used podcasts to help me stay grounded and informed to what is going on in the world outside and as a way to pass the time as I’m going about life. For me, podcasts are a great way to spend a few minutes learning about topics I might not know anything about, topics of great political and social importance, or topics related to my favourite sport. There are seemingly infinite incredible podcasts that run the gamut from credible and established news broadcasters all the way to regular people recording from their bedroom and trying to start something new.

My advice? Well if you’re not already listening pick a streaming service (I use Spotify or Google Podcasts) and search a word or phrase on a topic you’re interested about. Try a few of the top ranked podcasts on the service. Trying to learn about a niche marketing strategy or how regenerative farming might solve the global climate crisis? There are probably podcasts for both. So what are you listening to? What service are you using to stream your podcast? And what drew you to or made a podcast your favourite? I look forward to reading your comments.

Bye for now,

Caelan

Twitter: Has your podcast listening gone up over the past year? You’re not alone. Read my thoughts on podcasts in my latest blog post: https://bit.ly/2NfHyGf #podcasts #covid19

Facebook: With the Covid-19 pandemic still at the forefront of the global psyche, more people than ever are spending time indoors and trying to find ways to stay occupied. Check out my recent blog post on podcasts and see how this ever-growing form of easily digestible content has trended over the past year. Listening to more podcasts in 2021? You’re not alone: https://bit.ly/2NfHyGf