How to Become a YouTuber and Make Money

Is it still worth dedicating the time and effort to become a successful YouTuber in 2023? 

With a staggering 1.7 billion monthly visitors, YouTube is the second most visited platform globally, only surpassed by Google. It surpasses the number of visits received by Facebook, Instagram, and even Amazon. This means that even if you're just starting out, the potential for channel growth is immense. 

Undoubtedly, learning how to become a YouTuber can feel overwhelming at first. There are numerous decisions to make, algorithms to understand, and equipment to consider. You'll need to master shooting and editing techniques, craft engaging video titles, and create eye-catching YouTube thumbnails. Most importantly, you'll need to explore monetization strategies to start earning money from your channel. So, let's dive right in!   

If you're short on time, here’s a video that offers quick tips and tricks for launching your own YouTube channel.

For professional video editing that will elevate your content, PowerDirector is here to help. With its comprehensive features, including templates, AI tools, and access to stock content, you can edit your YouTube videos like a pro.

• What is a YouTuber?
• How Much Money Do YouTubers Make?
• How to Become a YouTuber
• Pick a Niche
• Decide Your Channel’s Goal
• Learn from Your Competition
• Brainstorm Ideas and Develop a Content Schedule
• Pick the Right Equipment
• Build Your YouTube Channel Page
• Create and Upload Your First Video
• Monetize Your Channel
• Stay in Touch With Your Community
• Download the Best Video Editing Software for YouTube
• How to Become a YouTuber FAQ

What is a YouTuber?

YouTuber refers to an individual who creates and uploads their own videos on to a YouTube Channel. Many YouTubers have established a distinct brand identity for their channel and videos, encompassing a unique name, subject matter, and stylistic approach.

A professional YouTuber, or pro-YouTuber, goes beyond mere content creation and earns income by producing captivating, informative, or exhilarating videos that garner thousands, or even millions, of views and shares. For these accomplished YouTubers, each view translates into monetary gains, contributing to their financial success.

How Much Money Do YouTubers Make?

If you are learning how to become a YouTuber, the first thing you need to understand is that not all YouTubers make money. Only a small percentage of YouTube channels are set up for monetization (more on that later). 

Also, there is not a fixed number per view that everyone lucky enough to become a YouTuber with an AdSense account makes. The amount of money you make is based on your channel’s RPM, or rate per 1,000 views. The average RPM is $3-$5, although some very successful YouTubers have RPMs that are much higher. RPMs are based on many factors, such as the length of the video, ad blockers, your channel’s country of origin, and more.  

Successful YouTubers like Mr. Beast (who earned $54 Million in 2021) aren’t relying solely on views. They make money from ad sponsorships, merchandise, channel memberships, affiliate links, and more. 

For anyone who wants to become a YouTuber, it all boils down to this - the average annual income for a channel with 1 million subscribers is $60,000. 

How to Become a YouTuber

Pick a Niche

The first step in learning how to become a YouTuber is to choose a niche that is a cross-section of your interests and expertise. After all, if you already know a little about a topic, it will save you some work later! Your niche needs to be something you care about. If you seem bored or uninterested in your videos, your audience will notice. On the flip side, if you become a YouTuber who is enthusiastic and excited about your topic, it will create excitement in your viewers. 

You may think choosing a broad niche that will appeal to the most people makes sense. However, there is a lot of competition in those areas, and as someone who has just become a YouTuber, you won’t see much of that internet traffic. Choose something more specific. You’ll attract like-minded souls to your channel with much less competition.  

You may be interested in a variety of topics, but it’s important to start out making one type of video until you have a solid subscriber base. For instance, the popular family channel HobbyFamilyTV started off doing toy unboxing videos. After 10 years on YouTube and billions of views, they can make videos about anything they want, from gaming videos to simple Target runs!

Need help coming up with a channel idea? Here are 9 Hottest YouTube Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2023. 

Decide Your Channel’s Goal

Do you want to become a YouTuber to inform? Teach valuable skills? Maybe you want to help people in a similar situation to your own feel less alone. Do you want to help people sleep by creating ASMR videos, or help people get into shape? Maybe your goal is to make people laugh, or simply to entertain.

Finding a goal will help tremendously when you are developing and executing video content. It will provide consistency for your channel and help you hone in on your theme. 

If you plan to monetize your channel, you’ll have other more tangible goals to set. Set yourself one small, reachable goal at a time. For instance, if you have just become a YouTuber, your goal should be to reach 500 subscribers. Next, try to hit 1,000 subscribers so you can join the YouTube Partner Program. After that, your goal should be to make $100 so you can get your first paycheck, and so on. Setting small goals means you’ll be constantly reaching them! 

Learn from Your Competition

The sheer number of people who visit YouTube every day may lead you to believe it will be easy to become a YouTuber and immediately attract tons of viewers. However, there are also millions of channels out there and many are making the same kinds of videos you are. And if you are the new kid on the block, your videos will be the least likely to pop up in searches.  

What we are trying to say is - you have lots of competition. 

Have you heard “keep your friends close, but your enemies closer?” While we aren’t saying to think of your competition as your enemies, it is a good idea to visit similar channels often and learn what you can, such as how they shoot and edit YouTube videos, and how their video intro looks. You will better understand what they are doing that works well, and even what doesn’t. It’s okay to emulate competition. Just don’t copy them.

Speaking of enemies, try not to make any! You never know who you could end up collaborating with in the future. Sometimes similar channels do crossover episodes which can double the audience for both channels. 

Brainstorm Ideas and Develop a Content Schedule

Before you upload your first video and become a YouTuber, you need to have a bunch of video ideas ready to go. It will not only help with the production process on later videos, but it will help you see if your niche has legs before you waste time going down a certain path. If you completely run out of ideas after only 3 videos, you may want to come up with a different niche. 

Like we said above, check out what your competition is doing. While you don’t want to copy their videos, watching them can be a springboard for coming up with your own ideas. Can you add a twist to what’s already out there? It’s also important to think about your target audience and what they would want to see. For instance, let’s say on your channel you unbox Star Wars toys. While lots of channels do the same thing, have any of them done it while riding Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland? Dressed as an Ewok? If it’s something you would love to see, chances are other people will as well. 

Next, you need to come up with a manageable publishing schedule. If you’ve just become a YouTuber, chances are you have a full-time job. Make sure you don’t overextend yourself, or your channel will become too stressful and may fizzle out. 

We recommend having several months’ worth of videos ready to go before you launch your channel and become a YouTuber. Because it is a good idea to maintain a consistent posting schedule, this will greatly reduce your anxiety as you build your channel. It will also allow you to post a few videos in quick succession, to help gain new followers. For instance, you can post a new video daily for the first week, then go to a weekly or monthly schedule after that. 

Whatever schedule you choose, make sure your audience knows when to expect new content and try to be consistent.  

Pick the Right Equipment

Chances are you already have a desktop computer and even a camera or smartphone you can use to shoot your videos. Here are some other equipment you will need to become a YouTuber. 

Video Editing Software - One of the most important pieces of equipment you will need to become a YouTuber is a quality video editor for YouTube. PowerDirector is the best way to edit YouTube videos, especially for beginners. A new YouTuber has a lot to do and learn, don’t make using your video editor for YouTube a daunting task! PowerDirector has an intuitive drag-and-drop interface, AI-powered tools, and even an Auto Movie mode that will help beginners edit YouTube videos in only a few clicks. It is also filled with tools and features that you will want as your editing skills improve. 

PowerDirector is filled with tools designed especially for those who want to become a YouTuber, such as templates for intros and outros, YouTube-specific aspect ratios, direct uploads to YouTube, and a royalty-free music and sound effects library.

Click the link below to download the best video editor for YouTube for free.  

Lights - The minute viewers detect bad lighting, they will switch off. No one wants to have to squint to see a video, nor do they want to be blinded by ugly, glaring lights. You don’t have to spend lots of money on fancy lighting, simply turn off harsh flourescents and bring in extra lamps. If you are using a webcam, try an inexpensive ring light.  

Microphone - The only thing more unappealing to viewers than bad lighting is bad audio. While a phone or webcam is perfectly suitable for recording video, we don’t recommend relying on their built-in mics. For example, a wearable microphone will be best if you need to walk around while the camera follows you. An omnidirectional microphone will be best if you are interviewing someone and the microphone needs to pick up both your voices. And a shotgun mic may be best if you want the mic to offer focused listening. For more information, check out our article The Best Microphones for YouTube.

Build Your YouTube Channel Page

You’ve already learned so much about how to become a YouTuber, you may be thinking it's time to upload your first video! Sorry, we aren’t there yet, just bare with us. Before you post that first video, you need to take care of your YouTube Channel Page. 

Channel Name and Description - Your channel name should be easy for viewers to remember/pronounce (how else will they find you?), and represent what your channel is about. You should use the same name across all of your social media profiles as well. 

Your channel description is equally important. This is a brief description of what your channel is all about. It will appear on your channel’s page and the first 100-150 words will show up in search results (so put the important info in the beginning). The description is yet another way to optimize your channel by adding in necessary keywords. 

Profile Image - First and foremost, your profile image needs to be a clear, high-quality image that adheres to YouTube’s recommend size parameters (800 x 800 pixels, no larger than 4MB). Make your image a square, with the important bits in the middle since YouTube will crop it into a circle.  Choose an expressive image of your face with a solid, brightly colored background. If you have graphic design chops, you can create a logo instead. 

YouTube Banner - Also known as channel art, your YouTube banner is the first thing people will see when they click on your channel. Be consistent with your branding elements and use similar colors and fonts for your channel logo, thumbnails, and banner. Make your banner eye-catching and readable (your text should pop and not blend in with the background). You should also include buttons that link to your social media pages. Click here for more information on how to make a YouTube banner. 

Create and Upload Your First Video

Now you are ready to create your first video and officially become a YouTuber! Remember that a little planning will go a long way when shooting content. Even if you aren’t shooting scripted content, you should have a vague idea of what you need to say so you don’t come across as rambling or require 15 takes to get it done. 

And no matter what kind of content you are creating, try to edit YouTube videos with a beginning, middle, and end. Remember to pay attention to sound quality and lighting, and add visual interest with your video editor for YouTube. 

Once you have a few videos ready to go, you can upload your first one. 

Uploading a video requires you to fill out the video title, description, and relevant tags. You may have a video editor for YouTube like PowerDirector that allows you to do this directly from the software. These are all areas where you can optimize your content for the robots. It’s important the algorithmic robot side of the internet knows what your channel and videos are about so you get in front of the right people. This happens when you use relevant keywords that are common to your niche and the specific topics you are addressing in the video. If you’ve just become a YouTuber and this sounds confusing, don’t worry. There are sites such as Semrush that can generate the appropriate keywords for your topic. 

And finally, don’t forget to add a compelling thumbnail image. When tons of similar videos pop up in a search, your thumbnail is what will lead most users to choose your video over another. 

Need more help? Check out this article about uploading your videos using a video editor for YouTube. 

Monetize Your Channel

To become a YouTuber that actually makes money, first you need 4,000 watch hours in 12 months and 1,000 subscribers. Once you hit these marks, you can apply to join the YouTube Partner Program and start earning income. Please be aware that your channel will be monitored before you can join the YPP, so always make sure you are adhering to YouTube Community Guidelines. 

Next, you need to sign up for an AdSense account so you can make money from ad views. Pre-roll ads, also called in-stream advertising, are ads you see just before the video begins playing. You watch the ad for a few seconds and then have the option of continuing to watch or clicking “skip ad” to get to the YouTube video. You only get paid if the viewer watches the ad for at least 30 seconds. 

Bumper ads are short ads that only play for a few seconds during longer videos. These are ads the viewer can’t skip. They interrupt the video, so the content creator needs to make sure the choice to allow these ads is warranted. If your content is valuable and engaging, people will wait around while the ad plays because they want to see what else you have to say.

Sponsorships are another way you can become a YouTuber that earns money. Connecting with companies that are within your niche can be useful and adds variety to your content. For example, if you are representing a specific brand of glazes for your pottery channel, you’ll do a number of videos on glaze techniques, using that brand and their glaze colors.

The YouTube Partner Program allows your channel to earn money in a variety of other ways. You can earn money if a YouTube Premium user watches your content, you can sell channel memberships, sell merchandise on YouTube’s Merchandise Shelf, and sell Super Chat/Super Stickers during Live Streams. 

For more information about how to become a YouTuber and monetize your channel, click here. 

Stay in Touch With Your Community

Once you’ve become a YouTuber and uploaded your first video (congratulations on hitting the button, by the way), there’s still some maintenance work you need to do to ensure the growth of your channel. This involves reaching out and engaging with your subscribers while actively seeking new ones.  

Comment - Go back to published videos with some regularity, especially new ones and popular videos, to check on the responses and comments. Become a YouTuber who asks compelling questions in the comments, and you are sure to get answers, which increases engagement. Replying to comments can also increase engagement because people can see that you are a real person who cares about their questions. 

Share - YouTube has the unique ability to be added to your website or blog where you announce and share your latest videos. Make sure to share new videos and channel announcements (upcoming meet and greets, live streams, etc) to all of your social media pages as well. 

Ask for what you want - Since subscribers, views, and likes are valued by the YouTube algorithm, edit YouTube videos with a call to action and ask viewers to participate in supporting your channel. With all the distractions people face and the likelihood that they’ll immediately go on to another video, telling them what to do before they leave your video or channel is vital. Ask them to subscribe, like the video, and even check out another video of yours that you know they’ll find fascinating.

Monitor analytics - The only way to learn and grow is to use the feedback you get. Become a YouTuber who ignores the negative comments (because they are negativity, not feedback) and embraces suggestions and ideas. It also means utilizing the incredibly valuable analytics dashboard YouTube provides. They give you insights into how your videos perform so you can adjust and pivot your plans for future videos. Being adaptive and responding favorably to the information you have is an essential element only the best YouTube stars leverage well.

Download the Best Video Editing Software for YouTube

We’ve touched on a lot of important steps for how to become a YouTuber. However, none of it matters unless you have creative and engaging content. And you can only make the best videos if  you have the best video editor for YouTube. 

PowerDirector is a beginner-friendly and affordable way to edit YouTube videos. And you don’t have to take our word for it. PowerDirector is a Google Play Editor’s Choice, PCMag Editor’s Choice, one of TechRadar’s Best Free Video Editing Software in 2023, and Tom’s Guide Best Video Editing Software in 2023, to name a few. 

Get the free video editor for YouTube that YouTubers trust when they want to get a final cut done fast. Click the link below and become a YouTuber today.