I see a lot of people with the wrong mindset

[ThioJoe]

I've noticed a bunch of people who seem to think that networks are going to "promote" you or "help you get views/subscribers". This is not the case; only you can do that. Unless you're a really big channel, like 100,000+ subs, a network has more profitable people to promote. I'm not trying to disappoint you, I'm trying to prevent you from being disappointed.

The thing is, you can get a ton of views, but the work has to be done by you. You have to be the one to learn new video editing techniques, film techniques, study marketing, study SEO, and even stuff like color grading which will make your videos better than everyone else. Only you can do that for yourself, and a network will not put any work into your channel unless you've done the same. Think of it from their perspective. There are so many YouTubers out there, so why would they focus on you? If you know that you have amazing potential "if only" you got more exposure, well, you'd better get cracking, because that's all on you.

So you're probably wondering what you can do right now.

• First, make it a point to learn something about new about filmmaking every day; watch a tutorial on how to do some intermediate-advanced stuff with your video editor. A good place to start is learning what color grading is and how do to it.
• Next, watch some of the top YouTubers and think about what real amount of work had to go into every single video they make. (Really, watch a video and think about every step they had to go through to make that video). Are you spending several hours planning each video and developing your on-screen personality? Maybe not right now but you'd better be working towards that. The top YouTubers are at the top for a reason, and it's because no one is willing to put as much work into their videos as them.
• Finally, be honest with yourself about what you want from YouTube and what you'd need to accomplish that. Are really just doing it for fun? If so you're truly lucky, because your happiness won't be dependent on the approval of a bunch of subscribers. Do you want to make a living off YouTube? Well you're going to have to start hitting the books, and it won't be fun at first, but after a while it will be awesome.

That's my little rant turned long.

“To hell with circumstances; I create opportunities.”
-Bruce Lee

 

[Itskamren]

well i do think networks help their partners to some extent because ive seen channels that were way behind me shoot ahead of me after a while once they got partnered so i saw an obvious change in their overall channel exposure i thought it was just coincidence at first but ive seen it pretty often now.So im sure its not so coincidence.

 

[Bryant]

I've noticed a bunch of people who seem to think that networks are going to "promote" you or "help you get views/subscribers". This is not the case; only you can do that. Unless you're a really big channel, like 100,000+ subs, a network has more profitable people to promote. I'm not trying to disappoint you, I'm trying to prevent you from being disappointed.

The thing is, you can get a ton of views, but the work has to be done by you. You have to be the one to learn new video editing techniques, film techniques, study marketing, study SEO, and even stuff like color grading which will make your videos better than everyone else. Only you can do that for yourself, and a network will not put any work into your channel unless you've done the same. Think of it from their perspective. There are so many YouTubers out there, so why would they focus on you? If you know that you have amazing potential "if only" you got more exposure, well, you'd better get cracking, because that's all on you.

So you're probably wondering what you can do right now.

• First, make it a point to learn something about new about filmmaking every day; watch a tutorial on how to do some intermediate-advanced stuff with your video editor. A good place to start is learning what color grading is and how do to it.
• Next, watch some of the top YouTubers and think about what real amount of work had to go into every single video they make. (Really, watch a video and think about every step they had to go through to make that video). Are you spending several hours planning each video and developing your on-screen personality? Maybe not right now but you'd better be working towards that. The top YouTubers are at the top for a reason, and it's because no one is willing to put as much work into their videos as them.
• Finally, be honest with yourself about what you want from YouTube and what you'd need to accomplish that. Are really just doing it for fun? If so you're truly lucky, because your happiness won't be dependent on the approval of a bunch of subscribers. Do you want to make a living off YouTube? Well you're going to have to start hitting the books, and it won't be fun at first, but after a while it will be awesome.

That's my little rant turned long.

good advice. I see it as incentive to work even harder now that you have more resources at your disposal. It's kind of like winning a singing competition (like the X factor) then getting signed by a label. Now you have to try even harder to claw your way up the ranks because the competition is even stiffer--you're competing with the big people. While I personally create most vlogs just for fun, I do make other videos to try and draw some traffic in (i.e. product reviews & tutorials using buzz words, etc.). To me, having a network is a stepping stone, not the end of the tunnel.

 

[Frassmiles]

That is exactly what I am doing at the moment.

I've been watching some videos from big YouTubers and get some ideas of how they do it etc.

I've always wanted to get into filming, skits and so on. So I'm learning some bits and pieces of how to edit with some plugins in Sony Vegas Pro . I then can upload a whole different new content onto my gaming channel (or maybe on a new channel, not too sure at the moment).

Great thread ThioJoe! Oh and I loved your trolling videos, they're brilliant.

 

[Wreckless Eating]

I've noticed a bunch of people who seem to think that networks are going to "promote" you or "help you get views/subscribers". This is not the case; only you can do that. Unless you're a really big channel, like 100,000+ subs, a network has more profitable people to promote. I'm not trying to disappoint you, I'm trying to prevent you from being disappointed.

The thing is, you can get a ton of views, but the work has to be done by you. You have to be the one to learn new video editing techniques, film techniques, study marketing, study SEO, and even stuff like color grading which will make your videos better than everyone else. Only you can do that for yourself, and a network will not put any work into your channel unless you've done the same. Think of it from their perspective. There are so many YouTubers out there, so why would they focus on you? If you know that you have amazing potential "if only" you got more exposure, well, you'd better get cracking, because that's all on you.

Well said. All of our collaborations that resulted in meaningful gains in subs were the result of hard work and the willingness to drop everything and do stuff on short notice. Those collabs are responsible for the largest boost in subs we've ever had. While they made a big difference, they represent less than 10% of our total subs.

 

[Azren the Language Nerd]

This is a super interesting post my friend, though I do have a question because I get mixed answers to this: what really happens when you sign with a network? I've asked people this in the past, but everyone gives me different answers so I still feel a bit in the dark about it lol...

 

[Wreckless Eating]

This is a super interesting post my friend, though I do have a question because I get mixed answers to this: what really happens when you sign with a network? I've asked people this in the past, but everyone gives me different answers so I still feel a bit in the dark about it lol...

When you sign, you may have some partner features that will get unlocked like the banner and thumbnails. You also will have access to the internal dashboard from the network you signed with and access to their forums if they have one. You'll also get access to a music library. If you have adsense linked to your channel because you're already monetized, you unlink it and the network will run ads on your videos instead. Questions will now go through your network's support team instead of thru youtube. And as part of most contracts, you will be obligated to upload a certain number of videos per month (usually two).

 

[Azren the Language Nerd]

When you sign, you may have some partner features that will get unlocked like the banner and thumbnails. You also will have access to the internal dashboard from the network you signed with and access to their forums if they have one. You'll also get access to a music library. If you have adsense linked to your channel because you're already monetized, you unlink it and the network will run ads on your videos instead. Questions will now go through your network's support team instead of thru youtube. And as part of most contracts, you will be obligated to upload a certain number of videos per month (usually two).

Hmm interesting... is it really worth it to have all of that? For example:

- Music: There are TONS of royalty free music sites out there

- Adsense: do you get paid more, less, or the same amount through the network ads compared to adsense ads?

- Questions: so your network support team answers your questions? Or do they filter them?


Thanks so much for your help, you've defs cleared things up for me!!!

 

[Wreckless Eating]

Hmm interesting... is it really worth it to have all of that? For example:

- Music: There are TONS of royalty free music sites out there

- Adsense: do you get paid more, less, or the same amount through the network ads compared to adsense ads?

- Questions: so your network support team answers your questions? Or do they filter them?


Thanks so much for your help, you've defs cleared things up for me!!!

The only we reason we joined is for extra income. I'm not sure about the amount since we just joined, but we were able to work out a contract that protects our income.

We were youtube partners under the old system, so we already had the banner and thumbnails.

We don't use the music library. If we decide to leave after our contract is up, we would no longer have the right to use the music unless we pay a $30 per song royalty fee, so I consider the music library off limits.

The network has been really helpful with questions/concerns. I think it helped that we've been in the office for a tour/visit and filmed something with them, so some of the people there know us personally.

 

[Azren the Language Nerd]

The only we reason we joined is for extra income. I'm not sure about the amount since we just joined, but we were able to work out a contract that protects our income.

We were youtube partners under the old system, so we already had the banner and thumbnails.

We don't use the music library. If we decide to leave after our contract is up, we would no longer have the right to use the music unless we pay a $30 per song royalty fee, so I consider the music library off limits.

The network has been really helpful with questions/concerns. I think it helped that we've been in the office for a tour/visit and filmed something with them, so some of the people there know us personally.

Ooh awesome! That clears things up, thanks so much friend