Are you missing out on money?
Sure you might have started your Youtube channel purely because you love to make videos and put out content, but you could be missing out on some serious bucks if you aren’t trying to monetize your channel.
And yes, money’s not everything…but it’s damn well nice to get! Especially if you didn’t know you could even be making it!
First off, you can’t just make money from uploading videos and expect a whole new stream of income. You must go into your account settings and enable monetization first. You can choose to have your videos listed on Youtube Premium or join the Youtube Partners Program. Profits you make from your videos come from subscribers, engagement levels, and uploading quality content in your niche video category.
However, this platform is constantly changing and remaking its rules and regulations, Youtube’s Terms of Service (TOS), and updating the policies and monetizations to current standards. With that, it’s important to understand what those new changes are as soon as possible to ensure you make as much money from the content you are sharing as possible.
Without following Youtube’s TOS you run the risk of being terminated by the platform itself. As of September 2020, Youtube ended over 8,000 channels due to policy violations. So whether you’re new to Youtube or a seasoned creator, it’s important to stay brushed up on these regulations to continue creating content for your channel and subscribers.
Learn more about what you can or cannot do in your videos as of December 2020 below.
1. Kid-friendly Channels Must be Appropriate
What this means is that claiming your channel to be kid-friendly (by checking a box stating the video’s content is made for kids before posting) forbids you to post any “adult-like” content on said channel. According to Cincopa, Youtuber’s must “explicitly state their videos’ projected audience” as of January 2020. Adult content means any explicit language, imagery, or themes. Youtube has done this to ensure that those watching are to receive the expected and appropriate content which they believe to be viewing when they select the video.
2. Harder Verification Process
Declared in July of 2020, you now not only have to have 100K subscribers to be verified, but you must also pass an authenticity test. “Youtube will need to see that a channel in question is run by a real figure, artist or public figure and that its name is not similar to other popular Youtube channels.” In addition, Youtube must deem your channel “complete” meaning “the channel must appear with a full description, channel icon, and boast content that can be active on YouTube.” Why might one want to be verified some may ask? Because being verified on Youtube helps build reputability and credibility. This will ultimately increase your following and engagement which will then help your monetization.
3. No Claims of a Rigged Election
As of December 9th, 2020 in regards to this year’s presidential election, no videos are allowed to claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Claims about voter fraud will be responsible for said video removal from Youtube.
4. Less Misleading Thumbnails
YouTubers often use their thumbnails as an opportunity for clickbait, to catch as many views as they can. This entails putting the thumbnail image and video title as something very intriguing, controversial, or exciting. However, many video’s contents once you click in has little to do with the promised thumbnail. In response, Youtube is becoming stricter with misleading thumbnails and titles. Psotentially even banning videos from any channels not following credible thumbnails.
5. Remain Active
Posting consistently or creating a posting schedule will help grow your audience and overall monetization. Youtube expects its users to stay active in the community. When the platform has found your account extremely inactive you run the risk of being “reclaimed” by Youtube without any notice. Youtube defines this inactivity as never having uploaded content, not logging into the account for at least 6 months, and not watching and commenting on other videos.
All of these are some tricks and tips to ensure you are following the proper Youtube TOS; Ensuring you can make the most money from the content you are putting out to the world. By staying up to date on the most recent policies you’re able to use Youtube as a financial resource and not only for creative pleasure.
(Featured image source Unsplash.com)
