what is a business plan youtube

YouTube Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

Over the past 20+ years, we have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans to start and grow their YouTube businesses. On this page, we will first give you some background information with regards to the importance of business planning. We will then go through a YouTube business plan template step-by-step so you can create your plan today.

Download our Ultimate Business Plan Template here >

What is a YouTube Business Plan?

A business plan provides a snapshot of your YouTube business as it stands today, and lays out your growth plan for the next five years. It explains your business goals and your strategy for reaching them. It also includes market research to support your plans.

Why You Need a Business Plan for a YouTuber

If you’re looking to start a YouTube business, or grow your existing YouTube business, you need a business plan. A business plan will help you raise funding, if needed, and plan out the growth of your YouTube business in order to improve your chances of success. Your YouTube business plan is a living document that should be updated annually as your company grows and changes.

Sources of Funding for YouTube Businesses

With regards to funding, the main sources of funding for a YouTube business are personal savings, credit cards, bank loans and angel investors. With regards to bank loans, banks will want to review your business plan and gain confidence that you will be able to repay your loan and interest. To acquire this confidence, the loan officer will not only want to confirm that your financials are reasonable, but they will also want to see a professional plan. Such a plan will give them the confidence that you can successfully and professionally operate a business. Personal savings is the other most common form of funding for a YouTube business.

Finish Your Business Plan Today!

If you want to start a YouTube business or expand your current one, you need a business plan. Below are links to each section of your YouTube business plan template:

Executive Summary

Your executive summary provides an introduction to your business plan, but it is normally the last section you write because it provides a summary of each key section of your plan.

The goal of your Executive Summary is to quickly engage the reader. Explain to them the type of YouTube business you are operating and the status. For example, are you a startup, do you have a YouTube business that you would like to grow?

Next, provide an overview of each of the subsequent sections of your plan. For example, give a brief overview of the YouTube industry. Discuss the type of YouTube business you are operating. Detail your direct competitors. Give an overview of your target customers. Provide a snapshot of your marketing plan. Identify the key members of your team. And offer an overview of your financial plan.  

Company Analysis

In your company analysis, you will detail the type of YouTube business you are operating.

For example, you might operate one of the following types of YouTube businesses:

• Vlog Content : this type of YouTube business features content in the form of a vlog that documents someone’s day-to-day life.
• How-To Content: this type of YouTube channel features how-to content, usually structured around a niche such as beauty, kids or home.
• Comedic Content: this type of YouTube channel features comedy skits.

In addition to explaining the type of YouTube business you will operate, the Company Analysis section of your business plan needs to provide background on the business.

Include answers to question such as:

• When and why did you start the business?
• What milestones have you achieved to date? Milestones could include the number of channel subscribers, number of positive reviews, number of views, etc.
• Your legal structure. Are you incorporated as an S-Corp? An LLC? A sole proprietorship? Explain your legal structure here.

Industry Analysis

In your industry analysis, you need to provide an overview of the YouTube industry.

While this may seem unnecessary, it serves multiple purposes.

First, researching the YouTube industry educates you. It helps you understand the market in which you are operating.

Secondly, market research can improve your strategy, particularly if your research identifies market trends.

The third reason for market research is to prove to readers that you are an expert in your industry. By conducting the research and presenting it in your plan, you achieve just that.

The following questions should be answered in the industry analysis section of your YouTube business plan:

• How big is the YouTube industry (in dollars)?
• Is the market declining or increasing?
• Who are the key competitors in the market?
• Who are the key suppliers in the market?
• What trends are affecting the industry?
• What is the industry’s growth forecast over the next 5 – 10 years?
• What is the relevant market size? That is, how big is the potential market for your YouTube business? You can extrapolate such a figure by assessing the size of the market in the entire country and then applying that figure to your local population.

Customer Analysis

The customer analysis section of your YouTube business plan must detail the customers you serve and/or expect to serve.

The following are examples of customer segments: adult men, adult women, young men, young women, mothers, teens.

As you can imagine, the customer segment(s) you choose will have a great impact on the type of YouTube business you operate. Clearly, teens would respond to different marketing promotions than adult men, for example.

Try to break out your target customers in terms of their demographic and psychographic profiles. With regards to demographics, include a discussion of the ages, genders, locations and income levels of the customers you seek to serve.

Psychographic profiles explain the wants and needs of your target customers. The more you can understand and define these needs, the better you will do in attracting and retaining your customers.

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Competitive Analysis

Your competitive analysis should identify the indirect and direct competitors your business faces and then focus on the latter.

Direct competitors are other YouTube businesses.

Indirect competitors are other options that customers have to purchase from that aren’t direct competitors. This includes Instagram influencers and bloggers. You need to mention such competition as well.

With regards to direct competition, you want to describe the other YouTube businesses with which you compete.

For each such competitor, provide an overview of their businesses and document their strengths and weaknesses. Find out key things about them such as:

• What types of viewers do they serve?
• What types of videos do they create, and what topics do they cover?
• What are they good at?
• What are their weaknesses?

With regards to the last two questions, think about your answers from the customers’ perspective.

The final part of your competitive analysis section is to document your areas of competitive advantage. For example:

• Will you provide better content, better quality video or delivery?
• Will you provide better customer service?
• Will you offer better pricing?

Think about ways you will outperform your competition and document them in this section of your plan.  

Marketing Plan

For a YouTube business plan, your marketing plan should include the following:

Product : In the product section, you should reiterate the type of YouTube company that you documented in your Company Analysis. Then, detail the specific products you will be offering. For example, in addition to YouTube, will you provide content on Instagram or other social channels, or offer professional speaking or consulting services?

Promotions : The final part of your YouTube marketing plan is the promotions section. Here you will document how you will drive customers to your location(s). The following are some promotional methods you might consider:

• Partnering with other websites
• Social media marketing

Operations Plan

While the earlier sections of your business plan explained your goals, your operations plan describes how you will meet them. Your operations plan should have two distinct sections as follows.

Everyday short-term processes include all of the tasks involved in running your YouTube business, including planning video content, filming and editing videos, negotiating ad agreements and interacting with viewers.

Long-term goals are the milestones you hope to achieve. These could include the dates when you expect to make your 50th video, or when you hope to reach $X in revenue. It could also be when you expect to expand your YouTube business to a new social channel.  

Management Team

To demonstrate your YouTube business’ ability to succeed, a strong management team is essential. Highlight your key players’ backgrounds, emphasizing those skills and experiences that prove their ability to grow a company.

Ideally you and/or your team members have direct experience in managing YouTube businesses. If so, highlight this experience and expertise. But also highlight any experience that you think will help your business succeed.

If your team is lacking, consider assembling an advisory board. An advisory board would include 2 to 8 individuals who would act like mentors to your business. They would help answer questions and provide strategic guidance. If needed, look for advisory board members with experience in managing influencers or successfully running small businesses.  

Financial Plan

Your financial plan should include your 5-year financial statement broken out both monthly or quarterly for the first year and then annually. Your financial statements include your income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statements.

Income Statement : an income statement is more commonly called a Profit and Loss statement or P&L. It shows your revenues and then subtracts your costs to show whether you turned a profit or not.

In developing your income statement, you need to devise assumptions. For example, will you publish one new video per day or per week? And will sales grow by 2% or 10% per year? As you can imagine, your choice of assumptions will greatly impact the financial forecasts for your business. As much as possible, conduct research to try to root your assumptions in reality.

Balance Sheets : Balance sheets show your assets and liabilities. While balance sheets can include much information, try to simplify them to the key items you need to know about. For instance, if you spend $50,000 on building out your YouTube business, this will not give you immediate profits. Rather it is an asset that will hopefully help you generate profits for years to come. Likewise, if a bank writes you a check for $50,000, you don’t need to pay it back immediately. Rather, that is a liability you will pay back over time.

Cash Flow Statement : Your cash flow statement will help determine how much money you need to start or grow your business, and make sure you never run out of money. What most entrepreneurs and business owners don’t realize is that you can turn a profit but run out of money and go bankrupt.

In developing your Income Statement and Balance Sheets be sure to include several of the key costs needed in starting or growing a YouTube business:

• Location build-out including design fees, construction, etc.
• Cost of equipment and supplies
• Payroll or salaries paid to staff
• Business insurance
• Taxes and permits
• Legal expenses

Attach your full financial projections in the appendix of your plan along with any supporting documents that make your plan more compelling. For example, you might include your office location lease or samples of videos you are working on.  

Putting together a business plan for your YouTube business is a worthwhile endeavor. If you follow the template above, by the time you are done, you will truly be an expert. You will really understand the YouTube industry, your competition, and your customers. You will have developed a marketing plan and will really understand what it takes to launch and grow a successful YouTube business.

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Other Helpful Business Plan Articles & Templates

How to Write a YouTube Channel Business Plan

Since  62% of businesses use YouTube to post video content , you probably don’t want to miss the opportunity of using this booming platform.

Writing a business plan for your YouTube channel can be huge guidance in your journey to turning your channel into a real business .

Anytime you feel lost, you can go back to your original plan and find the guidance that you need.

But for that to work, your business plan has to cover every aspect of your channel.

Use this guide to go step by step through everything you need to write a YouTube channel business plan.

Table of Contents

1) Write down the ultimate objective of your Youtube channel

2) define your target audience, 3) planning the products you’re going to sell, 4) choosing the format that will connect better with your target audience, 5) equipment budgeting, 6) hiring budget, 7) filming locations, 8) create a system to find new ideas for your videos, 9) recording routine, 10) promotion plan, 11) defining a strategy to keep the audience for the long term, 12) funnel and product building, 13) plan your marketing, 14) scale and expand plan.

Knowing WHY you’re doing this will keep you going when things don’t go right.

It has to be a really strong why to be able to keep pushing through the tough times and the  hundreds of videos you’ll have to record.

There are probably better ways to make money than YouTube, so there must be a better reason why you want to do this with this video platform.

For example:

• Do you like helping people with their problems?
• Do you enjoy connecting with other real people through the magic of video?
• Do you want to make an impact in the world?

As long as it’s a strong desire beyond money and your plan makes sense, you’ll be successful.

Hint:  if you don’t like recording videos, this type of business might not be the right for you.

Think about different potential subjects that can attract a lot of people, and write them down.

Use the following questions to help you choose the perfect idea for your channel:

Will it be a single-person YouTube channel?

YouTube is very similar to having a job.

You HAVE TO show up constantly.

It’s not like  having a blog , where things are more passive since an article will attract people for years.

Videos on YouTube do that too, but  they periodically start attracting fewer and fewer people if you’re not active :

And that’s just because of the way the algorithm works.

So when it comes to defining your target audience — and consequently, the subject of your videos —, you need to choose something you really like doing.

Think about it:

You’ll have to record HUNDREDS of videos.

Do you see yourself talking every day for years about the same subject?

Just look at how long the biggest YouTuber has been doing this:

This is vital if you’re doing everything on your own.

Or Will it Be a Team YouTube channel?

If instead, you want to hire a team to do the videos with you, then just go for the type of videos that get tons of views.

Subjects extremely popular like makeup, business, health and fitness, or entertainment are an excellent choice for a YouTube channel business.

The wider the audience and the bigger your budget, the more people you’ll be able to attract with the power of video.

Create a Buyer Persona

When defining your target audience, you must be extremely specific about who you’re targeting.

What age, where they’re from, what are their pains, hopes and desires should be defined as clearly as possible.

Your Persona is a semi-fictional character that will represent your audience.

It should be like describing a fictional character in a novel, and even giving her/him a real name and face will help you remember your ideal audience:

Remember this person every time you’re planning your next video and make the videos specifically for them.

You’ll be able to connect with people that watch your videos much more easily this way.

From the target audience ideas you wrote down before, choose 3 ideas and research the products that are being sold to that audience.

What types of products are being sold to those audiences?

Are they digital or physical? 

• Go to YouTube and study where your competitors are sending their viewers to find the sales funnels they’re using:

Is there a strong pain point in your target audience that allows you to create a product for selling?

• How are your competitors talking to their audience to persuade the purchase?

• Finally, study their prices determine how profitable each niche might be.

Take those prices and define:

• Profit goals
• Possible profit margins
• Revenue if 0.5% of people that watch your videos buy one of the products.
• How many views you’ll need to hit your profit goals
• How you’ll raise awareness about your products

Define alternative monetization methods

Besides selling your own products, what other income methods are you going to use?

Some of the popular ones for YouTube: 

• Affiliate marketing: helping sell other people’s products and get a commission.
• Sponsor videos : getting paid by big brands to mention or show their products in your videos.
• Crowdfunding: opening an account on Patreon can help you get direct support from your most loyal viewers.
• Ad revenue : money YouTube will pay you directly for every 1,000 views.

It’s important to not depend on a single one of these.

The best strategy is to have your own products where the profit margins are the highest, and also use different methods mention above to diversify.

Remember the buyer Persona you defined earlier?

Here’s where you’ll use that persona to define the best type of video that will connect with them.

You have to create videos that provide  value  to your target audience if you want to get any attention.

If they’re Gen Z , focus on content that makes them laugh:

If they’re Millenials , news and human interest stories will keep them entertained:

If they’re Baby Boomers , try online tutorials to teach them new skills:

Don’t use a format made for  Boomers with a Gen Z audience , or you’ll never be able to deliver value to your audience.

Surprisingly enough, you don’t need to have a professional crew to record videos that people want to watch on YouTube.

One of the beautiful things about this platform is that normal people can grow a huge audience, even recording with a simple smartphone .

Because of that, carefully evaluate if you really want to spend a big part of your budget on video production.

Also, bear in mind that you don’t only need a camera, there is also other equipment you’ll need :

• Teleprompter
• Editing software
• Thumbnail creation software
• Computer for editing

Besides your equipment budget, you also need to define the budget for hiring a team — if that’s your approach.

You can approach your YouTube channel in two ways:

• You can do it all yourself
• You can hire others that can do a better job

In case you want to delegate to others the things that you don’t know how to do very well, make sure you take into account every job:

• Project manager
• Scriptwriter
• Camera crew
• Marketing team
• Product development team

You might want to hire someone only for the jobs that you struggle the most with if you want to save a bit of money.

Now you need to define where you and your team will record your videos.

Setting up a studio

It’s better to build a studio at home or office so everything is always set up and ready to start recording:

Set your lighting, camera, and your background so it looks appealing and it’s consistent in every video that you make .

That’s the best approach to create tons of high-quality videos in a short time.

Planning filming locations

However, if you want to do it outside and constantly change the location, you need to plan very carefully the locations you’re going to use:

• Do you need permission to record in said location?
• Is the weather proper for recording?
• How are you going to handle transportation for your team and equipment?

Generally, setting up a studio for video recording is the most efficient way to create videos at the lowest price.

How are you going to constantly come up with new refreshing ideas for your videos?

You need to be constantly innovating if you want to captivate your audience for a long time.

Some of the most common methods to come up with ideas:

• Track what your competitors are doing that is popular right now.
• Do keyword research and find outdated or boring videos that you can produce better.
• Carefully study your channel’s analytics to see what videos are performing the best in terms of watch time and engagement — and make more similar videos.
• Ask your audience what they want to watch next.

How will the usual recording day look like?

Is the teleprompter the first thing you’re going to set up, and then you’ll get ready with your makeup?

Or is it first makeup and then a bit of practice before recording?

Come up with a system that allows you to record more videos in less time.

The more efficient you are, the more videos you’ll be able to publish and the faster your YouTube business will grow.

The ideal system will allow you to record more than 1 video per day without too much stress.

If you already have some following in other platforms, or you have a long list of clients, define how you’ll make them aware of your new video content.

Some options are:

• Targeted Instagram or Facebook ads
• Email outreach
• Direct telephone calls

If you’re using YouTube instead to attract new customers (which is the best way to use this platform), then you don’t need to promote outside of YouTube.

This video platform has over 2 billion visitors per month .

You don’t need to look for more people outside.

In fact, most of your views will come organically from users that are already on YouTube:

Instead, you need to know how to reach your target audience that is already using the platform constantly.

For that, you’ll need to learn something called Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

YouTube is a search engine that recommends videos automatically to people that its algorithm thinks will like them.

You need to learn to communicate to the algorithm with good SEO so YouTube knows whom to recommend your videos to.

A good SEO strategy includes the following aspects:

• How to write titles with the right keywords and that also attract people to click
• How to design thumbnails that attract clicks.
• Use the right tags to tell YouTube what your video is about.
• Uploading your scripts to each video so YouTube knows exactly what it’s about.
• How to get more likes and comments in your videos to increase engagement.
• Using cards to link to other relevant videos for your audience.
• Knowing when to stop production a video format that isn’t working.
• Knowing how to double down when something is working.
• What hashtags to use in your videos to make them more discoverable.

These are all things that you should know about before starting your channel or you’ll find it really hard to get eyeballs on your content.

We offer a free course about this. Click here to sign up if you want to learn more.

You don’t own the audience that is subscribed to your channel on YouTube.

That’s why one of your main concerns has to be how to keep them in case your channel is terminated or YouTube suddenly stops promoting it .

Most YouTube channels simply send their viewers to another social media platform like Instagram.

However, you don’t own that audience either.

The only real way to own your audience is by collecting their email addresses or phone number.

Email marketing is the most popular way to go about it, and it’s also the most effective marketing strategy.

Here’s how to collect email addresses from your audience :

First, put a link in your YouTube channel banner and in the description of your videos to send people to an opt-in page:

In the opt-in page, offer your audience something they’d want to get for free and that isn’t complicated to make (a checklist, a report, etc) in exchange of their emails:

Then, set up an automated email response when they join.

You can take advantage of this by asking them right away what their main struggles are.

Use that data to come up with good product ideas that may solve the problems of your audience.

Once you’ve built the base of your email list, you’ll want to come up with your final product idea.

To know if it’s the right idea, simply ask your subscribers if they’d be interested in buying a product like that :

Test different prices until you find the perfect balance between price and demand.

Once you’ve confirmed your idea with enough people, develop it.

Finally, set up a new email series promoting your new product and prepare for your first launch.

Define where all your marketing efforts will focus on.

What social media platforms are you going to use to build a better relationship and more trust with your audience?

Try to f ocus on only 1 social media platform besides YouTube if you’re just starting or it will be too much for you. 

The good thing is that you’re already using video to talk to your audience, so you’re already using the  best content format for a business :

On the other hand, if you plan to hire social media managers, then write where you’ll find the candidates and what jobs you’ll assign to each one .

What other products can you offer later on as an upsell or to keep your clients happy?

What improvements could you implement to your first product to better fix your clients’ problems?

Do the same as with your first product and ask your current clients what they want to learn next.

If you’re already selling one product successfully, then you should keep reinvesting in new, improved ones for your customer.

After all, once someone buys from you, they’re much more likely to buy again.

This is how you keep scaling your business until it becomes an amazing money-making machine that is also helping thousands of people.

Congratulations, you’ve reached your objectives and you’ve built a YouTube channel business.

Will has been a full-time content creator since 2014. He’s an audio, video, and tech hobbyist dedicated to reviewing products and giving you the best tips he knows to grow your audience.

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How to Write a Business Plan for YouTube: 14 Rules and Tips

Knowing how to write a business plan for a YouTube channel is important.

You can do it as a project or even just a simple draft. But should have a clear vision of what you want your channel to look like at the end. This is the only way to avoid getting lost in the process.

Once you have your plan, you’ll be able to see how far you’ve come and how you can improve along the way.

One of the main reasons why many people fail at turning their YouTube channel into a profitable business is that they don’t know where to start or how to act later.

As a result, you need to know what you’re going to do before you do it. That’s why we’ve created this guide.

What Every YouTube and Vlogging Business Plan Must Have

1) create a strong vision for your channel.

First of all, you need to have a clear vision of your channel.

In other words, it needs to be something that’s achievable in the short term but also something that will make you stand out from the crowd.

To demonstrate this, here is a list of questions you should ask yourself:

• What will my channel be?
• How will I get people to watch my videos?
• What will my channel look like?
• How much time will I spend on this channel?
• How much money will I pay?
• Who will I connect with?
• Why should people subscribe to my channel?

Naturally, if you’re passionate about what you do, you’ll be more motivated to keep going. The best way to come up with a strong why is to figure out what you really want.

For example: “I want to help people by making videos on how to solve their problems.” “I want to connect with other people and share my life story.” “I want to make an impact in the world by changing lives for the better.”

Write down your why in one sentence or paragraph. Make sure you have a clear vision of what you want your channel to be.

2) Define Your Target Audience

Once you have a clear vision of what your channel will be, you can start thinking about who you want to reach.

You need to know who your audience is, where they are, and what they like. If you don’t know who your target audience is, you might end up creating a channel that no one wants to watch.

If you don’t know where they are, it’s very likely that you won’t be able to get them to watch your videos.

Obviously, you need to do some research before you start creating videos. However, if you know your audience and where they are, you can use that information to create videos that will resonate with them.

Here are a few questions you should ask yourself to define your audience:

• What kind of people will my videos appeal to?
• Who will my videos benefit from?
• What do my viewers want?
• Where will my viewers be?
• How much time will they spend watching my videos?
• How much money will they spend?
• What will people say about my channel?

3) Connection with Your Audience

Your videos have to be entertaining, but you also need to make sure that they provide value. This means you need to understand your audience and create videos that they will actually want to watch.

But how do you know what kind of content they want?

You can start by using analytics tools to find out what kind of videos are performing well and what kind of content your audience likes.

For example:

• For Generation Z, you’ll want to make sure the content they share is funny.
• For Millenials, you’ll want to find content that’s relevant to their interests.
• For Baby Boomers, online tutorials are a great option. Baby boomers are interested in learning new skills, whether it’s learning how to make new recipes or how to master new apps. They’re also looking for content that gives them the latest health news.

4) What Products or Services are you Going to Promote?

Like any business, you need to have a plan for how you are going to monetize your channel – sooner or later.

Basically, you don’t need to focus on specific products or services but if you know your targeted audience and channel niche you could do quick research on your potential partners who could agree to work with you.

Here’s the deal:

Most products and services that are promoted on YouTube are e-books, apps, coaching programs, and online courses.

Once you know what products you’re going to promote, you can create videos that will resonate with them.

With that being said, you should also make sure that your videos are relevant to your products and services. That way, you’ll get more people to watch your videos and you’ll have a better chance of converting them into customers.

Aside from selling your own products and offering your services, there are other ways of monetizing your channel, namely:

• Affiliate marketing – promote and sell products/digital products and earn a commission. Affiliate marketing typically involves the sale of other people’s products or services. These products or services have an affiliate program that pays affiliates a commission if they bring traffic to the advertiser’s website and if the traffic converts into a sale.
• Sponsor videos – A sponsor is someone who pays you for showing/ mentioning their brand/product in your videos. If you get paid to promote a brand, it’s called influencer marketing. If you’re not familiar with sponsorships, they are a great way to make money on YouTube . The best part is that you don’t even have to be a very popular YouTuber to be able to get paid to mention a product. The easiest way to get started with sponsorships is to create a free account on YouTube. After you do this, you can start creating a list of brands you want to work with and start making requests.
• Crowdfunding – Crowdfunding is similar to a traditional fundraising campaign in that it involves people pooling their resources in order to make a bigger impact on a particular project. There are a lot of different types of crowdfunding platforms that you can use, such as Kickstarter , Indiegogo , RocketHub , GoFundMe or even Patreon – which is super popular nowadays . Each platform offers different ways to promote your campaign and get funding. But the bottom line is that crowdfunding is a great way to get a project off the ground and is usually less expensive than traditional fundraising.
• YouTube Ad Revenue – Advertisers pay for advertising based on the number of views a video receives. If your video has more views than others, you can expect to make more money from the same ad budget. However, there are other factors that affect how much you make from your ad campaigns, including the quality of your content and whether or not it’s suitable for the target audience.

5) Video Capture Hardware

Needless to say that you don’t need a big budget to get started uploading videos on YouTube. You could easily start creating vlogs with a smartphone .

It is impressive to see how much impact a simple smartphone can make on the internet.

You could record amazing vlogs that thousands of people will watch with your smartphone.

But, there is a catch:

There is a difference between devices that you are filming your videos blogs. It correlates with the number of views you get from a video uploaded with a smartphone and a video uploaded with a high-quality camera.

So, if you are thinking of uploading a video, it is best to use the best equipment you can afford that will allow you to make the best possible video, which will result in more views. In other words, it should be like an investment for you.

Formerly, video production was very expensive and only professionals could afford it. However, these days, video production tools and services are cheaper than ever before. So, if you have the budget for it, you can have professional vlogging equipment that will help you grow your channel.

If your smartphone doesn’t record very well, the best way to start is to get a flip-screen camera and an external microphone .

Moreover, you could need to have lighting for videos and a tripod .

The most important elements of a good video are the video itself, the message it conveys, and the quality of the video. A video with a good message and high quality can attract a lot of views and comments. The more likes and comments your video gets, the more people will be interested in watching your videos and subscribing to your channel. This is a compelling way to grow your YouTube channel.

6) Hiring a YouTube Creative Content Team and Your Budget

The key is to find people that can help you with your vision and that you can trust.

As your channel grows, you will find that you’ll need to add more people to your team.

Once your channel starts expanding, it is normal that you will start struggling with some tasks.

Here are some positions that you could think of hiring.

• Project manager – A project manager will be in charge of everything related to your YouTube channel. They will be in charge of managing the people on your team, scheduling their work, and keeping them on track. Your project manager will take care of the day-to-day management of your channel and ensure that everything runs smoothly. They will also be in charge of all the tasks that come up along the way. Surprisingly, the best person to choose as your project manager is someone that has already been in your shoes. They know how it feels to manage a YouTube channel . If you have a lot of experience managing other channels, you will know how much work it is and how much time it takes to keep things running. You can also ask your previous managers or your clients if they can recommend someone.
• Scriptwriter – You might not think that your content is very creative. But what if you could make it even more creative by writing the script? A good scriptwriter will be able to add some spice to your content and make it stand out from the rest. You can look for a scriptwriter on Fiverr.com or Upwork.com.
• Editor – If you want to make your videos more professional, you should consider getting an editor to do the job for you. An editor will help you keep your content on track and make sure that everything runs smoothly.
• Producer – Producing your videos is one of the most important jobs in your channel. It will help you get your message across and give your content a professional look. You can hire a producer from freelance platforms as well.
• Cameraperson – It depends on your videos. If you are filming yourself then you could do it on yourself, but if you are doing multiple scenes and different types of videos, usually it is better to have at least 1-2 persons behind the cameras. The first person will be responsible for shooting the action, while the second one will be in charge of taking care of the technical side of things.
• Marketing team – You should be careful when hiring someone to work on your marketing team. You don’t want to end up with a freelancer that is not trustworthy. Instead, you should consider hiring a marketing team that has experience in your industry. They can help you with everything from social media to email marketing and everything in between.
• Product development team – You might not know it, but your channel doesn’t have to be just about videos. In fact, your channel can include other types of content, such as articles or even a blog. The key is to create content that is valuable for your audience. You should hire a product development team if you want to add more content to your channel. They will help you develop new products that you can sell to your audience.

7) Find Locations

You may want to invest in a studio, but that depends on the type of niche you choose. The cost of a studio varies depending on the size and design of your space. But it’s always worth investing in one.

Once you have your studio set up, you’ll want to start recording. You can either do that yourself or hire a video editor to do it for you.

It’s always a good idea to have someone else watch your videos, especially when they’re first being created. They’ll be able to spot any mistakes you might make.

It’s better to hire someone to help you with the setup, so you can focus on your business plan. Again, you need to have a good idea of what you want to do and where you want to be filmed.

One of the most important vlogging rules – you should also make sure that you have permission to film in those places. If you don’t have permission, you could get in trouble. And you might not be able to use the footage at all.

• Do you want to shoot in the office? Or outdoors?
• Do you want to use a set or not?
• Is it private property?
• Will you have access to the area?
• How much time is needed to film?

If you can’t answer all these questions, you’ll need to rethink your plan. The last thing you want is to spend a lot of time and money only to find out that you can’t shoot there.

Obviously, you must know the weather condition of the location you’re going to film your video. For example, if you want to shoot in the middle of winter, you need to know what temperatures you’ll encounter. You should also know how you can protect your equipment from extreme conditions.

Moreover, you should think about every aspect of your channel before filming. You should also check the laws of your country and state regarding filming. This will ensure that you’re protected legally and you’ll be able to use all the footage you shot.

Think about the following:

• How much time is needed to shoot your video?
• Are you going to use a set?
• Where are you going to film?
• What is the weather condition going to be like?
• What is the temperature?
• Is it public or private property?
• Are there any restrictions on filming?
• How will you transport equipment and your crew?

8) Look for Creative Ways to Find New Content Ideas

You have to innovate to keep your audience’s attention.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to come up with a new idea every week. If you don’t come up with new ideas, you’ll soon start to notice your subscriber count dwindling.

So, what should you do?

The quickest way to get fresh ideas is by following what’s trending on the Internet (you could use Google Trends for help). But the problem with that is that you’re only getting ideas from what’s already popular. And that’s just not going to help you grow your channel and become a successful YouTuber .

Here are some proven techniques to come up with new ideas:

• Create a list of the top 10 videos your competitors are creating . Then ask yourself: What would make mine better? Ask your customers what they want. Start a list of all the things you know about your audience. You can use this list to get inspiration for future content. The more you do this, the more ideas you’ll have.
• Do an analysis of your competitors’ channels . You can get their channel analytics from the YouTube Analytics tool. Look at how other channels are using similar content to yours. You can also look at how they’re making money off of it. Use your social media accounts to find out what people are saying about your brand. This is a great way to find out what they like and what they don’t like about your business.
• Get feedback from others about what you’re doing well and where you need improvement . By seeing what kind of comments you’re getting on your YouTube and social media accounts, you will find out if you’re doing something right or wrong.
• Create a list of all the things that are important to your audience . You can do this by asking them or by using tools like Google Analytics. This will help you create your video content strategy and your overall business plan.

9) Stick to a Recording Schedule

This may cause you to lose focus and motivation, you’ll end up with videos that don’t really add value to your channel.

Instead, try to spread out your content creation over the course of the week so you don’t have to decide on what to create next.

In contrast, if you try to record more than 2-3 videos in one day, you become too tired that it affects the quality of the editing, that is, if you don’t have anyone who will do it for you. You’ll also be less likely to share those videos with your audience, which means they won’t see any value in watching your videos. This will lead to a lack of subscribers, which will ultimately be bad for your channel.

Accordingly, it’s important to keep your channel content fresh.

So, how do you know if you’re doing too much? There are a few ways you can find out.

First, you can use the YouTube analytics dashboard to figure out how many views and subscribers your videos are getting. If you’re not getting enough views or subscribers, it’s time to slow down and take a step back. You should also consider how long it takes you to create a video. If you’re spending too much time creating content, then you might want to reconsider your strategy.

So, we highly recommend setting the estimated number of videos per week in your YouTube business plan.

10) Promotion Plan

Undeniably, YouTube is the best place to produce video content. As you create your YouTube channel business plan, consider all the ways you can connect with your audience and get them to engage with you.

There are three main ways to do this:

• Interactive – through questions, polls and comments;
• Social – through sharing and liking your videos;
• Promotional – through paid advertising.

With interactive, social and paid advertising, you can target your audience on their level of engagement. For example, if you’re looking for a way to increase your reach, you’d want to focus on people who are most likely to engage with your content.

You don’t need to go searching for people outside of YouTube to find your target audience. Most of your views will be from users who are already on YouTube.

However, to get those views and to build your audience, you’ll have to do SEO – which is where you’ll find what you need to attract customers from inside YouTube.

SEO is the process of making sure that when someone searches for a specific topic, they find your channel among the results. To do that, you’ll need to create a strong description and title that covers all the keywords in the description. It’s not just about posting a catchy title and description. You need to make sure that those two elements are optimized for YouTube and other search engines.

Search engines, such as Google and Bing, work by using complex algorithms and artificial intelligence to provide the most relevant results in a fraction of a second. YouTube works similarly, but with videos instead of pages.

You need to learn how to use SEO to get videos recommended by YouTube to other viewers, and to make sure that the viewers see your videos. Here’s is a great article on how you could do a perfect YouTube SEO .

11) Design Effective Thumbnails

You must find or do it by yourself an effective, clickbait YouTube thumbnail to attract more views.

Always keep in mind the psychology of human beings when designing thumbnails.

Make sure that you design them in such a way that they make people want to click on them. The first impression is the last impression. So, always keep in mind that people are going to see your thumbnail before they see your video. When they do so, they’re going to judge it by its appearance.

If it doesn’t grab their attention, they’re going to leave your channel immediately. So, make sure that your thumbnails are unique and attractive. They should be eye-catching and compelling.

So before you create any YouTube video, make sure that you already know what will design your YouTube video thumbnail.

12) Your Audience is a Digital Asset. Keep Them!

Keep in mind that you don’t own your subscribers on YouTube. That’s why your biggest concern has to be how to keep them watching your videos day by day.

So how do you keep your YouTube subscribers?

First things first:

We won’t say anything new to you, but your priority task is to motivate them to subscribe to your channel and click on that ring bell.

So, you have to prepare a plan on how you are going to achieve that.

We have one great strategy that works:

In the first 30 seconds, you have to say that “this video is sponsored by…you – viewers, so please click subscribe for more videos”, or you should convince your viewers that it will be very supportive for your channel.

So instead of launching useless ads, do it at least two times per video and you should see how the number of subscribers will increase.

13) Product Development and Marketing

It’s essential to create attractive products for your audience and test different pricing models until you find a balance between price and demand. Then develop it and start creating your new product funnel .

So it doesn’t matter whether you will build and sell your own product or do affiliate marketing – you need a plan for that.

You need to understand the benefits of your potential customer and why they would want to purchase from you.

Here are some things to think about:

• Which demographics are you going after?
• What are your competition’s strengths and weaknesses?
• Who is your ideal client?

14) Scale, Expand, or Step Back

Having a YouTube channel or making vlogs is a business.

As a business owner, it’s important to do the same thing that you did when you first started your business. You need to continually improve the quality of your video first and get a decent number of subscribers too. By improving your YouTube channel, you could integrate some products to earn money.

Once you start earning money from YouTube videos, it could be a snowball effect .

At the same time, you must track your budget and see how it goes. Sometimes it is recommended to step back, stop creating videos, re-think your plan and implement actions. That’s why this part is needed.

This article is more for those who view YouTube as a business niche. If you are not interested in making money in the near future and are creating video blogs for yourself, you should not take some steps.

Anyway, we hope these tips on how to write a business plan for YouTube will help you get started with building a successful channel. It might take a while before you become profitable, but I’m sure you’ll eventually get there.

You can use all of these tips and techniques as long as you have a passion for what you do and are willing to learn how to create a profitable YouTube campaign.

In the end, it all comes down to having the right mindset. If you’re going to do something, you’ve got to enjoy it, and you need to love what you’re doing. After all, your audience wants to see your passion for your work. They want to see your energy and enthusiasm.

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YouTube Business Plan Template

Written by Dave Lavinsky

YouTube Business Plan

You’ve come to the right place to create your YouTube business plan.

We have helped over 1,000 entrepreneurs and business owners create business plans and many have used them to start or grow their YouTube businesses.

Below is a template to help you create each section of your YouTube business plan.

Executive Summary

Business overview.

The Ace of Cooking Basics is a startup YouTube channel company located in Denver, Colorado. The company is founded by Charlotte, aka “Charlie” Goodson, an experienced chef who, many years ago, was confused by how long to cook a 3-minute egg. Since that initial experience in the kitchen, Charlie has gone on to learn how to cook an egg in about one hundred different ways and has added over 3,000 personally-developed recipes to her collection of “great home-cooked dishes.” Charlie has been a freelance chef for private and public catering experiences over one thousand times throughout the nation and has received the highest ratings from her guests and hosts of each event. She is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and frequently acts as a speaker at their international events.

The Ace of Cooking Basics will provide a full series of high-quality and engaging videos via a new YouTube channel featuring the same name. This content will reach a global audience of those who want to learn to cook or enhance their cookery skills in traditional American fashion. The series will leverage the potential of the channel and provide monetization options for The Ace of Cooking Basics.

Product Offering

The following are the services and products that The Ace of Cooking Basics will provide:

• 4-5 videos per week presented by the channel host
• Kitchen appliance product demonstrations and recommendations
• Guest appearances by popular celebrity figures
• Opportunities for video audience appearances
• Exclusive chef’s kitchen offers to “channel members”
• Cookbook offerings

Customer Focus

The Ace of Cooking Basics, based in Denver, Colorado, will target a global audience. Although the creation of digital content is highly competitive, the global interest in at-home cooking will provide multiple opportunities to grow The Ace of Cooking Basics through several customer channels. The YouTube video channel audience, particularly within the cooking sector, has continued to increase each year and the expectation is that the popularity of the company founder, in conjunction with easy-to-follow and delicious offerings, will create an exponential growth in global followers within a three-month introductory period. Videos will be tailored to the preferences of the audience, ensuring a relevant and entertaining addition to their lives.

Management Team

The Ace of Cooking Basics will be owned and operated by Charlie Goodson. She has recruited her sous chef of some years, Danielle Favice, to be her video sous chef and assistant in demonstrating products.

Charlie Goodson is a graduate of the Culinary School of Arts with a degree in American Cookery. She has been working as a freelance chef for 15 years, catering for private and public dining events for up to 1,000 attendees at one time. Her organizational skills and mastery of cooking basics has led to the creation of a cookbook, soon to be published, and a number of speaking and demonstration events. She is well-known in the culinary world, having presented meals at the James Beard House and for other stellar culinary achievements.

Danielle Favice is an experienced sous chef who has consistently supported the cooking of Chef Charlie Goodson for the past six years. She is highly-experienced in all forms of cooking, but particularly talented in desserts and pastry cooking skills. She will be the sous chef and partner to Charlie on the YouTube platform, as well as in the planning and preparation of each video segment.

Success Factors

The Ace of Cooking Basics will be able to achieve success by offering the following competitive advantages:

• Friendly, knowledgeable, and highly qualified team of The Ace of Cooking Basics
• High-quality video productions of cooking methods that exhibit the best cooking skills, easily-found ingredients and user-friendly interactions.
• The Ace of Cooking Basics offers lessons in cooking free-of-charge, although in-person lessons would cost thousands of dollars per person.
• Options for purchase will include: exclusive cookbooks, exclusive memberships, kitchen appliances, kitchen products, and other related offers.
• Monetization of various products or offerings by supporting partners will be included, outshining competitors with the quality and consistency of revenue garnered via this channel.

Financial Highlights

The Ace of Cooking Basics is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its The Ace of Cooking Basics. The funding will be dedicated toward securing the equipment, crew and video studio, as well as purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the strategic marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

• Video studio build-out: $20,000
• Office equipment, supplies, and materials: $10,000
• Three months of overhead expenses (payroll, rent, utilities): $150,000
• Marketing costs: $10,000
• Working capital: $10,000

The following graph below outlines the financial projections for The Ace of Cooking Basics.

Company Overview

Who is the ace of cooking basics.

The Ace of Cooking Basics is a newly established YouTube channel company based in Denver, Colorado. The Ace of Cooking Basics will be the most reliable and highly-viewed, innovative choice for the global target market. The Ace of Cooking Basics will provide a comprehensive menu of video services for all YouTube Channel viewers to utilize. Their full-service approach includes a select package of viewer membership offers, cookbook offers, kitchen appliance and product offers, and monetization by interested parties.

  The Ace of Cooking Basics will be able to produce four to five video lessons weekly, in addition to publishing books and ancillary materials, providing cooking tips and hints, previewing high-quality products for review and recommendation, and conducting behind-the-scenes production and video editing. The team of professionals are highly qualified and experienced in The Ace of Cooking Basics and have developed exemplary cooking skills to produce videos for the global market. The Ace of Cooking Basics removes all headaches and issues surrounding the art of cooking and ensures all questions and problems are solved easily and with humor, while delivering the best video cooking lessons, product fulfillment and customer service.

The Ace of Cooking Basics History

Since incorporation, The Ace of Cooking Basics has achieved the following milestones:

• Registered The Ace of Cooking Basics, a C-corporation to transact business in the state of Colorado.
• Has a contract in place to create a video recording studio and lease office space for 10,000 square feet.
• Reached out to numerous contacts to get advice regarding video production.
• Began recruiting a staff of sous chef, prep hands, and and office personnel to work at The Ace of Cooking Basics.

The Ace of Cooking Basics Services

The following will be the services The Ace of Cooking Basics will provide:

Industry Analysis

The YouTube video platform industry has more than 51 million channels, with over 700 channels that have more than 10 million users. The platform is expected to grow over $15 billion in the next five years to over $45 billion. The growth will be driven by an increased number of video channels, bolstered by an ever-growing customer base. Celebrities will continue to populate channels, combining star power with recommendations for products and services, which will increase viewership and marketing potential. An increase in marketing campaigns, including social media, will drive growth and scale YouTube channel businesses. Costs for the YouTube channel are minimal; however, costs will increase for video production and other services necessary to produce winning channels.

Customer Analysis

Demographic profile of target market.

The Ace of Cooking Basics will target a global audience, although the recognition is that most viewers will be housed in the United States. They will target home cooks who enjoy the art of cookery, as well as those who like to purchase kitchen products and cookbooks.

Customer Segmentation

The Ace of Cooking Basics will primarily target the following customer profiles:

• Individuals who like to cook
• Individuals who like the celebrity status of Charlie Goodson
• Individuals who like to buy cookbooks
• Individuals who enjoy using kitchen applications and products
• Individuals who like to watch YouTube channels
• Individuals who enjoy “membership” status and special offers
• Individuals who want to increase their cooking skills

Competitive Analysis

Direct and indirect competitors.

The Ace of Cooking Basics will face competition from other YouTube channels based on cooking with similar business profiles. A description of each competitor company is below.

Just in Time

Just in Time, Inc. is a YouTube channel with 20,000 followers. The channel provides videos two to three times weekly. Each session is focused on preparing a dinner meal within 15 minutes or less, using prepared food items from a grocery store. The clock countdown continues during each video as the chefs race to prepare the meal. The videos may be humorous, especially because accidents and mistakes frequently happen, which informs the comedic side of the channel and reduces the purpose of cooking. The channel is monetized by kitchen tool manufacturers and social media celebrities.

Just in Time was formed in 2019, just prior to the pandemic, which created a slow start to video production. In the past four years, video production has increased and each 25-minute video contains a meal of: protein, carbohydrate, vegetable or fruit. The meals are simple and presented using prepared foods, such as cubed fruit, from the grocery store. This method increases the cost of the food, but encourages a fast preparation time. Just in Time is owned by Kathy Beacon, who is a food entrepreneur and celebrity, with over ten years in the food preparation industry as a freelance consultant.

Easy Does It

The Easy Does It YouTube channel is owned and operated by Twin Chefs, Inc., an S-corporation. The owners are Raymond and Robert Chapman, who have established the company in Los Angeles, California. Easy Does It creates video content once a week, using the skills of the brothers in kitchen-created videos within their personal home. The videos highlight the easiest types of food preparation and quick meals. With 5,000 viewers, the brothers provide comical and easy-to-view 30-minute presentations. No monetization has been received, according to recent data.

March & Ash Cooking School

March & Ash Cooking School YouTube channel is an outgrowth of the accredited March & Ash Cooking School located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Utilizing the skills of the school chefs, the video lessons on all forms of food preparation and cooking are offered in 30-minute segments. The school is for serious soon-to-be chefs and the YouTube channel reflects that seriousness in each weekly segment. Instructions are offered in both email and on-air formats. The presentations include difficult preparation techniques and the recipes sometimes contain hard-to-find ingredients. The YouTube channel has 10,000 followers. Monetization has boosted the revenue of the school, with approximately $30,000 yearly paid to the channel for product introductions.

Competitive Advantage

The Ace of Cooking Basics will be able to offer the following advantages over their competition:

Marketing Plan

Brand & value proposition.

The Ace of Cooking Basics will offer the unique value proposition to its clientele:

• Highly-qualified team of skilled employees that is able to provide a comprehensive YouTube channel dedicated to videos demonstrating highly-refined cooking skills using reasonably-priced grocery products.
• Memberships in The Ace of Cooking Basics Club, which will offer access to cookbooks, products and other items not available to the general video audience.
• Monetization of food products, food preparation tools, and kitchen appliances: all three segments of the cooking industry, which is unique in the YouTube channel competition.

Promotions Strategy

The promotions strategy for The Ace of Cooking Basics is as follows:

Word of Mouth/Referrals

The Ace of Cooking Basics has built up an extensive list of contacts over the years by providing exceptional service and expertise to clients. The Ace of Cooking Basics chefs and staff will encourage word of mouth promotions and referrals from friends in the cooking industry, as well as personal contacts in the chef industry. Kitchen manufacturers will also be contacted for referrals, as associations are built.

Professional Associations and Networking

Both chefs Charlie Goodson and Danielle Favice are members of the International Association of Culinary Professionals, in addition to other local and national associations. With continual events during the upcoming year, both Charlie and Danielle will encourage referrals. Social Media Marketing Considerable efforts will be made to optimize video titles, descriptions and tags to improve discoverability and increase organic traffic to the YouTube channel. Also, efforts will be directed toward leveraging popular social media platforms to promote our videos, products and services, which can further drive traffic to our channel. Collaborating with influencers will also expand our niche and extend our reach into their existing audience.

Website/SEO Marketing

The Ace of Cooking Basics will utilize their website to drive traffic using SEO practices, pitch new cookbooks and kitchen preparation tools, and inform viewers of upcoming video segments. Information about appearances by the chefs will be included, as will the history of the company and video highlights of each week.

The pricing of products offered by The Ace of Cooking Basics will be moderate and on par with competitors so customers feel they receive excellent value when purchasing their products or services.

Operations Plan

The following will be the operations plan for The Ace of Cooking Basics. Operation Functions:

• Charlie Goodson will be the Owner and President of The Ace of Cooking Basics. She will oversee all staff and manage client relations. Charlie has spent the past year recruiting the following staff:
• Danielle Favice: Sous Chef who will assist in all videos, prep certain dishes and manage the kitchen administration.
• Kelly Clark: Office Manager who will oversee all office operations and manage the bookkeeping for the accountant.
• Roger Martin: The Social Media Manager who will also oversee the Website page.
• Dan Morez: The Video Production Manager will produce and edit all videos, overseeing

Milestones:

The Ace of Cooking Basics will have the following milestones completed in the next six months.

• 5/1/202X – Finalize contract to build out video studio and office space
• 5/15/202X – Finalize personnel/staff employment contracts for the The Ace of Cooking Basics
• 6/1/202X – Finalize contracts for The Ace of Cooking Basics clients
• 6/15/202X – Begin networking at industry events
• 6/22/202X – Begin moving into The Ace of Cooking Basics studio and office
• 7/1/202X – The Ace of Cooking Basics opens its office for business

Charlie Goodson is a graduate of the Culinary School of Arts with a degree in American Cookery. She has been working as a freelance chef for 15 years, catering for private and public dining events for up to 1,000 attendees at one time. Her organizational skills and mastery of cooking basics has led to the creation of a cookbook, soon to be published, and a number of speaking and demonstration events.

Financial Plan

Key revenue & costs.

The revenue drivers for The Ace of Cooking Basics are the revenues obtained from monetization, customer purchases and membership club dues charged to the customers for their products and services.

The cost drivers will be the overhead costs required in order to produce studio-quality videos and ancillary materials. The expenses will be the payroll cost, rent, utilities, office supplies, and marketing materials.

Funding Requirements and Use of Funds

The Ace of Cooking Basics is seeking $200,000 in debt financing to launch its property management business. The funding will be dedicated towards securing the video studio and office space and purchasing office equipment and supplies. Funding will also be dedicated toward three months of overhead costs to include payroll of the staff, rent, and marketing costs for the social media and website marketing costs. The breakout of the funding is below:

Key Assumptions

The following outlines the key assumptions required in order to achieve the revenue and cost numbers in the financials and in order to pay off the startup business loan.

• Number of Videos Per Month: 130
• Average product/service orders per Month: $34,000
• Office Lease per Year: $100,000

Financial Projections

Income statement.

Balance Sheet

Cash Flow Statement

YouTube Business Plan FAQs

What is a youtube business plan.

A YouTube business plan is a plan to start and/or grow your YouTube business. Among other things, it outlines your business concept, identifies your target customers, presents your marketing plan and details your financial projections.

You can easily complete your YouTube business plan using our YouTube Business Plan Template here .

What are the Main Types of YouTube Businesses? 

There are a number of different kinds of YouTube businesses , some examples include: Vlog Content, How-To Content, and Comedic Content.

How Do You Get Funding for Your YouTube Business Plan?

YouTube businesses are often funded through small business loans. Personal savings, credit card financing and angel investors are also popular forms of funding.

What are the Steps To Start a YouTube Business?

Starting a YouTube business can be an exciting endeavor. Having a clear roadmap of the steps to start a business will help you stay focused on your goals and get started faster.

1. Develop A YouTube Business Plan - The first step in starting a business is to create a detailed YouTube business plan that outlines all aspects of the venture. This should include potential market size and target customers, the services or products you will offer, pricing strategies and a detailed financial forecast. 

2. Choose Your Legal Structure - It's important to select an appropriate legal entity for your YouTube business. This could be a limited liability company (LLC), corporation, partnership, or sole proprietorship. Each type has its own benefits and drawbacks so it’s important to do research and choose wisely so that your YouTube business is in compliance with local laws.

3. Register Your YouTube Business - Once you have chosen a legal structure, the next step is to register your YouTube business with the government or state where you’re operating from. This includes obtaining licenses and permits as required by federal, state, and local laws.

4. Identify Financing Options - It’s likely that you’ll need some capital to start your YouTube business, so take some time to identify what financing options are available such as bank loans, investor funding, grants, or crowdfunding platforms.

5. Choose a Location - Whether you plan on operating out of a physical location or not, you should always have an idea of where you’ll be based should it become necessary in the future as well as what kind of space would be suitable for your operations.

6. Hire Employees - There are several ways to find qualified employees including job boards like LinkedIn or Indeed as well as hiring agencies if needed – depending on what type of employees you need it might also be more effective to reach out directly through networking events.

7. Acquire Necessary YouTube Equipment & Supplies - In order to start your YouTube business, you'll need to purchase all of the necessary equipment and supplies to run a successful operation. 

8. Market & Promote Your Business - Once you have all the necessary pieces in place, it’s time to start promoting and marketing your YouTube business. This includes creating a website, utilizing social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter, and having an effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO) strategy. You should also consider traditional marketing techniques such as radio or print advertising.

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How to Create a Business Plan Around Your YouTube Channel

Hey this is Sasha and today I want to share with you how to create a business plan around your YouTube channel.

For many people they look at a YouTube channel and they think, this is my business, YouTube is my business, and that’s not necessarily the way that you should be looking at it, YouTube is a platform to help you within your business, but you have to build the business around YouTube or around that platform.

The platform is not your business

And there are a lot of people that are very successful in various platforms; nowadays we have a lot of platforms. From Facebook to Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, there are a lot of different platforms, and you can build a whole business just around a single platform, especially if you dominate that platform within your industry or category.

But you have to build your business around it, and not just use that one platform as your business. And yes it can fuel those things and fuel your business, but you have to build things around it. Because the problem is if you use that as a full backbone and that is your whole business. If things go sour, if YouTube doesn’t exist anymore, then all of a sudden what’s going to happen to your business?

Think about what happened to MySpace, how things changed so quickly and very rapidly, people merged over to Facebook and Twitter and now MySpace is gone.

Look at Yahoo, what happened to Yahoo? When Yahoo was huge, Google came out, and again these things started shifting and changing the technology space.

You have to be mindful that you’re creating your own business and if you have a solid business strategy and you’re creating a business plan around that, then that’s fine and dandy, but if you’re not and you’re using the platform, YouTube itself as your business, that can be very dangerous

Let’s break this down and look at how we can create a business around YouTube, rather than just using YouTube as your business.

Making money

Let’s talk about making money because this is really what everybody wants to start with. In the online space, there’s a few ways to make money.

Especially from your YouTube channel, your YouTube channel, more so, what you’re going to do is get sponsorships and clicks.

Some people they have affiliate products, because they promote certain products and they say, if you like my review of this product, click this link Bellow, like an amazon link right down below. And in that case, they get a commission or percentage of that sale.

And then other people may have their own product, which has the highest margin return for when you make a sale, but these the three ways that you can make money on YouTube, or at least through YouTube.

Don’t rely only on sponsorships

If you’re just doing sponsorships, that’s fine, but you don’t have a business around those things. You just have a basic viewership, and even if you have a high viewership rate, it might be fantastic, you might make a lot of money, but it’s not a way to consistently make money.

Let’s just say if you’re on the top 10% of Youtubers or top 10% of people with viewership. Yes, you might be able to make a lot of money and you might be doing great on sponsorships. But if anything happens with that algorithm, you lose your channel, you get hacked, whatever the problem may be, this could create a big problem to your business, because you’re resting everything on one single pillar.

Build a multi-pillar structure for your business

What you want to do in your business is put up multiple pillars, you have sponsorships, you’re selling other products, you’re selling your products, and you create a multi-pillar structure, so that way if any one thing collapses, you’re still able to sustain through the storms.

If we’re looking at a structure, let’s just say it’s kind of like a pyramid structure, whatever it is, think of it as legs.

You could do this part from your blog, or you could do it from your podcast, it’s just a distribution channel, but you continue to add on these things, so then you have our own product, so that would be kind of the next stage or step.

Build up multiple fronts with multiple pillars

If one of your pillars fails – The others will support your business

Again, you’re building structures all in place that if any one of these, let’s say this product one or two or three is a failure, you still have two products.

This is your core business, and you’re building more rings around your income, and you continue to grow those rings.

As one channel may be your sponsorships, then your income continues to grow, then your income again continues to grow, and you continue to expand those channels.

You might start with YouTube, and that’s perfectly ok, but then you add in a podcast, which allows you to distribute more products, more affiliates, more sponsorships, more viewers.

Continue to grow and expand

This isn’t a full business plan for your YouTube channel, but it’s just to show you how the business plan around the YouTube channel really works.

And some people have ultimate success with YouTube, and that’s great for many people, sometimes it works out, your videos go viral, but if you want a systematic approach, this is how you do it.

What can you offer?

It really just comes down to which one you have an edge in, and then use that and continue to grow it and expand on it.

I hope that you really start seeing the bigger picture behind creating a business around YouTube, rather than just using YouTube and looking at sponsorship and making some side income.

Side income is great, it allows you to get the ball rolling, but that’s what allows you to take that ball and turn it into a business, take it to the next stage, and continue to evolve it, up until the point where you’re satisfied and enjoying your life.

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How to Start a YouTube Channel and Make Money

Written by: Carolyn Young

Carolyn Young is a business writer who focuses on entrepreneurial concepts and the business formation. She has over 25 years of experience in business roles, and has authored several entrepreneurship textbooks.

Edited by: David Lepeska

David has been writing and learning about business, finance and globalization for a quarter-century, starting with a small New York consulting firm in the 1990s.

Published on June 4, 2022 Updated on August 1, 2024

Investment range

$2,850 - $6,300

Revenue potential

$30,000 - $100,000 p.a.

Time to build

0 – 3 months

Profit potential

$27,000 - $90,000 p.a.

Industry trend

Key considerations to keep in mind when launching your YouTube business:

• Define your niche — Choose a specific niche or theme for your YouTube channel, such as tutorials, reviews, vlogs, gaming, fitness, beauty, or educational content. Focus on an area where you have expertise or a strong interest.
• Video planning — Develop a content strategy and plan your video topics, format, and schedule. Create a content calendar to stay organized and consistent with your uploads.
• Equipment — Invest in high-quality recording equipment , such as cameras, microphones, lighting, and editing software, to ensure your videos are professional and engaging.
• Editing software — Use professional video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro , Final Cut Pro , or DaVinci Resolve to enhance the quality of your videos and ensure a polished final product.
• Monetization — Earn revenue through ad placements by joining the YouTube Partner Program , engage in affiliate marketing by promoting products, secure sponsorships, and brand deals for sponsored content, and create and sell merchandise related to your channel, such as branded clothing and digital products.
• Register your business — A limited liability company (LLC) is the best legal structure for new businesses because it is fast and simple. Form your business immediately using ZenBusiness LLC formation service or hire one of the best LLC services on the market.
• Legal business aspects — Register for taxes, open a business bank account, and get an EIN .
• Partnerships — Build relationships with other YouTubers, brands, and influencers to generate collaborations and expand your reach.

You May Also Wonder:

How profitable is a YouTube business?

If you can get a large following on your YouTube channel, your YouTube business can be extremely profitable. Millions of viewers will mean that you can earn significant ad revenue. The key is providing excellent content.

How much can I get paid for ads on YouTube?

YouTube ad revenues are determined by the YouTube algorithm. Once you qualify for the YPP, you can expect around $5 per 1000 viewers.

How do I start a YouTube channel with no experience?

To start a YouTube channel with no experience, you should first decide on a niche or topic that you are passionate about and have some knowledge or expertise in. Next, create a Google account and sign up for a YouTube channel. Choose a name for your channel that reflects your niche and brand. Then, create and upload your first video, making sure to optimize the title, description, and tags for search engines and viewers. 

How do beginners get YouTube views?

Beginners can get YouTube views by optimizing their videos for search engines, using relevant and eye-catching thumbnails, promoting their videos on social media and other online platforms, collaborating with other YouTubers in their niche, and engaging with their audience by responding to comments and questions.

What is the easiest YouTube channel to start?

The easiest YouTube channel to start is one that aligns with your interests and skills. Some examples of easy channels to start include vlogs, gaming, cooking, crafts, or beauty tutorials. You can also start a channel that focuses on sharing your opinions, experiences, or advice on a specific topic.

How to make a successful YouTube channel without showing my face?

To make a successful YouTube channel without showing your face, you can create animated or illustrated videos, use voiceovers or text overlays to convey your message, or use stock footage and graphics to create engaging and informative videos. You can also collaborate with other YouTubers or hire a spokesperson to represent your brand.

What type of content is most viewed on YouTube?

The type of content most viewed on YouTube varies, but some popular categories include music videos, gaming, beauty and fashion tutorials, comedy skits, and educational content such as how-to guides, product reviews, and explainer videos. 

Step 1: Decide if the Business Is Right for You

Pros and cons.

Starting a YouTube business has pros and cons to consider before deciding if it’s right for you. 

• Flexibility – Make videos on your time from home
• Express Yourself – Get creative with your videos as you build your brand
• Huge Potential – Gain a large following and the sky’s the limit
• Delayed Revenue – It takes time to get enough viewers to earn money
• Saturated Market – Compete with a massive number of other YouTube channels

YouTube industry trends

Industry size and growth.

• Industry size and past growth – US YouTube ad revenue in 2021 was $5.56 billion after increasing 220% from its 2018 numbers.(( https://www.statista.com/statistics/289660/youtube-us-net-advertising-revenues/ ))
• Growth forecast – US YouTube ad revenue is expected to grow 23% in 2022 to reach $6.87 billion.

Trends and challenges

Trends on YouTube include:

• Challenge videos are trending on YouTube, where two people or groups challenge each other in something that could be anywhere from a food challenge to a weightlifting challenge.
• YouTube shorts, which are videos less than 60 seconds and are posted on the Shorts channel, are the most popular videos on YouTube.

Challenges on YouTube include:

• Companies are avoiding advertising on any content that is in any way controversial, so YouTube businesses must be very careful about the videos they create.
• YouTube users generally skip ads as much as possible, and must watch an ad for at least 30 seconds before YouTube will pay the creator for the ad.

Popular products

The most popular video categories watched by YouTube users are comedy, music, entertainment/pop culture, and “how to.”

How to Start a YouTube Channel

To start your YouTube channel, you simply need to sign into your YouTube using your Google account. You can then click on the video icon, which will prompt you to create a channel if you don’t already have one. Then just follow the prompts to set up your channel.

Then, you’ll want to do the following:

• Decide what type of content you want to post and what your brand will be. You should create some sort of a theme and identity for your channel. What you choose for your channel name, channel icon, channel banner, and channel trailer will be the branding of your channel. You can use YouTube tools to create these things.
• Once you create your first video, you’ll upload it in the creator studio on YouTube.
• You’ll have access to YouTube analytics to see how your video is doing.
• Use the YouTube SEO tools to drive traffic to your channel.

The key to your YouTube strategy is to create engaging videos that will get many views. When you’re eligible for YouTube monetization, you’ll need to sign up for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) in order to start getting YouTube ads revenue. 

To qualify for YPP you need to be in good standing with YouTube, have 4,000 valid public watch hours in the previous 12 months, and at least 1,000 subscribers.

How much does it cost to start a YouTube business?

Startup costs for a YouTube business range from $2,800 to $6,300. Costs include a computer and your video equipment. 

You’ll need a handful of items to successfully launch your YouTube business, including: 

How much can you earn from a YouTube Business?

Ad revenues are difficult to predict because they are determined by the YouTube algorithm. You can probably expect about $5 per 1000 views once you’ve reached the required levels to qualify for the YPP. Your profit margin should be about 90%. 

In your first year or two, you might get six million total views, bringing in $30,000 in annual revenue. This would mean $27,000 in profit, assuming that 90% margin. As your channel gains traction, views could climb to 20 million. With annual revenue of $100,000, you’d make a great profit of $90,000.

What barriers to entry are there?

The only barrier to entry for a YouTube business is the massive competition you’ll face.

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Step 2: hone your idea.

Now that you know what’s involved in starting a YouTube business, it’s a good idea to hone your concept in preparation to enter a competitive market. 

Market research will give you the upper hand, even if you’re already positive that you have a perfect product or service. Conducting market research is important, because it can help you understand your customers better, who your competitors are, and your business landscape.

Why? Identify an opportunity

Research YouTube channels to examine their topics and followings. You’re looking for a market gap to fill. For instance, maybe the market is missing a channel with DIY upcycling video content or a comedy YouTube channel with a certain theme.

You might consider targeting a niche market by specializing in a certain aspect of your industry, such as music videos or blog videos.

This could jumpstart your word-of-mouth marketing and attract clients right away. 

What? Determine your channel content

You’ll just need to decide what kind of videos you want to create. Some YouTube businesses also create branded merchandise to sell on their YouTube channel. 

How much should you charge for YouTube ads?

YouTube ad revenues are determined by the YouTube algorithm. Once you qualify for the YPP, you can expect around $5 per 1000 viewers. Your profit margin should be about 90%. 

Once you know your costs, you can use this Step By Step profit margin calculator to determine your mark-up and final price points. Remember, the prices you use at launch should be subject to change if warranted by the market.

Who? Identify your target market

Your target market will depend on the type of video content you create. If your target audience will be younger, you can market your channel on TikTok and Instagram. 

Where? Choose your business premises

It’s unlikely that you’ll ever need a space for your YouTube business, unless you decide to rent a production studio. You can find commercial space to rent in your area on sites such as Craigslist , Crexi , and Instant Offices .

When choosing a commercial space, you may want to follow these rules of thumb:

• Central location accessible via public transport
• Ventilated and spacious, with good natural light
• Flexible lease that can be extended as your business grows
• Ready-to-use space with no major renovations or repairs needed

Step 3: Brainstorm a Youtube Channel Name

Here are some ideas for brainstorming your business name:

• Short, unique, and catchy names tend to stand out
• Names that are easy to say and spell tend to do better 
• Name should be relevant to your product or service offerings
• Ask around — family, friends, colleagues, social media — for suggestions
• Including keywords that relate to your brand and themes boosts SEO
• Name should allow for expansion, for ex: “Jim’s Woodworking Crafts” over “Jim’s Wooden Closets Crafts”
• A location-based name can help establish a strong connection with your local community and help with the SEO but might hinder future expansion

Once you’ve got a list of potential names, visit the website of the US Patent and Trademark Office to make sure they are available for registration and check the availability of related domain names using our Domain Name Search tool. Using “.com” or “.org” sharply increases credibility, so it’s best to focus on these. 

Find a Domain

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Finally, make your choice among the names that pass this screening and go ahead with domain registration and social media account creation. Your business name is one of the key differentiators that sets your business apart. Once you pick your company name, and start with the branding, it is hard to change the business name. Therefore, it’s important to carefully consider your choice before you start a business entity.

Step 4: Create a Business Plan

Here are the key components of a business plan:

• Executive Summary: Summarize the goal of your YouTube channel to create engaging, original content targeted at a specific audience, emphasizing strategies for growth and monetization.
• Business Overview: Describe the focus of your YouTube channel, such as producing content in a specific genre like educational tutorials, entertainment, or vlogging.
• Product and Services: Detail the types of content offered, including video series, live streams, and interactive sessions with viewers.
• Market Analysis: Assess the potential audience for your channel, considering factors like viewer interests, age groups, and trending topics on YouTube.
• Competitive Analysis: Compare your channel’s content and style to similar channels, highlighting your unique approach or niche.
• Sales and Marketing: Outline your strategy for promoting your channel and attracting subscribers, including SEO optimization, social media marketing, and collaborations with other YouTubers.
• Management Team: Highlight your skills and any team members’ expertise, particularly in video production, content creation, and digital marketing.
• Operations Plan: Describe the process of content creation, from ideation and filming to editing, uploading, and managing viewer interaction.
• Financial Plan: Provide an overview of financial aspects, covering equipment costs, potential revenue streams like ad revenue and sponsorships, and growth projections.
• Appendix: Include supplementary materials such as content calendars, viewer analytics, or partnership agreements to support your business plan.

If you’ve never created a business plan, it can be an intimidating task. You might consider hiring a business plan specialist to create a top-notch business plan for you.

Step 5: Register Your Business

Registering your business is an absolutely crucial step — it’s the prerequisite to paying taxes, raising capital, opening a bank account, and other guideposts on the road to getting a business up and running.

Plus, registration is exciting because it makes the entire process official. Once it’s complete, you’ll have your own business! 

Choose where to register your company

Your business location is important because it can affect taxes, legal requirements, and revenue. Most people will register their business in the state where they live, but if you’re planning to expand, you might consider looking elsewhere, as some states could offer real advantages when it comes to YouTube businesses. 

If you’re willing to move, you could really maximize your business! Keep in mind, it’s relatively easy to transfer your business to another state. 

Choose your business structure

Business entities come in several varieties, each with its pros and cons. The legal structure you choose for your YouTube business will shape your taxes, personal liability, and business registration requirements, so choose wisely. 

Here are the main options:

• Sole Proprietorship – The most common structure for small businesses makes no legal distinction between company and owner. All income goes to the owner, who’s also liable for any debts, losses, or liabilities incurred by the business. The owner pays taxes on business income on his or her personal tax return.
• General Partnership – Similar to a sole proprietorship, but for two or more people. Again, owners keep the profits and are liable for losses. The partners pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.
• Limited Liability Company (LLC) – Combines the characteristics of corporations with those of sole proprietorships or partnerships. Again, the owners are not personally liable for debts.
• C Corp – Under this structure, the business is a distinct legal entity and the owner or owners are not personally liable for its debts. Owners take profits through shareholder dividends, rather than directly. The corporation pays taxes, and owners pay taxes on their dividends, which is sometimes referred to as double taxation.
• S Corp – An S-Corporation refers to the tax classification of the business but is not a business entity. An S-Corp can be either a corporation or an LLC , which just need to elect to be an S-Corp for tax status. In an S-Corp, income is passed through directly to shareholders, who pay taxes on their share of business income on their personal tax returns.

We recommend that new business owners choose LLC as it offers liability protection and pass-through taxation while being simpler to form than a corporation. You can form an LLC in as little as five minutes using an online LLC formation service. They will check that your business name is available before filing, submit your articles of organization , and answer any questions you might have. 

Form Your LLC

Choose Your State

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Step 6: Register for Taxes

The final step before you’re able to pay taxes is getting an Employer Identification Number , or EIN. You can file for your EIN online or by mail or fax: visit the IRS website to learn more. Keep in mind, if you’ve chosen to be a sole proprietorship you can simply use your social security number as your EIN. 

Once you have your EIN, you’ll need to choose your tax year. Financially speaking, your business will operate in a calendar year (January–December) or a fiscal year, a 12-month period that can start in any month. This will determine your tax cycle, while your business structure will determine which taxes you’ll pay.

The IRS website also offers a tax-payers checklist , and taxes can be filed online.

It is important to consult an accountant or other professional to help you with your taxes to ensure you’re completing them correctly.

Step 7: Fund your Business

Securing financing is your next step and there are plenty of ways to raise capital:

• Bank loans: This is the most common method but getting approved requires a rock-solid business plan and strong credit history.
• SBA-guaranteed loans: The Small Business Administration can act as guarantor, helping gain that elusive bank approval via an SBA-guaranteed loan .
• Government grants: A handful of financial assistance programs help fund entrepreneurs. Visit Grants.gov to learn which might work for you.
• Friends and Family: Reach out to friends and family to provide a business loan or investment in your concept. It’s a good idea to have legal advice when doing so because SEC regulations apply.
• Crowdfunding: Websites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo offer an increasingly popular low-risk option, in which donors fund your vision. Entrepreneurial crowdfunding sites like Fundable and WeFunder enable multiple investors to fund your business.
• Personal: Self-fund your business via your savings or the sale of property or other assets.

Bank and SBA loans are probably the best option, other than friends and family, for funding a YouTube business. You might also try crowdfunding if you have an innovative concept. 

Step 8: Apply for Licenses/Permits

Starting a YouTube business requires obtaining a number of licenses and permits from local, state, and federal governments.

Federal regulations, licenses, and permits associated with starting your business include doing business as (DBA), health licenses and permits from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration ( OSHA ), trademarks, copyrights, patents, and other intellectual properties, as well as industry-specific licenses and permits. 

You may also need state-level and local county or city-based licenses and permits. The license requirements and how to obtain them vary, so check the websites of your state, city, and county governments or contact the appropriate person to learn more. 

You could also check this SBA guide for your state’s requirements, but we recommend using MyCorporation’s Business License Compliance Package . They will research the exact forms you need for your business and state and provide them to ensure you’re fully compliant.

This is not a step to be taken lightly, as failing to comply with legal requirements can result in hefty penalties.

If you feel overwhelmed by this step or don’t know how to begin, it might be a good idea to hire a professional to help you check all the legal boxes.

Step 9: Open a Business Bank Account

Before you start making money, you’ll need a place to keep it, and that requires opening a bank account .

Keeping your business finances separate from your personal account makes it easy to file taxes and track your company’s income, so it’s worth doing even if you’re running your YouTube business as a sole proprietorship. Opening a business bank account is quite simple, and similar to opening a personal one. Most major banks offer accounts tailored for businesses — just inquire at your preferred bank to learn about their rates and features.

Banks vary in terms of offerings, so it’s a good idea to examine your options and select the best plan for you. Once you choose your bank, bring in your EIN (or Social Security Number if you decide on a sole proprietorship), articles of incorporation, and other legal documents and open your new account. 

Step 10: Get Business Insurance

Business insurance is an area that often gets overlooked yet it can be vital to your success as an entrepreneur. Insurance protects you from unexpected events that can have a devastating impact on your business.

Here are some types of insurance to consider:

• General liability: The most comprehensive type of insurance, acting as a catch-all for many business elements that require coverage. If you get just one kind of insurance, this is it. It even protects against bodily injury and property damage.
• Business Property: Provides coverage for your equipment and supplies.
• Equipment Breakdown Insurance: Covers the cost of replacing or repairing equipment that has broken due to mechanical issues.
• Worker’s compensation: Provides compensation to employees injured on the job.
• Property: Covers your physical space, whether it is a cart, storefront, or office.
• Commercial auto: Protection for your company-owned vehicle.
• Professional liability: Protects against claims from a client who says they suffered a loss due to an error or omission in your work.
• Business owner’s policy (BOP): This is an insurance plan that acts as an all-in-one insurance policy, a combination of the above insurance types.

Step 11: Prepare to Launch

As opening day nears, prepare for launch by reviewing and improving some key elements of your business. 

Essential software and tools

Being an entrepreneur often means wearing many hats, from marketing to sales to accounting, which can be overwhelming. Fortunately, many websites and digital tools are available to help simplify many business tasks. 

You may want to use industry-specific software, such as Adobe , Canva , or Animoto , to create, edit, and organize your videos. 

• Popular web-based accounting programs for smaller businesses include Quickbooks , Freshbooks , and Xero . 
• If you’re unfamiliar with basic accounting, you may want to hire a professional, especially as you begin. The consequences for filing incorrect tax documents can be harsh, so accuracy is crucial.

Develop your website

Website development is crucial because your site is your online presence and needs to convince prospective clients of your expertise and professionalism.

You can create your own website using services like WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace . This route is very affordable, but figuring out how to build a website can be time-consuming. If you lack tech-savvy, you can hire a web designer or developer to create a custom website for your business.

They are unlikely to find your website, however, unless you follow Search Engine Optimization ( SEO ) practices. These are steps that help pages rank higher in the results of top search engines like Google.

Launching a YouTube channel is an exciting venture, and effective marketing is key to gaining visibility. Here are practical strategies to boost your channel’s presence:

• Compelling Thumbnails and Titles: Craft attention-grabbing thumbnails and titles; they are your first impression and can significantly impact click-through rates.
• Consistent Branding: Establish a consistent visual identity with a recognizable logo, color scheme, and style across your videos, making your channel easily identifiable.
• Optimize Video Descriptions and Tags: Use relevant keywords in your video descriptions and tags to improve searchability and increase the likelihood of appearing in search results.
• Engage with Your Audience: Respond to comments, ask questions, and encourage viewers to share their thoughts; building a community fosters loyalty and word-of-mouth promotion.
• Collaborate with Other YouTubers: Partner with creators in your niche for collaborations; cross-promotion exposes your channel to new audiences and can result in mutually beneficial growth.
• Utilize Social Media: Share snippets, behind-the-scenes content, and announcements on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to drive traffic to your YouTube channel.
• Create Playlists: Group related videos into playlists; this encourages viewers to watch more of your content, increasing overall watch time and improving your video ranking.
• Leverage Trending Topics: Stay informed about trending topics within your niche and create timely content to capitalize on current interests and maximize discoverability.
• Run Contests and Giveaways: Generate excitement and engagement by organizing contests or giveaways, encouraging viewers to subscribe, like, and share your content for a chance to win.
• Optimize Upload Schedule: Establish a consistent uploading schedule to train your audience to anticipate new content, increasing the likelihood of viewers returning regularly.

Focus on USPs

Unique selling propositions, or USPs, are the characteristics of a product or service that sets it apart from the competition. Customers today are inundated with buying options, so you’ll have a real advantage if they are able to quickly grasp how your YouTube business meets their needs or wishes. It’s wise to do all you can to ensure your USPs stand out on your website and in your marketing and promotional materials, stimulating buyer desire. 

Global pizza chain Domino’s is renowned for its USP: “Hot pizza in 30 minutes or less, guaranteed.” Signature USPs for your YouTube business could be:

• Learn how to remodel your home with our DIY videos
• Subscribe to our channel — daily laughs guaranteed! 
• Beat your friends! A new challenge video every week

You may not like to network or use personal connections for business gain. But your personal and professional networks likely offer considerable untapped business potential. Maybe that Facebook friend you met in college is now running a YouTube business, or a LinkedIn contact of yours is connected to dozens of potential clients. Maybe your cousin or neighbor has been working on YouTube for years and can offer invaluable insight and industry connections. 

The possibilities are endless, so it’s a good idea to review your personal and professional networks and reach out to those with possible links to or interest in YouTube. You’ll probably generate new customers or find companies with which you could establish a partnership. Online businesses might also consider affiliate marketing as a way to build relationships with potential partners and boost business.

Step 12: Build Your Team

If you’re starting out small from a home office, you may not need any employees. But as your business grows, you will likely need workers to fill various roles. Potential positions for a YouTube business include:

• Actors – appear in YouTube videos
• Camera Operator – shoot videos
• Marketing Lead – SEO strategies, social media

At some point, you may need to hire all of these positions or simply a few, depending on the size and needs of your business. You might also hire multiple workers for a single role or a single worker for multiple roles, again depending on need. 

Free-of-charge methods to recruit employees include posting ads on popular platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook, or Jobs.com. You might also consider a premium recruitment option, such as advertising on Indeed , Glassdoor , or ZipRecruiter . Further, if you have the resources, you could consider hiring a recruitment agency to help you find talent. 

Step 13: Run a Youtube Channel – Start Making Money!

YouTube is an extremely influential platform with a massive global audience. If you’re creative and want to make a splash online, with just a few unique videos you could start to build a YouTube following and grow your channel into something great. If your videos go viral, there’s no limit to your channel’s income potential! 

You’ve done your due diligence to learn the ropes of starting a business, so now it’s time to fire up that camera and get your successful YouTube business up and running. 

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• Decide if the Business Is Right for You
• Hone Your Idea
• Brainstorm a Youtube Channel Name
• Create a Business Plan
• Register Your Business
• Register for Taxes
• Fund your Business
• Apply for Licenses/Permits
• Open a Business Bank Account
• Get Business Insurance
• Prepare to Launch
• Build Your Team
• Run a Youtube Channel - Start Making Money!

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How to Start a Profitable Youtube Channel Business [11 Steps]

By Nick Cotter Updated Feb 02, 2024

Business Steps:

1. perform market analysis., 2. draft a youtube channel business plan., 3. develop a youtube channel brand., 4. formalize your business registration., 5. acquire necessary licenses and permits for youtube channel., 6. open a business bank account and secure funding as needed., 7. set pricing for youtube channel services., 8. acquire youtube channel equipment and supplies., 9. obtain business insurance for youtube channel, if required., 10. begin marketing your youtube channel services., 11. expand your youtube channel business..

Starting a YouTube channel business requires an understanding of the current market, including trends, audiences, and competition. A thorough market analysis will help you carve out your niche and create content that resonates with viewers. Here are some steps to guide you through the process:

• Identify your target audience: Consider demographics such as age, gender, interests, and geographic location to determine who is most likely to watch your content.
• Analyze competitors: Look at other channels in your niche, noting their content strategy, viewer engagement, and what works well for them.
• Understand trends: Keep an eye on trending topics, video styles, and formats that are currently popular on the platform to stay relevant.
• Assess market demand: Research keywords and topics within your niche to gauge viewer interest and search volume, which can inform your content strategy.
• Examine monetization options: Explore various monetization strategies used by other creators, such as ads, sponsorships, merchandise, and memberships, to understand potential revenue streams.

Are youtube channel businesses profitable?

Yes, YouTube channel businesses can be profitable and many creators have been able to make a living from their efforts. Factors such as the types of content created, the number of subscribers, and the number of views all impact the likelihood of profitability. Additionally, creators may be able to monetize their channels through advertisements, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships.

Starting a YouTube channel as a business requires meticulous planning and strategic thinking. Your business plan should outline your channel's vision, objectives, and the strategies you'll employ to achieve success. Below is a guide to help you draft a comprehensive business plan for your YouTube channel.

• Define Your Niche: Clearly state the content focus of your channel and the target audience. Understanding your niche will help you create relevant and engaging content.
• Content Strategy: Outline the types of videos you will create, the value they provide to viewers, and how often you plan to upload new content.
• Monetization Plan: Detail the methods through which you'll generate revenue, such as ad income, sponsorships, merchandise, or memberships.
• Marketing Approach: Explain how you'll promote your channel and content, including social media strategies, collaborations, and SEO practices to increase visibility.
• Financial Projections: Offer an estimate of startup costs, potential earnings, and a break-even analysis to forecast the financial sustainability of your channel.
• Operational Plan: Describe the resources you need, such as equipment and editing software, and any team members or roles crucial to your channel's operations.
• Metrics and Goals: Set specific, measurable goals for subscriber numbers, view counts, and engagement rates, and outline how you will track and analyze these metrics.

How does a youtube channel business make money?

YouTube channels have the ability to monetize their content through advertisements and link sponsorships. This means that businesses can earn money when viewers watch their videos and click on advertisements. For example, a YouTube channel focused on air duct cleaning could target business owners as a target audience. These owners could benefit from the advice provided in the channel's content, such as 11 Steps To Starting a Successful Air Duct Cleaning Business. This would provide an opportunity for the channel to earn money while also providing helpful information to people looking to start their own business.

Creating a strong brand for your YouTube channel is essential for standing out in a crowded market and attracting a loyal audience. Your brand encompasses everything from your channel's visual identity to the tone and personality conveyed in your content. Here's how to develop a robust YouTube channel brand:

• Define Your Niche: Be clear about the topics or genre your channel will cover. This specificity helps you attract a targeted audience.
• Develop a Unique Value Proposition (UVP): Determine what makes your channel different. Your UVP should highlight what viewers gain by watching your content that they can't get elsewhere.
• Choose a Brand Name: Pick a catchy and memorable name that reflects the essence of your channel and is easy to search for.
• Create Visual Identity: Design a consistent aesthetic for your channel with a recognizable logo, color scheme, and thumbnail style to build brand recognition.
• Craft Your Voice: Decide on the tone and personality of your channel. Whether it's humorous, educational, or inspirational, ensure it's consistent across all your content.
• Plan Your Content: Align your videos with your brand identity, ensuring each upload reinforces your brand's message and values.
• Engage Your Audience: Build a community by interacting with viewers through comments, live streams, and social media, making your brand feel more personal and accessible.

How to come up with a name for your youtube channel business?

Coming up with a name for your YouTube channel business can be a difficult task. Consider making the name memorable and recognizable, while avoiding overly long or overly complicated names. Brainstorm ideas that are relevant to your niche, and take into account the rhythm and pronunciation of the name. Additionally, check to see if the name is available as both a business trademark and a corresponding web address. With a little bit of creativity you should be able to come up with an appropriate name for your YouTube channel business.

Starting a YouTube channel as a business involves not just creating content, but also ensuring that your venture is legally recognized. Formalizing your business registration is a critical step to set up a proper structure for tax, legal, and financial benefits. Here’s how to go about it:

• Choose a business structure that fits your needs, such as a Sole Proprietorship, Partnership, Limited Liability Company (LLC), or Corporation, and understand the implications of each for your YouTube business.
• Register your business name with the appropriate state authorities. If you're using a name different from your own, you may need to file a Doing Business As (DBA).
• Obtain any necessary business licenses or permits. The requirements can vary depending on your location and the nature of your content.
• Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) from the IRS if you plan to hire employees or if your business structure requires it.
• Open a business bank account to keep your personal and business finances separate, which simplifies accounting and tax filing.
• Consider consulting with a business attorney or accountant to ensure you're meeting all legal requirements and optimizing your tax situation.

Resources to help get you started:

Explore key resources designed for YouTube channel entrepreneurs to gain insights on market trends, operational best practices, and strategic advice for business growth:

• YouTube Creator Academy : Offers comprehensive tutorials and guidance directly from YouTube on how to grow and manage your channel. Visit Creator Academy
• Tubefilter : Provides industry news, analysis of trends, and strategic insights for digital video creators. Explore Tubefilter
• VidIQ Blog : A resource offering tips and tools for audience growth, video optimization, and monetization strategies. Read the VidIQ Blog
• Social Blade : Offers analytics and data tracking for YouTube channels, essential for competitive analysis and growth tracking. Access Social Blade
• Google's Keyword Planner : Helps in identifying high-volume search terms for topic selection and SEO optimization. Use Keyword Planner
• Think with Google - Consumer Insights : Provides insights into consumer trends which can aid in content planning. Discover Consumer Insights

Starting a YouTube channel as a business comes with its own set of legal considerations. Depending on the content you plan to create and how you intend to monetize your channel, you may need to obtain specific licenses and permits. Here's what you need to consider:

• Business License: Depending on where you live, you may need a general business license to operate your YouTube channel as a commercial entity.
• Content Licenses: If you're using music, video clips, or any other copyrighted material, ensure you have the appropriate licenses to avoid copyright infringement.
• Resale Permits: Should your channel involve selling goods, a resale permit or sales tax license might be required by your state or local government.
• Zoning Laws: If you're operating from home, check local zoning laws to make sure you're in compliance, especially if your business activities increase traffic or noise.
• Permits for Special Activities: Occasionally, special activities such as giveaways or contests might require additional permits, particularly if they involve complex rules or large prizes.

Always check with your local and state authorities to ensure you're fully compliant with all regulations related to your YouTube channel business.

What licenses and permits are needed to run a youtube channel business?

The licenses and permits you need to run a YouTube channel business can vary depending on your location and the type of content you produce. Generally, you may need to apply for business licenses or permits in order to operate legally. You may also need to register your business name, obtain copyright or trademark protection, or acquire any other necessary permits. In addition, if you plan to monetize your content with ads or sponsorships, you will likely need to register with the local government in order to pay taxes.

When starting a YouTube channel business, it's crucial to keep your finances organized and secure the necessary funding to support your growth. Opening a business bank account can help you manage your earnings and expenses effectively. Additionally, securing funding can fuel your business ambitions, allowing you to invest in better equipment, marketing, and other resources. Here's what you should consider:

• Choose the right bank: Research and select a bank that offers services tailored to small businesses, with low fees and good customer support.
• Gather required documents: Prepare your business documents, including your business license, EIN, and any other paperwork the bank may require.
• Understand your funding needs: Assess how much money you need to start and operate your channel, including equipment, editing software, and marketing costs.
• Explore funding options: Look into small business loans, lines of credit, crowdfunding, sponsorships, or even personal savings to finance your business.
• Keep your finances separate: Maintaining a distinct boundary between personal and business finances is essential for tax purposes and financial clarity.

Setting the right price for your YouTube channel services is crucial to attract subscribers while ensuring your business remains profitable. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you determine a pricing strategy that reflects the value of your content and appeals to your target audience.

• Analyze Your Costs: Calculate the total costs involved in producing your content, including equipment, software, and your time. Ensure your pricing covers these costs and allows for profit.
• Research Competitors: Look at what similar YouTube channels charge for their services or content. Use this information to benchmark your prices competitively.
• Value-Based Pricing: Set prices based on the perceived value to your audience. If your content is unique or high-quality, you may be able to command a higher price.
• Tiered Offerings: Offer multiple pricing tiers with varying levels of access or perks. This allows viewers with different budgets to engage with your channel.
• Flexibility: Be prepared to adjust your pricing based on feedback and the evolving market conditions to remain competitive and fair.
• Transparency: Clearly communicate what viewers get at each price point to build trust and manage expectations.

What does it cost to start a youtube channel business?

Initiating a youtube channel business can involve substantial financial commitment, the scale of which is significantly influenced by factors such as geographical location, market dynamics, and operational expenses, among others. Nonetheless, our extensive research and hands-on experience have revealed an estimated starting cost of approximately $2400 for launching such an business. Please note, not all of these costs may be necessary to start up your youtube channel business.

Starting a YouTube channel requires some essential equipment and supplies to ensure your content is high-quality and engaging. Depending on your budget and the type of content you plan to create, your needs may vary. Here's a list of the basic gear you should consider acquiring to set up a successful YouTube channel:

• Camera: A good-quality camera is crucial. This could be a DSLR, a mirrorless camera, or even a high-end smartphone if budget is tight.
• Microphone: Clear audio is essential, so invest in a decent microphone. Options include lapel mics for interviews or condenser mics for voiceovers.
• Lighting: Proper lighting can make a huge difference in video quality. Softbox lights or ring lights are popular choices among YouTubers.
• Tripod or Stabilizer: To keep your footage steady, use a tripod or a handheld gimbal stabilizer, especially if you're recording on the go.
• Editing Software: Quality editing can set your content apart. Software like Adobe Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro is widely used, but free alternatives like DaVinci Resolve also exist.
• Storage: Videos can take up a lot of space; have reliable external hard drives or cloud storage solutions in place.
• Backdrop: A clean and professional backdrop or green screen can improve the visual appeal of your videos.

List of software, tools and supplies needed to start a youtube channel business:

• Video camera ($100 - $500): Essential for recording high quality videos.
• Tripod ($15 - $50): Stabilizes the camera and makes it easier to record steady shots.
• Lighting equipment ($50 - $200): Can help improve the quality of your videos.
• Microphone ($20 - $100): Captures audio to ensure sound quality.
• Computer ($500 - $1000+): Used to edit and upload videos.
• Video editing software ($5 - $50/month): Used to edit and enhance the video footage.
• Graphics/Logo design software ($20 - $200): Used to create visuals for the video, like logos, titles, etc.
• YouTube Channel Art Creator tools (free): Used to personalize your channel page.
• Social media management tools ($15 - $30/month): Lets you track performance of your channel on social media
• Promotional/Advertising materials (varies by type/quantity): Materials used to help market and promote your content.

Starting a YouTube channel can be an exciting venture, but it's important to protect your business from potential risks. Obtaining the right insurance can safeguard against liabilities and unforeseen events that could impact your financial stability. Here's how to secure business insurance for your YouTube channel:

• Assess your risk: Determine what types of risks your YouTube channel might face, such as copyright infringement claims or equipment damage.
• Research insurance options: Look for insurance providers that specialize in digital or media-related coverage and compare their policies.
• Consider general liability insurance: This can protect against third-party claims for bodily injury or property damage related to your business activities.
• Explore professional liability insurance: Also known as errors and omissions insurance, this covers legal fees and damages if you're accused of professional negligence or providing misleading information.
• Check for equipment insurance: If you have valuable filming equipment, this insurance can cover loss or damage to your gear.
• Review your homeowner's or renter's policy: Some policies may offer coverage for home-based businesses, but you may need additional insurance for complete protection.
• Consult with an insurance professional: An expert can help you tailor a policy to your specific needs and ensure that you have adequate coverage.

Successfully marketing your YouTube channel services is crucial for attracting audiences and potential clients. It's important to reach out to the right people with the right message to grow your business. Here are some strategies to consider for promoting your YouTube channel services:

• Utilize Social Media: Share your content on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn to increase visibility. Engage with your audience and use relevant hashtags to reach potential clients.
• Collaborate with Other YouTubers: Partner with other content creators to tap into their audiences. This can help you gain exposure and credibility within your niche.
• SEO Optimization: Use search engine optimization techniques to improve your videos' visibility on YouTube and Google. Research keywords related to your services and include them in your video titles, descriptions, and tags.
• Content Marketing: Create valuable and informative blog posts, infographics, or e-books that can attract clients to your services. Share these on various online platforms to demonstrate your expertise.
• Email Marketing: Build an email list and send out newsletters with updates, promotions, and useful content to keep your audience engaged and informed about your services.
• Online Advertising: Invest in paid advertising through Google AdWords or YouTube's advertising platform to target potential clients who are searching for services like yours.

As your YouTube channel grows, it's essential to look for ways to expand your brand and increase revenue streams. Here are some strategies to consider for taking your YouTube channel business to the next level:

• Collaborate with other YouTubers or influencers to tap into new audiences and share viewership.
• Develop and sell your own merchandise, such as t-shirts, mugs, or digital products related to your brand.
• Offer exclusive content or perks through membership platforms like Patreon or YouTube's channel memberships.
• Extend your content to other platforms such as Twitch, Instagram, or a personal blog to reach a wider audience.
• Engage in affiliate marketing by promoting products or services and earning a commission for each sale through your affiliate links.
• Seek sponsorship deals with brands that align with your channel's content and values.
• Host live events or workshops to connect with your audience in person or virtually and build a stronger community.
• Consider hiring a team to help manage and produce content, allowing you to focus on creative direction and business strategy.
• Utilize analytics to understand your audience better and tailor your content to their preferences, increasing viewer retention and growth.

• Sample Business Plans
• Entertainment & Media

YouTube Business Plan

YouTube has massive business potential thanks to its more than 2 billion active users. Are you wanting to launch or grow your own YouTube channel, but are not sure where to start, then you need a plan first.

Do you need a business plan to start, grow, and secure funding for your YouTube channel? If yes, then we have prepared a YouTube business plan template for you.

Free Business Plan Template

Download our free YouTube business plan template now and pave the way to success. Let’s turn your vision into an actionable strategy!

• Fill in the blanks – Outline
• Financial Tables

How to Write a YouTube Business Plan?

Writing a YouTube business plan is a crucial step toward the success of your business. Here are the key steps to consider when writing a business plan:

1. Executive Summary

An executive summary is generally written after the entire business plan is ready because it provides an overview of the whole business plan. Here are some components to add to your summary:

• Start with a brief introduction: Describe your YouTube channel, its niche, and the type of content that will be available on your channel. Also, do not forget to include the name of your channel in this section.
• Market opportunity: Provide a high level of understanding concisely about your target audience along with their demographics and behavioral pattern. Also, explain how you will meet the needs of your target audience.
• Mention the niche: Are your videos going to be academic, giving investment tips, fully comic, giving the knowledge of the latest tech, or into fashion? Mention the genre of your videos in this section.
• Video production: Here mention the procedure of how will you shoot and where will you shoot the videos that you will update.
• Marketing strategies: List the strategies you will use to attract new viewers and promote your channel. You can do it through collaborating with other creators, advertising, boasting it on social media, etc.
• Financial highlights: Provide a summary of your financial projections for the company’s initial years of operation. Include any capital or investment requirements, startup costs, projected revenues, and profits.
• Call to action: End your executive summary with a call to action, it can be a further meeting, a partnership proposal, or inviting another influence onboard with your channel.

Ensure you keep your executive summary concise and clear, use simple language, and avoid jargon.

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2. Business Overview

In the business overview, add different elements like location, legal structure, history, and vision & mission statement of your channel. Here is the business overview example for your YouTube plan:

• Photography and Videography Channels
• Educational Channels
• Gaming Channels
• Vlogging Channels
• Tech Channels
• Fitness Channels
• Political News Channels
• Comedy Channels
• Makeup Channels
• Experiment Channels
• Toy Reviews Channels
• Legal structure Mention the legal structure of your channel, it might be a sole proprietorship, partnership, or LLC.
• Ownership: Describe the owners of your channel and mention their roles in running it.
• Mission statement: Add a mission statement that sums up the objectives and core principles of your channel. This statement needs to be memorable, clear, and brief.
• Business history: If you’ve already started a business, then you might have a story to tell about how you got the idea to start it and who helped in building your YouTube business back then.
• Future goals: It’s essential to communicate your goals and vision. Include your goals for your channel’s future, as well as any plans you may have to launch a new channel.

This section should provide an understanding of your YouTube business. Make it engaging as well as informative.

3. Market Analysis

The Market analysis section provides a precise understanding of the market along with the target audience and competitors. Your market analysis should contain the following essential components:

• Identify your target audience: Who are the people you want to attract to your channel? For instance, if you are teaching science on YouTube, your target audience will be science students.
• Market size and growth potential: Provide an outline of the industry, and the growth potential it has for upcoming years. Also, provide information about the number of potential viewers, their categories, etc.
• Competitive analysis: Identify and explore all other YouTube channels for a better understanding, including direct and indirect competitors. Do the SWOT analysis, and explain the competitive edge of your channel over other YouTube channels providing similar content.
• Market trends: Examine current and developing trends in your industry, such as involving live streaming, influencer collaboration, and video quality. Describe how your company will adapt to all the current trends.
• Regulatory environment: Describe any regulations or licensing requirements that affect the YouTube channel, such as copyright laws, data protection laws, child protection laws, etc.

Some additional tips for writing the market analysis section of your business plan:

• Gather information from a range of sources, such as surveys, market research studies, and industry reports.
• Be specific and provide detailed information wherever possible.
• Include charts and graphs to help illustrate your key points.
• Keep your target audience in mind while writing the business plan.

4. Content Strategy

The content strategy section of a YouTube business plan should describe the specific services and products that will be offered to customers. To write this section should include the following:

• Type of content: Explain in detail the type of content viewers can expect from your channel as tutorials, reviews, vlogs, etc. Avoid using complex technical terms or jargon in this section especially.
• Highlight the advantage: Describe how your content will help your target audience. Draw attention to the advantages your content has over those of your rivals.

Overall the products and services section in a business plan should be thorough, informative, and customer-centered.

5. Sales And Marketing Strategies

Yes, as the name suggests, it is one of the most important sections of a YouTube business plan because it mentions how to attract new viewers & subscribers and retain them.

• Your USP: Mention how your content will be different from the rest, also add the USP of your channel if you have any.
• Marketing strategies: Create a marketing plan that includes online marketing strategies. Think of email marketing, content marketing, social media, and other channels. Advertising strategy: Provide information about advertisements you will run such as paid advertisements, hoardings, banners, etc.
• Monetization strategy: Describe your monetization strategy, which outlines how you plan to make money. Will you sell to clients directly or through middlemen? Which sales strategies will you employ? What is the flow of your sales? How will you evaluate sales results?
• Analytics and Metrics: Define the metrics and analytics that will be used to measure the success of the channel’s sales and marketing efforts, such as views, engagement rates, and revenue.

In general, be detailed about how will you drive viewers to your channel and retain them.

6. Operations Plan

It’s crucial to take into account all your business processes and operational procedures while drafting the operations plan section . The elements that should be in an operations plan are as follows:

• Content creation and publication: Describe your plan for producing and releasing videos on your channel. Include details about any software or tool you’ll be using, your plan for producing and uploading content, and how you’ll edit and publish movies.
• Operational process: Describe the methods and practices you’ll employ to manage your YouTube channel. Mention your day-to-day plans and plans to achieve long-term goals.
• Engagement with the audience: Describe your strategy for interacting with your audience, including your plans for responding to comments, hosting Q&A sessions, developing polls or surveys, and promoting audience participation.
• Content calendar: Create a schedule for your content that specifies when you’ll make and publish new videos. Take into account the time needed to plan, write, record, edit, and upload each video.

You may develop a thorough plan that describes how you will run your YouTube channel by including these essential components in your operations plan section.

7. Management Team

The management team section describes the responsibility of individuals for running the YouTube channel. This section should provide a detailed description of the experience and qualifications of each manager, as well as their responsibilities and roles.

• Founder/CEO: Life the founder and co-founders, and describe their key roles and responsibilities necessary for running a successful channel. Key managers: Describe your management team’s key members, roles, and responsibilities. It should include the senior management with their relevant experience in the industry.
• Organizational structure: Describe the organizational structure of the management team, including reporting lines and how decisions will be made.
• Compensation plan: Describe your compensation plan for the management team and staff, including bonuses, and other benefits.
• Advisors/Consultants: Mentioning advisors or consultants in your business plans adds credibility to your business idea. So, if you have any advisors or consultants, include them with their names and brief information consisting of roles and years of experience.

Describe the key personnel of your company and highlight why your business has the fittest team.

8. Financial Plan

Before planning your finances do a thorough analysis of all the financial projections at least for the first few years of your YouTube channel like the below:

• Profit & loss statement: It should display the expected revenues and costs.
• Cash flow statement: Estimate your cash inflows and outflows for the first few years of operation. As in incorporate cash receipts, and cash outflow to make your content, loan, or any cash-related inflows or outflows.
• Balance sheet: The balance sheet should show the assets and liabilities of your YouTube channel.
• Break-even point: Find a point where your costs and revenue will be equal. This way one will get to know about the point from which a company might start making profits.
• Financing needs: Estimate your financing need to launch, operate, or grow your channel. Do not miss out on including both short-term and long-term financial needs. Be realistic with your financial projections, and ascertain all the estimates by providing proper evidence.

9. Appendix

When writing the appendix section, add all the additional information which can support any of the above sections of your business plan. It might include research sources, data, legal documents, or other such relevant information.

• Include a table of contents: Make it easy for your readers to get to any specific part they want to check out directly after seeing it from the table of contents.
• Conduct market research and present the results here, together with statistics on the target audience, market trends, and demographics.
• Include any rules, licenses, or permits that may be applicable in this section.
• Include any brochures, product descriptions, marketing materials, or other materials you may have that are associated with your business strategy.

A word of advice: Avoid using sophisticated vocabulary in the headings or table of contents. For your audience, keep it straightforward, understandable, and easy. Additionally, avoid adding any extraneous information to this portion of the company strategy.

The Quickest Way to turn a Business Idea into a Business Plan

Fill-in-the-blanks and automatic financials make it easy.

This YouTube business plan sample will provide an idea for writing a successful plan, including all the essential components of your business.

After this, if you are still confused about how to write an investment-ready business plan to impress your audience, then download our YouTube business plan pdf .

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Frequently asked questions, why do you need a youtube business plan.

A business plan is an essential tool for anyone looking to start or run a successful YouTube channel. It helps to get clarity in your business, secures funding, and identifies potential challenges while starting and growing your channel.

Overall, a well-written plan can help you make informed decisions, which can contribute to the long-term success of your YouTube channel.

How to get funding for your YouTube channel?

Although there are several ways to finance your YouTube channel, self-funding is one of the fastest and most effective methods. Other options for funding are:

• A loan from a bank – You can apply for a loan from a public or private bank.
• Small Business Administration (SBA) loan – Before applying, make sure you meet the requirements. SBA loans and programs have low-interest rates.
• Crowdfunding – the practice of obtaining a large number of investors for your idea or business, typically online.
• Angel investors – One of the most popular choices is to obtain funding from angel investors.

There are small business grants also available in certain areas; search for them in your area and apply.

Where to find business plan writers for your YouTube channel?

There are many business plan writers available, but no one knows your business and idea better than you, so we recommend you write your YouTube business plan and outline your vision as you have in your mind.

What is the easiest way to write your YouTube business plan?

A lot of research is necessary for writing a business plan, but you can write your plan most efficiently with the help of any YouTube business plan example and edit it as per your need. You can also quickly finish your plan in just a few hours or less with the help of our business plan software.

About the Author

Upmetrics Team

Upmetrics is the #1 business planning software that helps entrepreneurs and business owners create investment-ready business plans using AI. We regularly share business planning insights on our blog. Check out the Upmetrics blog for such interesting reads. Read more

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YouTube Video Channel Business Plan [Sample Template]

By: Author Tony Martins Ajaero

Home » Business ideas » Media Industry » Youtube Channel Business

Are you about starting a starting a YouTube video channel ? If YES, here’s a complete sample YouTube video channel business plan template & feasibility report you can use for FREE to raise money .

Digital marketing cum YouTube video channel are some of the fruits of the internet cum advancement in technology and for sure it has enabled loads of entrepreneur to launch multimillion dollars international businesses; businesses with clientele base that cut across geographical boundaries.

A Sample YouTube Video Channel Business Plan Template

1. industry overview.

YouTube is basically an online platform that allows users to upload, view, rate, share, and comment on videos; it is a global video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States. The service was created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005.

In November 2006, it was bought by Google for US$1.65 billion hence YouTube now operates as one of Google’s subsidiaries. The site

YouTube video channel business is under the digital marketing agencies industry and what they do basically is to create advertising campaigns and place the advertisements across digital media outlets. Through in-house capabilities or subcontracting, the agencies provide advice, creative services, account management, production of advertising material, and media planning and buying.

YouTube’s revenues in 2007 were noted as “not material” in a regulatory filing. In June 2008, a Forbes magazine article projected the 2008 revenue at $200 million, noting progress in advertising sales via YouTube channels. In January 2012, it was estimated that visitors to YouTube spent an average of 15 minutes a day on the site, in contrast to the four or five hours a day spent by a typical U.S. citizen watching television.

In 2012, YouTube’s revenue from its ads program was estimated at 3.7 billion and in 2013 it nearly doubled and estimated to hit 5.6 billion dollars according to e – Marketer, others estimated 4.7 billion.

It is important to categorically state that the vast majority of videos on YouTube are free to view and they are supported by advertising. In May 2013, YouTube introduced a trial scheme of 53 subscription channels with prices ranging from $0.99 to $6.99 a month.

The move was seen as an attempt to compete with other providers of online video subscription services such as Netflix and Hulu.

The Digital Marketing Agencies Industry of which YouTube Video Channel line of business is a subset of is indeed a very large industry and pretty much thriving in all parts of the world especially in developed countries such as United States of America, Canada, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Italy et al.

Statistics has it that in the united states of America alone, there are about 2,508 licensed and registered digital marketing agencies responsible for employing about 59,271 employees and the industry rakes in a whopping sum of $14 billion annually with an annual growth rate projected at 0.6 percent.

It is important to state that the establishments with a lion share of the available market in the YouTube Video Channel line of business are PewDiePie, Justin Bieber Vevo, Get Movie and Fun ToyzCollector et al. When compared to traditional media that are often too expensive for start – ups and even SMEs, a digital marketing approach does not require expensive and out of – reach budgeting.

This is why companies make use of modern technology and also platforms such as YouTube Video Channels, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram et al in order to reach a much wider target market as against making use of mainstream marketing tools which are expensive.

Over and above, YouTube video channel business cum digital marketing has become an important tool for promoting ones businesses as it relates to products and services all over the world, not only to sell to customers, but also to engage them.

It is now easier for organization to expand their market from local level to national and even international markets with minimum capital investment under the YouTube video channel platform and other digital marketing platforms.

2. Executive Summary

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC is a U.S based and world class digital advertising agency that will leverage on YouTube video channels to advertise goods and services for our clients. We have been able to secure a standard and well – positioned office facility in a central business district in San Diego – California.

We are a digital advertising agency that is set to compete in the highly competitive social media marketing and advertising industry not only in the United States market, but also in the global market because our clientele base will not be restricted to just businesses and organizations in the United States.

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC will offer robust digital advertising services to both corporate organization and individual clients. Aside from offering our advertising services via our YouTube Channels, We will also offer services such as:

• Search engine optimization (SEO)
• Banner advertising
• Video advertising
• Rich media advertising
• Sponsorship advertising
• Classifieds/directories
• Lead generation
• Mobile messaging/email
• Digital display advertising
• Mobile advertising
• Social media management and other related consulting and advisory services.

Our business goal is to become one of the leading digital advertising agencies in the United States of America with high profile corporate and individual clients scattered all around the world. Our workers are going to be selected from a pool of talented and highly creative digital advertising experts in and around San Diego – California and also from any part of the world as the business grows.

We will make sure that we take all the members of our workforce through the required trainings that will position them to meet the expectation of the company and to compete with leading digital advertising cum marketing agencies in the United States and throughout the globe.

At Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC, our client’s best interest will always come first, and everything we do will be guided by our values and professional ethics. We will ensure that we hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards by meeting our client’s needs precisely and completely.

We will cultivate a working environment that provides a human, sustainable approach to earning a living, and living in our world, for our partners, employees and for our clients.

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC is founded by Andrea Coleman and his friend and business partner for many years Bob Sutton.

They both graduated from Illinois Institute of Technology and they have a combine experience that revolves around digital market researching, video editing and streaming, web designing, graphic designing, corporate branding and advertising and business management et al.

3. Our Products and Services

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC was established with the aim of maximizing profits in the Digital Marketing Agencies industry cum YouTube video channel line of business.

We want to compete favorably with the leading digital advertising agencies in the United States of America and the world which is why we have but in place a competent team that will ensure that we meet and even surpass our customers’ expectations.

We will work hard to ensure that Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC do not just work for clients in the United States of America, but also for clients in other parts of the world. Our products and services are listed below;

• YouTube Video Channel advertising
• Social media management
• Other related digital marketing advisory and consulting services

4. Our Mission and Vision Statement

• Our vision is to establish a standard and world class digital advertising agencies whose services and brand will not only be accepted in the United States of America, but also in other parts of the world.
• Our mission is to provide professional and highly creative result oriented digital advertising services and other related advisory and consulting services that will assist businesses, individuals and non-profit organizations in promoting their brands and reaching out to a wide range of potential customers all over the globe via our YouTube video channel and other digital advertising platforms.
• We want to build a digital advertising agency that can favorably compete with other leading brands in the digital marketing agencies industry.

Our Business Structure

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC, is a digital advertising agency with strong bias in YouTube video channel that intend starting small in San Diego, but hope to grow big in order to compete favorably with leading digital advertising agencies in the industry both in the United States and on a global stage.

We are aware of the importance of building a solid business structure that can support the picture of the kind of world class business we want to own. This is why we are committed to only hire the best hands within our area of operations.

At Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC, we will ensure that we hire people that are qualified, hardworking, and creative, result driven, customer centric and are ready to work to help us build a prosperous business that will benefit all the stakeholders (the owners, workforce, and customers).

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our senior management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of five years or more as agreed by the board of trustees of the company. In view of the above, we have decided to hire qualified and competent hands to occupy the following positions;

• Chief Executive Officer
• Creative Director

Digital Advertising Specialist

Human Resources and Admin Manager

• Sales and Marketing Executive
• Video Editor cum Graphic Artist
• Content Creator / Online Traffic Generator

Client Service Executive

5. Job Roles and Responsibilities

Chief Executive Officer – CEO:

• Increases management’s effectiveness by recruiting, selecting, orienting, training, coaching, counseling, and disciplining managers; communicating values, strategies, and objectives; assigning accountabilities; planning, monitoring, and appraising job results; developing incentives; developing a climate for offering information and opinions; providing educational opportunities.
• Responsible for providing direction for the business
• Creates, communicates, and implements the organization’s vision, mission, and overall direction – i.e. leading the development and implementation of the overall organization’s strategy.
• Responsible for signing checks and documents on behalf of the company
• Evaluates the success of the organization

Creative Director:

• Serves as project manager of the organization; works directly with employees
• Responsible for designing concepts and winning business proposals for the organization
• In charge of copy writing and laying out chronological advertisement plans
• Develops strategic plan by studying video and film technological and financial opportunities; presenting assumptions; recommending objectives.
• Accomplishes subsidiary objectives by establishing plans, budgets, and results measurements; allocating resources; reviewing progress; making mid-course corrections.
• Coordinates efforts by establishing procurement, production, marketing, field, and technical services policies and practices; coordinating actions with corporate staff.
• Builds company image by collaborating with customers, government, community organizations, and employees; enforcing ethical business practices.
• Maintains quality service by establishing and enforcing organization standards.
• Maintains professional and technical knowledge by attending educational workshops; reviewing professional publications; establishing personal networks; benchmarking state-of-the-art practices; participating in professional societies.
• Make certain that operations and marketing department perform efficiently, coordinate employee efforts, and facilitate communications between management and employees
• Ensures that the organization work in line with international best practices.
• Responsible for handling core digital advertising services such as video uploading, banner advertising, video advertising, rich media advertising, sponsorship advertising, classifieds/directories, lead generation, mobile messaging/email, digital display advertising, mobile advertising, social media management
• Handle other related digital advertising advisory and consulting services
• Responsible for overseeing the smooth running of HR and administrative tasks for the organization
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal networks; participating in professional organizations.
• Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments.
• Defining job positions for recruitment and managing interviewing process
• Carrying out staff induction for new team members
• Responsible for training, evaluation and assessment of employees
• Oversee the smooth running of the daily office

Sales and Marketing Manager

• Manage external research and coordinate all the internal sources of information to retain the organizations’ best customers and attract new ones
• Model demographic information and analyze the volumes of transactional data generated by customer
• Identifies development opportunities; follows up on development leads and contacts; participates in the structuring and financing of projects; assures the completion of development projects.
• Writing winning proposal documents, negotiate fees and rates in line with organizations’ policy
• Responsible for handling business research, market surveys and feasibility studies for clients
• Responsible for supervising implementation, advocate for the customer’s needs, and communicate with clients
• Develop, execute and evaluate new plans for expanding increase sales
• Create new markets cum businesses for the organization
• Empower and motivates the sales team to meet and surpass agreed targets

Accountant / Cashier:

• Responsible for preparing financial reports, budgets, and financial statements for the organization
• Provides managements with financial analyses, development budgets, and accounting reports; analyzes financial feasibility for the most complex proposed projects; conducts market research to forecast trends and business conditions.
• Responsible for financial forecasting and risks analysis.
• Performs cash management, general ledger accounting, and financial reporting for one or more properties.
• Responsible for developing and managing financial systems and policies
• Responsible for administering payrolls
• Ensuring compliance with taxation legislation
• Handles all financial transactions for Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC
• Serves as internal auditor for Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC.

Video Editor cum Graphic Designers

• Responsible for handling video shooting, editing and uploading on our YouTube video channel
• Liaising with clients to determine their requirement and budget
• Responsible for Optimizing Website Functionality for owners of existing websites
• Responsible for Search Engine Optimization Services and Code Writing Services
• Responsible for developing concepts, graphics and layouts for product illustrations, company logos, and websites
• Responsible for managing client proposals from typesetting through to design, print and production
• Responsible for preparing drafts or material based on an agreement brief.
• Research and advice the organization on style, genre and other trendy info as it relates to social media marketing.

Content Creator / Traffic Generator

• Responsible for creating video content / buzz words that will help attract traffics
• Responsible for Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
• Responsible for engaging internet users to get help statistics and leads
• Liaising and working effectively With other staff members to generate sales for our clients
• Welcomes clients and potential clients by greeting them in person, online or on the telephone; answering or directing inquiries.
• Ensures that all contacts with clients (e-mail, walk-In center, SMS or phone) provides the client with a personalized customer service experience of the highest level
• Through interaction with clients on the phone, uses every opportunity to build client’s interest in the company’s products and services
• Manages administrative duties assigned by the creative director in an effective and timely manner
• Consistently stays abreast of any new information on the organizations’ products, promotional campaigns etc; to ensure accurate and helpful information is supplied to clients when they make enquiries.

6. SWOT Analysis

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC engaged the services of a core professional in the area of business consulting and structuring to assist our organization in building a well – structured digital advertising business that can favorably compete in the highly competitive digital marketing agencies industry in the United States and the world at large.

Part of what the team of business consultant did was to work with the management of our organization in conducting a SWOT analysis for Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC. Here is a summary from the result of the SWOT analysis that was conducted on behalf of Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC;

Our core strength lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative, result driven and highly proficient digital advertising expert, a team with excellent qualifications and experience various niche areas in the digital marketing agencies industry and other related industry.

Aside from the synergy that exists in our carefully selected digital advertising experts, our services will be measurable, result driven and guided by best practices in the industry.

As a new digital advertising agency in San Diego – California, it might take some time for our organization to break into the market and gain acceptance especially from top profile clients in the already saturated and highly competitive digital marketing agencies industry; that is perhaps our major weakness.

Another weakness is that we may not have the required cash to pump into promoting our business especially via main stream media (TV, Radio and Newspapers et al) the way we would want to.

• Opportunities:

No doubt, the opportunities available in the digital marketing agencies industry is massive considering the number of individuals and corporate organizations with active presence on the internet and of course the pretty large numbers of people who visit the internet / social media and YouTube platforms on a daily basis and own mobile phones / smart phones and other related gadgets.

As a standard and world class digital advertising agency, we are ready to take advantage of any opportunity that is available in the industry.

Just like any other business, one of the major threats that we are likely going to face is economic downturn. It is a fact that economic downturn affects purchasing / spending power. Another threat that may likely confront us is the arrival of a digital marketing agency or even a social media marketing company in same location where our target market exist and who may want to adopt same Business model like us.

We are not ruling out the fact that YouTube which happens to be our major platform can also stand as a threat – especially if they come up with unfavorable policies.

7. MARKET ANALYSIS

• Market Trends

No doubt, the Digital Marketing Agencies industry has benefited from the rapid switch from traditional print advertising to digital advertisements. As more consumers generate website traffic through the use of smartphones and tablets, businesses have purchased digital advertising services to build brand awareness across multiple screens and platforms.

In the next five years, the industry will continue to grow, as more effective advertising tools / software apps and technology platforms that measure consumer demographics are developed.

The growing trend which makes it easier for people to spend more time on the internet especially on social media networking sites such as YouTube is a major boost in the revenue generated by digital advertising agencies. It is not common to find players in this industry generating an increasing amount of advertising revenue per user by developing targeted advertising platforms and tools to measure the effectiveness of advertising and marketing.

This has indeed changed the ways that organizations approach to interact with customers, as a substantial percentage of consumer interactions and profiling are now being carried out over online and social media platforms with much higher visibility.

In as much as digital marketing is dependent on technology which is ever-evolving and fast-changing, the same features should be expected from digital marketing developments and strategies. This portion is an attempt to qualify or segregate the notable highlights existing and being used as of press time.

Another important factor worthy of mentioning in this industry is that the target market keep expanding, people and organizations are now seeing the need for them to have an official website and also to engage the services of digital marketing experts either in branding or packaging their products and services or in helping them directly sell their products and services to their targeted market.

Another common trend in the digital marketing agencies industry is that, most digital marketing firms no longer settle for clients within the location where their physical office is located but also from any part of the world. The truth is that with the advent of the internet, it is now easier for a digital marketing agency to work for clients in any part of the world.

A digital marketing agency can be located in the United States of America and have their biggest client in United Arab Emirates or in China.

Many thanks to the power of the internet which has brought the world closer to us. Lastly, the digital marketing agencies industry will continue to evolve due to the advancement of computer technology and software applications designs et al.

8. Our Target Market

Before starting our digital advertising agency cum YouTube video channel business, we are certain that there is a wide range of both corporate and individual clients who cannot successfully run their businesses without the services and support of a standard digital advertising agencies; a company that can help them reach out to their target market.

In view of that, we have created strategies that will enable us reach out to various corporate organizations, non – profits, government agencies and individual who we know can’t afford to do without our services. We have conducted our market research and survey and we will ensure that we meet and surpass the expectations of our clients Below is a list of the people and organizations that we have specifically market our services to;

• Banks, Insurance Companies and other related Financial Institutions
• Blue Chips Companies
• Corporate Organizations
• Manufacturers and Distributors
• Real Estate Owners, Developers, and Contractors
• Research and Development Companies
• The Government (Public Sector)
• Schools (High Schools, Colleges and Universities)
• Celebrities, Politicians, Public Figures and Public Speakers
• Sport Organizations
• Religious Organizations
• Political Parties
• Television Stations
• Printing Press (Publishing Houses) and Authors
• Branding and Advertising agencies
• Aspiring celebrities
• Entrepreneurs and Startups

Our Competitive Advantage

Surviving in the business world as a digital advertising agency requires more than, your expertise, knowing how to conduct your business but also how to network with key people that matters; decision makers that can decide who will get a contract or a business deal.

We are quite aware that to be highly competitive in the digital marketing agencies industry means that you are not only expected to be able to deliver consistent and excellent services, but you must be result driven and able to meet set targets.

No one would want to continue to hire your services if don’t always meet up with the target sales the organization intends to generate when they hired you.

Our competitive advantage lies in the power of our team; our workforce. We have a team of creative, result driven and highly proficient digital advertising experts, a team with excellent qualifications and experience various niche areas in the digital marketing agencies industry and other related industry.

Lastly, all our employees will be well taken care of, and their welfare package will be among the best within our category (startups digital advertising agencies in the United States) in the industry. It will enable them to be more than willing to build the business with us and help deliver our set goals and achieve all our business aims and objectives.

9. SALES AND MARKETING STRATEGY

• Sources of Income

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC is established with the aim of maximizing profits in the digital marketing agencies industry and we are going to go all the way to ensure that we do all it takes to meet and surpass the expectations of all our clients.

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC will generate income by offering the following digital marketing services and other related services;

• YouTube Video Channel Advertising

10. Sales Forecast

One thing is certain, there would always be corporate organizations, government agencies, non – profits and individuals who would need the services of digital advertising agencies to help them increase sales or promote their brands.

We are well positioned to take on the available market in digital marketing agencies industry and we are quite optimistic that we will meet our set target of generating enough income / profits from the first six month of operations and grow our digital advertising agencies to enviable heights.

We have been able to critically examine the digital advertising space and we have analyzed our chances in the industry and we have been able to come up with the following sales forecast. The sales projection is based on information gathered on the field and some assumptions that are peculiar to similar startups in San Diego – California.

Below is the sales projection for Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC, it is based on the location of our business and of course the wide range of our services and target market;

• First Fiscal Year-: $100,000
• Second Fiscal Year-: $300,000
• Third Fiscal Year-: $550,000

N.B: This projection is done based on what is obtainable in the industry and with the assumption that there won’t be any major economic meltdown and there won’t be any major competitor offering same digital advertising services as we do within same location. Please note that the above projection might be lower and at the same time it might be higher.

• Marketing Strategy and Sales Strategy

We are mindful of the fact that there is stiffer competition in the YouTube video channel line of business cum digital marketing agencies industry; hence we have been able to hire some of the best marketing experts to handle our sales and marketing.

Our sales and marketing team will be recruited based on their vast experience in the digital marketing agencies industry and they will be trained on a regular basis so as to be well equipped to meet their targets and the overall business goal of Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC.

Our corporate goal is to grow Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC to become one of the leading digital advertising brands in the United States of America which is why we have mapped out strategy that will help us take advantage of the available market and grow to become a major force to reckon with not only in the United States of America but also in other parts of the world.

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC is set to make use of the following marketing and sales strategies to attract clients;

• Introduce our digital advertising agency cum YouTube video channel by sending introductory letters alongside our brochure to individuals, corporate organizations, government agencies, non – profits, religious organizations and key stakeholders.
• Promptness in bidding for digital advertising contracts from the government and other cooperate organizations
• Advertise our business in relevant business magazines, newspapers, TV stations, and radio station.
• List our business on yellow pages ads (local directories)
• Attend relevant international and local expos, seminars, and business fairs et al
• Create different packages for different category of clients in order to work with their budgets and still deliver excellent services
• Leverage on the internet which is our forte to promote our business
• Engage direct marketing approach
• Encourage word of mouth marketing from loyal and satisfied clients

11. Publicity and Advertising Strategy

We have been able to work with our in house brand and publicity consultants to help us map out publicity and advertising strategies that will help us walk our way into the heart of our target market.

We are set to become the number one choice for both corporate clients and individual clients in the whole of the United States and beyond which is why we have made provisions for effective publicity and advertisement of our digital advertising agency.

Below are the platforms we intend to leverage on to promote and advertise Andréa & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC;

• Place adverts on both print (newspapers and magazines) and electronic media platforms
• Sponsor relevant community based events / programs
• Leverage on the internet and social media platforms like; Instagram, Facebook , twitter, YouTube, Google + et al to promote our services
• Install our Bill Boards on strategic locations all around San Diego – California
• Engage in road show from time to time in targeted neighborhoods
• Distribute our fliers and handbills in target areas
• Contact corporate organizations, non – profits and government agencies by calling them up and informing them of Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC and the services we offer
• List our digital advertising agency in local directories / yellow pages
• Advertise our digital advertising agency in our official website and employ strategies that will help us pull traffic to the site.
• Ensure that all our staff members wear our branded shirts and all our vehicles are well branded with our company logo et al.

12. Our Pricing Strategy

At Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC we will keep the prices of our services below the average market rate for all of our customers by keeping our overhead low and by collecting payment in advance from corporate organizations who would hire our services. In addition, we will also offer special discounted rates to all our customers at regular intervals.

We are aware that leveraging on the YouTube video channel as a business platform means that you will be at the mercy of the management of YouTube.com since the revenue you are expected to generate from the business is based on ads and percentage.

• Payment Options

At Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC, our payment policy will be all inclusive because we are quite aware that different people prefer different payment options as it suits them. Here are the payment options that we will make available to our clients;

• Payment by via bank transfer
• Payment via online bank transfer
• Payment via check
• Payment via bank draft
• Payment via mobile money
• Payment with cash

In view of the above, we have chosen banking platforms that will help us achieve our plans with little or no itches.

13. Startup Expenditure (Budget)

In setting up any business, the amount or cost will depend on the approach and scale you want to undertake. If you intend to go big by renting a place, then you would need a good amount of capital as you would need to ensure that your employees are well taken care of, and that your facility is conducive enough for workers to be creative and productive.

This means that the start-up can either be low or high depending on your goals, vision and aspirations for your business. The materials and equipment that will be used are nearly the same cost everywhere, and any difference in prices would be minimal and can be overlooked.

As for the detailed cost analysis for starting a YouTube video channel business; it might differ in other countries due to the value of their money. However, this is what it would cost us to setup Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC in the United of America;

• Business incorporation fees in the United States of America will cost – $750.
• The budget for Liability insurance, permits and license will cost – $3,500
• Acquiring an office space that will accommodate the number of employees for at least 6 months (Re – Construction of the facility inclusive) will cost – $150,000.
• Equipping the office (video shooting / recording gadgets, computers, printers, projectors, markers, servers / internet facility, furniture, telephones, filing cabinets, and electronics) will cost – $30,000
• Amount required to purchase the needed software applications – $3,500
• Launching an official Website will cost – $500
• Amount need to pay bills and staff members for at least 2 to 3 months – $70,000
• Additional Expenditure such as Business cards, Signage, Adverts and Promotions will cost – $5,000
• Miscellaneous – $5000

Going by the report from the market research and feasibility studies conducted, we will need about two hundred and fifty thousand ( 250,000 ) U.S. dollars to successfully set – up a medium scale but standard digital advertising agency in the United States of America.

Generating Funding / Startup Capital for Andréa & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC is a business that will be owned, financed and managed by Andréa Coleman and his friend and business partner for many years Bob Sutton. They are the sole financial of the business which is why they decided to restrict the sourcing of the start – up capital for the business to just three major sources.

These are the areas we intend generating our start – up capital;

• Generate part of the start – up capital from personal savings and sale of his stocks
• Generate part of the start – up capital from friends and other extended family members
• Generate a larger chunk of the startup capital from the bank (loan facility).

N.B: We have been able to generate about $100,000 (Personal savings $85,000 and soft loan from family members $15,000 ) and we are at the final stages of obtaining a loan facility of $150,000 from our bank. All the papers and document has been duly signed and submitted, the loan has been approved and any moment from now our account will be credited.

14. Sustainability and Expansion Strategy

The future of a business lies in the numbers of loyal customers that they have the capacity and competence of the employees, their investment strategy and the business structure. If all of these factors are missing from a business (company), then it won’t be too long before the business close shop.

One of our major goals of starting Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC is to build a business that will survive off its own cash flow without the need for injecting finance from external sources once the business is officially running.

We know that one of the ways of gaining approval and winning customers over is to offer our digital advertising services and other related advisory and consulting services a little bit cheaper than what is obtainable in the market and we are well prepared to survive on lower profit margin for a while.

Andrea & Bob Digital Advertising Consulting™, LLC will make sure that the right foundation, structures and processes are put in place to ensure that our staff welfare are well taken of. Our company’s corporate culture is designed to drive our business to greater heights and training and retraining of our workforce is at the top burner of our business strategy.

As a matter of fact, profit-sharing arrangement will be made available to all our management staff and it will be based on their performance for a period of three years or more as determined by the board of the organization. We know that if that is put in place, we will be able to successfully hire and retain the best hands we can get in the industry; they will be more committed to help us build the business of our dreams.

Check List / Milestone

• Business Name Availability Check:>Completed
• Business Incorporation: Completed
• Opening of Corporate Bank Accounts various banks in the United States: Completed
• Opening Online Payment Platforms: Completed
• Application and Obtaining Tax Payer’s ID: In Progress
• Securing a standard office facility in a good location: Completed
• Application for business license and permit: Completed
• Purchase of All form of Insurance for the Business: Completed
• Conducting Feasibility Studies: Completed
• Generating part of the start – up capital from the founders: Completed
• Writing of Business Plan: Completed
• Drafting of Employee’s Handbook: Completed
• Drafting of Contract Documents: In Progress
• Design of Logo for the business: Completed
• Secure trademark for our products: In Progress
• Graphic Designs and Printing of Packaging Marketing / Promotional Materials: Completed
• Recruitment of employees: In Progress
• Purchase of the Needed furniture, office equipment, software applications, electronic appliances and facility facelift: In Progress
• Creating Official Website for the business: In Progress
• Creating Awareness for the business: In Progress
• Health and Safety and Fire Safety Arrangement: In Progress
• Establishing business relationship with the management of YouTube, vendors and key players in various industries: In Progress

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How to Create a YouTube Channel for Your Small Business

Victoria Greywing

9 min. read

Updated February 9, 2024

Millions of people all around the world use YouTube as their primary source of internet entertainment. There are numerous advantages to creating a YouTube channel that will help a small business.

The success of your YouTube efforts is highly dependent upon finding an effective strategy for optimizing your account. If you want to know how to start a YouTube channel for your business, there are several steps you must complete. This article covers the ways to build a massive channel that will attract customers to your website and generate income for you. 

• Why does your company need a YouTube channel?

Before we dive into the specific details, let us go over how YouTube could benefit your company. 

The major advantages are building an active, targeted audience for your website and increasing your visibility to search engines. Secondly, you can develop relationships with other businesses and influencers by commenting on their videos and collaborating. Thirdly, you can brand yourself and your website as experts in your chosen niche when you get enough exposure.

So, how does all this work?

The amount of time people spend online has drastically increased, especially in the last two years due to the pandemic. This eventually led to larger video consumption –  82% of internet users  prefer videos to  other types of content . And that opens a whole lot of new opportunities for marketers.

In 2020,  88% of marketing specialists  claimed to use YouTube as a part of their digital strategy. And that’s not surprising at all — the platform has an audience of 2 billion people, providing a wide range of niches your business can fit in. When you reach the right audience, you increase  brand awareness , loyalty, and sales — and these are the ultimate goals of any business.

• How to create a YouTube channel

As part of your  digital marketing strategy , you must understand that YouTube offers several unique features that can help you promote your small business. Among them are advanced analytics, video optimization, search engine optimization, and more. Let’s take a closer look at the step-by-step process of starting a YouTube channel.

1. Set up an account

A Gmail account automatically creates a YouTube profile as soon as you log into the platform. For security reasons, it’s better to create a separate corporate account so that only your current employees can have access to the channel:

• Log into your Youtube account via Google.
• Click on the profile picture icon.
• Choose “Create a channel” from the drop-down menu.
• Enter your channel name and upload the profile picture.
• Confirm your actions with the “Create channel” button.

Now you have a channel. You can access it via the “Your channel” button in the drop-down menu. It opens the dashboard where you can customize the look of your channel and manage videos. But first, you need to fill out the profile information.

• Go to “Customize channel,” then click “Basic Info.”
• Add channel description and contact info.
• Add links to your site or social media accounts.
• Change the URL to your channel to a custom one. Note that you can do it only after you have 100 subscribers and your account is at least 30 days old.
• Go to the “Branding” tab.
• Add a profile picture (if you haven’t already) and a banner image.
• Upload a watermark logo that will appear on all your videos. Preferably, it should be your company’s logo.

Since it’s a corporate channel, you may want to have several people take care of it. Ideally, you should have a whole team of specialists – a videographer, a community manager, and a content manager. To give access to several people, go to the “Settings” section in the left-side menu, then click “Permissions.” There, you can send out invites to the people of interest and choose their roles:

• Managers can edit everything as well as add or remove other people.
• Editors can change profile information but can’t delete videos.
• Viewers can only view the profile but can’t change anything.

You can also give out limited editing or viewing permissions. Plus, the only person who can delete the channel is you, the creator.

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2. Match the market

The next important thing to do is to  research the market . Ask yourself these questions: “Are my competitors present on YouTube? What content do they make? How do they promote themselves?”

And most importantly, “How can I beat them?”

That’s right. You should never copy other brands, but make sure your company stands out. You need to invest some time and effort into the visual layout and  branding  of your channel, not to mention the quality of content. For now, let’s talk about your channel’s appearance.

Make a channel trailer

This will be the first thing people who are not subscribed to you see when they first visit your channel. It can be a short compilation of the best of your videos or a welcome video presenting the company. 

Highlight a featured video

This video is meant for your subscribers. You can use your latest video for this section or choose the one you think they should watch right away.

Add navigation sections

Help your followers navigate through your channel by making themed playlists: uploads, live streams, and custom lists.

Work on channel art

The design of your YouTube channel should match the whole brand strategy and color book. Having the same patterns, colors, and fonts will invest in the trust and loyalty of your fanbase.

Get verified

A small gray checkmark next to a channel’s name means a lot, as it adds trust. It will let people know that your channel is the official representation of your brand on YouTube. To verify your account, you need to go to “Settings” – “Channel” – “Feature eligibility.” There you will find the button that lets you get verified. After the process is finished, you will be able to post longer videos, stream live, and add custom thumbnails.

3. Optimize for search

All of your efforts will be in vain if you don’t have enough  search engine exposure . Now that you know how to create a YouTube channel, it’s time to learn how to optimize it for your purposes. 

The title, description, and tags should be optimized so that viewers searching for related items will find your content. You should do it for individual videos, but you can also have a pool of generic keywords that you will use every time.  SEO on YouTube works the same way as in Google, Bing, or any other search engine. The easiest way to  research the keywords  is by typing them into the search bar. If you have a match in bold, that’s the phrase you need.

Alternatively, you can use services like Google Ads, Ahrefs, and Semrush to get the whole picture of what’s happening in your niche SEO-wise. Among other tools are vidIQ and TubeBuddy, which have YouTube in their primary focus.

One more important thing that differentiates YouTube is that you have to actually use keywords in your videos. Not just pronounced separately, but used in your speech and subtitles. That’s how search algorithms understand that your video is relevant and answers the users’ intent.

4. Dive into content-making

Making a cool video may take a lot of time, so, as we’ve mentioned before, you should consider having a dedicated YouTube team. They will take care of the video production and marketing, as well as building a community.

If you, however, are on a budget, you can rely on  free tools for video-making  and have a marketing specialist help you do the promotional part.

You will need: 

• An online video editor like Fastreel, Magisto, or Kapwing
• An illustration-maker for channel art: Canva, Venngage, or Crello
• A content planner like Loomly, Trello, or Agorapulse

When you have all the tools you need, it’s time to find out how to make a YouTube channel more interesting with different video content.

• Types of content that perform well on YouTube

You will find dozens of video content types across YouTube. But which ones to pick for promoting a small business? The ones below work great for corporate accounts, so let’s take a closer look.

Brand introduction

A brand presentation is arguably the most important video on your channel. Tell your audience who you are, what you do, and what your content is about. This type of video works great as a channel trailer for the newcomers to get to know you. You can also make a series of short “meet the team” videos when introducing your employees. These videos can include short interviews, time-lapses of workdays, and little anecdotes about their lives.

Product overviews

If you produce cool items, develop handy software, or provide great services, YouTube is the best place to showcase your offerings. Product overviews are basically advertisements where you talk about features and benefits for users. These videos fit very well when you launch new products or release updates to your existing goods.

Instructions

Instructional guides are a must-have if you want the audience to treat you as an expert. Teach your subscribers how to use your services or products and make QA videos about the most troublesome moments. If you have your own profound guides and instructional videos, people won’t need to search for them anywhere else.

Educational videos

These differ from instructions in a way that they cover a wider range of topics. These topics, however, should be related to your product or service. For example, if you are a digital design agency, you can educate your audience about current design trends or color theory.

Customer testimonials

Client testimonials will draw viewers to your channel and provide valuable content for your subscriber base. A customer testimonial can include specific details about the benefits of a product or service based on real-life experience. Such feedback is more believable than bragging from the brand’s side.

Live streams

A scheduled live stream event will cause anticipation among your subscribers. You can tease the public on your other social media accounts and then talk to the audience in real-time. Live streams are perfect for product launches, QA sessions, and educational webinars.

• Creating a successful YouTube channel takes time

As you can see, there are a lot of advantages to  making use of YouTube . Not every company is successful in doing so, but with enough time and effort, you can reach your goal. A YouTube account will attract new audiences, improve relationships with customers, and draw more traffic to your site.

Plan out your digital strategy first, research the market, and you’re good to go. Don’t forget to optimize your content for search engines, upload videos regularly, and the followers won’t take long to come. By balancing the amount and types of content, you can keep your clients entertained for a long time.

Victoria is a content manager in Movavi. She specializes in writing user-friendly content and researching complex topics to make them easy to understand in her articles.

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YouTube Marketing in 2024: How To Get Started

Follow this 10-step guide to create a winning YouTube marketing strategy and take your YouTube presence to new heights in 2024.

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83% of adults in the U.S. are on YouTube , and people watch over a billion hours of content each day. That means your business has a huge opportunity to reach your audience via YouTube marketing.

But shouting from the rooftops about your products without a plan won’t get you anywhere. You need a strategy to succeed — and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. Keep reading to find the 10 steps to crush YouTube marketing in 2024.

Bonus: Download the free 30-day plan to grow your YouTube following fast , a daily workbook of challenges that will help you kickstart your Youtube channel growth and track your success. Get real results after one month.

What is YouTube marketing?

YouTube marketing is the practice of promoting a brand, product, or service on YouTube. It can involve a mix of tactics, including (but not limited to):

• Creating organic promotional videos
• Working with influencers
• Advertising on the platform

To market your business on YouTube — whether you’re an entrepreneur or an enterprise corporation — you need to produce what your target customers want.

Sounds simple, right? It is, as long as you know what your customers really want, not just what you think they want (a trap far too many businesses fall into).

Plus, you need to make sure the right people find your videos. YouTube is a search engine so you’ll need to optimize your content for the YouTube algorithm , just like you do for Google SEO.

But why is YouTube marketing so important for your business to invest in?

Let’s cover a few major benefits that YouTube can provide.

• Reach a major audience. YouTube is the second-most visited website in the world . Its users spend an average of 28 hours per month streaming content on the website. And four in five internet users have used this platform at one time or another. Find even more important stats in our roundup that prove just how valuable YouTube can be for business.
• Video content sells. One video marketing survey found that 90% of marketers have gotten a positive ROI from video. And 88% of marketers have found that video helps their audience better understand their product or service.
• Your videos can appear in search results. Not only do you need to pay attention to YouTube SEO , but by considering Google search results, your videos can reach an even wider audience.
• Take advantage of YouTube monetization. Once you’ve built a solid audience, you can make even more money from the ads that appear on your videos.

Now, without further ado, here is your complete, step-by-step checklist for how to successfully promote your business on YouTube.

Create. Schedule. Publish. Engage. Measure. Win.

10-step YouTube marketing strategy

Follow along with these 10 steps to create your business’s YouTube marketing strategy and start promoting your products or services with high-quality video content.

Step 1: Create a YouTube channel for your business

First things first, you have to create a YouTube channel .

Since YouTube is part of Google, you’ll need to create a Google account first to sign up for a YouTube channel. You can use an existing account or create one just for managing your business channel.

Here’s how to get up and running:

• Create a Google account. Or, if you’re a Google Workspace user, use your admin account or create a YouTube-specific account.
• Go to YouTube.com and click the profile photo in the top right corner.
• Click Create a channel at the top of the dropdown menu that appears.

• Enter your business name and handle and upload your logo as your profile photo in the popup that appears before clicking Create channel . (If you’re not sure if you want to use your business name as your channel name, consider using our YouTube channel name generator for some inspiration.)

From there, you’ll be taken to your brand-new YouTube channel!

Click Customize channel to start branding it and inputting key information you’ll need to share with your audience if you hope to gain any subscribers.

To fully complete and brand your new YouTube channel, fill out the following details in each tab:

Basic info:

• Pronouns (only if you’re a solopreneur)
• Description
• Channel URL
• External links
• Contact information
• Profile picture
• Channel art /banner image
• Video watermark
• Video spotlight
• Featured section(s)

Here’s an example of a fully branded YouTube channel so you can get an idea of what to expect once you’re finished:

Check out our step-by-step walkthrough to create a YouTube account for more details.

Now we’re ready to tackle your YouTube video marketing strategy.

Step 2: Learn what your audience likes

Alright, now for the tough stuff. What does your audience really want?

To figure this out, you need to answer two questions:

• Who are you making videos for?
• What are they already watching on YouTube?

To start, it’s helpful to know some basic YouTube demographics . As of January 2024, there’s a pretty even gender split , with 51.2% leaning female and 48.8% leaning male (there is no data on other genders).

Plus, YouTube remains a popular platform for users across generations. The largest distribution of YouTube’s user base falls between the ages of 18 and 49, followed closely behind by those aged 50-64

Source: Pew Research Center

YouTube isn’t only popular in the USA, though. There are over 100 localized versions of YouTube for countries around the world.

Spend some time researching who your target audience is already following on YouTube. What types of videos do they watch? (If you don’t have your target audience figured out yet, we have a free buyer persona template to help out.)

There are a couple of ways to do this.

If you already have your YouTube channel set up, check out your YouTube Analytics .

Specifically, you want to look at audience data like traffic source, viewer age and gender, geography, and the like.

This will give you valuable insights into your audience’s demographics and interests. You can see how many people are finding your videos through search, seeing it in their suggested feed or from other sources.

Or use social listening to find your audience.

This tactic allows you to continuously search social platforms, including YouTube, for mentions of your brand or specific keywords.

If you’re already a Hootsuite user, you’re in luck. Hootsuite’s powerful social listening tools, including sentiment analysis, can help you understand how people really feel about a topic.

Hootsuite just acquired the leading AI social listening solution Talkwalker. That will let you understand the sentiment behind brand mentions with Talkwalker’s AI-powered tools — right from your Hootsuite dashboard!

Talkwalker is also one of the few AI social listening tools that literally listens —monitoring audio content in videos and podcasts for mentions and references to your hot topics.

By seeing what people are saying about you or your industry, you can find out what people want to know and use that for video content ideas.

Step 3: Research your competition

The fastest way to grow on YouTube is to figure out what’s working for your competition and then do that…but better.

You can start by looking up channels from the competitors you already know. Perform a competitor analysis for the following:

• Subscriber count
• Average views per video
• Frequency of posting
• Overall video quality
• What people are saying in the comments
• The main topics they post about

And then ask yourself:

• What are their most popular videos?
• How are they presenting themselves?
• What is their brand voice?
• How can I differentiate my company from them?
• What ideas can I get for new content from this channel?

Put all your notes into a spreadsheet to help you keep track.

One of your sheets should also consist of a SWOT analysis. SWOT stands for Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats. Understanding these traits can help you figure out how to improve on your competitors’ strategies.

We’ve got a free social media competitor analysis template to get you going right away.

At first, your goal is probably to grow your subscribers and audience as fast as possible. So write down your competitors’ subscriber counts and views. Track your own progress against theirs monthly.

Plus, if you’re competitive, the desire to crush their numbers will motivate you to keep going with your channel, even if growth is slow at first.

Step 4: Study your favorite YouTube channels

Besides learning from your competitors, you should also be learning from your favorite YouTube channels. These don’t even have to be channels related to your industry — just channels you enjoy and want to learn from.

Consuming YouTube content will help you learn a lot about what’s working, especially since it’s always changing.

For example, did you know good audio quality is more important than video quality? Bad audio can deter people from watching your video or subscribing.

A lot goes into making YouTube videos people want to watch. When you watch others, pay attention to things like:

• Video thumbnails
• Channel art
• How other creators are linking to posts or products
• How other creators edit their videos, including text popups and other special effects

There are even entire channels devoted to video editing and YouTube growth. You can track them, or keywords relating to YouTube growth, in your Hootsuite dashboard.

Step 5: Plan and create your content

Now that your channel is set up and you’ve gotten an idea of the content that works well on YouTube, it’s time to put together a content plan for your own YouTube videos.

You’ll want to start by compiling a list of ideas. This might include:

• Questions your audience has asked you
• Trends you find online in your industry
• Popular competitor videos
• Options from our list of 100+ YouTube video ideas
• Experiments you want to try

Compile a list of 10 or so ideas to get started with. While you can find the right publishing cadence later, it’s a good idea to start your channel with a bang, uploading several videos that you can start promoting.

Then, you’ll want to create a video creation, publication, and promotion strategy. Add tasks like:

• Recording your content
• Editing the video together
• Uploading to YouTube
• Optimizing your video (more on this in the next step)
• Scheduling your video content
• Promoting your video

Once you’ve created your first batch, find a consistent schedule — like every 1-2 weeks — that you can keep up with in order to grow your channel.

Step 6: Optimize your videos to get views

Now let’s talk about how you can get views for all of the content you’re planning. YouTube’s 2 billion users watch about 1 billion hours of video content every single day. So how do you rise above the noise and get YouTube’s algorithm to show your videos?

If you’re familiar with SEO and Google’s algorithm, YouTube works in a similar way, but with one key difference — personalization.

When you search a phrase on Google, you’re served roughly the same website results as other people. I say “roughly,” because some results change based on location.

But if you and a buddy sat next to each other in the same room, on the same Wi-Fi and searched for the same keyword, you’d see the same results.

Not the case on YouTube.

When YouTube shows you search results, they take into account the keyword and similar things Google looks for: How popular a video already is, keywords in the title, etc. But YouTube also factors in your watch history and the types of videos it knows you like to watch.

That’s why no two users’ YouTube homepage or search results will be 100% alike.

Personalization plays a role, but it’s still important to do all those other YouTube SEO tasks to get your videos found in search.

Here are six ways you need to optimize your videos to get more views.

Do keyword research

Before you can optimize your video, you need to know what you’re optimizing for. Keyword research gives you the phrases people are using to find content so you can add it to yours, too. (More on this in a sec.)

You can use Google Keyword Planner for keyword research . Additionally, type your topic into the YouTube search bar and see what comes up. These are all things real people have searched for. This can give you ideas for new keywords.

Add your keywords to your video

You should have one main keyword and a few additional ones for each video. Here’s where to add them:

• Video title. Make sure your main keyword features prominently in your video title
• Video description . Input your main keyword within the first three sentences, then add 1-2 related keywords
• Video tags . According to YouTube, this has minimal impact, but use your keywords as tags anyway (consider using a tool like TubeBuddy to help find more relevant tags)
• Hashtags. Include 1-2 hashtags with your main keyword and a relevant keyword at the bottom of your video description

Use timestamps

YouTube timestamps are like breaking your video into chapters. It allows viewers to skip around to the sections they’re most interested in. This increases the chance they’ll watch more of your video.

Take a look at how the Hootsuite Labs team uses timestamps to help their audience navigate longer videos:

Create a detailed video description

Each video’s description should have a unique section of a few sentences describing what it’s about. But, you can create default descriptions to save time for the parts you want in every video.

Here’s what you want to include in your full video description:

• Synopsis of video
• Timestamps/chapters
• Relevant video and website links
• Link to your homepage
• Links to your other social media accounts
• Links to your products or services mentioned in the video
• A call to action

Create an engaging video thumbnail

Custom thumbnails are so important for views. Besides your title, it’s the only other thing users have to decide if they want to watch your video or not.

What counts as a good YouTube thumbnail will vary depending on your audience. As a minimum, make sure it isn’t just a screenshot from your video. Use a photo or your brand elements and add some text to lure viewers in — like Hootsuite does on the Hootsuite Labs channel :

Current specs are a 16:9 format with a minimum size of ​​1280 x 720 pixels.

Respond to comments

YouTube is a social network, right? So act like it. Responding to viewer comments shows you’re there to build a community, not to push out self-promotional content.

Here’s a secret : It also boosts your video’s status to the algorithm because more comments = a more popular-seeming video.

Step 7: Market your YouTube channel and attract followers

Now it’s time to promote your video content so you can get more subscribers and grow your channel. Once you’ve started creating, publishing, and optimizing your videos, you need to create a distribution strategy that helps spread the word.

While YouTube SEO should help you improve your overall reach on the platform, there is also work to be done off the platform.

Cross-promote your new YouTube channel on your website, other social media platforms, email newsletter, and more. Some distribution channels include:

• Adding a link to your channel from your website and email newsletter
• Embedding relevant videos onto your landing pages and blog posts
• Linking to playlists and videos from your social media channels and newsletter
• Collaborating with other brands or creators for cross-promotion
• Sharing links to relevant videos in online forums and communities

Get the word out that your brand now has a YouTube channel, create consistent (and great) content, and watch that subscriber count grow.

Step 8: Test YouTube advertising

Not growing fast enough? Try YouTube ads .

Most YouTube ads are videos but you can also place banner ads, either in videos or on the website. You can also make your video ads either skippable (after the first 5 seconds) or unskippable (for a max of 15 seconds).

Here’s an example of what a skippable YouTube ad looks like:

As a Google company, YouTube ads operate through the Google Ads platform. Running successful ads requires a strategy of its own, which we detail in our guide to Google Ads .

Besides the campaign strategy, before you try out paid ads, make sure you have:

• A rock-solid understanding of who your audience is
• Optimized your YouTube channel’s visual branding and description
• Uploaded at least 5-10 videos so your new visitors can get a sense of what you’re all about

Step 9: Try working with YouTube creators

One great way to boost your reach and become a more well-known presence on YouTube is to work with YouTube creators . There are tens of thousands of influencers on YouTube, giving you a wide range of video creators to choose from.

Plus, while new social platforms pop up all the time and become the “hot” place to advertise, YouTube has remained a high-performing channel for brands. And it’s the number one platform for consuming influencer marketing content.

As with any form of paid advertising or marketing campaign, you can’t jump straight into an influencer partnership without some prep work. A few things to keep in mind before you start include:

• Know your audience and know your goals
• Follow FTC guidelines for disclosing paid or sponsored content — ensure your creator partner uses the hashtags #ad or #sponsored, as a minimum
• Choose an influencer who aligns with your brand and who you trust to produce high-quality content
• Analyze your results after the campaign and learn what to do differently next time

Influencer video content examples

There are several different types of influencer videos you can work with a creator to make. Some of those include:

• Unboxing/haul videos. Influencers will open different PR packages that brands send to them; these are common ways influencer gifting campaigns are featured
• Tutorials . Influencers will dedicate a full video explaining how to do something using your product/service
• Product reviews. Influencers will try out your product/service and review it for their viewers
• Product placement/mentions. Throughout regular videos, influencers will subtly showcase or mention products that they use, sometimes providing discount codes for their audience
• Micro-ads. Influencers will include a micro-ad or promotion of your product in the middle of their video
• Sponsored videos . Your brand sponsors an entire video, i.e., if a makeup brand sponsors an influencer’s “get ready with me” video

Here’s an example of a sponsored video where makeup artist NikkieTutorials is creating a full-face makeup look using only SHEGLAM products:

If you want to work with influencers, you’ll need to compile a list of relevant creators and start reaching out to them to get an understanding of what they offer, what their rates are, and if a partnership makes sense.

Step 10: Analyze and adapt

As with all marketing, you need to track your YouTube analytics at least monthly. Use YouTube’s built-in reports to see what your audience is watching, what they like the most, where your traffic is coming from and more.

Use analytics to track your channel growth, too. Write down your numbers monthly for:

• Subscribers
• View duration
• Impressions
• Your click-through rate (CTR)

This becomes your benchmark to measure your channel by each month. Not growing? Then it’s time to adjust your YouTube marketing strategy.

5 YouTube marketing tools

Boost your YouTube marketing results with the use of helpful tools. Some must-haves are as follows.

1. Hootsuite

Hootsuite’s YouTube scheduling tools are perfect for crafting a consistent and easy-to-manage YouTube content strategy.

While you can always just schedule your videos within YouTube Studio, why step out of your (work)flow? Hootsuite can schedule all your social media posts, not just your YouTube videos.

More than a scheduler, Hootsuite’s dashboard allows you to monitor brand and keyword mentions across all your channels. You can do everything you need to for social media directly from Hootsuite.

That includes post creation, advertising, and analytics reporting, and you can save a ton of time by responding to comments directly from your dashboard.

Your entire team can have access to collaboration tools that allow you to effectively manage social accounts at scale, all in one place.

2. TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is a Chrome extension that can be a huge help when it comes to optimizing your videos and creating a solid content strategy. As you use the YouTube search bar for keyword research, TubeBuddy’s extension can provide you with keyword scores, ensuring you find the best content ideas for your strategy.

More than that, it can help you pull together tags, write comprehensive descriptions, and get basic analytics from your videos that help you adapt your strategy and continue your growth.

VidIQ is another tool that can help you find the best keywords and optimize your content. It also comes with an AI content generator to help you write descriptions and maximize each video’s potential.

Get personalized video ideas, analyze forecasts for video performance, audit your competitors, and access a wealth of AI tools that you can use to improve your content.

Canva can be a big help in a number of different ways. If you don’t have a video editor and/or graphic designer on staff, Canva is the perfect tool for getting help with video editing, thumbnail creation, and any other video or graphic needs you might have for your channel.

Create your channel art, design a template for stunning video thumbnails, and even create short videos using Canva’s video and graphic design editing functions.

5. Mentionlytics

Mentionlytics is the perfect tool for monitoring online conversations around your brand and industry, helping you find even more content ideas for your YouTube channel. Get insights from across websites and social media channels that can feed into your strategy.

Plus, Mentionlytics offers social media reporting, publishing capabilities, sentiment analysis, and more to help with your other marketing tactics.

Let Hootsuite make growing your YouTube channel easier. Get scheduling, promotion and marketing tools for your entire team, all in one place. Sign up free today.

With files from Chloe West .

Grow your YouTube channel faster with Hootsuite . Easily moderate comments, schedule video, and publish to Facebook, Instagram, and X/Twitter.

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As an ex-agency strategist turned freelance WFH fashion icon, Michelle is passionate about putting the sass in SaaS content. She's known for quickly understanding and distilling complicated technical topics into conversational copy that gets results. She has written for Fortune 500 companies and startups, and her clients have earned features in Forbes, Strategy Magazine and Entrepreneur.

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Bill Gross made his name in the tech world in the 1990s , when he came up with a novel way for search engines to make money on advertising. Under his pricing scheme, advertisers would pay when people clicked on their ads. Now, the “pay-per-click” guy has founded a startup called ProRata, which has an audacious, possibly pie-in-the-sky business model: “AI pay-per-use.”

Gross, who is CEO of the Pasadena, California, company, doesn’t mince words about the generative AI industry. “It’s stealing,” he says. “They’re shoplifting and laundering the world’s knowledge to their benefit.”

AI companies often argue that they need vast troves of data to create cutting-edge generative tools and that scraping data from the internet, whether it’s text from websites, video or captions from YouTube, or books pilfered from pirate libraries, is legally allowed. Gross doesn’t buy that argument. “I think it’s bullshit,” he says.

So do plenty of media executives, artists, writers, musicians, and other rights-holders who are pushing back—it’s hard to keep up with the constant flurry of copyright lawsuits filed against AI companies, alleging that the way they operate amounts to theft.

But Gross thinks ProRata offers a solution that beats legal battles. “To make it fair—that’s what I’m trying to do,” he says. “I don’t think this should be solved by lawsuits.”

His company aims to arrange revenue-sharing deals so publishers and individuals get paid when AI companies use their work. Gross explains it like this: “We can take the output of generative AI, whether it's text or an image or music or a movie, and break it down into the components, to figure out where they came from, and then give a percentage attribution to each copyright holder, and then pay them accordingly.” ProRata has filed patent applications for the algorithms it created to assign attribution and make the appropriate payments.

This week, the company, which has raised $25 million, launched with a number of big-name partners, including Universal Music Group, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, and media company Axel Springer. In addition, it has made deals with authors with large followings, including Tony Robbins, Neal Postman, and Scott Galloway. (It has also partnered with former White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci.)

Even journalism professor Jeff Jarvis, who believes scraping the web for AI training is fair use, has signed on. He tells WIRED that it’s smart for people in the news industry to band together to get AI companies access to “credible and current information” to include in their output. “I hope that ProRata might open discussion for what could turn into APIs [application programming interfaces] for various content,” he says.

Following the company’s initial announcement, Gross says he had a deluge of messages from other companies asking to sign up, including a text from Time CEO Jessica Sibley. ProRata secured a deal with Time, the publisher confirmed to WIRED. He plans to pursue agreements with high-profile YouTubers and other individual online stars.

The key word here is “plans.” The company is still in its very early days, and Gross is talking a big game. As a proof of concept, ProRata is launching its own subscription chatbot-style search engine in October. Unlike other AI search products , ProRata’s search tool will exclusively use licensed data. There’s nothing scraped using a web crawler. “Nothing from Reddit,” he says.

Ed Newton-Rex, a former Stability AI executive who now runs the ethical data licensing nonprofit Fairly Trained , is heartened by ProRata’s debut. “It’s great to see a generative AI company licensing training data before releasing their model, in contrast to many other companies’ approach,” he says. “The deals they have in place further demonstrate media companies’ openness to working with good actors.”

Gross wants the search engine to demonstrate that quality of data is more important than quantity and believes that limiting the model to trustworthy information sources will curb hallucinations. “I’m claiming that 70 million good documents is actually superior to 70 billion bad documents,” he says. “It’s going to lead to better answers.”

What’s more, Gross thinks he can get enough people to sign up for this all-licensed-data AI search engine to make as much money needed to pay its data providers their allotted share. “Every month the partners will get a statement from us saying, ‘Here’s what people search for, here's how your content was used, and here's your pro rata check,’” he says.

Other startups already are jostling for prominence in this new world of training-data licensing, like the marketplaces TollBit and Human Native AI . A nonprofit called the Dataset Providers Alliance was formed earlier this summer to push for more standards in licensing; founding members include services like the Global Copyright Exchange and Datarade .

ProRata’s business model hinges in part on its plan to license its attribution and payment technologies to other companies, including major AI players. Some of those companies have begun striking their own deals with publishers. (The Atlantic and Axel Springer, for instance, have agreements with OpenAI.) Gross hopes that AI companies will find licensing ProRata’s models more affordable than creating them in-house.

“I’ll license the system to anyone who wants to use it,” Gross says. “I want to make it so cheap that it’s like a Visa or Mastercard fee.”

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Fbi says it is investigating after trump campaign said sensitive documents were hacked by iran.

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WASHINGTON – The FBI is investigating allegations that sensitive documents from Donald Trump's presidential campaign were stolen in a cyber intrusion, as well as attempts to gain access to Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign, days after the Trump campaign declared it had been hacked by Iran .

The FBI released a brief statement on the Trump matter reading, “We can confirm the FBI is investigating this matter.”

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The Trump campaign provided no specific evidence of Iran’s involvement, but the claim came shortly after Microsoft issued a report detailing foreign agents’ attempts to interfere in the U.S. election in 2024 . The report cited an instance of an Iranian military intelligence unit in June sending “a spear-phishing email to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign from a compromised email account of a former senior advisor.”

Two people familiar with the matter said the Biden-Harris campaign was also targeted in the suspected Iranian cyber intrusion that is under FBI investigation. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details of the investigation.

Politico reported Saturday that it began receiving emails on July 22 from an anonymous account. The source — an AOL email account identified only as “Robert” — passed along what appeared to be a research dossier the campaign had apparently done on the Republican vice presidential nominee, Ohio Sen. JD Vance . The document was dated Feb. 23, almost five months before Trump selected Vance as his running mate.

“These documents were obtained illegally” and “intended to interfere with the 2024 election and sow chaos throughout our Democratic process,” Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said.

At least three staffers in the Biden-Harris campaign were targeted with phishing emails, but investigators have uncovered no evidence the attempt was successful, one of the people said. The attempts came before President Joe Biden dropped out of the race.

The FBI began investigating that cyber incident in June and intelligence officials believe Iran was behind the attempts, that person said. Officials have also been in touch with tech companies in recent months about the possibility that people linked to the Trump and Biden-Harris campaigns were being targeted through email.

Harris' campaign said in a statement, “Our campaign vigilantly monitors and protects against cyber threats, and we are not aware of any security breaches of our systems.” It declined to address whether it had identified any state-based intrusion attempts.

Iran’s mission to the United Nations, when asked about the claim of the Trump campaign, denied being involved.

However, Iran long has been suspected of running hacking campaigns targeting its enemies in the Middle East and beyond. Tehran also long has threatened to retaliate against Trump over the 2020 drone strike he ordered that killed prominent Revolutionary Guard Gen. Qassem Soleimani.

In its report, Microsoft stated that “foreign malign influence concerning the 2024 US election started off slowly but has steadily picked up pace over the last six months due initially to Russian operations, but more recently from Iranian activity.”

The analysis continued: “Iranian cyber-enabled influence operations have been a consistent feature of at least the last three U.S. election cycles. Iran’s operations have been notable and distinguishable from Russian campaigns for appearing later in the election season and employing cyberattacks more geared toward election conduct than swaying voters.”

“Recent activity suggests the Iranian regime — along with the Kremlin — may be equally engaged in election 2024,” Microsoft concluded.

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

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Jeff Mason is a White House Correspondent for Reuters. He has covered the presidencies of Barack Obama, Donald Trump and Joe Biden and the presidential campaigns of Biden, Trump, Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain. He served as president of the White House Correspondents’ Association in 2016-2017, leading the press corps in advocating for press freedom in the early days of the Trump administration. His and the WHCA's work was recognized with Deutsche Welle's "Freedom of Speech Award." Jeff has asked pointed questions of domestic and foreign leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's Kim Jong Un. He is a winner of the WHCA's “Excellence in Presidential News Coverage Under Deadline Pressure" award and co-winner of the Association for Business Journalists' "Breaking News" award. Jeff began his career in Frankfurt, Germany as a business reporter before being posted to Brussels, Belgium, where he covered the European Union. Jeff appears regularly on television and radio and teaches political journalism at Georgetown University. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism and a former Fulbright scholar.

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• One way to turbocharge the Chinese economy

Why won’t the government give farmers more freedom to sell their homes?

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C hina’s “reform and opening” policy began more than four decades ago in the countryside. It involved dismantling Mao Zedong’s disastrous “people’s communes” and giving farmers their own plots of land to tend. Food production soared, as did farmers’ incomes. Now some Chinese leaders want to disentangle rural property from a web of Mao-era restraints on ownership and let villagers enjoy another boom. The impact could be as far-reaching as those changes in the 1980s. But this time officials are proceeding more gingerly.

As more than 360 of the Communist Party’s most senior members prepared to hold a much-trumpeted gathering in July, some Chinese experts called for a big overhaul of the rural-property-rights system. The moment seemed apt. The secretive meeting, known as the “third plenum” because of its position in the party’s five-yearly cycle of policy pow-wows, was expected to focus on economic reforms, including in the countryside. State media stressed its importance by recalling that it was at a third plenum in 1978 that reform and opening officially started (although it wasn’t until the early 1980s that reforms to agriculture took hold).

As it turned out, last month’s plenum gave little sign that any sweeping change was in the offing, either in the rural domain or any other. It re-emphasised the well-known policy preferences of China’s leader, Xi Jinping, who wants a technology-led economic recovery and tighter party control over everything. The meeting’s pronouncements offered no promise of what some Chinese commentators see as the most badly needed ownership right for farmers: the freedom to sell their homes to whomever they wish. Since the 1980s, about 300m rural residents have moved to cities to work. As a result, about one-fifth of China’s rural homes are unoccupied or abandoned. Their value, and that of the land they occupy, is being wasted.

Those calling for change include Meng Xiaosu, a former official who was one of the government’s main advisers on property matters in the late 1990s when it decided to privatise urban housing and allow it to be freely traded. Those reforms unleashed a property boom that powered China’s economy until 2021, when the market slumped. GDP growth is now faltering. In February Mr Meng told a forum that if rural housing could be sold in the same way as urban homes, “I believe it could drive China’s economic growth to over 8% for more than 20 years.” Such a rate has not been achieved since Mr Xi assumed power in 2012, apart from a surge in 2021 as China recovered from the initial shock of the pandemic. Last year’s growth was 5.2%.

Another outspoken advocate of reform is Wang Huiyao, who heads the Centre for China and Globalisation, a think-tank in Beijing. Freeing the rural-property market, says Mr Wang, would be “low-hanging fruit” that, if plucked, would trigger the “next revolution” in China’s economy, comparable to the rural reforms of the 1980s, urban-housing reform in the 1990s and China’s emergence as a trading giant following its accession to the World Trade Organisation in 2001.

It would not be straightforward, however. Urban land is owned by the state but is leased to homeowners, typically for 70 years, with an assurance of automatic renewal. That is enough of a guarantee for most city-dwellers—hence house prices in the biggest cities that (despite recent falls) are among the world’s least affordable. In the countryside, land is owned by the “collective” (the village). Rural households have a right to use a piece of land to build their homes, but may not sell their property to people elsewhere. In practice some do, especially near cities where demand is high for cheaper homes or rural retreats. But buyers beware: when disputes arise courts usually rule that non-villagers have no right to the houses they have paid for.

Change has been slow. The government fears that lifting restrictions would encourage more farmers to sell and thus deprive them of a safety-net if they lose their urban jobs. It worries that cities may fill with large numbers of destitute people, potentially triggering unrest. Another concern is that a surge of new supply could deal a further massive blow to China’s crashing property market. There is an ideological restraint, too: the notion of collective ownership in the countryside is dear to the party. Admitting it is flawed would challenge a core ideological belief.

Since 2015, reforms have been carried out in more than 130 counties and a handful of prefectures, a tiny fraction of the total. Rarely have these involved relaxing the ban on selling to non-villagers, and even then only to others in the same area. More often the changes have focused on encouraging farmers who have moved to cities to give up their rural homesteads in return for compensation. In some cases farmers relinquish their land so that it can be used for commercial projects from which they get dividends. In other cases counties offer cash in return for housing—usually very little. In Fengyang county in Anhui province villagers can get an extra 50,000 yuan ($7,000) if they buy a new flat locally.

In the neighbouring county of Quanjiao, officials have been inspecting properties to check who owns what and then issuing hongben , or red booklets, as proof of ownership. These look just like urban-property certificates. In one village, however, residents are unable to produce them—they say they are being stored by the village authorities (a clue, probably, to who really controls the rights). In a nearby village where the majority of houses are empty, residents say that big changes have happened in the management of their agricultural land. The central government is encouraging experiments with the pooling of fields to make farms bigger and more efficient. Now all of the village’s rice paddies are being tended by two people. But hongben have yet to be handed out. Villagers suspect that local officials have a tourism project in mind and do not want NIMBY -ish hongben -waving residents to block it.

State media have suggested that the recent third plenum may ultimately result in further reforms. But if the plenum in 1978 is any guide, they could be slow to unfold. On July 24th, six days after the meeting ended, the agriculture ministry’s party chief, Han Jun, told reporters that reforms would be “carried out cautiously”. Just to be clear he added: “The right to use homesteads is a right enjoyed by members of rural collective economic organisations, meaning that non-members of these organisations have no right to obtain or indirectly obtain these rights.” In other words, do not bet the farm on a breakthrough. ■

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “One way to turbocharge the economy”

China August 10th 2024

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