Profiting from YouTube is simple, and in today’s episode you will learn a strategy that I’ve used for 15 years to be job-free and creatively expressed in the world. To start, I want you to know that you can do this. You can succeed with online business. You can have a YouTube channel that gets views and engagement. You can build a lifestyle that centers around joy and bliss. You can get paid to do things you love, and only things you love. I would not be creating this content if I didn’t!
Part 1 – Mindset
The Trifecta | There are some important mindset shifts you need to make to be successful with business in general, and YouTube in particular. The first thing I want to introduce you to is the YouTube trifecta paradigm that I credit my 15 years of success to. It’s the Artist, Student, Teacher trifecta.
Artist
There are millions of videos “teaching” about how to beat the YouTube algorithm. And all of them are bullshit. The trifecta above is the one and only way to succeed on youtube. The reason for this is because people aren’t stupid. They don’t want to watch formulaic nonsense. And even when they do, those types of videos are not a smart strategy for business owners who actually care (like you). You don’t want to attract the types of people who need a dog and pony show to your content. You want to attract thoughtful, dream customers. You will do this by creating content that is authentic and heart-centered.
YouTube is ART! The people who realize this are the ones succeeding on YouTube. So live your life as an artist, and it will bleed into how you come off on camera. Start reading great poetry, go to museums, start having fun with water colors. This gets your creative muscles conditioned. You are an artist now. This stance is going to give you 100% more youtube success than any of the “hacks” or “formulas” you see on youtube.
Student
You’re an artist first, and a student second. This means you’re passionately learning about your craft and skill every day. Whatever you’ve decided to teach about on youtube, you need to have an overflow of excitement and information about it. This means that on a daily basis, find things to read about, take notes, and constantly get better. There are so many people who start a youtube channel, and run out of ideas because they’re not filling the proverbial cup. Inspiration and ideas are actually a byproduct of being in the Artist and Student mode for most of your day….
Teacher
Once you’ve filled up with artistic inspiration and knowledge, you turn the camera on and pour it out into the world. The results will be great content. People won’t know what exactly it is about you that they love, because you won’t necessarily be saying anything new…but you’ll stand out like a diamond in the rough. Not many people are brave enough to commit to the splunking that’s required for the Artist | Student lifestyle. They’d rather ignore life and set it on autopilot. But because you’re walking through life deliberately and wide awake, you’re able to shine a special light out into the world.
This trifecta will lead to your success in youtube, business, and life in general.
Believe you can | If you don’t believe you can, you won’t even try. If you believe you can, nothing will get in your way. When you believe you can, you start to think outside of the box. You start to seek out teachers when you don’t know the answer. You remain flexible because “I know I can do this, and I’m willing to work for this.”
Commit | You must commit to this. If you don’t commit, it won’t work. Commitment is an inner state that’s not unlike skydiving. You take the leap and you never look back. It’s not an option to jump backwards into the airplane once you’ve leapt. And true commitment has a similar definiteness to it.
Part 2 – Strategy
The most common misconceptions about YouTube is that Adsense and sponsorships are the gold standard for making money online. I think these are two of the worst ways to make money online for most people. Unless you have hundreds of thousands of followers, the money you’ll get from ads and sponsorships is nominal at best. Of course, it’s great if you have a couple of good months with ad revenue, but it’s not to be counted on. As a 15 year YouTube veteran, I’ve had some months where ad revenue from YouTube hit $5k, and I’ve had some months where it hit a couple hundred dollars.
Here’s how to think of add revenue…sprinkles on the sundae. If you happen to get a nice boost from Adsense, cool. It’s nice grocery money, or stock investment money or whatever. But again, it’s not to be counted on.
Sponsorships | Beware the Golden Handcuffs
When I started my business 15 years ago, I read a beautiful article from Leo of ZenHabits. He spoke about his personal paradigms in business, and about why he didn’t allow ads on his blog, despite the fact that it could’ve made him really great extra income. He laid out the pain fact that his blog was successful because he focused on one thing and one thing only…creating excellent content. And it made total sense to me. I was so inspired by the refreshing perspective he offered that I decided to adopt that business model.
Here were the choices I made when I started my business:
- No sponsorships (aside from my own products and services)
- Creating excellent content is the primary focus
- Helping people is the primary goal
I’ve probably passed up six figures worth of sponsorships on my channel. And I don’t bat an eye at that fact, because I think it’s helped me to build a solid relationship with the people who interact with my content. People know I’m here to help them, and that comes before profits for me. The result is that they want to watch my stuff, and they also want to buy my products because they know I have their best interest as the primary aim in all that I do.
Does this mean sponsorships are “bad”? Not at all. There are plenty of content creators who make a conscious decision to put sponsorships as the sole income of their business. And there is nothing wrong with this choice. This scenario is perfect for content creators who have zero desire to sell anything, who don’t want to have customers, and who want to just show up and create content. This is a valid strategy, but I just want you to understand there’s a world outside of sponsorships that has some incredible freedom and income.
It’s also important for me to mention the drawbacks of sponsorships.
The Drawbacks of Sponsorships
- Sponsorships require tons of work and energy to fulfill. It’s not as though you just say “thanks to Audible!” and move on with your life. No. You have to figure out how to fold a literal commercial into your video and not have it feel like an awkward commercial. You then have to send it for approval. And many times, they will request you redo the entire thing.
- It’s like having a boss. Look. Part of the reason I do online business is because I do NOT want anyone telling me what to do and when to do it. With sponsorships, you have corporate ad execs telling you what to say, how to say it, when to post, whether or not the video is “good enough” etc etc. You also have someone else determining how much you will earn. All of this is a big fat NO for me. I don’t want to have any part of this.
- You’re diluting your profits. If you have products or services you’re wanting to sell, it’s not a great idea to direct your audience’s attention on anything that isn’t your products and services. If you want people to buy your ebook, for example, but you also take an entire minute in your video to promote a sponsor, your giving yourself competition in your videos. Now your audience has to choose “Do I go to audible for that sweet 14 day trial? or do I go to her website and buy the e-book?”
- You’re diluting your relationships with your audience. When people come to you to hear you speak, it’s a good idea to give them what they want. It’s a bad idea to stop in the middle of a video to talk about a Casper mattress.
Again, if sponsorships suit your fancy and align with your lifestyle, good for you. But if you’re hoping to have a profitable business with longevity, and an audience that loves your stuff, I recommend you focus on promoting your own products and services as your main business model.
Create Your Own Products & Services
Creating your own products and services is the route I recommend you take. Why? Because this is the equivalent of creating your very own income garden, from which you can harvest a beautiful income from all year round. You get to decide how much you want to earn, how much time you’re going to spend, and what you want to spend your days doing. There is a creative freedom in having your own products that is fulfilling, and it also helps your people.
How do you create your products and services? Again, we turn to the trifecta of Artist, Student, Teacher.
Creating products that help people within your field of expertise can be approached as an art project. I’ve personally sold e-books, courses, programs, live events, memberships, one on one coaching, virtual retreats, and more. Being an artist means that the products you create will be inspired and come from a place that transcends the superficial level. This usually equates to people wanting to buy what you offer, and spreading the word about the things you do offer.
In 15 years I’ve never once bought an ad. How is that possible? Because of word of mouth, loyal customers, and inspired products and services. You too can do this if you adhere to the Artist, Student, Teacher trifecta. This means that you keep your cup filled with excellent teachings and inspiration, and then you put together products and services that teach what you’ve learned.
By the way…if you need any help with figuring out exactly how to create your first online product, and create a profitable online business that you love, my program The Six Figure Creator will walk you through the entire process.
The Six Figure Creator
- Learn exactly how to create passive income with an online business
- Start profiting from social media
- Get the time freedom you deserve
- Earn a great living doing things you love
- Get your gifts out into the world, and build a breathtaking legacy
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Focus on Helping & The Profits Will Come
There’s an old saying in online business “If you build it, they will NOT come.” This means when you finally do build a product or service to sell, you are going to have to “promote” whatever you’re selling. But here’s the key to success with online business, and especially with YouTube..
This means focus on helping people with everything you post. Focus on helping people with every product you sell. Focus on helping, and success is inevitable.
❤️,
Brenda
