To activate monetization, follow these steps.
The 4,000 watch hours YouTube needs before getting access to monetization features on your channel has gotten a lot of flak. However, when you look at the numbers, it’s just a small step on the way to making a living on the web.
It’s also the first big achievement that most aspiring YouTube content creators can see. So, how can you successfully hit 4,000 YouTube watch hours? What can you do to start a new YouTube career?
It will not be straightforward, as it is for many self-starting businesses. However, if you stick to our recommendations, which we’ve compiled based on our own platform experience, you’ll be able to reach that goal if you’re persistent.
Why You Shouldn’t Be Concerned If You Lose 4,000 Monetized YouTube Watch Hours
First and foremost, let’s deliver some bad news. 4,000 hours isn’t going to get you very far financially. Everything we’ve said here is focused on our own YouTube experience.
Over the course of a year, our channel’s total view time was 4 minutes and 7 seconds. That means we’d have to get 60,000 views on our channel to hit the 4,000-hour mark. In the past year, our average CPM was $7.16, with around half of our views resulting in monetized replay.
Since YouTube also takes a 45 percent share, a total of 60,000 views on our channel won us $117. It’s a good sum of money, but it’s nothing so huge to boost about.
So, what does all of this mean? With the latest 4,000 watch hours YouTube needs before monetization can be allowed, you’d lose around $117. This isn’t a setback worth thinking about if you’re serious about making money from your YouTube channel.
But I’m looking for 4,000 watch hours right now. I’m not sure how I’m going to do it.
We’ll share a fantastic plan with you below that will help you break into your niche and attract thousands of engaged viewers. It’s a long-term project that will take you well beyond 4,000 YouTube watch hours.
However, if you’re serious about reaching the 4,000-hour mark with your current audience, we’ll go over some cheat sheet-style strategies you can use to get as much watch time as possible.
Produce podcasts that are between 20 and 60 minutes long.
You may want to launch your own podcast. This will not only allow you to get more watch time per viewer, but it will also allow you to publish videos with less editing effort. You can start recording, finish your podcast, and then publish the raw video.
Stream in real-time
It’s another way to add up watch time, and it counts against your 4,000 hours. Live streaming doesn’t require any editing. To estimate your watch time, multiply your average viewers by the length of your stream. As a result, a single four-hour stream of 50 average viewers equals approximately 200 hours of viewing time.
Increase the length of your normal video
Longer videos are becoming more popular on YouTube, so don’t be afraid to upload videos that are 10 minutes or longer, and try to avoid uploading shorter videos if at all possible.
All of these strategies are effective in increasing watch time, but instead of concentrating on the 4,000-hour mark, consider setting larger objectives. If you work hard and put in the effort, the amount will undoubtedly be met, and bigger goals will easily replace it as your goal.
How to Get 4,000 YouTube View Hours and More
4,000 YouTube watch hours isn’t going to ease your bills, so let’s figure out how to get enough views and watch hours to make a living. We’ll need to do a few things to get on the radar if we’re starting from the ground up.
The thousands of other developers who have already established themselves on the web through thousands of different niches will be your greatest obstacle. As a new YouTuber, this means that your content is unlikely to be recommended by your niche’s existing competitors. You could post videos without a plan and see some results over time. However, without a measured approach, it will take years.
You’ll need to become an expert in your field and keep up with current events. Your goal would be to make a video about a hot topic before someone else does. Since you’ll be the only definitive source on the trending news subject, your content is likely to be recommended over others, even if it’s only for a short time. To better understand this, we’ll use two examples.
If you’re a video game content designer, here’s what you should do: A rumor is circulating online that the next Call of Duty game would include a new item. You conduct analysis, gather information, and make and post a video on the subject before anyone else.
You work for a sports news network: A rumor has surfaced on the internet that a soccer player is about to make a record-breaking move to a new team. You study the information and write a report on it. You upload the video before any of the major networks have had a chance to do so.
The best outcome here is for your video to appear on Google’s front page for searches on the covered subject, which will increase your views on YouTube. In the same way, any YouTube searches will bring you to your video. The subject in your video will be recognised by YouTube’s algorithm as a trending topic, and it will be promoted to viewers who are interested in your niche.
This includes updates sent to YouTube mobile app users who aren’t subscribed to you, your video appearing in “Up Next,” and your video appearing on the YouTube homepage, even though they aren’t subscribed to you.
Naturally, if a larger channel covers the same subject, your video will be outranked and you will lose the development. But it won’t matter because you’ll have already gathered enough interest to gain some subscribers and views.
Even if they didn’t subscribe, the majority of people who watched your previous video would see it in different browse features on the website the next time you release one. All you have to do now is ensure that your next video is entertaining and has a nice thumbnail.
Now you must be thinking that how do you come up with ideas for videos and make, edit, and post them before someone else? To be able to pick up on these stories, you need to be really invested in your niche. They typically go viral on sites like Reddit, Facebook, and Twitter before being covered by major news outlets and YouTube channels. This is applicable in a wide range of internet niches.
You won’t pick up on these stories unless you’re heavily invested in the niche you’re covering, and at that point, you have to ask yourself whether you’re making videos because you like what you’re making videos about. You must be enthusiastic about it and the video production process. You must be enthusiastic about it and the video-making process; otherwise, you will flame out long before you achieve success.
You’ll also need to learn how to edit quickly and have a fast upload speed, which will allow you to publish your video before anyone else.
It will be more difficult if you aren’t making videos about a topic that is currently trending. If you do more creative work, such as creating animated cartoons or fact-filled documentaries, for example. In this scenario, your creativity can save your back. You have to be deeply indulge in that niche which you want to target
The 4,000 Watch Hour Strategy Summarized
To summarise this in digestible information you can take away with you, we’d suggest doing the following:
- Heavily invest yourself in your niche. Read everything online about it.
- Build a video to cover a trending subject as soon as you see it.
- Be fast, concentrate on light editing, and get your work out there as soon as possible.
- You’ll get a lot of views, and your next upload will be suggested to these people.
- The next step is critical: create the best possible material. Make it fun and entertaining, and make a nice thumbnail.
- Each time a new trending topic appears, repeat the procedure.
This technique isn’t guaranteed to work every time; it can take a few tries. When it works, it works wonders, and it’s a great way to get into every YouTube niche.
Meanwhile, you should keep uploading content on a regular basis and use the videos that aren’t getting a lot of views to play with your content, practise editing, and improve your thumbnail-making skills. That way, when it’s your turn to shine, when you eventually see that hot item, you’ll be able to seize it before anyone else.
Was this article of assistance to you? Do you think you’re ready to take on the YouTube world yet, or do you still need some guidance? Do tell us in the comments what do you think about this
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