A world of videos

Initially, Youtube was simply a free site, competing with other platforms like Newgrounds. In those years, both YT and NG had only a little bargain advertising to pay for the domain. The earliest users uploaded only amateur clips made for fun, or archived footage for ease of sharing among family. Back then, no one even thought of Youtube as a career yet, but it was already a space for users to practice their skills.

Today, YT is one of the largest video hosting platforms, definitively the largest in Europe and the Americas, with millions of users and creators. The platform revolves around a variety of video forms, mostly longer ones but also with space for shorter clips of a few seconds, and short written posts. Content on the platform can be anything that people show even the slightest interest in, from games, tutorials, music, parodies, edited snippets of other media, and more. YouTube counts among social media platforms because, while it doesn't necessarily focus on personal interactions, communities often involuntarily form around specific channels or groups of channels centered around a common topic.

Videos or advertising?

Those interested in advertising on YouTube have several options.

1. Setting up your own channel as part of content marketing may be especially good for those who are involved in large, long-lasting, or complex projects that may not work well as content on platforms focused on text (like Facebook) or static images and graphics (IG).
2. For brands already present on YT, collaborating with another creator can also be a way to promote themselves. Especially if they have similar target audiences and both parties can benefit from "mixing" their subscriber groups.
3. Broadcast an ad to be shown by yt before or during various videos. This option is often chosen by large corporations and brands because they go with the line of least resistance. Unfortunately, an increasing number of viewers are finding ways to bypass such ads, or simply ignore them when they are forced to watch them.
4. Sponsor a creator affiliated with your industry. This method is one of the most frequently chosen, both by relative effectiveness and mutual benefit. Creators get a direct benefit, whether material or monetary, without the unnecessary intermediation of the platform. Sponsors, on the other hand, gain public approval from a person in whom a significant group of people have placed a certain amount of trust.
5. Ask the creator for a review. This form of cooperation is a variation of sponsorship. In this particular situation, the trusted creator receives, generally for free, a product or behind-the-scenes access normally unavailable to ordinary people. While this exposes the sponsor to potential criticism, it also means an opportunity for further improvement.

Just videos?

While Youtube focuses its content on regularly shared videos, whether in longer forms or "shorts," this is not the only functionality available to creators and users. Video viewers can express their opinions through comments, ratings (thumbs up or down), or save videos to various playlists, public or private. Channels, in turn, can share posts in their communities, including images or polls, and host streams, or live broadcasts, during which the audience can interact with the creator via chat. However, that's not all!

Creators from a certain subscription threshold can take advantage of monetization options for their videos, and their subscribers can become channel members for a small fee, in a format similar to platforms such as Twitch or Patronite. In addition, there are passive benefits associated with popularity on the platform, direct or otherwise, coming from partnering with sponsors, developing a business connected to the channel, selling products and merchandise, or building a business as well as a personal brand.

However, both building a brand worthy of monetization, as well as capitalizing on an existing channel, requires a high level of familiarity with both the tools available on the platform, the policies of YouTube itself, and the business or ethical norms created on the platform, such as not promoting shady brands.

So how do you get started? Where do you start if you don't even have a channel yet? Setting up and running a channel requires taking some time to discern and plan your activities. At this stage, it's especially worthwhile to get factual help to be as prepared as possible. That's why it's a good idea to take advantage of professionally prepared webinars, like those available on the Webinar Academy platform!

Youtube can be a real goldmine, whether for ordinary users, creators or marketers. However, it is worth remembering that it is a giant platform with a relatively long history and many distinctive conventions. So, as with other social networks, it's worth familiarizing yourself with the potential paths forward before taking your first steps. One way to master the basics of how to use and understand YouTube's history is through training courses from Webinar Academy, an online training platform focused on delivering high-quality, proven knowledge in a convenient format.