The Facts on the YouTube Ground.

This article is part of Caseworx’s Summer Series 2018, where we look at the intersection of media, learning and technology from every wacky angle we can find. This week, Shelby Church write a guest post for us on the daily realities of being a successful YouTube personality.
YouTube has completely changed how people interact with the media they are consuming. In the past, people may have been a fan of an actor or athlete but they usually didn’t get to know that person very well. On YouTube, people are talking directly to a camera. It’s a much different, more intimate viewing experience that allows YouTubers to have a much stronger connection with their audience.
I’ve been a YouTuber for the past nine years and have seen not only the platform grow and change, but also how people use it. Back in 2009, YouTube had some communities within it, but it was nothing like it is today. I first started to make videos when I was fourteen and had some extra time one summer. It was really just for fun, I always enjoyed using cameras and knew it was possible to earn a little money in the Google AdSense program, but I never thought of it as a serious thing back then. Most YouTubers at that time would upload pretty inconsistently. Whenever they felt like it or had a good idea they might make a video. They were not too strategic about their marketing strategy and really just made videos as a hobby.
Around 2013, YouTube networks started to pop up. Along with that, other businesses saw an opportunity to work with YouTubers. Agents and managers entered the YouTube space, making it a much more feasible to make YouTube a full-time gig. Agents and managers made it possible to do more branded content on a consistent basis. Branded content, or “brand deals” are basically paid product placements in videos. YouTubers generally earn a lot more from one branded video than they might from Google AdSense, the default way to earn money on YouTube. Once people caught wind that you could make some serious money on YouTube, it changed the way people interacted with YouTube. For many YouTubers, it went from a hobby to an actual job. While it is something I’ve been lucky enough to make a living off of, I try to still treat it as a hobby as much as I can. With anything creative I think that if you are only thinking about the money, it’ll most likely make your projects worse.
One thing I have struggled with in the last few years is making sure that my videos actually make it to subscription boxes and get consistent views. I’ve found with my own channel it’s pretty inconsistent. I may have a million subscribers, but hardly any of my videos actually have a million views. The YouTube algorithm is always changing and it can really affect how many views your videos are getting. To counteract this, it’s important to build a strong connection with your audience and stay active on other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. These platforms allow you to connect with your subscribers in a different way. On YouTube, I only upload once a week. If you aren’t posting everyday, people tend to forget about your channel. Instagram and Twitter allow you to stay connected to your audience and let them keep up to date when you can’t upload.
It can be tricky as a YouTuber to draw a line with how much you post. I don’t have a huge problem with this because the videos I’m making I’m actually interested in, and am just being myself. I also don’t force myself to post a certain amount of times per day or week, just when I feel I have something I want to share. I do know other YouTubers who are really intense about it: scheduling out Tweets, Instagram posts, etc. to make sure they are posting the optimal amount of times to grow their accounts. A lot of times this can come across as really forced. The only instance I see this working out is when the viewers are very young. Otherwise, I think it’s best just to be yourself and post what you actually want to post, because most people can tell if you’re being inauthentic. It’s also important to actually open up on social media if you really want to connect with your audience. If you’re struggling to come up with video ideas you want to create, rather than forcing some generic content that you think will do well, it’s okay to have that conversation with your audience where you just say, “Hey, I’m not really sure what to make right now, I’m gonna take some time to figure it out”. I’ve noticed the more personal you are on YouTube, Instagram, etc. the more of a connection you’ll build with your audience. My sister has built a channel with a strong viewership base that she is really open with and has been okay with uploading herself crying or talking about what she is struggling with in her vlogs, and as a result her audience can really relate to her and feel connected to her. Not everyone will be willing to put themselves out there like that, but I think the ones that are willing to be vulnerable online in some way build a much stronger connection with their audience. The more authentic and open you are with your audience, on any platform, the stronger the relationship you build with them.
In short, there is no trick or substitute for being authentic. It kind of solves everything, whether you build a successful YouTube channel or walking down the street. Try either. Or both!
Shelby Church is a successful YouTuber with over 1 million subscribers. Her startup Shuttr aims to match people looking to make social media content with competent photographers and videographers around the country.

