Making Money on Social Media with Audio and Video (Part 2)

YouTube – The biggest bang for the buck on YouTube appears to be “How To” videos – to teach someone how to do something.  Keep your topic to the point and make it informative; even better if it is infused with some humor and visually appealing.  You only make money on YouTube after you have reached a critical mass of subscribers and hundreds of thousands of views.  You make money by keeping eyeballs focused on your entire video so that they will see ads for other YouTube videos promoted during or after your video.  Again, the topic is key and the video should be well done, professional, and of course, worth watching.  Stay away from the silly TikTok-ish videos here and focus on delivering value.  YouTube may be one of the slowest ways to make money, but people are doing it and there are many videos (on YouTube!) to teach you how.

TikTok – I don’t have the statistics but, based on what I have observed, I would guess that 90% of TikTok videos are silly videos of people’s cute pets or children or song and dance performances, and that few result in revenue.  Like YouTube, a video has to go “viral” in order to be an interesting source of advertising revenue.  However, a TikTok video can easily link to a product for sale through an affiliate like Amazon.  It’s also possible to live stream content and solicit virtual gifts, or to create a TikTok store and sell digital products, promoting the products within videos and including the shop’s URL in your TikTok profile.  Stay tuned to our blogs for more on this one.  I produced a TikTok video (Katie Britt Rebuttal) which, within three days, reached about 35,000 views.  I had great fun making it, but haven’t begun to think about how to monetize it.  What I do know is this: it was political, satirical content, based on a very current event.  That type of content receives significant attention on the web.  It is one of thousands of videos mocking a senatorial speech (rebuttal to the President’s State of the Union address).  From the hundreds of comments I’ve received, people think I’m “hysterical,” and “better than SNL.”  I took a risk posting something political in nature (though in the case of the actual speech given by the Senator in question, there was significant criticism on both sides of the aisle).  While the satire leaned strongly on one side of the fence, it could have been considered risky.  Nonetheless, of the hundreds of comments I have received, I found only one “heckle.”  In short, TikTok could make almost anyone an “overnight sensation.”  At the moment, it’s an adventure, but I’ll keep you posted through Riff on Jobs on how and when content can be monetized on TikTok.

Podcasting - The best way to think of podcasting is as an audio/video version of blogging, and teaching book publishing.  It’s just a slightly different medium.  In other words, anything you might consider putting on YouTube, a website, a blog, or in a book could just as easily become a podcast.  Like other media, the most important thing to achieve success is to have a “hook.”  You need to have a brand that governs what you will be podcasting about.  For example, our Riff on Jobs podcast is focused on issues facing people over 50 or 60 who are in career transition.  We have covered job hunting, networking, creating a home gym, signing up for Medicare, caring for elderly parents, and creating a side hustle.  Although we started out with video, we learned that people don’t want to sit and watch something they can listen to while out for a walk (or doing some other activity).  Like an audiobook, people want an easy listen.  Podcasts can be produced with minimal investment, though I strongly recommend a good microphone like a Yeti. (I don’t earn any commission for plugging products, but I have found my Yeti microphone to be one of the best tech investments ever).  There are several different platforms including Spotify and Apple.  With a podcaster account on Spotify, it is easy to produce podcasts, as well as edit and incorporate sounds and music for your brand.  Like other media, most of the money you could make from podcasting comes from ad revenue, where an ad might be strategically placed at the beginning, middle, or end of your podcast.  Again, there is no shortage of information on the internet about how to do this.  You have two choices - you can spend a lot of time strategically planning your podcast and striving for professional production quality recordings or you can dive in, try out a few, and see if there is interest.  We highly recommend having a number of podcasts “in the can” before posting the first.  Then, you can generate buzz, and keep on producing your podcasts on a regular basis.  Once again, the topic is everything.  Be sure you are broadcasting about something people are interested in hearing. You can be informative, entertaining, humorous, or all of the above.  Like everything in life, you should feel passionate about your topic so that you are engaging and people want to listen.  

If you plan to make a living with audio or video, record yourself, watch, and listen.  Listen closely.  Do you speak clearly?  Is your voice something people will want to listen to?  Do you look good on camera?  Do you know how to use lighting?  These may seem like simple things to think about but, remember, you are hoping people will want to listen to you and will share your video or audio with their friends.  Keep it interesting and pleasing to the eyes and ears of potential followers.  Not everyone is cut out to be an “entertainer,” instructor, talk show host, journalist, or political pundit.  Be true to yourself.