In my last blog post, I talked about 7 reasons why Youtube is the best platform to market your music, especially if your goal is to do music full time.
I’d recommend it over Instagram, Tik Tok, or even Facebook any day for a bunch of reasons, so do check out that post if you haven’t already.
But before you head out and start creating videos for your Youtube channel, you need to have some kind of strategy in place so that you increase the odds of Youtube working for you.
In this post, I’m going to share with you my 5 step youtube strategy that you can use to build a loyal fanbase and start making money consistently with it.
Ready? Let’s dive right into it.
Step 1: Create a plan for your Youtube channel
This first step is the most important and crucial step of this strategy and one that you don’t want to skip.
Failure to plan is planning to fail after all.
And planning your Youtube channel is all about doing the necessary groundwork before launching your channel so that you don’t run into any hiccups.
Planning also helps ensure that you start making money with your channel as soon as possible.
Which is one of the main reasons for having a Youtube channel in the first place.
And planning your channel doesn’t need to be complicated.
You just need to do these 5 things.
- Define your artist brand
- Define your ideal subscriber
- Design your Youtube channel
- Decide what you’re going to sell on your youtube channel.
- Create a 13-week content calendar
At the end of this step, you should have a plan for your youtube channel that shows you exactly what you need to.
Step 2: Set up all software and equipment
Once you’re done creating your podcast plan, the next thing to do is set up all the tools and equipment you’ll need to run your Youtube channel.
There are 9 things to do at this stage:
- Buy your recording equipment
- Setup your Youtube channel
- Setup your website
- Set up your email marketing software
- Set up your recording studio
- Create motion graphics for your videos
- Create graphics for your channel
- Create the ultimate lead magnet
- Optimize your Instagram profile
As you can see, there are quite a few things that need to be done at step 2 of this strategy, and getting these done will help you hit the ground running when your launch your Youtube channel.
Step 3: Launch your YouTube channel
After you’ve set up all the tools and equipment you need for running your channel, the next thing to do is go ahead and launch your Youtube channel to your existing audience.
And the best way to do this is to launch with a competition.
Why?
Because competitions are a fun way to get your existing followers involved and interested in your Youtube channel, and it’s also a great way to start building your mailing list as well if you don’t have one already that is.
I’ve come up with a simple 5 step process to launch your Youtube channel.
They are:
- Create a giveaway
- Invite interested followers to join a mailing list for a chance to win the giveaway.
- Record your channel trailer
- Record 3 launch episodes
- Release these episodes on launch day
- Announce the winner of the giveaway
Pro Tip: When deciding on the right type of giveaway, make sure it’s something that appeals to your ideal subscribers and not something general like an iPad.
A general giveaway will attract the wrong kind of people to your launch list and you don’t want that.
Step 4: Monetize your existing audience
The next step of this strategy is to start making money with your Youtube channel, and this happens after you’ve published a couple of videos on your channel – I’d recommend at least 5 videos.
There are various ways to make money with your channel, but the one I recommend you start with at this early stage is launching a membership site like a Patreon account.
This method of monetization is great for a new channel as it appeals to your super fans and it doesn’t cost a lot to join.
Initially, you want to reach out to your family and friends, letting them know you will be launching a Patreon page soon, and ask if they’d like to support you.
When you have a handful of patrons, then you can reach out to other members of your list.
Step 5: Begin Youtube videos Ads Campaign
Finally, once your channel is up and running, and you’ve published a bunch of videos and made a couple of bucks from your Patreon account, it’s time to start promoting your channel with paid advertising – in this case, Google Ads.
Why ads?
You want to grow your channel as quickly as possible, and spending some money promoting your channel is the fastest way to do so.
I mean you could try promoting it by sharing it all over social media, but that is a lot of hard work and takes a lot of time to do.
Something that most indies don’t have.
Want to learn more about how Youtube and can help you do music full-time?
Why not book a chat with me. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have and could talk about Youtubing all day.
You can do so by following this link and pick a spot on my calendar.
Look forward to chatting with you.