YouTube remains one of the most popular online platforms for video content sharing and monetization. However, its guidelines are constantly changing, so if you want your channel to stay popular, you need to stay abreast of all the latest news and be ready to make changes to your digital marketing strategies.
Essential YouTubers marketing changes
One of the major recent changes on the YouTube platform is that the YouTube Partner Program will no longer be the only one option for creators to generate revenue from their videos. Previously, a channel needed to have at least 4,000 hours of watch time and 1,000 subscribers to be verified for monetization. Another change has to do with how YouTube treats non-monetized videos – previously, if a video was marked as non-monetized, advertisements would not be played and no revenue would be accrued to either YouTube or the content creator. A YouTube policy change has now set that all videos will be monetized – however, if the channel is not a YouTube partner, the video’s ad revenue will go to YouTube and not the channel owner.
In 2021, there are a variety of new YouTube features to explore and new content and marketing trends to be aware of. We’ve compiled a list of the trends, tips, and features all content creators should be aware of:
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Shorts
This is something similar to Instagram stories or TikTok videos. Shorts are 15-second videos created with a smartphone that grab the viewers’ attention and can be a good source of additional income.
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Recommendations algorithm
A few changes have been made to the video recommendations algorithm. In theory, this should result in viewers being offered more relevant content, resulting in higher CTR and watch time for content creators.
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CTV advertising
People are spending more and more time in front of Connected TVs, especially during the quarantine period. Content creators interested in improving their revenue should look into CTV advertising as a new land of opportunity. You can learn more about it on this site.
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Promotion on other platforms
In order to increase your channel’s popularity, it is crucial to make social networks and platforms work for you. If you create content for TikTok, Instagram or Facebook, simply add the link to your channel there.
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Chapters
Chapters offer viewers a way to easily navigate your videos. You can divide a video clip into several chapters to let viewers switch to the part they want to watch, and skip some chapters they may not be interested in..
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Thumbnails control
In order to attract clicks, many creators use clever thumbnails. These intrigue viewers with catchy titles, designs, and images, though it’s no guarantee that the content inside matches the thumbnail. YouTube has stated that in 2021, they’ll be paying more attention to misleading thumbnails, and that creators that rely on them may risk a ban.
These aren’t the only changes and trends of 2021, but YouTube’s policies and the streaming video market is always shifting. Whether these changes are good or bad, it pays for every creator to stay on top of the latest news in their industry.
The takeaways
There is already an immense amount of YouTube channels, and new ones are being created every minute. This means that competition is extremely high and it is very important to follow and comply with YouTube guidelines in order to make your channel prosper. By following the latest trends in the digital video space, creating high-quality content with real added value, and having a passion for content creation, any creator can take a shot at making the big time, or at least ensuring that they can make a steady income doing what they love.
