I Started A YouTube Channel; Why You Should, Too!

There are a lot of Filipino citizens whose lives have been changed as monetized content creators on YouTube. I'm talking about ordinary citizens who started from zero subscribers and grew an online following based on their chosen niche.

During this pandemic, a lot of people decided to become YouTubers with the hope of earning money by making videos.

To qualify for a YouTube Partner Program, where YouTube puts ads on your channel via Google Ads, you need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4, 000 watch hours within the last 12 months.

I have friends who are now being paid by YouTube. While writing this, I received a message from a friend that he got monetized already and YouTube paid him $10. Not bad for a start because the videos we put on our channel will garner more views, and it will eventually become a passive income as long as there are people watching our videos.

Earning on YouTube is more than just posting a video of yourself. Let's not forget that YouTube is a Search Engine second only to Google. Billions of people visit YouTube for either entertainment or education (How To's). To be successful on YouTube, your content shouldn't be much about you, but about what value you can offer people or how you can answer their specific questions based on your chosen niche (cooking channel, tech channel, education channel, make-up channel, lifestyle channel, dance channel, music channel, crafts channel, so on).

If you think you have the skill, expertise, knowledge, experience of a certain topic that will answer consumers' questions, then start a YouTube channel.

I DID!

I called it Radiant Fields.

My channel is all about ENCOURAGEMENT. The value I am offering the YouTube Community is a response to the increasing rate of mental health issues. Whenever I search for videos on How To Help Someone With Depression, I read in the comments about how they only wanted people to listen to them, not judge them. There are not many recent videos about how to encourage someone with depression. My channel is my way to reach out, provide an alternative solution,  promote empathy, encouragement, and advocate for inclusion.

Radiant Fields come from the inspiration of sunflower fields. Sunflowers look up and follow the position of the sun. This is where they draw their energy. However, during cloudy, rainy, or stormy weather, when the sun cannot be seen, sunflowers face each other and draw energy from one another. That, for me, is a lovely symbolism of encouragers. 

Sunflowers are ordinary flowers and yet their vibrance brighten our day. This thought motivates me that as encouragers, we may not be licensed professionals to help someone dealing with depression and anxiety, but we can be there holding a space to listen to them, show empathy, and offer a positive perspective. I hope to ignite the spirit of encouragement on this channel. Being an Encourager at World Pulse for three years now help me learn how to encourage women effectively.

This is the beginning of the #EncourageHer Movement (Encouragement).

There is an adage that says, \"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great\" (Zig Ziglar).

When you start a YouTube channel, identify who your audience is, they usually are a few steps behind you so you can show them the way.

Perhaps you enjoy 5 years of a healthy marriage, you can start a channel that will guide women who are 4 years married and below or single women who want to get married. Your topics could be to inform them of the red flags of an abusive partner or give them tips about relationships.

You can be a fresh college graduate. You can start a channel that will guide students with tips and tricks on how to succeed in school.

You can be an entrepreneur. You can start a channel that will help women who want to start a business.

You can be a writer. You can start a channel that will train students on how to write well.

You can be a health buff. You can start a series of videos on how to have a healthy living.

You can be a gardener. You can post tutorials on to nurturing a garden.

Again, YouTube is a SEARCH ENGINE. Find out what it is you are passionate about and make that passion your purpose in providing value to billions of YouTube viewers.

You can start a cause, a campaign, a culture through the power of tech and video. When you have an outlet for your passion, monetizing on YouTube becomes a secondary concern.

YouTube can also be your marketing platform to promote your business, organization, products, services, books, training, and more. But before anything else, you need to educate yourself on how to read the algorithms, create quality content, design click-worthy thumbnails, put searchable titles, write descriptions, and edit videos. It takes hard work.

It's easy to give up half-way, especially if there are no views or subscribers. That's why we need to be clear with our WHY, plan our HOW, and research our WHAT.

Here are the SEVEN REASONS why I started a YouTube Channel:

1. Courage - Filming myself and putting myself out there takes a lot of bravery for me. But each time I do it, I gain confidence in my ability to speak. When I edit my videos, I see my flaws and weaknesses, then encourage myself to improve next time. I tell myself, \"It's ok to make mistakes. You will get better one day. Keep it up.\" At the same time, I see my strength and good points, so I also give kudos to myself. 


2. Creativity - Planning for content challenges creativity. I love the term \"content creator\" because it likes producing a show. It takes a lot of preparation and process to create a video with quality content.


3. Connection - Attracting viewers whose hearts beat like yours is a real treasure. In World Pulse, I learn that sharing our story brings connection to the reader. I hope to attract people who have the same intention and heart about encouragement.


4. Community - Finding my tribe, growing an online community, and pursuing a shared mission in creating caring and safe spaces is what I hope to achieve.


5. Culture  - Cultivating a culture where we say \"I'm Listening\" instead of \"Stop Crying\", \"Stop Complaining\", \"Stop Worrying\", and so on would help people fighting with mental health issues heal.


6. Compassion - Putting empathy into action is called compassion. I hope my channel will grow large enough that I will be earning and donating to causes I care about.


7. Celebration - Documenting wins and achievements are worth immortalizing! I love giving kudos and appreciation. 

If encouragement is something you like to do, please subscribe to my channel! If time and schedule permits, I would love to interview Featured Encouragers on my channel so you can talk about encouragement and other things you are passionate about and would like to promote. 

I hope this post encourages you to start your YouTube channel. Let us utilize the power of tech and video to influence, to educate, to inform, to empower. Let's give women and girl viewers ALTERNATIVE videos to watch on YouTube. Let us create content that empowers and encourage them to silence the noises of \" I AM NOT ENOUGH\".

The time to start is NOW. I get my YouTube education from Think Media where they say, \"Start before you're ready. Start messy, your first videos will be your worse videos, but it will be a learning experience. You will get better from there\".

I want to grow my YouTube channel so one day I can mentor women and girls on how to be video influencers.

Business experts predict that YouTube will grow bigger in the next five years due to the shift to digital technology and virtual learning. Ride the wave now. Who knows your next source of economic power will come from YouTube? 

If you already have a YouTube channel, kindly post the link below so we can subscribe to your channel. Let us support each other on YouTube so we can grow our communities faster and qualify for the YouTube Partner Program, too!