Many people have discovered creative methods to earn money using the internet. A "money-making" technique that is currently popular today is the monetization of YouTube channels. Whether you are a musician who wants to get some attention from music fans all over the world or a business owner who is establishing a video library for the products that you are selling, monetizing your YouTube account is a great way to build a reliable income, provided you do it correctly.

There is a lot of misconception about YouTube as a social media platform. Because of the ease with which users can update and create their own content, it often seems like less of a social media network and more of a personal page. But just because you can use Facebook, Twitter, and the like to promote your video doesn’t mean that YouTube isn’t a viable social media platform. In fact, YouTube can be seen as the heart of the social media platforms as its content is widely distributed throughout the other platforms. In fact, 400 tweets per minute contain a YouTube link, and YouTube’s search bar is the second only after Google.

YouTube has the benefit of having one of the most engaged audiences out of the social media platforms. With tweets flooding Twitter news feeds, and posts cluttering Facebook feeds, it’s harder than ever to reach followers on platforms. However, 85 percent of YouTube subscribers consider themselves "regular" YouTube users.

It’s recommended that if you do pursue creating a YouTube channel that you have a professional team of producers and creators, as the content uploaded should maintain a high standard. However, a lot of big YouTubers have started with just their mobile phone and a personality. Now, video content and a strong YouTube presence can be significantly harder to establish than say Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. But if video content were right for your brand, it would be well worth the extra step.

As YouTube is free to set up (and easy - all you need is your Gmail address, and you’re set), the company makes its massive profits from ads. While they are reserved for those top budget players, YouTube still has certain issues with the ads as they are considered a form of interruption messaging, i.e. not organic content that is so highly favored on other social media platforms. Essentially, the paid ads are disrupting viewers from what they are doing on the site. And with the ease of the "Skip Now" button, the ads have a high chance of not being viewed if they are not properly targeted.

This guide will focus on the following:

• Features and impact of YouTube
• YouTube tools to help you target viewers
• Creating great YouTube content
• How the YouTube algorithm works
• How to get more YouTube subscribers
• Making your videos
• Bringing in the traffic
• Picking a profitable niche and keyword research
• SEO
• YouTube channel goals you can control...and more!