Originally, I had planned on writing this guide as an eBook and then offering it for sale. However, I decided that in the spirit of giving back to the YouTube community, I’d offer my thoughts and advice here in the post for free.

Over the past two years I have successfully promoted two distinctly different YouTube channels and helped them get accepted into the YouTube Partner Program. Since I do not technically own either channel, I am not bound by their agreement to not discuss details of the program. In order to protect the channels I work with, I won’t be revealing any specific information about them.

What IS the YouTube Partner Program?

If you’re an avid YouTube user, you may have noticed that some videos have advertisements placed to the right of the video frame. Some even have advertisements embedded into the videos themselves. In the majority of cases (there are a few small exceptions), these videos belong to content producers that are known as Partners. The main benefit of being a  YouTube partner is that the revenue generated by advertisements placed on your video is shared with you. At the time of this writing, YouTube Partners receive over 50% of the ad revenue generated by their videos. Since YouTube has such high visibility and great branding, many advertisers are eager to buy ad space there.

Other Benefits of the Program

Maybe you’re a director, musician, or a comedian that isn’t interested in using YouTube to make money, but moreso as a vehicle for mass exposure. Plenty of entertainers have been “discovered” by YouTube, many of which have went on to build careers. Becoming a YouTube partner will not only supplement your income, but it will also give your videos greater visibility. Partner videos lately have been getting preference in YouTube search results. Also, YouTube has a program that allows web publishers to embed a YouTube player on their site and earn revenue from the ads placed within the content. Guess which videos are selected to play in those embedded players? That’s right, partner videos. This means that being a YouTube partner actually works to distribute your content all over the world.

Have you ever been to a YouTube channel and noticed their main video begins playing automatically? Have you ever attempted to get your own channel video to autoplay? Well, unless you’re a partner, it cannot be done (for now, anyway).

Partners are also allowed to customize their channels to an extent not possible to regular content producers. Some customization options include a channel banner as well as a banner to be displayed on your video pages.

How do I become a YouTube Partner?

According to YouTube, all you need to do is create quality videos that are “viewed by thousands”, and then apply. If you feel that your channel already meets this criteria, then by all means, click here to apply.

It’s a pretty common belief in the YouTube community that in order to get approved, you should have at least 500 subscribers. However, I’ve seen exceptions to this many times, especially when it comes to notable bands or programs that are already popular offline that have just created their accounts. When one of the channels I work with was first approved, there were only around 300 subscribers (and that number has grown exponentially since then).

My Personal Advice

I don’t work for YouTube, nor do I claim to be an authority on their policy, but I strongly recommend that you don’t apply for the program until you think you’re ready. I’ve heard various reports that once you apply, if they review your account and decide not to upgrade you, then you might get lost in the shuffle for a while (which means if you reapply in the future there may be a huge delay in response). However, having said that, don’t be afraid to apply if you think you’re ready. If you’ve got quality, original content, it is not impossible to get approved even if you only have 50 subscribers.

I should also point out that the other partner account I work with actually never applied to the program at all. Using some of the methods I outline in my eBook, Gaming YouTube, we got the views of a particular video well over 300,000 in a very short period of time, and then YouTube actually contacted the channel owner directly and invited him to join the program.

I’d also recommend that you get started building your channel sooner rather than later. Once the Partner Program spreads, it may be difficult to get a leg up on all of the competition. Right now is a great time to be a part of it.

Stay tuned for more YouTube advice in the near future!

-Scar

Tags: YouTube Content Partner, YouTube Partner Program, YouTube Partners

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 14th, 2008 at 6:35 pm and is filed under YouTube Advice. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.