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"[New] From Bland to Brilliant Transform Your YouTube Channels' Image"
From Bland to Brilliant: Transform Your YouTube Channels’ Image
How to Brand Your YouTube Channel to Get More Subscribers
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.
Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.
Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.
The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.
They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.
Bad Branding Causes Mistrust
When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.
Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?
What is YouTube Branding?
You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.
YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.
Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:
- Channel name
- Channel art
- Video thumbnail
- Video title
- Icon
- Watermark
- Catchphrase
- Style of video
How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?
Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.
Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:
Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.
In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.
- What do your friends know you for?
- What can you give advice on?
- What did you go to school to learn?
In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.
- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?
- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?
In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.
- Can you give me travel advice?
- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?
- Do you have experience in a specialized field?
Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.
In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.
Examples:
Epic Meal Time
Expertise = Eating
Passion = Fast Food Culture
Demand = Unique Meals
PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.
Michelle Phan
Expertise = Beauty Products
Passion = Makeup and Fashion
Demand = Beauty School
PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.
How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?
Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.
Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .
Pick a Unique and Memorable Name
If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:
If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).
Picking an Icon
Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.
However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:
Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out
The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.
Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.
Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?
Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.
Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art
There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.
- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.
- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.
- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.
- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.
Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:
- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail
How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?
When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?
Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.
Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.
But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling
Don’t get too caught up with a design.
Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.
PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.
PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.
Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.
The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.
Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.
Inserting A Watermark
The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.
Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.
Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.
Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.
Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.
When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.
Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:
Coming Up With A Catchphrase
A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”
Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:
When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?
Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding
As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.
Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.
Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.
Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.
Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.
The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.
They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.
Bad Branding Causes Mistrust
When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.
Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?
What is YouTube Branding?
You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.
YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.
Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:
- Channel name
- Channel art
- Video thumbnail
- Video title
- Icon
- Watermark
- Catchphrase
- Style of video
How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?
Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.
Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:
Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.
In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.
- What do your friends know you for?
- What can you give advice on?
- What did you go to school to learn?
In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.
- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?
- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?
In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.
- Can you give me travel advice?
- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?
- Do you have experience in a specialized field?
Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.
In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.
Examples:
Epic Meal Time
Expertise = Eating
Passion = Fast Food Culture
Demand = Unique Meals
PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.
Michelle Phan
Expertise = Beauty Products
Passion = Makeup and Fashion
Demand = Beauty School
PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.
How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?
Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.
Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .
Pick a Unique and Memorable Name
If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:
If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).
Picking an Icon
Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.
However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:
Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out
The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.
Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.
Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?
Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.
Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art
There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.
- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.
- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.
- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.
- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.
Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:
- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail
How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?
When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?
Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.
Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.
But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling
Don’t get too caught up with a design.
Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.
PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.
PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.
Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.
The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.
Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.
Inserting A Watermark
The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.
Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.
Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.
Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.
Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.
When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.
Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:
Coming Up With A Catchphrase
A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”
Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:
When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?
Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding
As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.
Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.
Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.
Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.
Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.
The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.
They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.
Bad Branding Causes Mistrust
When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.
Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?
What is YouTube Branding?
You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.
YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.
Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:
- Channel name
- Channel art
- Video thumbnail
- Video title
- Icon
- Watermark
- Catchphrase
- Style of video
How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?
Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.
Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:
Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.
In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.
- What do your friends know you for?
- What can you give advice on?
- What did you go to school to learn?
In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.
- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?
- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?
In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.
- Can you give me travel advice?
- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?
- Do you have experience in a specialized field?
Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.
In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.
Examples:
Epic Meal Time
Expertise = Eating
Passion = Fast Food Culture
Demand = Unique Meals
PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.
Michelle Phan
Expertise = Beauty Products
Passion = Makeup and Fashion
Demand = Beauty School
PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.
How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?
Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.
Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .
Pick a Unique and Memorable Name
If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:
If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).
Picking an Icon
Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.
However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:
Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out
The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.
Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.
Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?
Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.
Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art
There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.
- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.
- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.
- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.
- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.
Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:
- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail
How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?
When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?
Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.
Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.
But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling
Don’t get too caught up with a design.
Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.
PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.
PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.
Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.
The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.
Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.
Inserting A Watermark
The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.
Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.
Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.
Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.
Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.
When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.
Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:
Coming Up With A Catchphrase
A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”
Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:
When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?
Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding
As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.
Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.
Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions
Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.
Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.
Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.
The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.
They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.
Bad Branding Causes Mistrust
When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.
Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?
What is YouTube Branding?
You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.
YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.
Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:
- Channel name
- Channel art
- Video thumbnail
- Video title
- Icon
- Watermark
- Catchphrase
- Style of video
How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?
Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.
Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:
Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.
In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.
- What do your friends know you for?
- What can you give advice on?
- What did you go to school to learn?
In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.
- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?
- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?
In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.
- Can you give me travel advice?
- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?
- Do you have experience in a specialized field?
Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.
In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.
Examples:
Epic Meal Time
Expertise = Eating
Passion = Fast Food Culture
Demand = Unique Meals
PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.
Michelle Phan
Expertise = Beauty Products
Passion = Makeup and Fashion
Demand = Beauty School
PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.
How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?
Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.
Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .
Pick a Unique and Memorable Name
If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:
If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).
Picking an Icon
Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.
However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:
Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out
The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.
Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.
Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?
Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.
Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art
There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.
- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.
- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.
- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.
- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.
Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:
- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail
How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?
When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?
Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.
Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.
But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling
Don’t get too caught up with a design.
Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.
PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.
PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.
Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.
The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.
Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.
Inserting A Watermark
The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.
Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.
Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.
Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.
Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.
When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.
Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:
Coming Up With A Catchphrase
A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”
Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:
When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?
Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding
As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.
Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.
Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Scoring Big on YouTube: How Much Do Ad Revenues Add Up?
YouTube is a great way to make money online through sponsorship and selling merchandise and sponsorships. However, a big chunk of the creator generates their revenue from Google ads. The YouTube monetization rates defines how much you can make from the ads. In this article, we talk about YouTube monetization rates and what you need to start making money.
YouTububer Monetization Helper A cross-platform for creating visually appealing and engaging videos that will increase the chances of monetization on YouTube!
Free Download Free Download Learn More
Part 1. How Much Do YouTubers Make Per View?
Are you curious about how much YouTubers make per view? Most people are. The Influencer Marketing Hub estimates that the average YouTuber makes $0.018 per view. These rates vary from $0.10 to $0.30 per ad view depending on the type of video and location.
The YouTube monetization rates vary significantly because of various factors:
- The number of views a video receives
- The number of clicks an ad receives
- Ad blockers
- Ad Quality
- Video length
Part 2. How Much Do YouTubers Make Per 1,000 Views
A YouTube channel is a great way to generate revenye. Quality content attracts a large audience, enabling a way to generate ad revenue. Although it may be difficult to grow a YouTube channel, the revenue generated is worth. The youtube monetization rates determine the amount you can earn for every 1,000 views on your videos.
Allowing advertiser to run their ads on your channel through Google AdSense is an effective way of monetizing YouTube Content. The advertisers pay YouTube to display their products on the platform. YouTube then pays YouTubers for displaying the ads on their videos. Although the YouTube monetization rates may vary, overall revenue generated is usually substantial.
Each view will generate $0.10 to $0.30 or an average of $0.018. The YouTuber will be paid $18 on average for a video with 1,000 ad views. The amount paid depends on the CPM (Cost per Mille), which is the cost of advertising to 1,000 people. Brands will incur between $4 and $24 on YouTube to advertise on YouTube. However, the revenue generated by the Youtuber will be lower because not all the 1,000 views will be ad views.
Most YouTubers report to earn around $5 to $7 from 1,000 views of their videos. Here is a breakdown of the earnings from this:
- Top talent on YouTube will likely earn $5 per 1,000
- Garnering 1 million views will earn the YouTuber $5,000
- Garnering 1 million views with 5 videos will earn the YouTuber $25,000
The figures above are just estimates. YouTubers often make more or less this amount.
Part 3. How Many Views Do YouTubers Need to Get Paid?
To get paid from revenues, you need to be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). The following is the eligibility criteria.
The specific eligibility criteria include the following:
- Subscribers - At least 1,000
- YouTube Reach – At least 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months or at least 10M public Shorts views in the last 90 days
- YouTube Shorts Reach -
- Sign and agree to the terms and conditions
- Have an AdSense account
- Get reviewed and approved
Once approved for the YPP, you have the potential to start earning through ads. The revenue-sharing program allows you to earn income for the ads that show on your channel. Specifically, Google will pay you 68% of the revenue from the ads displayed with AdSense. For instance, a video that generates $1,000 from AdSense revenue will pay the YouTuber $680.
Part 4. The Top 6 Highest Paid YouTubers
YouTube creates a clear path for the birth of a new breed of celebrities. They have a huge following, and grow their wealth by sharing content with them. Let’s have a look at the top 6 paid YouTubers right now:
- Beast (Jimmy Donaldson) - $54 Million
- Jake Paul - $45 million
- Markiplier - $38 Million
- Rhett and Link - $30 million
- Unspeakable - $28.5 million
- Nastya - $28 million
1. Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson) - $54 Million
Ranked first among the highest-paid YouTubers, Jimmy has the most popular channel. With more than 150 million subscribers, he creates videos about challenges, pranks, and giveaways. The videos have accumulated billions of views, contributing to his estimated net worth of over $100 million. Another important source of income is the Mr. Beast Burger app and menu that lets fans order MrBeast-banded meals from over 1,600 restaurants across the country.
2. Jake Paul - $45 million
Jake Paul is a renowned American professional boxer. Widely famous on social media, his YouTube is also one of the most highly ranked. He shares different kinds of videos from his boxing games. He also does pranks and reviews about different products.
3. Markiplier - $38 Million
Markiplier makes videos about playing games. The YouTube channel, which started in 2021 is renowned for moving merch. In addition to ad revenue, Markiplier records high sales of T-shirts, hoodies, and other items tied to the Unus Annus series.
4. Rhett and Link - $30 million
This YouTube channel started as the duo hosting a nerdy daily talk show called Good Mythical Morning. It quickly grew into an empire with brand extensions and spinoffs that boosted its views and earnings on YouTube.
5. Unspeakable - $28.5 million
Unspeakable talks about Minecraft in the channel. Nathan Graham posts videos of himself playing this and other games. He also posts other kinds of entertaining content such as filling a room with live alligators. His creativity has allowed him to collaborate with brands in making different ads and promotions.
6. Nastya - $28 million
Nastya immigrated from Russia with her parents. With over 88 million subscribers on her channel, she chronicles her life in prosaic installments. In 2021, she did a Spotter deal and added other brand extensions like merchandise and NFT collection that contributed added income.
Part 5. Edit Your Videos for Monetization with Wondershare Filmora
The amount of money a YouTuber earns depends on several factors. However, the amount can be increased by uploading quality videos. YouTube will quality and engaging content attract more audience, increasing the opportunities for revenue generation. Wondershare Filmora is one such software, that allows you to tell your story in a better way.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
With the integration of AI, Filmora now offers a wide range of editing features that you can use to automate editing. Instantly generate images, remove image background, and now. These features help create visually appealing and engaging videos that will increase the chances of monetization on YouTube. One of the AI features that stands out is Instant Mode.
Filmora Instant Mode
The Instant Mode helps beginners design slideshow videos with minimal effort. You probably have no video editing experience or a professional content creator with no time to make more videos. With Instant Mode, you can create a video within minutes. Let’s have a look at the steps involved:
Step 1 – Start Instant Mode on Filmora
After opening Filmora on your device, click on Instant Mode. This feature is on the left side of the screen.
Step 2 – Choose a Template
From the Instant Mode window, choose the video template you want to use. Click on it and play to preview the Video. Once satisfied, click om the Download Slideshow button to start editing your video.
Step 3 – Import Media Items
Click on the Import Your Media icon, and add all the media files you want to use for the video. Make sure to import more media files for better use, and press the Auto Create icon to move to the next step.
Step 4 – Implement Text Titles
From the top-left corner of the screen, click the “Titles” category. Then choose from the options available for the required title template.
Step 5 – Replace Needed Media Items
Review all the media items in the timeline, and replace any that you want with another option. The Replace icon allows you to seamlessly achieve this. You can also import new files to replace it with.
Step 6: Add Project to Timeline
Once you are satisfied with your slideshow video, click on the Timeline button. This will take you to Filmora’s editing environment where you can add effects and other elements to enhance the video.
Step 7 – Preview and Export Your Video
Click on the Play icon to preview the edited video. Then export it in MP4 format for quick upload to YouTube.
Other Useful Filmora Video Editing Features
- AI Portrait – Remove the background of your videos with high accuracy and choose over 70 portrait and sticker effects.
- AI Copywriting : Get inspiration for your video through AI-generated scripts, and automatically generate text during video editing.
- AI Image – Generate an image automatically by typing what you want. Choose from 3 resolutions and use the image directly for your video project
- Auto Reframe – Automatically resize your videos within minutes to use on both YouTube and Shorts.
- Auto Beat Sync – Automatically match the footage with music, giving your video a smooth flow with the music you choose.
Conclusion
Running a YouTube Channel is lucrative. Although it may take time to build a following, YouTube is a great platform for generating revenue. Most YouTubers have monetized their channels through the YPP program. The program allows you to earn revenue from the ads that show up in your videos. This means that a successful YouTube needs high-quality videos. We recommend Wondershare Filmora for editing your videos and improving their rate of engagement with the audience. This is a key step in building recurring revenue with YouTube monetization options.
Free Download Free Download Learn More
Part 1. How Much Do YouTubers Make Per View?
Are you curious about how much YouTubers make per view? Most people are. The Influencer Marketing Hub estimates that the average YouTuber makes $0.018 per view. These rates vary from $0.10 to $0.30 per ad view depending on the type of video and location.
The YouTube monetization rates vary significantly because of various factors:
- The number of views a video receives
- The number of clicks an ad receives
- Ad blockers
- Ad Quality
- Video length
Part 2. How Much Do YouTubers Make Per 1,000 Views
A YouTube channel is a great way to generate revenye. Quality content attracts a large audience, enabling a way to generate ad revenue. Although it may be difficult to grow a YouTube channel, the revenue generated is worth. The youtube monetization rates determine the amount you can earn for every 1,000 views on your videos.
Allowing advertiser to run their ads on your channel through Google AdSense is an effective way of monetizing YouTube Content. The advertisers pay YouTube to display their products on the platform. YouTube then pays YouTubers for displaying the ads on their videos. Although the YouTube monetization rates may vary, overall revenue generated is usually substantial.
Each view will generate $0.10 to $0.30 or an average of $0.018. The YouTuber will be paid $18 on average for a video with 1,000 ad views. The amount paid depends on the CPM (Cost per Mille), which is the cost of advertising to 1,000 people. Brands will incur between $4 and $24 on YouTube to advertise on YouTube. However, the revenue generated by the Youtuber will be lower because not all the 1,000 views will be ad views.
Most YouTubers report to earn around $5 to $7 from 1,000 views of their videos. Here is a breakdown of the earnings from this:
- Top talent on YouTube will likely earn $5 per 1,000
- Garnering 1 million views will earn the YouTuber $5,000
- Garnering 1 million views with 5 videos will earn the YouTuber $25,000
The figures above are just estimates. YouTubers often make more or less this amount.
Part 3. How Many Views Do YouTubers Need to Get Paid?
To get paid from revenues, you need to be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). The following is the eligibility criteria.
The specific eligibility criteria include the following:
- Subscribers - At least 1,000
- YouTube Reach – At least 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months or at least 10M public Shorts views in the last 90 days
- YouTube Shorts Reach -
- Sign and agree to the terms and conditions
- Have an AdSense account
- Get reviewed and approved
Once approved for the YPP, you have the potential to start earning through ads. The revenue-sharing program allows you to earn income for the ads that show on your channel. Specifically, Google will pay you 68% of the revenue from the ads displayed with AdSense. For instance, a video that generates $1,000 from AdSense revenue will pay the YouTuber $680.
Part 4. The Top 6 Highest Paid YouTubers
YouTube creates a clear path for the birth of a new breed of celebrities. They have a huge following, and grow their wealth by sharing content with them. Let’s have a look at the top 6 paid YouTubers right now:
- Beast (Jimmy Donaldson) - $54 Million
- Jake Paul - $45 million
- Markiplier - $38 Million
- Rhett and Link - $30 million
- Unspeakable - $28.5 million
- Nastya - $28 million
1. Mr. Beast (Jimmy Donaldson) - $54 Million
Ranked first among the highest-paid YouTubers, Jimmy has the most popular channel. With more than 150 million subscribers, he creates videos about challenges, pranks, and giveaways. The videos have accumulated billions of views, contributing to his estimated net worth of over $100 million. Another important source of income is the Mr. Beast Burger app and menu that lets fans order MrBeast-banded meals from over 1,600 restaurants across the country.
2. Jake Paul - $45 million
Jake Paul is a renowned American professional boxer. Widely famous on social media, his YouTube is also one of the most highly ranked. He shares different kinds of videos from his boxing games. He also does pranks and reviews about different products.
3. Markiplier - $38 Million
Markiplier makes videos about playing games. The YouTube channel, which started in 2021 is renowned for moving merch. In addition to ad revenue, Markiplier records high sales of T-shirts, hoodies, and other items tied to the Unus Annus series.
4. Rhett and Link - $30 million
This YouTube channel started as the duo hosting a nerdy daily talk show called Good Mythical Morning. It quickly grew into an empire with brand extensions and spinoffs that boosted its views and earnings on YouTube.
5. Unspeakable - $28.5 million
Unspeakable talks about Minecraft in the channel. Nathan Graham posts videos of himself playing this and other games. He also posts other kinds of entertaining content such as filling a room with live alligators. His creativity has allowed him to collaborate with brands in making different ads and promotions.
6. Nastya - $28 million
Nastya immigrated from Russia with her parents. With over 88 million subscribers on her channel, she chronicles her life in prosaic installments. In 2021, she did a Spotter deal and added other brand extensions like merchandise and NFT collection that contributed added income.
Part 5. Edit Your Videos for Monetization with Wondershare Filmora
The amount of money a YouTuber earns depends on several factors. However, the amount can be increased by uploading quality videos. YouTube will quality and engaging content attract more audience, increasing the opportunities for revenue generation. Wondershare Filmora is one such software, that allows you to tell your story in a better way.
Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)
Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later
With the integration of AI, Filmora now offers a wide range of editing features that you can use to automate editing. Instantly generate images, remove image background, and now. These features help create visually appealing and engaging videos that will increase the chances of monetization on YouTube. One of the AI features that stands out is Instant Mode.
Filmora Instant Mode
The Instant Mode helps beginners design slideshow videos with minimal effort. You probably have no video editing experience or a professional content creator with no time to make more videos. With Instant Mode, you can create a video within minutes. Let’s have a look at the steps involved:
Step 1 – Start Instant Mode on Filmora
After opening Filmora on your device, click on Instant Mode. This feature is on the left side of the screen.
Step 2 – Choose a Template
From the Instant Mode window, choose the video template you want to use. Click on it and play to preview the Video. Once satisfied, click om the Download Slideshow button to start editing your video.
Step 3 – Import Media Items
Click on the Import Your Media icon, and add all the media files you want to use for the video. Make sure to import more media files for better use, and press the Auto Create icon to move to the next step.
Step 4 – Implement Text Titles
From the top-left corner of the screen, click the “Titles” category. Then choose from the options available for the required title template.
Step 5 – Replace Needed Media Items
Review all the media items in the timeline, and replace any that you want with another option. The Replace icon allows you to seamlessly achieve this. You can also import new files to replace it with.
Step 6: Add Project to Timeline
Once you are satisfied with your slideshow video, click on the Timeline button. This will take you to Filmora’s editing environment where you can add effects and other elements to enhance the video.
Step 7 – Preview and Export Your Video
Click on the Play icon to preview the edited video. Then export it in MP4 format for quick upload to YouTube.
Other Useful Filmora Video Editing Features
- AI Portrait – Remove the background of your videos with high accuracy and choose over 70 portrait and sticker effects.
- AI Copywriting : Get inspiration for your video through AI-generated scripts, and automatically generate text during video editing.
- AI Image – Generate an image automatically by typing what you want. Choose from 3 resolutions and use the image directly for your video project
- Auto Reframe – Automatically resize your videos within minutes to use on both YouTube and Shorts.
- Auto Beat Sync – Automatically match the footage with music, giving your video a smooth flow with the music you choose.
Conclusion
Running a YouTube Channel is lucrative. Although it may take time to build a following, YouTube is a great platform for generating revenue. Most YouTubers have monetized their channels through the YPP program. The program allows you to earn revenue from the ads that show up in your videos. This means that a successful YouTube needs high-quality videos. We recommend Wondershare Filmora for editing your videos and improving their rate of engagement with the audience. This is a key step in building recurring revenue with YouTube monetization options.
- Title: "[New] From Bland to Brilliant Transform Your YouTube Channels' Image"
- Author: Thomas
- Created at : 2024-05-31 12:44:31
- Updated at : 2024-06-01 12:44:31
- Link: https://youtube-help.techidaily.com/new-from-bland-to-brilliant-transform-your-youtube-channels-image/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
