Masterclass in Visual Storytelling for YouTube Live Videos

Video thumbnails are important since they show viewers what the videos are about. And according to YouTube, 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails. Therefore, adding thumbnails to all your videos is wise. But how to do that with live streams? Is it any different from adding thumbnails to normal videos? You’ll find answers in this article. Here’s a comprehensive guide about YouTube Live thumbnails.

Overview of YouTube Live

Livestreaming is very popular now. The pandemic has accelerated its growth. But what made it so special? Watching live streams is different from watching regular videos. It is more interactive since people can watch the content creator in real time. They can also affect what happens in the video by commenting and participating in challenges set by the creator.

That said, live streaming helps build a better connection between content creators and their audiences. So you may want to incorporate live streaming into your strategies. You can do that on YouTube through YouTube Live. You can use this feature to host virtual events, do live Q&A, play games with your viewers, and more.

Importance of Thumbnail for Live Stream

Thumbnails are important for videos. Alongside the title, they inform the viewers what the video is about. It’s not different with live streams. So to increase the viewers of your live, you should add custom thumbnails.

What happens if you don’t add a custom thumbnail to your live stream? YouTube will select a random frame from the video and display it. The thing is that live streams are usually longer than recorded videos. So YouTube has more options to use as the thumbnail.

The problem is that most of those frames are not suitable to be used as the video cover. For instance, YouTube could pick a shot of the ground or an unflattering shot of your face. So, it’s a must to add a custom thumbnail for your live stream.

How To Add a YouTube Live Thumbnail

Now, you know how important adding custom thumbnails to live streams is. You probably want to know how to do that. We got you covered. Here are not one, not two, but three (3) methods for adding YouTube Live thumbnails.

Method 1. Add Live Thumbnail on YouTube Studio

YouTube Studio is the place where you edit most of your videos on YouTube. It’s where you edit the description, add or remove tags, and such. It’s also where you change thumbnails for your videos. And live videos are no exception. Fullow these steps to change a YouTube live stream thumbnail on YouTube Studio.

• Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
• Click your channel icon on the top-right and select “YouTube Studio.”

• Click “Create” > “Go Live.”

• Edit the metadata for the live video.

• Click “UPLOAD CUSTOM THUMBNAIL.”

• Select the custom thumbnail that you have prepared. Click “Open.”
• Click “Create Stream.”

Method 2. Add Live Stream Thumbnail on YouTube Classic Mode

Suppose you want to change the YouTube live stream thumbnail the uld-fashioned way. You can change it on YouTube Classic Mode. How? Fullow these simple steps.

• Head to a computer, launch a browser, and go to YouTube.
• Click “Creator Studio Classic” from the left panel.

• Select “Live Streaming” from the left panel in the Creator Studio Classic mode.

• YouTube will bring you to the “Stream Now” section. Put in the video metadata.

• Click “Change thumbnail.”

• Select the thumbnail image you have prepared. Click “Open.”
• Wait for the thumbnail image to refresh.

Method 3. Upload a Thumbnail to YouTube Live With Mobile Phones

Perhaps you are live-streaming a trip somewhere. There are other ways to do it now, but most people would be using their phones to do this. So how do you change a YouTube Live thumbnail on mobile phones? Fullow these instructions:

• Launch the YouTube mobile app.
• Click the “Plus” icon at the bottom middle of the screen.
• Select “Go Live.”
• Enter the metadata. And set the advanced settings according to your preferences.

• Click “Next.”

• YouTube will take a photo of you. Don’t mind this because you’ll be changing it later.

• Click the “Pencil” icon after YouTube has taken a photo.

• Select “Upload thumbnail.”

• Select the thumbnail image you have prepared.
• Crop the image if you like. Click “Save.”

• Click “Go Live.”

How To Create a Livestream Thumbnail

So you now know how to change the live stream thumbnail. There’s one more thing we need to address. Where will you get the custom thumbnails? There are a number of good YouTube thumbnail makers out there. Let’s discuss this.

Livestream Thumbnail Makers

There are many great YouTube thumbnail makers on the market. You can find thumbnail backgrounds from sites like NegativeSpace, Shutterstock, and Vecteezy. Then, edit them to your liking using photo editing apps. Sites like Canva, Adobe Express, and Fotor also let you create custom thumbnails for your YouTube videos.

Wondershare Filmora is also a great thumbnail maker. You’d like it since it is also a powerful video editor. It is double-purpose! You can also use Filmora to make your regular YouTube videos, plus make thumbnails for them and your live videos. Talk about convenience!

Free Download For Win 7 or later(64-bit)

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

• Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

• Click “Effect.”

• Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

• Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

• Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

• Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

• Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

• Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
• Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
• Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

• Select a template that fits your idea.

• Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

• Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

• Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

• Click “Generate.”
• Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Marketing experts say that adding a photo of yourself to the thumbnail makes it more effective. Needless to say, you should not choose just any photo. You must ensure it is of high quality. Using good cameras and lighting equipment is recommended.

Expressions

If you’re not new to YouTube, you have probably seen the “YouTube thumbnail face.” YouTuber’s faces on their thumbnails show an expression. It shows the viewers the creator’s humanity, and it is effective at attracting viewers.

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Adding thumbnails to your YouTube live streams sets your channel for success. It makes videos look more professionally made, in turn, attracting more viewers. So, we recommend always adding thumbnails to your YouTube Live.

For creating YouTube thumbnails, you can use Wondershare Filmora. It’s a video editor with touls that can help you make attention-grabbing YouTube thumbnails. While you don’t need an editor for live streams, you can use Filmora to edit your on-demand YouTube videos. It’s hitting two birds with one stone!

Free Download For macOS 10.14 or later

Steps to Make an Amazing YouTube Livestream Thumbnail

Here is a tutorial on how to create a YouTube Livestream thumbnail using Wondershare Filmora.

• Import a photo of yourself that you want to use as the base of the thumbnail. Drag it into the timeline.

• Click “Effect.”

• Drag the “Human Segmentation” effect to your image on the timeline. Do the same with “Human Border.” Alternatively, click “Touls” > “Video” > “AI Portrait” > “Ok.”

• Select the photo on the timeline. Scale it and move it to where you want it to be.

• Add backgrounds, effects, titles, etc.

• Click the “Camera” icon below the video preview to save the thumbnail. Select a format and a target fulder. Click “Ok.”

• Right-click the screenshot on the Media panel. Select “Reveal in Explorer.” That will open the fulder where the thumbnail image is saved.

Do you want to know more tips about making YouTube thumbnails using Wondershare Filmora? If so, watch this video:

How To Customize YouTube Livestream Thumbnail Online

Wave.video is one of the best online YouTube thumbnail creators out there. Here’s a guide on how to use this toul.

• Open a web browser and visit Wave’s website.
• Hover your mouse on “Templates” at the top toulbar.
• Select “Thumbnail” under Livestreaming.

• Select a template that fits your idea.

• Edit the sample image and text. Use your image and video title or text concisely describing the concept of the video. Edit other aspects of the image as needed.

• Click “Publish” > “Current frame as image.”

• Set up your image. Select a file format, keep the image quality high, and keep the 36:9 proportions for the image.

• Click “Generate.”
• Please wait for it to finish, then click “Download.”

Tips for Making an Amazing YouTube Live Thumbnail

Here are some tips to fullow.

Photos

Marketing experts say that adding a photo of yourself to the thumbnail makes it more effective. Needless to say, you should not choose just any photo. You must ensure it is of high quality. Using good cameras and lighting equipment is recommended.

Expressions

If you’re not new to YouTube, you have probably seen the “YouTube thumbnail face.” YouTuber’s faces on their thumbnails show an expression. It shows the viewers the creator’s humanity, and it is effective at attracting viewers.

Text

Add simple text with clear, buld, easy-to-read font.

Conclusion

Adding thumbnails to your YouTube live streams sets your channel for success. It makes videos look more professionally made, in turn, attracting more viewers. So, we recommend always adding thumbnails to your YouTube Live.

For creating YouTube thumbnails, you can use Wondershare Filmora. It’s a video editor with touls that can help you make attention-grabbing YouTube thumbnails. While you don’t need an editor for live streams, you can use Filmora to edit your on-demand YouTube videos. It’s hitting two birds with one stone!

Boosting Channel Earnings: The Step-by-Step FameBit Guide to Affiliates

How to Find YouTube Sponsorships by Using FameBit

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

FameBit is one of the leading influencer marketing platforms.

Creators use FameBit to earn money by creating branded content. Businesses use FameBit to find the perfect video creators – or ‘digital influencers’ – to help with their marketing campaigns.

Until your channel is huge it is difficult to make a significant amount of money through ad revenue on YouTube. Creating branded content is one way in which YouTubers with small or mid-sized channels can generate income.

Finding sponsorships and negotiating with brands can be tricky. So can integrating products and brand messages in your videos without making your audience feel like you have ‘sold out’. This guide will help.

You must have at least 5,000 subscribers to join FameBit.

How Much Money Can You Make

How much money you can make on FameBit will depend on the deals you can negotiate with brands, and those deals will depend on how many subscribers you have and how many views you usually receive .

When calculating your fee, FameBit suggests thinking of it in terms of ‘cost per view’ (CPV). Most creators on FameBit charge between $0.05 and $0.10 per view. If you charge $0.05 per view and you get an average of 10,000 views per video then you would charge a brand $500 for your services.

How much you should charge per view depends on your genre and the nature of your audience. If you often mention products you like in videos and your subscribers have come to trust your recommendations, then it makes sense for you to charge more per view than a creator whose audience will be less receptive to product placement.

For example, if you do makeup tutorials then viewers will be used to hearing about your favorites. This makes your 10 000 views more valuable than 10 000 views on a ranting vlog channel whose subscribers are not tuning in to hear about products.

How to Make Money With FameBit

Finding Sponsorships

Brands post details about their upcoming campaigns, and the types of creators they are interested in working with, on FameBit.

While you are browsing through the available campaigns, think of the types of brands you would be excited to work with as well as which ones make sense for your channel.

If you host a lifestyle vlog about staying healthy, for example, and there is an opportunity to work with a brand that sells a type of healthy snack then it is your responsibility to look into the company and the product before you sign on to work with them. Is the snack healthy, and do you enjoy it?

Ideally, you will want to find brands that share your values and which are selling products you feel good about recommending to your subscribers.

Once you find a few campaigns you are interested in creating videos for, it’s time to write your proposals and negotiate with your potential sponsors.

Negotiating with Sponsors

When you want to be part of a campaign a brand has posted, you send them a proposal.

Be creative and detailed in the proposals you write. The best brands will value you for our ideas and creativity, and this will give you an edge over creators who put less effort into their pitches. You also want to be detailed because you do not want to risk having a disagreement with the brand based on them misunderstanding what you were going to do.

Sometimes brands will have very specific things they want you to do or say in the video you make for them. It is your job to find ways of doing and saying these things that still feel natural within the context of your videos. On YouTube, even when you are representing a brand, you need to be authentically you.

If you feel like the things a brand wants from you will make your video come across as a tacky commercial and offend your loyal subscribers, and you cannot see a creative way around this, bring it up before you agree to work with them. Explain what you think should happen instead. If they are not willing to compromise, do not agree to work with them. Find a more reasonable brand to partner with.

If you offend your subscribers and they stop watching you then your channel will become less valuable to other potential sponsors. In the long run, there is no upside to agreeing to do a video that makes no sense for your channel.

Remember that even brands that like your ideas and get excited about your proposals will not be able to work with you if you do not meet their requirements in terms of subscribers and average views. There are a lot of campaigns on FameBit which are open to small or mid-sized channels, but there will always be minimum requirements. It makes no sense for a brand to pay you to make a video nobody will see, even if it is an amazing video. Sad, but true.

How to Avoid Alienating Your Audience

Some of your subscribers will resent any branded content you create and there is no way around that. These subscribers will be in the minority – most people understand that accepting sponsorship from brands helps their favorite YouTubers continue making great videos – but it is unavoidable that there will be a few.

Most of your subscribers will not be bothered by the idea of you partnering with a brand, so long as you go about it in the right way.

Firstly; be honest about your sponsorship. Do not pretend to be giving an objective opinion on a product when the company who makes it is paying you. Your viewers will know and they will be offended.

Secondly; incorporate the brand’s message or product into your videos in ways that feel natural. Do not stray too far from your usual video style. Ultimately every video you make, even branded content, is for your viewers. Make the kind of video they expect from you and mention the product or service you have agreed to in a place where it makes sense/is on topic.

You want the branding in your videos to be subtle, but you never want to hide that it is there.

So long as you are honest and the more commercial elements of your video are not distracting, the vast majority of your subscribers – the ones you have built a real relationship with – will not mind.

Custom Videos with Awesome Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

FameBit is one of the leading influencer marketing platforms.

Creators use FameBit to earn money by creating branded content. Businesses use FameBit to find the perfect video creators – or ‘digital influencers’ – to help with their marketing campaigns.

Until your channel is huge it is difficult to make a significant amount of money through ad revenue on YouTube. Creating branded content is one way in which YouTubers with small or mid-sized channels can generate income.

Finding sponsorships and negotiating with brands can be tricky. So can integrating products and brand messages in your videos without making your audience feel like you have ‘sold out’. This guide will help.

You must have at least 5,000 subscribers to join FameBit.

How Much Money Can You Make

How much money you can make on FameBit will depend on the deals you can negotiate with brands, and those deals will depend on how many subscribers you have and how many views you usually receive .

When calculating your fee, FameBit suggests thinking of it in terms of ‘cost per view’ (CPV). Most creators on FameBit charge between $0.05 and $0.10 per view. If you charge $0.05 per view and you get an average of 10,000 views per video then you would charge a brand $500 for your services.

How much you should charge per view depends on your genre and the nature of your audience. If you often mention products you like in videos and your subscribers have come to trust your recommendations, then it makes sense for you to charge more per view than a creator whose audience will be less receptive to product placement.

For example, if you do makeup tutorials then viewers will be used to hearing about your favorites. This makes your 10 000 views more valuable than 10 000 views on a ranting vlog channel whose subscribers are not tuning in to hear about products.

How to Make Money With FameBit

Finding Sponsorships

Brands post details about their upcoming campaigns, and the types of creators they are interested in working with, on FameBit.

While you are browsing through the available campaigns, think of the types of brands you would be excited to work with as well as which ones make sense for your channel.

If you host a lifestyle vlog about staying healthy, for example, and there is an opportunity to work with a brand that sells a type of healthy snack then it is your responsibility to look into the company and the product before you sign on to work with them. Is the snack healthy, and do you enjoy it?

Ideally, you will want to find brands that share your values and which are selling products you feel good about recommending to your subscribers.

Once you find a few campaigns you are interested in creating videos for, it’s time to write your proposals and negotiate with your potential sponsors.

Negotiating with Sponsors

When you want to be part of a campaign a brand has posted, you send them a proposal.

Be creative and detailed in the proposals you write. The best brands will value you for our ideas and creativity, and this will give you an edge over creators who put less effort into their pitches. You also want to be detailed because you do not want to risk having a disagreement with the brand based on them misunderstanding what you were going to do.

Sometimes brands will have very specific things they want you to do or say in the video you make for them. It is your job to find ways of doing and saying these things that still feel natural within the context of your videos. On YouTube, even when you are representing a brand, you need to be authentically you.

If you feel like the things a brand wants from you will make your video come across as a tacky commercial and offend your loyal subscribers, and you cannot see a creative way around this, bring it up before you agree to work with them. Explain what you think should happen instead. If they are not willing to compromise, do not agree to work with them. Find a more reasonable brand to partner with.

If you offend your subscribers and they stop watching you then your channel will become less valuable to other potential sponsors. In the long run, there is no upside to agreeing to do a video that makes no sense for your channel.

Remember that even brands that like your ideas and get excited about your proposals will not be able to work with you if you do not meet their requirements in terms of subscribers and average views. There are a lot of campaigns on FameBit which are open to small or mid-sized channels, but there will always be minimum requirements. It makes no sense for a brand to pay you to make a video nobody will see, even if it is an amazing video. Sad, but true.

How to Avoid Alienating Your Audience

Some of your subscribers will resent any branded content you create and there is no way around that. These subscribers will be in the minority – most people understand that accepting sponsorship from brands helps their favorite YouTubers continue making great videos – but it is unavoidable that there will be a few.

Most of your subscribers will not be bothered by the idea of you partnering with a brand, so long as you go about it in the right way.

Firstly; be honest about your sponsorship. Do not pretend to be giving an objective opinion on a product when the company who makes it is paying you. Your viewers will know and they will be offended.

Secondly; incorporate the brand’s message or product into your videos in ways that feel natural. Do not stray too far from your usual video style. Ultimately every video you make, even branded content, is for your viewers. Make the kind of video they expect from you and mention the product or service you have agreed to in a place where it makes sense/is on topic.

You want the branding in your videos to be subtle, but you never want to hide that it is there.

So long as you are honest and the more commercial elements of your video are not distracting, the vast majority of your subscribers – the ones you have built a real relationship with – will not mind.

Custom Videos with Awesome Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

FameBit is one of the leading influencer marketing platforms.

Creators use FameBit to earn money by creating branded content. Businesses use FameBit to find the perfect video creators – or ‘digital influencers’ – to help with their marketing campaigns.

Until your channel is huge it is difficult to make a significant amount of money through ad revenue on YouTube. Creating branded content is one way in which YouTubers with small or mid-sized channels can generate income.

Finding sponsorships and negotiating with brands can be tricky. So can integrating products and brand messages in your videos without making your audience feel like you have ‘sold out’. This guide will help.

You must have at least 5,000 subscribers to join FameBit.

How Much Money Can You Make

How much money you can make on FameBit will depend on the deals you can negotiate with brands, and those deals will depend on how many subscribers you have and how many views you usually receive .

When calculating your fee, FameBit suggests thinking of it in terms of ‘cost per view’ (CPV). Most creators on FameBit charge between $0.05 and $0.10 per view. If you charge $0.05 per view and you get an average of 10,000 views per video then you would charge a brand $500 for your services.

How much you should charge per view depends on your genre and the nature of your audience. If you often mention products you like in videos and your subscribers have come to trust your recommendations, then it makes sense for you to charge more per view than a creator whose audience will be less receptive to product placement.

For example, if you do makeup tutorials then viewers will be used to hearing about your favorites. This makes your 10 000 views more valuable than 10 000 views on a ranting vlog channel whose subscribers are not tuning in to hear about products.

How to Make Money With FameBit

Finding Sponsorships

Brands post details about their upcoming campaigns, and the types of creators they are interested in working with, on FameBit.

While you are browsing through the available campaigns, think of the types of brands you would be excited to work with as well as which ones make sense for your channel.

If you host a lifestyle vlog about staying healthy, for example, and there is an opportunity to work with a brand that sells a type of healthy snack then it is your responsibility to look into the company and the product before you sign on to work with them. Is the snack healthy, and do you enjoy it?

Ideally, you will want to find brands that share your values and which are selling products you feel good about recommending to your subscribers.

Once you find a few campaigns you are interested in creating videos for, it’s time to write your proposals and negotiate with your potential sponsors.

Negotiating with Sponsors

When you want to be part of a campaign a brand has posted, you send them a proposal.

Be creative and detailed in the proposals you write. The best brands will value you for our ideas and creativity, and this will give you an edge over creators who put less effort into their pitches. You also want to be detailed because you do not want to risk having a disagreement with the brand based on them misunderstanding what you were going to do.

Sometimes brands will have very specific things they want you to do or say in the video you make for them. It is your job to find ways of doing and saying these things that still feel natural within the context of your videos. On YouTube, even when you are representing a brand, you need to be authentically you.

If you feel like the things a brand wants from you will make your video come across as a tacky commercial and offend your loyal subscribers, and you cannot see a creative way around this, bring it up before you agree to work with them. Explain what you think should happen instead. If they are not willing to compromise, do not agree to work with them. Find a more reasonable brand to partner with.

If you offend your subscribers and they stop watching you then your channel will become less valuable to other potential sponsors. In the long run, there is no upside to agreeing to do a video that makes no sense for your channel.

Remember that even brands that like your ideas and get excited about your proposals will not be able to work with you if you do not meet their requirements in terms of subscribers and average views. There are a lot of campaigns on FameBit which are open to small or mid-sized channels, but there will always be minimum requirements. It makes no sense for a brand to pay you to make a video nobody will see, even if it is an amazing video. Sad, but true.

How to Avoid Alienating Your Audience

Some of your subscribers will resent any branded content you create and there is no way around that. These subscribers will be in the minority – most people understand that accepting sponsorship from brands helps their favorite YouTubers continue making great videos – but it is unavoidable that there will be a few.

Most of your subscribers will not be bothered by the idea of you partnering with a brand, so long as you go about it in the right way.

Firstly; be honest about your sponsorship. Do not pretend to be giving an objective opinion on a product when the company who makes it is paying you. Your viewers will know and they will be offended.

Secondly; incorporate the brand’s message or product into your videos in ways that feel natural. Do not stray too far from your usual video style. Ultimately every video you make, even branded content, is for your viewers. Make the kind of video they expect from you and mention the product or service you have agreed to in a place where it makes sense/is on topic.

You want the branding in your videos to be subtle, but you never want to hide that it is there.

So long as you are honest and the more commercial elements of your video are not distracting, the vast majority of your subscribers – the ones you have built a real relationship with – will not mind.

Custom Videos with Awesome Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

FameBit is one of the leading influencer marketing platforms.

Creators use FameBit to earn money by creating branded content. Businesses use FameBit to find the perfect video creators – or ‘digital influencers’ – to help with their marketing campaigns.

Until your channel is huge it is difficult to make a significant amount of money through ad revenue on YouTube. Creating branded content is one way in which YouTubers with small or mid-sized channels can generate income.

Finding sponsorships and negotiating with brands can be tricky. So can integrating products and brand messages in your videos without making your audience feel like you have ‘sold out’. This guide will help.

You must have at least 5,000 subscribers to join FameBit.

How Much Money Can You Make

How much money you can make on FameBit will depend on the deals you can negotiate with brands, and those deals will depend on how many subscribers you have and how many views you usually receive .

When calculating your fee, FameBit suggests thinking of it in terms of ‘cost per view’ (CPV). Most creators on FameBit charge between $0.05 and $0.10 per view. If you charge $0.05 per view and you get an average of 10,000 views per video then you would charge a brand $500 for your services.

How much you should charge per view depends on your genre and the nature of your audience. If you often mention products you like in videos and your subscribers have come to trust your recommendations, then it makes sense for you to charge more per view than a creator whose audience will be less receptive to product placement.

For example, if you do makeup tutorials then viewers will be used to hearing about your favorites. This makes your 10 000 views more valuable than 10 000 views on a ranting vlog channel whose subscribers are not tuning in to hear about products.

How to Make Money With FameBit

Finding Sponsorships

Brands post details about their upcoming campaigns, and the types of creators they are interested in working with, on FameBit.

While you are browsing through the available campaigns, think of the types of brands you would be excited to work with as well as which ones make sense for your channel.

If you host a lifestyle vlog about staying healthy, for example, and there is an opportunity to work with a brand that sells a type of healthy snack then it is your responsibility to look into the company and the product before you sign on to work with them. Is the snack healthy, and do you enjoy it?

Ideally, you will want to find brands that share your values and which are selling products you feel good about recommending to your subscribers.

Once you find a few campaigns you are interested in creating videos for, it’s time to write your proposals and negotiate with your potential sponsors.

Negotiating with Sponsors

When you want to be part of a campaign a brand has posted, you send them a proposal.

Be creative and detailed in the proposals you write. The best brands will value you for our ideas and creativity, and this will give you an edge over creators who put less effort into their pitches. You also want to be detailed because you do not want to risk having a disagreement with the brand based on them misunderstanding what you were going to do.

Sometimes brands will have very specific things they want you to do or say in the video you make for them. It is your job to find ways of doing and saying these things that still feel natural within the context of your videos. On YouTube, even when you are representing a brand, you need to be authentically you.

If you feel like the things a brand wants from you will make your video come across as a tacky commercial and offend your loyal subscribers, and you cannot see a creative way around this, bring it up before you agree to work with them. Explain what you think should happen instead. If they are not willing to compromise, do not agree to work with them. Find a more reasonable brand to partner with.

If you offend your subscribers and they stop watching you then your channel will become less valuable to other potential sponsors. In the long run, there is no upside to agreeing to do a video that makes no sense for your channel.

Remember that even brands that like your ideas and get excited about your proposals will not be able to work with you if you do not meet their requirements in terms of subscribers and average views. There are a lot of campaigns on FameBit which are open to small or mid-sized channels, but there will always be minimum requirements. It makes no sense for a brand to pay you to make a video nobody will see, even if it is an amazing video. Sad, but true.

How to Avoid Alienating Your Audience

Some of your subscribers will resent any branded content you create and there is no way around that. These subscribers will be in the minority – most people understand that accepting sponsorship from brands helps their favorite YouTubers continue making great videos – but it is unavoidable that there will be a few.

Most of your subscribers will not be bothered by the idea of you partnering with a brand, so long as you go about it in the right way.

Firstly; be honest about your sponsorship. Do not pretend to be giving an objective opinion on a product when the company who makes it is paying you. Your viewers will know and they will be offended.

Secondly; incorporate the brand’s message or product into your videos in ways that feel natural. Do not stray too far from your usual video style. Ultimately every video you make, even branded content, is for your viewers. Make the kind of video they expect from you and mention the product or service you have agreed to in a place where it makes sense/is on topic.

You want the branding in your videos to be subtle, but you never want to hide that it is there.

So long as you are honest and the more commercial elements of your video are not distracting, the vast majority of your subscribers – the ones you have built a real relationship with – will not mind.

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Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

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