If you’re looking for an all-inclusive entertainment app that’s easy to use, has an enormous library, and is available on multiple devices, then YouTube should top your list. It offers many videos, from comedy, music, and sports to educational, religious, and entertainment.
If you’re new to YouTube, learning how to use it can help you enjoy and utilize the app more efficiently. There are various ways to use YouTube, depending on whether you wish to be a creator or a consumer.
Consumers or viewers can use the platform for entertainment or to improve their knowledge of exciting niches like food, travel, culture, history, psychology, and other interests. If you’re a creative person with skills, knowledge, or craft you’d wish to share with viewers, you can be a YouTuber. Businesses and organizations can also utilize the platform for their marketing needs and update users on their products and services.
Read on to learn more about how to use YouTube.
Ways To Use YouTube
As the introduction notes, there are various ways to use YouTube, depending on whether you’re a consumer, a creator, or a business.
Here are various examples of how to get the most out of YouTube, depending on your goal.
Consumer
A YouTube viewer or consumer is a person who utilizes the platform for their personal use. As explained earlier, YouTube has an enormous video library from various niches.
You can use YouTube to stream music and watch movies and TV shows. If you have other interests like sports, travel, culture, and food, use YouTube to explore these niches and learn more about foods and histories worldwide.
Other ways to use YouTube as a viewer include:
- Rating, commenting, and liking videos you watch.
- Creating playlists and saving videos to watch later.
Creator
YouTube’s extensive reach and popularity make it an excellent platform for creatives. If you have skills, knowledge, or interest in a specific topic and would do well in creating and posting videos, then becoming a YouTuber is a worthwhile venture.
The first step to becoming a YouTuber is creating a YouTube channel. Remember, you need a Google account to make a YouTube channel.
If you’re yet to register, create a Google account before creating a YouTube channel. The steps to create a YouTube channel are as follows.
- Open your PC’s web browser and sign into your YouTube account.
- Click on the profile icon at the top-right corner of the screen.
- Select “Create a Channel.”
- Enter the name of your channel.
- Upload a profile picture if you want it to differ from the Google account picture.
- Click “Create Channel” at the lower corner of the popup window.
After creating a channel, you can begin posting videos. Note that a channel isn’t limited to posting public videos. You can create a personal use channel to post private videos to share with friends and family. A channel also has additional benefits, like creating playlists.
If you wish to post videos for the public, you must do prior research and understand your audience, best video practices, and how to get subscribers. If you’re consistent, you can eventually monetize your videos and begin earning from them.
The minimum requirements for monetization through YouTube’s Partner Program are as follows.
- Get 500 channel subscribers.
- Have 3 public video uploads within 90 days.
- Attain 3000 watch hours on your videos within 12 months or 3 million views for YouTube Shorts videos.
Businesses and Organizations
YouTube records over 120 million daily visitors and has over 2.1 billion monthly active users, making it an excellent platform for organizations and businesses looking to reach their customers through video content. The platform is available in over 100 countries, meaning your brand’s marketing reach can have a global perspective.
Creating an organizational or brand account is similar to creating a creator account. The first step is having a YouTube channel. Afterward, you can customize it to reflect the business’s image. Here’s how to do it.
- Log into the business YouTube account.
- Click the profile icon at the top-right corner.
- Select “Your channel.”
- Click the “Customize channel” button at the upper-right corner, next to the “Manage Videos” button.
- Open the “Branding” tab.
- Upload a profile picture, banner image, and video watermark image.
- Next, open the “Basic Info” tab.
- Choose a unique handle for the brand account and enter the channel description. You can also add a link to a secondary page, e.g., a website, and include contact information for viewers to reach you.
After your business channel is set up, you can post videos that appeal to your customers and target audience.
Summary
YouTube serves different types of users in various ways. Consumers can use it for learning and entertainment, while creators and businesses can promote their brands, expand their marketing efforts, and reach consumers locally and internationally.
