How Uploading Videos Earned Me Big Bucks in Lockdown (Without Relying on Youtube Ads!)

Video content is currently extremely popular on the internet, with new and varied video platforms emerging every day. An example is a website like News Flare (click here to buy videos from them) which allow you to make money with online content. In India or anywhere in the world, now is the best time to upload videos and earn money, without relying on traditional methods like Youtube and Facebook Ads. For me personally, the lockdown gave me the opportunity to upload videos on a daily basis on Instagram and Facebook, which eventually became a good source of income. All I did was invest in affordable yet good quality equipment and create eye-catching images for my videos, which enabled me to earn big bucks!

Here’s how I earned money simply by uploading high-quality and engaging videos:

• BRAND COLLABORATIONS– the more video content I uploaded, the more brands noticed my work and reached out to me for paid collaborations
• AFFILIATE MARKETING OPPORTUNITIES– consistently uploading content brought my work in the purview of varied affiliate programs like the Amazon Influencer Program
• TEACHING WORKSHOPS– confidence, teaching skills and expertise in creating content, presented me with many clients and students for my “Basics of Blogging Workshops” which I host on a monthly basis
• HOSTING TALK-SHOWS AND INTERVIEWS– a camera-friendly personality, the ability to speak well and intelligently moderate conversations, made many groups and organisations approach me to host/ be part of their ongoing talk show series

I’m aware that it can be daunting to talk into a camera with confidence, and for some people the technological hurdles are a big issue. However, once you overcome these initial problems, creating video content is fun and extremely rewarding. Just remember, you don’t have to be a pro-editor, or have super-expensive camera equipment to make superior and first-rate video content. Here is a video explanation of everything I have shared in this post, in Hindi, because the real proof of the pudding is in the eating!

Here’s how uploading videos earned me money in lockdown in India:

1. INVEST IN BASIC YET HIGH-QUALITY EQUIPMENT

There is no need to buy an expensive camera to shoot videos, because the latest smart phones come with fabulous in-built cameras. There are a number of affordable phones that offer good-quality cameras as well, but my personal choice is the iPhone 11. It has made my shooting and editing experience almost effortless.

The iPhone 11, along with multiple other premium phones will be heavily discounted on Amazon Prime Day (6-7 August, 2020). Don’t miss out on this awesome deal! Just add it to your cart now and buy it during the sale.

Other must-have equipment includes a tripod and mount pairing for your phone, and a ring light if you don’t have access to good lighting.

2. PAY ATTENTION TO THE AESTHETICS OF THE VIDEO

Many new bloggers make good quality videos but fail to draw an audience because the aesthetics of their videos lack appeal. An attractive cover image that conveys the message effectively, is extremely important. One can also include animated images and photographs in one’s video to make it more visually appealing.

I rely completely on Canva Pro for their extensive collection of images and ideas for creating Youtube Thumbnails, social media posts, Pinterest images, presentations and even my Media Kit. The Canva Pro Membership gives access to hundreds of high quality images along with unlimited storage for your images and creatives, making it well worth the membership fee.

3. BE MINDFUL OF YOUR APPEARANCE AND BACKGROUND

Videos are all about aesthetics. If you make explanatory or spoken/music videos, animated or pleasing images are extremely important and if you make spoken videos, you must be mindful of your appearance. Wear light yet professional looking makeup that doesn’t wash you out and is pleasing to the eye. Your clothes should have interesting patterns and bold colours, and you can add statement jewellery as well. Here are my lists of curated looks to inspire you.

Shoot the video against a neutral background like a plain wall or bookshelves. You can also sit in front of a pretty painting. Make sure your sound is absolutely clear. These little tips will keep the audience coming to your page, which is ultimately what brands look at when determining who to work with.

4. USE NATURAL LIGHT OR SHOOT IN A WELL-LIT AREA

Lighting is the most important aspect of any sort of visual content, whether photographs or videos. Natural lighting is free and you should use it to your advantage, as far as possible. However, I’m aware that some houses don’t have the space for good natural light. In that case, it is important to invest in a good ring light. There are plenty of options to choose from, the easiest one being a simple ring light to attach to your phone. However, for professional looking videos, you should invest in a big ring light.

5. ADAPT THE VIDEO AS PER EACH PLATFORM’S REQUIREMENTS

If you are creating content for different social media platforms, you must change the way you shoot, present and upload the videos as per the requirements of that particular platform. For example, Youtube videos should be shot in landscape mode, while Instagram/Facebook videos perform better in portrait mode. Each platform requires different kinds of images to compliment the videos.

6. CHOOSE A PLATFORM THAT WORKS FOR YOU

It’s better to focus on one video platform in the beginning, as each one has different requirements and different modes of promotion to determine whether your content will be successful or not. You can choose the platform on the basis of your niche, or you can upload on the platform that you currently have the largest following on.

Keep in mind that Youtube content must be SEO friendly and Instagram/Facebook content needs to be hashtag optimised, among other specifications.

7. USE A GOOD EDITING SOFTWARE/APP

The editing software you use is extremely important, as it determines the quality of the video. A few things to keep in mind if you’re looking to monetise your video content is that there should be no watermark visible on the video, plus you should be able to superimpose images, audio clips, and photographs easily.

My chosen editing app is VN or VlogNow. Other popular editing platforms include Filmora Go, Final Cut Pro, Vimeo and Wideo.

If however, you are camera-shy yet want to create videos of your written content for better visibility, then the best place to start is Lumen5. This service converts your pre-written blog posts/scripts into attractive videos to be shared on social media that will surely get more traction to your content than simply posting written material. They have a free trial but their paid plans are most effective.

Make Thumb Stopping Videos In Minutes With Lumen5

These seven tips will help you get started on creating high quality video content that brings genuine audience engagement. Once brands see the quality of your content and the organic engagement, they will surely want to work with you to promote their products or services.

Though the tips outlined above are of utmost importance, here are a few extra things to keep in mind if you want your videos to stand out in a crowd:

• Be confident! Forget that you’re facing a camera and picture yourself talking to a friend. It will help you sound authentic and avoid that sing-song voice that many bloggers have in the beginning.
• Make sure there isn’t too much space on top of your head. Stay close to the camera and look at the camera. Don’t look down or switch your gaze as your audience will not connect with you in that case.
• Smile so that your audience finds your content pleasing, but be mindful of what you’re saying. Don’t smile if you’re talking about a serious or sad subject!
• Shut off all noisy appliances in the vicinity such as fans and AC’s, close the windows and doors to have the sharpest sound possible. If your device inadvertently makes a hissing sound while recording, shoot the audio portion directly on an editing app and superimpose it on to your image.
• Be crisp and to the point. People don’t have long attention spans, which makes it important to get your message across effectively in the first 30 seconds of the video. That will determine if your audience will watch the rest of the video or not.
• Do not repeat points and keep your sentences short and to the point.
• Find your niche and work on building content related to that niche, as that will help you build a dedicated following.
• Make videos in multiple languages if you speak more than one- it will help you determine what works better for you.
• Don’t upload the same video on different social media platforms but you should cross-promote the links on other platforms. You never know where you may find a new audience and potential new clients.

These tips are just the tip of the iceberg. I could probably write a book on successful strategies for uploading videos to earn money in India. However, if there are just two things you take away from this post, it should be to invest in the right equipment and to edit the videos well, by creating effective and appealing images to go with your video content.

Do share this post with someone that may find it useful. Let me know in the comments if you agree with my strategies, and also what topic, related to monetisation of content, I should cover next.

___________________________________________________________________________

*This is not a sponsored post, however it contains affiliate links. When you buy a product or service using my links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. I would be very grateful if you helped support my blog by using my links to buy any of my recommendations.

**Copyright in content and pictures belongs to nooranandchawla and cannot be republished or repurposed without permission from the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action.