The new rich are banking on YouTube advertising revenues
It might sound easy: post a couple of videos on YouTube then sit back and relax as millions of hits roll in and cash from advertising skyrockets. That’s only half the story though because although video – in this case YouTube – is the latest online goldmine, it takes time and effort to establish a regular audience and generate the kind of cash it takes to make a living.
Michael Buckley is a great example of the ongoing democratization of celebrity status online. He hosts a regular celebrity humor show that focuses on high energy, witty humor. So far he’s enjoyed over 100 million views, according to the New York Times.
Although the initial investment was low (a camera, backdrop, and lighting) Buckley had to spend “. . . 40 hours a week on YouTube for over a year before [he] made a dime”. Certainly there are exceptions to that, but before you quit your day job make sure you have a solid following of fans who won’t mind if you have an off week or two.
YouTube is mum on how much its partners earn in advertising, but Buckley mentioned that he earns $100,000 from his video enterprise and it’s helped him pay off credit card debt and allowed him to ditch his previous role as an administrative assistant.
Google currently doesn’t turn much of a profit from YouTube, and some of that may be related to the amount of content that’s pirated or posted by anonymous users. There’s also a nagging perception from visitors that they don’t want to be waiting of obstructed by advertising. They want video content – now. If nothing else, the web has taught us that.
On a regular basis, each episode of Buckley’s What the Buck show is viewed 200,000 times. Right now there’s an interesting paradox where some actors use YouTube as a stepping stone to a television role, but in Buckley’s case he went from television mediocrity to YouTube stardom.
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