The digital landscape is evolving everyday and taking advantage of it many channels are opening up to capture the imagination of not just the audiences but brands, too, who are willing to pay big bucks to advertise on such platforms, says Shalini Saksena

Many of us have heard of people earning big bucks by uploading videos on their channels on various digital platforms like YouTube, WittyFeed and ScoopWhoop.  Have you ever wondered how they are making money?

There are several popular platforms with YouTube being the most popular among content creators to reach out to millions around the globe. So much so that the content being uploaded on the channels here have caught the imagination of the audiences and hence the brands too who are seeing this as an opportunity to market themselves. These brands are breaking away from the traditional methods of marketing — ads on TV, billboards and print.

For brands the fact that their products can now reach a much wider audience is the lure. Some call the content on those channels the new TV with fun, entertainment and digital advertisements.

One such person who is creating content that has grabbed eyeballs with his viral video as is Aashqeen with his channel that has two million subscribers on YouTube and 4 million followers on Facebook. It all began with him being a student to now, full-fledged YouTuber.

He tells you that in order to make any kind of money on a digital platform  one has to ensure that the content being uploaded is original. If you are an artist or love to cook, one can make videos of it and start uploading them. The more and faster you attract attention of the viewers the faster and better brands you will get that can help you start making money from it.

But the catch is that in case one is uploading anything that has copyright like Bollywood songs, the income that is generated will go the owner. People incorporate them in their videos to attract the audience and make it more relatable for them.

“There are other ways to make money’s well. One can work with brands and advertise their products. Another method of monetising the channel is through merchandise, superchat and sponsorship. But to attract brands there is need to create a viewership. The easiest way to work towards this is to create a channel. For example, when I began, I would upload videos just for fun. There was no intend to commercialise the channel. I had been uploading videos for two years before a brand approached me to incorporate their product into the video that I was making,” Aashqeen says who make sketches and uploads the video. The channel also uses comedy to make videos on different aspects from day to day life. A few popular videos include: When Nobody is Watching, Single versus Relationship and Aaj Se Gali Band.

“The advantage that I could sketch was that I could work with any brand and product and make a sketch around it. I have been here for three years and one year since I have started making money. I have worked with over 35 brand including Myntra and Gillette, Aashqeen tells you, who is an engineer by profession.

But it is not necessary to have a channel first with say a million viewers for a brand to approach you. It all depends on how the brand wants to project itself. Sometimes it works in their favour if a channel is created where the content creator can make a high quality video that can grab eyeballs. While the wait period before one can start making money is two years, this is not always the case. There are various factors that determine how fast one can attract the brand. As long as the quality of the video is good, the numbers don’t matter to them. Content for such brands is important. Of course, every brand wants viewership. And if they are convinced that the channel owner can guarantee a certain number, they are happy.

Aashqeen tells you that with the digital platform growing by leaps and bounds, there is so much scope for others to join in. “There are so making brands who have different agendas and are looking for different people who can cater to their needs,” Aashqeen says who has seen plenty of changes in the digital space since he started out.

“The change that has come is in content generation, it has improved drastically. To begin with, I was working with start-up brands and apps but since the content has improved so has the kind of brands who are approaching me. This has also led me to improve my content as well,” Aashqeen says whose advise for people new to this space is simple.

“For someone who is just starting out, good content and creating original content is the mantra to make it big. Every brand is looking for good quality content so the content creator must use a good camera. When I began I used to shoot it on the phone camera but once I decided to monetise my channel I ensured I had a good quality camera to shoot,” Aashqeen says who is doing this full-time with a team of eight to 10 people. Their work schedule depends on what kind of work is coming their way. There are times when they work round the clock and sometimes they are free the whole day.

He also tells you that patience is the name of the game here. “There are some people who try too hard and give up easily. Such people should start slowly and build on viewership before they should even think of making lots of money,” Aashqeen says.