YouTube

YouTube is a platform where you can publish videos, share your expertise, build an audience, and grow your online presence. It is now one of the best tools for getting your message across and creating valuable content.

YouTube is a social network

YouTube is often considered a social network. In fact, we at BeFreelancr were the first to classify YouTube as a social network.

And indeed, it has social features such as subscriptions, likes, comments, and shares. But as we'll see, YouTube is primarily a search engine.

But YouTube is primarily a search engine

Today, YouTube is one of the largest search engines in the world. Google is the undisputed leader for text results. And YouTube (which is owned by Google) is the world's leading video search engine.

YouTube is for everyone, but if you have an online business, the platform allows you to reach people who are genuinely interested in what you have to offer. No matter what your niche is, there is bound to be an audience looking for content like yours.

And that's the power of YouTube: Everyone uses YouTube.

Because it helps you gain visibility, build trust with your audience, and sell your products and services more easily. YouTube is also an excellent source of long-term traffic: a well-ranked video can continue to bring you customers for months.

I say months, but in reality I should say years. Because even though fresh content is more likely to rank higher, a video on YouTube has a lifespan of 5 to 6 years.

YouTube doesn't charge you anything to create a channel, publish your videos, or reach an audience. You can get started for free and even start generating revenue if your channel grows large enough.

1. Sign in with your Google account
2. Go to YouTube
3. Click on your photo in the top right corner and select "Create a channel"
4. Choose your channel name and customize it
5. Add a photo, banner, and description
6. Publish your first video and start creating content

Videos that answer a specific question, give useful advice, or tell an interesting story often perform well. Tutorials, product reviews, authentic vlogs, and educational videos tend to do well.

The key is to provide value and capture attention in the first few seconds.

Yes, consistency plays an important role. The more often you post, the more the algorithm will recommend your videos. But that doesn't mean posting every day. The most important thing is to have a rhythm that you can maintain over the long term, even if it's one video a week or every two weeks.

What you should avoid at all costs is not posting any content for several months. But as long as you're consistent, you're good to go!

Subscribers are people who follow your channel, views are the number of times a video has been watched, and watch time is the total number of minutes watched. The latter is often the most important for YouTube, as it shows whether your content is really holding people's attention.

There are several ways:

• advertising through the partner program
• partnerships with brands (known as product placements)
• affiliate marketing
• selling your own products or services
• or donations via platforms such as Patreon

If you use YouTube wisely, it can become a real source of income.

There is no set number of views required to get paid, as it depends on the type of content, viewing time, audience country, and CPM (cost per thousand views). But to give you an idea, 1,000 well-monetized views can earn between €1 and €10, sometimes more depending on your niche.

If you make videos for the general public or for children, you're looking at around $1 for 1,000 views. And in niches such as taxation or insurance, you're closer to $10 for 1,000 views.

For example, on my channel where I talk about online entrepreneurship, I earn between €6 and €7 for 1,000 views.

When can you start monetizing your YouTube channel?

To activate monetization through the partner program, you need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of viewing time over the last 12 months. Once you've reached these thresholds, you can apply and start generating advertising revenue.

No, it's not mandatory. Many creators are successful without ever showing themselves, using voiceovers (our subcategory here), animations, screenshots, or even avatars. What matters is the value you bring and how you capture attention, not necessarily your appearance.

Very effective, especially if you sell services, training, or digital products. People discover you through your videos, learn to trust you, and then naturally click on your offers. It's one of the best ways to build trust before making a sale.

In fact, few e-commerce sites use YouTube as an acquisition channel, which is a real shame. Imagine a product demonstration on YouTube. Not only would you be visible on the platform, but you could also use the video on your product pages.

YouTube Shorts are short, vertical videos that are less than 60 seconds long. They are designed to be viewed quickly, often on mobile devices, and have a high potential to go viral. Traditional videos, on the other hand, allow you to explore a topic in greater depth, build a real relationship with your audience, and sell more in the long term.

Yes, and it's one of the best online advertising channels. You can show your ads before other videos or in the YouTube home feed. It's ideal for generating sales, attracting prospects, or boosting your visibility if you have an advertising budget.

1. Find an idea that meets a real need or answers a question.
2. Write a clear plan or script
3. Pay attention to the intro to grab attention from the very first seconds
4. Add value throughout the video, without unnecessary chatter
5. End with a clear call to action (subscription, link, purchase, etc.)
6. Work on the thumbnail and title to make people want to click

A YouTube channel can involve a whole team: a video editor to create professional edits, a thumbnail maker to create eye-catching visuals, a scriptwriter to write the scripts, a YouTube coach to optimize the strategy, a voice-over artist, a community manager to manage comments, or even an SEO expert to make your videos stand out in search results.

You can find them directly on BeFreelancr, in the YouTube subcategory (lucky for you, you're already on that page).

Above, you'll see freelance YouTube experts offering various services related to the video search engine.

Many things can be delegated: video editing, thumbnail creation, title and description optimization, keyword research, script writing, publication scheduling, and even managing comments. This allows you to focus on what you do best.

What YouTube services can you find on BeFreelancr?

On BeFreelancr, you can find video editing, thumbnail creation, YouTube SEO optimization, voice-overs, script writing, YouTube strategy consulting, channel trailer creation, and even complete channel management for those who want to delegate everything.

Advantages: YouTube allows for long-term SEO, so your videos can continue to attract traffic for years. The audience is also more engaged.

Disadvantages: It requires more work up front (filming, editing), and results may take a little longer to come than on more instant platforms like TikTok or Instagram.

There are other platforms such as Vimeo (which has a great customizable player), TikTok (short format), Instagram Reels, Facebook Video, Rumble, and Dailymotion.

But to build a loyal audience in the long term, YouTube remains the benchmark. Especially if you want to work on your VSEO (Video SEO). Because Vimeo won't bring you any traffic. TikTok and Instagram will, but only for a few days (the algorithm only highlights recent content).

YouTube is the only real video search engine where your videos can rank over the long term. A video you publish today will be visible for 5 or 6 years. Of course, the "freshness" of content is important, but not as much as on other social networks.