How and why you want to become a gay YouTube star
Do you have a unique perspective on gay culture? Would you like to share your experiences with a community online? Jacob Michael shares how and why you might want to become a gay YouTube star.
Learn How to Become a Gay YouTube Star:
Create and help others as gay YouTube star
Jacob Michael is a popular gay YouTube star and social media influencer with nearly 22,000 subscribers and hundreds of thousands of video views. He started out vlogging for fun, but his channel grew into a place where he could explore his own experiences in the queer community. Today he makes videos about important LGBTQ social issues such as body shaming, dating culture and mental health.
In this episode of Queer Money®Jacob Michael joins us to explain what inspired him to start a YouTube channel and walk us through the logistics of getting started as a creator on the platform. He shares how much time and money he has invested into his channel and describes the different ways influencers can make money once they build a following. Listen to Jacob Michael’s insights into resisting online criticism and what steps you should take to share your unique voice on social media!
“My audience started to grow because I was talking about gay issues in a very specific way, and there is an audience for that. Focusing on a specific topic is the most important thing you can do.” -Jacob MichaelClick to tweet
Topics covered on how to become a gay YouTube star
What inspired Jacob Michael to start a YouTube channel
Personal struggle to integrate into the gay community
Share your opinion on topics that others don’t talk about
How Jacob Michael started creating on YouTube
Film on iPhone, edit with Adobe Premiere Pro
Develop an inner core to accept criticism for POV
How much time does Jacob Michael spend on his channel?
20 hours/week to start with to learn filming and editing
45-minute scripted videos last up to 50 hours
How much Jacob Michael has invested in his channel
$2,000 for editing software, camera and lighting
Earn $ back by monetizing the channel with ads
The different ways to monetize a YouTube channel
Through Ads (requires 1,000 subscribers)
Affiliate links for the products mentioned
Sell goods
Crowdfunding
Sales funnel for your own product
Jacob’s best practices for building a following
Focus on niche content and optimize for keywords
Remember that reaching benchmarks takes time
Jacob’s advice on how to survive the “waiting game.”
Don’t compare yourself with others, try to eliminate your ego
Develop courage to persevere and recognize that it has an impact
How Jacob selects topics for discussion
Respond to feedback from key supporters
Use patterns from your own experience
Jacob’s first 3 steps for aspiring gay YouTuber stars
- Just start (don’t get analysis paralysis)
- Gather the tools and resources you need
- Persist as long as you enjoy the work