My revenue in the last year has been £7k - 90% of that in the last few videos. However after the new attention I should be able to get sponsored ad read opportunities, which seem to range but can be $5000 dollars. That'll be a game changer.
Hi Brendan! Thanks for this - it is so interesting to watch you grow your channel in real time. Interesting about sponsorship - although I wonder whether that has an impact on your editorial choices (when I was at Channel 4 many brands didn't want their content around news and current affairs output). Anyway, thanks for commenting.
Thanks for watching! I think I'd just never hear from sponsors who weren't happy with political content so doubt I'd be in that position. "Audience capture" or feeling like certain topics wouldn't be popular is a much bigger influence.
Hello! I mentioned it below but will do something more considered on this point as a few people asked a similar question. In the meantime, I did do this list of scripted YouTube series down the years that might be of interest if you hadn't seen it already https://businessoftv.substack.com/p/youtube-scripted-series-tv-producers
Dear Jen, this is a good article, with many engagement. I think that the Spanish-speaking community can be also interested. Is it possible to translate this post, with credits and links to your newsletter and to you? Many thanks in advance.
My question is can I make YouTube with narratives- episodic, movies etc? The example you cited said she spent 14k per video but made only 4k in revenue. Doe that include marketing costs? I wonder what is the way to do that effectively both in cost and quality that connects to audiences.
That particular example was I think solely for her production - she used YouTube, socials, Substack etc to drive awareness (plus she is formerly of Bon Appetit so had an existing following). For her, she found Substack to have a much lower cost of production (she just writes, no crew or editing costs required) that it works for her. Which I think is a key issue for creators especially starting out is about doing as much as possible DIY and not needing to outsource production. Equally, I think recipes and cooking both for pro chefs and YouTubers is such a distinct group with its own dynamics - there is a long history around user behaviour for recipes that is quite distinctive from other types of content - I'd suggest if you are interested in scripted then its lessons will only get you so far. I'll come back to the narrative question as a few others have asked about it so will write something more considered! If you haven't seen it, I did do this post of lots of scripted YouTube series down the years... https://businessoftv.substack.com/p/youtube-scripted-series-tv-producers
This makes me wonder… what are other posts filmmakers should read to help them think about how YouTube might be part of their professional creative practice? Got any more to share?
Thanks Ted - and thanks for restacking, I love your writing! I had quite a lot of feedback over the weekend that this post has touched on something for a lot of TV production people - all around struggling to find quality information on this subject. So I will do a list that will hopefully help! Much appreciated.
These are all really good points. As a working TV editor who has worked with YouTube creators as well, the big differences to me too that aren't mentioned here are a few things:
- pay: The old model is you get paid if a show does or doesn't hit as an editor. I know production companies have different models. But from where I sat, we just made the best TV with what we had. YouTube I could put days and hours of blood, sweat and tears and 8 views... half being my family. They only pay if it goes viral. Great model for them, bad for most creatives. It's a hard adjustment to this model for many of us in media that have been able to support families doing what we do. Now... not so much.
- style: This is my old millennial ass, but the way I tell stories editing is slower and more intentional then what works online. I've adjusted some, but I have much to learn about what plays better in this space.
Thanks Wesley! These are great points. On pay - yes, if you are basically swapping one employer for another (and if the creator pay hinges on going viral) then this is high risk. I guess what I'm asking is less about finding employment with creators, rather why not be the creator yourself? In other words, start your own channel, and see if you can make it work? Again, with a family to feed it may be too much of a risk or unappealing. The style point is very interesting - there is a uniformity to much of the creator content around hooks and beats that obviously works in grabbing an audience, but like all things I can't help wonder if there will be reaction against it where people start to crave slower storytelling. Perhaps this will happen more when the TV viewing creator content becomes the norm? One definitely to think about more. Thank you!
You do see people enjoying slower content, but that is so personality based. People are willing to spend hours with streamers just talking to a camera.
Content creation as a one-person team is so different than being on a production crew where you focus on your specialty. As a post professional, I used to just worry about crafting the story handed to me and prepping it for online. Now, when working on new media projects, I handle every aspect of production—for less money.
It's like going from being a specialized doctor who only focuses on one part of the body to suddenly running the entire hospital yourself—from reception to janitorial work—while earning a nurse's salary.
My revenue in the last year has been £7k - 90% of that in the last few videos. However after the new attention I should be able to get sponsored ad read opportunities, which seem to range but can be $5000 dollars. That'll be a game changer.
Hi Brendan! Thanks for this - it is so interesting to watch you grow your channel in real time. Interesting about sponsorship - although I wonder whether that has an impact on your editorial choices (when I was at Channel 4 many brands didn't want their content around news and current affairs output). Anyway, thanks for commenting.
Thanks for watching! I think I'd just never hear from sponsors who weren't happy with political content so doubt I'd be in that position. "Audience capture" or feeling like certain topics wouldn't be popular is a much bigger influence.
Do you have any insight on how to make narrative filmmaking work on YouTube?
Hello! I mentioned it below but will do something more considered on this point as a few people asked a similar question. In the meantime, I did do this list of scripted YouTube series down the years that might be of interest if you hadn't seen it already https://businessoftv.substack.com/p/youtube-scripted-series-tv-producers
Dear Jen, this is a good article, with many engagement. I think that the Spanish-speaking community can be also interested. Is it possible to translate this post, with credits and links to your newsletter and to you? Many thanks in advance.
My question is can I make YouTube with narratives- episodic, movies etc? The example you cited said she spent 14k per video but made only 4k in revenue. Doe that include marketing costs? I wonder what is the way to do that effectively both in cost and quality that connects to audiences.
That particular example was I think solely for her production - she used YouTube, socials, Substack etc to drive awareness (plus she is formerly of Bon Appetit so had an existing following). For her, she found Substack to have a much lower cost of production (she just writes, no crew or editing costs required) that it works for her. Which I think is a key issue for creators especially starting out is about doing as much as possible DIY and not needing to outsource production. Equally, I think recipes and cooking both for pro chefs and YouTubers is such a distinct group with its own dynamics - there is a long history around user behaviour for recipes that is quite distinctive from other types of content - I'd suggest if you are interested in scripted then its lessons will only get you so far. I'll come back to the narrative question as a few others have asked about it so will write something more considered! If you haven't seen it, I did do this post of lots of scripted YouTube series down the years... https://businessoftv.substack.com/p/youtube-scripted-series-tv-producers
Very useful and appreciated post, Jen. Thank you.
This makes me wonder… what are other posts filmmakers should read to help them think about how YouTube might be part of their professional creative practice? Got any more to share?
Thanks Ted - and thanks for restacking, I love your writing! I had quite a lot of feedback over the weekend that this post has touched on something for a lot of TV production people - all around struggling to find quality information on this subject. So I will do a list that will hopefully help! Much appreciated.
These are all really good points. As a working TV editor who has worked with YouTube creators as well, the big differences to me too that aren't mentioned here are a few things:
- pay: The old model is you get paid if a show does or doesn't hit as an editor. I know production companies have different models. But from where I sat, we just made the best TV with what we had. YouTube I could put days and hours of blood, sweat and tears and 8 views... half being my family. They only pay if it goes viral. Great model for them, bad for most creatives. It's a hard adjustment to this model for many of us in media that have been able to support families doing what we do. Now... not so much.
- style: This is my old millennial ass, but the way I tell stories editing is slower and more intentional then what works online. I've adjusted some, but I have much to learn about what plays better in this space.
Thanks Wesley! These are great points. On pay - yes, if you are basically swapping one employer for another (and if the creator pay hinges on going viral) then this is high risk. I guess what I'm asking is less about finding employment with creators, rather why not be the creator yourself? In other words, start your own channel, and see if you can make it work? Again, with a family to feed it may be too much of a risk or unappealing. The style point is very interesting - there is a uniformity to much of the creator content around hooks and beats that obviously works in grabbing an audience, but like all things I can't help wonder if there will be reaction against it where people start to crave slower storytelling. Perhaps this will happen more when the TV viewing creator content becomes the norm? One definitely to think about more. Thank you!
You do see people enjoying slower content, but that is so personality based. People are willing to spend hours with streamers just talking to a camera.
Content creation as a one-person team is so different than being on a production crew where you focus on your specialty. As a post professional, I used to just worry about crafting the story handed to me and prepping it for online. Now, when working on new media projects, I handle every aspect of production—for less money.
It's like going from being a specialized doctor who only focuses on one part of the body to suddenly running the entire hospital yourself—from reception to janitorial work—while earning a nurse's salary.