Becoming a YouTube gamer was the best decision I ever made. It all started when I got pulled into playing Call of Duty. With a big drop of obsession and a sprinkling of luck, I got really good at it.
My friends would always ask me to help them out with their games, and soon enough, I became the go-to guy for gaming tips. I started thinking to myself, “Hey, maybe I could start making YouTube videos about this stuff and share my tips with the world.”
So I decided to give it a try. And let me tell you, it was a lot harder than it looked! The first few videos were complete disasters, but I kept at it until I finally got the hang of things. And it paid off; within a few months, I had thousands of subscribers and was making good money from ad revenue.
So how exactly did I become a YouTube gamer? What were the steps involved? That’s what I am going to share with you here.
How to become a YouTube gamer? Several steps are involved that include learning about YouTube algorithms, choosing your preferred gaming style and niche, creating a unique profile, selecting the suitable recording and streaming equipment, creating consistent and regular videos, designing thumbnails, and marketing yourself the right way.
If you’re like most people, you probably think becoming a professional YouTube gamer is as hard as becoming an Olympic athlete. And in some ways, it kind of is. Success on YouTube takes hours and hours of dedication to your craft, mastering the games, and building up a following.
But contrary to popular belief, making money as a YouTube gamer is definitely possible – you just need to know how to do it right.
I’ll cover everything you have to do to become a YouTuber gamer in this post. From how much money YouTuber gamers can actually make to the best gaming video ideas for starting your own channel, you’ll get it all here.
So whether you’re looking to become the next PewDiePie or simply want to know what all the fuss is about, keep reading!
Huge Earning Potential of YouTube Gaming
Did you know that the top YouTube gamers earn millions of dollars per year? That’s right. They can make more money playing video games than the vast majority of people do working full-time jobs. That’s because, with a good viewership, YouTube gaming has massive earning potential.
Here’s how they manage to make so much money.
- Game and tech sponsorships
- Affiliate marketing
- Video ads monetization
- Making guest appearances
- Selling merchandise
You may not believe it, but the earning potential of YouTube gaming is even higher than traditional media like TV ads. According to recent studies, the ad rate for a YouTuber with over 1 million followers is $18 per thousand views.
That’s more than three times the amount compared to just $5-6 per thousand views for the ads that appear on a local TV station.
What’s more, the TV ad revenue goes to the TV channel corporation, while on YouTube, every cent goes directly into your own pocket.
If we talk about YoutTube’s gaming potential, success breeds success. Your first dollar is the hardest to earn. It’s not easy getting subscribers, but there’s no stopping the massive income flow once you do.
- Video Ads Monetization
Let’s talk about YouTube video ads here. The more people who click on the ads on your video, the better the chances for brands to want more expensive ads on your videos or make sponsorship deals. The more subscribers you have, the better your chance of joining a multi-channel network.
- Game & Tech Sponsorships
If you become successful enough to have a few hundred thousand subscribers, you’ll start getting high-paying sponsorships. With above-average video views, you can rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars per annum.
It’s like being on an upward spiral that goes higher with each new level reached.
With that kind of money up for grabs, it’s no wonder so many people are looking to start their own YouTube channels! So, what does it take to make it big on YouTube? Keep reading to find out!
How To Become A YouTube Gamer
How many hours have you spent watching other people play video games on YouTube? Hundreds, probably. And how many of those hours have you thought to yourself, “I could do that”?
If you’re like most people, the answer is a lot. The initial steps that you have to follow to become a successful gamer on YouTube can be broadly divided into four different segments.
Selecting your niche
1: Determining the problems your channel will solve
Creating & branding your channel
2: Create your YouTube channel
3: Set up your channel (Name, Logo, About, Channel Art)
Finding the right equipment and uploading videos
4: Choose your gaming hardware (PC or Console)
5: Select recording equipment and softwares
6: Record & upload videos (title, keywords, and thumbnail)
Growing and marketing
7: Review the metrics and feedback
8: Upload the videos routinely and regularly
9: Market and share your channel
10: Monetize your channel
For many, it can seem like an impossible task to break into the YouTube gaming industry, but with proper planning and execution, it’s definitely doable. Let’s go through each of these steps in detail.
1: Determining the problems your channel will solve
When it comes to creating a Youtube channel, the first thing you need to decide is what your channel is about. Often, the advice that is given is, “you have to pick a niche!”.
I’m going to fly in the face of this convention.
Instead, you should discover what problems you can solve for gamers.
You see, a niche can be anything. Interest in the Nintendo Switch is a niche. Watching multiplayer tournament games is a niche.
However, these do not lend themselves well to a real business. And that’s what you will be looking to create in the long run: a real business that solves its target customer’s problems with value-filled solutions.
Yes, you’re still selecting a niche, but you are approaching the thought process surrounding that niche in a different way.
For example, you may be really good at playing Fifa and fancy making a channel about that. The next step is to think, about what problems are Fifa players facing. What problems would they be willing to search for a video on or pay money to solve?
After brainstorming, and doing a little bit of research on Youtube, you discover one of the main problems Fifa players face is the lack of a structured way to actually improve their game and win more in Ultimate team mode.
Now you’ve found a potential niche that is based on a real-world problem.
Why is it important to base your niche selection on a real-world problem? Because your Youtube business needs a clear mission: To continually find better ways to solve that problem.
The more detailed you can write down the problem and solution, the more clear you’ll be on your mission and the direction of your Channel and business.
The reason why determining a problem you can solve is so important is because it makes it very easy to plan, going forward, a selection of tiered products that help solve that problem. Remember your business is more than just a Youtube channel.
For example, looking back at the FIFA example, your products could be:
Tier 1: FIFA Video instructing people of drills and skills to help win online – Free
Tier 2: FIFA course that gives a clear step by step process for improving different aspects of your game – $20
Tier 3: 1 Hour of personal feedback on your game to determine key improvement areas $200
Tier 4: Personal coaching for 1 week to help improve trouble areas in Fifa $2000
Notice that by having a clear idea about the problems you solve, it’s very easy to quickly come up with products outside your core Youtube business to solve those problems.
Just keep in mind that you need to make sure that people are actively seeking solutions to the problem you want to solve by collecting data evidence.
Don’t just go with your gut and assume that, for example, there’s huge interest in FIFA training videos and courses. You need to go on the internet, do your research, and gather evidence that shows that people will pay for solutions to this problem. If you can’t find evidence of people actively seeking solutions to these problems, don’t make the channel. It’s as simple as that.
So do your research, find evidence that shows people are actively seeking solutions to the problem that your Youtube gaming channel will fix.
If you’d like to learn more about how to discover problems that people want solve on Youtube and how to match them to yourself so you can successfully solve those problems,
If you sign up for our Newsletter, I’ll make sure I’ll inform you when it’s written.
2: Create Your YouTube Channel
Building a successful channel starts with making a channel, right? So the first thing you practically need to do is create your YouTube gaming channel.
Just keep in mind that creating a channel is completely free.
If you have a Google account, your YouTube account is automatically set up, but you have to set up your brand account for using YouTube for business purposes.
Why brand account and why not use the personal account? Because:
- A brand account can have multiple people admin access
- You can customize the name and appearance of your brand account.
- A brand account allows you access to YouTube Analytics, offering helpful insights.
Simply go through this blog to understand all the steps in detail.
Once you have created your gaming channel, it’s time to set it up.
3: Set up Your YouTube Channel
You have created a YouTube gaming channel. Now it’s time to customize and set it up as your very own. Here’s what you have to take care of.
- Channel Name
The channel name should:
- Communicate what problem your channel solves
- Be memorable
- Be as short as possible without losing clarity of th problem the channel solves
- Channel Icon or Logo
Your channel’s logo should quickly communicate what problems you solve, or what solutions you create.
Yes, you can pay thousands of dollars for fancy logos. But early on in your Youtube gaming channels life, there is no need.
Sometimes the best and simplest way to create a logo when you start is to create round logo (Because Youtube shows it as a round icon) and just have your channel name on it. You can always have a better logo created later.
- Channel Art
You have to ensure that your channel art (banner image) is attractive, aesthetic, matches your channel’s brand and problems/solutions.
You can add your logo to it or the timings or schedule when you go online or upload your videos.
Keep in mind that early on, you should keep it simple, you can always change banner art at a later date.
- Layout and Basic Info
The info you add in these three tabs will help you optimize your channel for enhanced audience discovery. Use descriptive keywords to make your channel appear in the top results in searches.
After that, it’s time to set up your equipment and start recording and uploading your videos.
4: Choose the Gaming Hardware You Need
The gaming hardware you need is going to be massively influenced by the problems your channel sets out to fix and the solutions your channel needs to provide.
For example, if the problem your channel addresses is how to design effective microtransaction systems in Mobil games, then you’ll likely only need a PC capable of creating presentations. And you may need a mobile phone.
However, if your channel is trying to help FIFA players train to improve their skills, then you will likely need a console such as PS5 or Xbox Series X in order to capture gameplay for demonstrative purposes.
5: Select Equipment and Softwares
Now you need to choose the best value-for-money hardware and software for your videos. Here’s what you should keep in mind.
Hardware
Having the best equipment is critical to the success of your channel. It’s the first step to your success, and you have to ensure that it is flawless.
A good video and audio quality can set you apart from hundreds of other competitors in the same category.
- Camera/Video Recorder
The minimum resolution you should aim for is 1080p for your videos. But for that, you don’t have to buy a DSLR or a mirrorless camera for your video recordings. Simply choose a good-quality webcam or a digital camera to record an HD video.
- Mic & Headset
Along with high-quality video recording, you have to have a clear, crisp, and noiseless sound quality as well. It’s critical that your audience can listen to you clearly. So spending on a good microphone and a headset is a must.
- Lighting
Good lighting can actually make a difference between an amateur and a professional. If you are not recording in a well-lit place that can show your face clearly, it will not help the audience connect with you emotionally.
Software
You’ll also need some help with screen recording and video editing softwares.
- Screen Recording Software
Using a camera pointed at your screen to show your gameplay is not an option because the video quality may deteriorate, and audio/video lags can creep in.
You’ll need excellent screen-recording software that can broadcast or record your gameplay. Open Broadcaster Software is a pretty common and popular recording software among all YouTube and social media gamers.
- Video Editing Software
Remember that you have to make a video that your audience will want to watch. So there shouldn’t be any blips, long pauses, or anything that people will get bored with, hence the need for good video editing software. Find a good, easy-to-use, intuitive video editing software that gets the job done swiftly.
Once everything is in place, it’s time to record and upload your videos.
6: Record and Upload Videos
Setting up your equipment, creating and editing content takes time to get used to. But once you have done it all, it is ready to be uploaded on your channel.
- Video Quality
I would recommend you upload your video with HD dimensions, at least with either 1280 x 720 or 1920 x 1080.
- Video Titles
You need to spend some time coming up with creative and engaging titles for your videos. They should be compelling enough to make people click on your videos and watch them.
If you are unsure what to choose or how to name them, simply check out other gamers to see how they name their videos.
Another way is to type something related to your video in the YouTube search bar. YouTube will then provide you with suggestions in a dropdown list that may help you choose the best titles.
- Video Thumbnails
One of the most important and noticeable features of your YouTube gaming channel will be your video thumbnails. Thumbnails can be the difference between success and failure on YouTube because they directly affect the audience’s decision to click and view your video.
So spend some time creating engaging and compelling custom thumbnails for your videos. If you are not good with photo editing, hire somebody else to do it for you. Ensure that the thumbnails are clearly visible and have eligible fonts and writings.
Another thing is to be consistent with your thumbnail themes. Try to use the same fonts, color schemes, layout, and style across all of your thumbnails. It shows professionalism and quality.
Show high intensity. Create interest and suspense with your video thumbnails.
Once you are finished with the edits, upload your videos and start your journey towards growth and eventual success.
7: Review the Metrics and Feedback
One of the most important things to do when starting your YouTube channel is figuring out what type of content you should keep making, and what content you should stop making.
Fortunately, Youtube analytics have hundreds of metrics that will help you choose which types of videos are resonating with your viewers and which are falling flat.
By using analytics, you are making data-driven decisions. You are using the data collected by Youtube as evidence to suggest the best course of action.
For example, if a FIFA video on how to perform a specific trick has racked up more views than any video, it might be worth you making videos showing how to perform other tricks.
If you keep on producing content that your audience desires, and it keeps on solving their problems/group of problems, then your channel will grow.
Here are a few metrics you should look at on your channel:
Views
Obviously, the more views your channel has, the better, so as long as this keeps on growing, you are doing well. Keep on setting targets to grow your monthly views. But keep in mind, it’s not only about views. As your business grows, the quality of the viewer is more important than the quantity.
For example, if a video pulls in 1000 views but 100 of them go and buy a $100 course, that video is worth $10,000. If another video pulls in 10,000 views but only 10 of those buy a course, that video is only worth $1000 to you even though it has more views.
But early on the higher number of views, the better.
Likes and Dislikes
See which videos get more likes and dislikes as compared to others. You can learn a lot by analyzing what your audience prefers more to watch and what irks them.
- Average percentage watched
The average percentage watched metric on Youtube’s analytics is the single most important metric outside of views because it shows you if your videos are actually managing to get people to watch your video to the end.
But not only that, Youtube’s algorithm places a massive emphasis on high average percentage watched when ranking videos because it’s a direct indicator of quality.
Think about, say a load of people went to watch a movie but halfway through most of them got bored and left. That would be a strong indicator that the movie was pretty terrible.
Youtube is exactly the same, except it’s much easier for people to leave halfway through your video. The longer you can keep people watching, the better, it’s assumed, the quality of your video.
- Comments
YouTube comments are probably the best source of information when discovering your audience’s preferences. Use that feedback to improve and enhance your videos and shape your future content.
8: Upload Content Regularly
Your consistency will be the key to your subscriber growth. In addition to that, YouTube also recommends channels consistent with their posting.
You must set a consistent posting schedule. Post your gaming videos routinely and regularly so that your subscribers know when to expect more content. They will get used to your posting frequency.
If you are irregularly taking long breaks during your postings, don’t be surprised if your subscriber list starts stagnating.
Make sure you post at least 1 video a week and eventually aim for 2.
Once you have gotten regular in posting your content, it is time for more exposure.
9: Market Your Channel
You don’t watch to just rely on Youtube’s algorithm to drive traffic to your videos. You want to actively market your videos through other marketing channels. This helps diversify your videos traffic sources, so that, for example, if one traffic source was somehow negatively affected, your other traffic sources would pick up the slack.
Below are a few ways in which you can gain extra exposure for your channel and its videos.
Social
Get on at least one social media channel and post your videos on it.
As your channel grows, and you start pulling in ad money, you can spend a little money on a program such as Canva that will let you create social media posts for many social media channels in one go
Collaborating with other Youtubers
Collaborating with other YouTubers is a great way to quickly grow your channel. By getting in front of another channel’s audience, you can borrow that audience and convert them into your own audience.
Blog
Whenever you create a video, turn it into a blog post and link from the blog post to your Youtube video. You can, with clever keyword research get a blog post to rank on Google search. This will pull in a lot of extra traffic, traffic you can redirect to your Youtube channel.
Forums
Post your videos on forums such as Reddit when appropriate.
10: Monetize Your Channel
More people will hear about your channel when you continue creating and posting content. This leads to an increase in subscribers, which makes one eligible for the YouTube Partner Program once you hit 1,000 subscribers. The partner program allows you to post ads on your videos after approval. It’s only the start of your success, and you’ll keep climbing henceforth.
For your motivation, keep in mind that top YouTube gaming channels pull in millions of dollars per year in ad revenue alone. See the potential there? Believe me; you won’t be left far behind in this race to the top if you remain consistent and sincere with your efforts.
And I’m not even including the paid partnerships, sponsorships, and marketing in those earnings. Let’s see how you can increase your income even more.
Earn More With Sponsorships & Sales
There are numerous ways to earn more once you have gained a substantial following on your YouTube gaming channel.
Ad revenue is just a single drop in the ocean if we consider a channel’s full earning potential with considerable followers and views. The most common ways to increase your earnings are:
Influencer Sponsorships
As you’d have a gaming channel, you can be approached by tech and gaming companies to increase their brand awareness and review their gadgets or games. You’d be able to make money on every sale generated through your promo code or given links.
Selling Merchandise
You can also decide to launch your own branded merchandise that your followers can buy.