I noticed there is a fair amount of discussion on here lately about YouTube and trapping and hunting channels. I thought I would share some experiences with those of you who have channels or are interested in having channels, from my experience.
1) Making money on Youtube is all about having content that allows you to build a big audience. That means you have to produce good videos that a LOT of people are interested in, have a good personality, and do a good job of editing them. Take a lesson from Kendall Gray who is rolling in the coin, but he has an over-the-top delivery, does crazy stuff, and really knows how to edit. Another example of someone making a lot of money is Robert Arrington whose channel is Deer meat for Dinner. He has a genuine personality, does good (but rudimentary) editing and has a wife that looks amazing in a bikini. (never discount the value of that.)
2) There is a very limited number of trappers so you'll never make any real money just doing trapping videos. There are high school kids making $50,000 a year on YouTube producing fishing videos that are mostly pretty dumb, but there are 100 times more fishermen than there are trappers. Do a combination of stuff and include trapping if you want the channel to really take off. Maybe some bushcraft, primitive hunting, etc. any of that would be a good mix.
3) YouTube's policy at this time is that you need to have 1,000 subscribers before they will monetize your channel. Only a small percentage of channels ever make it. Most trapping channels will never come close to that. If you really want to start making serious money, you need to get to 100,000 subscribers, then you'll be able to sign some paying sponsors and you can sell some Merch. Once you have 100,000 subscribers, the YouTube monetization will allow you to quit your regular job and this extra stuff is just gravy.
4) You need to have a couple videos go viral. This really helps build subscribers and get you some income. I have had a couple that have done really well, including one of a moose attacking a truck I was riding in. This video has produced a nice supplemental income for the past few years.
5) You need to engage the viewers. The more comments and likes your videos get, the more traction it gets on YouTube, which causes more people to see it. This is how they grow, it's the only real way to get the views that pays its own way.
6) Here's a mistake I made: I was approached by several companies who wanted to manage two of my viral videos. They promised me they would market and license my videos and I would make a lot more than I make on YouTube. I did some research and decided to do it with Jukin Media. They gave me a $500 advance and now I get monthly checks from them, but after two years, I actually think I would have made just as much or more if I had kept them monetized by YouTube. Time will tell if this was worth it.
7) You have to make a long-term commitment. You'll need to buy some decent equipment and keep the videos coming. The people making $100K a year and more on YouTube are producing weekly videos. If you do it on a whim and then only produce a few videos during trapping season, you'll never make a dime. It's hard to keep coming up with really good content that people will engage with, but it's the only way to keep it rolling and make enough money to make this worthwhile.
My channel is
https://www.youtube.com/user/BowhuntingRoad/ if you want to see what has worked for me.
Good luck, I don't want to discourage you, just offer you some reality. Maybe 330 Maniac will weigh-in on this, he also has a successful channel.
