As a continuation of my article on 'Freelance Travel Writing' as a means of making money while travelling in Asia for those of us without degrees and TEFL certificates, I wanted to take a brief look at the growing medium of 'videoblogs' and 'vloggers' as a possible source of income for those of an adventurous nature.
Asia is arguably the most beautiful continent in the world, and it is certainly one of the most popular with backpackers, holiday-makers, and those wishing to relocate permanently. However, finding employment (other than as an English teacher if qualified) can be difficult, with Asia lacking in the opportunities for bar work, fruit picking etc. that can make long-term travelling within other continents easier.
What is a VideoBlog?
Essentially a videoblog is a blog (a 'web-log' containing a series of entries usually regarding a specific niche) where the primary medium is that of video. The 'Vlogger' (video blogger) uploads video content to the internet either as stand-alone content to websites such as YouTube or as complimentary content to be included within written content such as articles and blog posts.
How can I make money travelling Asia as a vlogger?
The amount of time people spend watching television has dropped dramatically these last few years, with more and more people spending the majority of their free time online. And with this drop in viewers for television has been an equal drop in the advertising revenue spent on television commercials and the like. Which is good news for the travelling vlogger, because as the online audience for video content on demand has grown, so has the advertising revenue paid out to people just like you by companies who are looking to bring their products and services to the attention of your viewers.
The amount of time people spend watching television has dropped dramatically these last few years, with more and more people spending the majority of their free time online. And with this drop in viewers for television has been an equal drop in the advertising revenue spent on television commercials and the like. Which is good news for the travelling vlogger, because as the online audience for video content on demand has grown, so has the advertising revenue paid out to people just like you by companies who are looking to bring their products and services to the attention of your viewers.
Google Adsense and the YouTube Partner Program
Currently the most accessible platform for making money on the internet from amateur video is through the 'YouTube Partner Program'. Back in 2006 Google bought Youtube and quickly started seeking ways to monetize the sites traffic (both for themselves and for their users), and the main way through which they have achieved this is by allowing partnered users to display advertisements from Google's 'Adsense' advertising platform next to or directly within their video content.
Adsense (the little advert blocks seen all over the internet, including within this article) pays publishers (you and me) a percentage of the revenue earned from advertisers who pay for the privilege of displaying their adverts within our content. And depending upon the success of your videos in terms of amount of views, there is 'real' money to be made by those willing to invest time and effort into such a venture.
Adsense (the little advert blocks seen all over the internet, including within this article) pays publishers (you and me) a percentage of the revenue earned from advertisers who pay for the privilege of displaying their adverts within our content. And depending upon the success of your videos in terms of amount of views, there is 'real' money to be made by those willing to invest time and effort into such a venture.
One rough estimate of potential earnings from the YouTube Partner Program is $2.5-$5 per 1000 video views (depending upon topics and niche), and as long as your video content is not too personal and appeals to others than these figures are easily obtainable, and should you be lucky enough to upload a video that goes 'viral' tens of thousands of views an hour are not unheard of. And whilst there are requirements that will need to be met before being accepted as a YouTube partner, this is not a difficult task to achieve with a little dedication.
Example Video Blog - Laos
Tips and Tricks - Make Even More Money from Your Videos
If you're looking to make money while travelling in Asia from your videos then you're going to want to drain every last cent from the time and effort you've invested in your work. The following are a few extra tips and tricks to help you achieve that.
* Upload your videos to more than one revenue sharing site. Whilst YouTube may be the daddy there are plenty of others that can be used to make a little extra from the same video content by uploading it to multiple sites. 'Flixya.com' and 'Revver.com' are just several of those with potential, and a quick search on Google (or your search engine of choice) will most likely turn up many more.
* Write related travel articles and embed your own videos within them. If you're able to piece together an at least semi-coherent four or five hundred words to describe your video or related to your video then do so and upload it to one of the many revenue sharing sites such as HubPages, InfoBarrel, etc. and make even more money while travelling.
By following the above tips you could be earning from at least four different platforms with the same video(s). Which is obviously more preferable than from one.
So wherever you're travelling to in Asia, be it China, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam (or beyond), why not make the videos you record along the way work for you and add a few bucks to your travelling kitty as you go. And with a little hard work, potentially a lot more.
Thank you MrV, you inspire me, if there is a will there is a way to survive in this world, and with the new social networking economy, its like a new generation, and its hard to adjust to the idea that traditional jobs are no longer required !
ReplyDelete