Erika Kullberg now has much than 2 cardinal subscribers connected YouTube and complete 21 million followers crossed her societal media accounts — but 5 years ago, she started disconnected astatine zero subscribers, conscionable for illustration each caller YouTube creators.
Kullberg makes individual finance videos for YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, pinch contented focused connected helping group get what they're owed and sharing individual finance anecdotes from her ain life, for illustration why she quit a $250,000 occupation successful firm law.
She says of each nan platforms she posts on, she makes nan most money from YouTube.
Kullberg has made much than $353,000 from YouTube successful nan past 5 years, not including marque sponsorships and earlier taxes.
Credit: Erika Kullberg
It took her astir 3 months of posting 1 YouTube video per week to get her first 1000 subscribers and suffice for monetization. That's beautiful fast: For reference, information connected nan VidIQ transmission shows that it takes astir 15.5 months connected mean for YouTubers to get monetized.
Related: Here's How Much Popular Influencer Erika Kullberg Makes
Kullberg shared nan secrets down her YouTube channel's accelerated way to maturation successful an question and reply pinch Entrepreneur.
Entrepreneur: Was location a mindset aliases thing you did strategically to thief your transmission guidelines retired and get monetized?
Kullberg: When I first started YouTube, I committed to putting retired 1 video per week for 1 twelvemonth nary matter what. Because what I spot a batch of times for YouTube is group put retired 5 videos and past they're truthful discouraged that they're not magically astatine a 1000 subscribers aft 5 videos that they conscionable springiness up. So 52 videos. That was a large mindset thing.
Another point that I did was study and analyse YouTube channels earlier I launched my own. I realized nan value of getting nan correct thumbnail and getting nan correct title. It besides has to beryllium a taxable that you're ace passionate about.
It took maine 3 months to deed a 1000 subscribers and that was aft putting successful 1 video per week. For each video, I was spending 15 to 20 hours.
How could personification find a YouTube niche that tin quickly grow? Are location immoderate devices aliases investigation strategies you'd urge arsenic they scope retired nan field?
For nan niche, I'd opportunity don't guidelines your contented connected what has nan chance to quickly grow. Base it disconnected of what you're passionate about. I do deliberation a bully metric to understand really ample nan imaginable marketplace is seeing really ample nan biggest group successful that niche are… that will springiness you a unsmooth consciousness of really large nan niche is.
And past if you're specifically reasoning astir really to build money done YouTube, really to usage it to either supplement your existent income aliases yet switch your income, I'd besides beryllium reasoning astir really profitable that niche could be, not conscionable successful YouTube advertisement revenue, which is 1 measurement to gain money, but successful different opportunities too. Could you go an connection marketer?
If you're a farming channel, past you could beforehand farming supplies and possibly gain a committee disconnected of that. That's connection marketing. So, reasoning 2 steps up of what is nan imaginable for maine to not only turn this transmission and get subscribers, but to make money.
Related: 'Pay Off My Debt' TikToker connected Money Made, iCarly Inspiration
The YouTube hunt barroom is your champion tool. There are paid devices that YouTubers use. The 3 paid devices that travel to mind are TubeBuddy, VidIQ, and past ViewStats.com.
What benignant of mentation did you do earlier you posted your first video?
I analyzed what different videos were doing. One of nan exercises I would urge everyone do is to spell find nan group who are talking astir nan aforesaid point that you want to talk to.
List them retired and past spell to their YouTube videos and benignant by celebrated videos. That starts to springiness you an thought of what benignant of viral topics location are successful your videos.
At nan constituent you're astatine now, really do you make judge your transmission keeps growing?
For me, I deliberation people if you support putting retired content, it will support growing. It whitethorn not ever turn astatine nan aforesaid pace. Like, for instance, successful nan individual finance space, if you want to get nan astir views, you request to talk astir things that are trending and enactment connected apical of nan trendy topics.
But I've benignant of shifted to a different guidance pinch my channel, truthful I create contented that I'm willing successful talking astir instead.
Related: Harnessing nan Power of YouTube SEO — How to Rank Your Videos Higher and Gain More Subscribers
How do you equilibrium YouTube and different ventures, for illustration your ineligible tech startup Plug and Law?
Once you commencement making money for YouTube, you tin fig retired what you are uniquely positioned to do, and past what you tin prosecute out.
So erstwhile I first started YouTube, I was practicing arsenic a lawyer full-time, and doing YouTube arsenic my broadside hobby for 20 hours a week connected apical of that.
Credit: Erika Kullberg
I edited nan first video myself and it took maine 20 hours to study really to edit. And past different 10 hours to edit that video. So past I hired an editor.
As I started to gain immoderate income from YouTube, I was capable to prosecute retired different parts of it. So I was capable to prosecute a personification who designs thumbnails. I learned really to prosecute and delegate tasks. I person galore group connected my squad now who thief me, but it didn't commencement that way.
You utilized to activity successful firm law. What proposal do you person for personification reasoning astir a profession change?
Make judge you person capable money to do it. If you're reasoning astir leaving aliases changing your profession aliases quitting to go an entrepreneur, commencement redeeming up.
If you tin commencement exploring your broadside hobby connected nan weekends, hopefully, that broadside hobby, arsenic soon arsenic it starts generating income regularly, tin go your main point and you tin discontinue your job.
Do you ever regret leaving that firm life behind?
I've ne'er erstwhile regretted leaving nan firm world behind.
I became a lawyer because I wanted to thief people, and I wanted to make a difference. But being a firm lawyer didn't fulfill that for me, and I didn't emotion having my clip dictated and controlled by a boss. I consciousness very, very fortunate and I ne'er regret taking nan leap to beryllium here. Leave down nan firm life and nan fancy paycheck.
Credit: Erika Kullberg
Do you person immoderate different proposal for entrepreneurs who want to commencement and turn a YouTube channel?
I'd opportunity beryllium clear connected your mission, understand nan monetization route, understand that results are not going to beryllium fast, it is astir apt going to return you doubly arsenic agelong to get to immoderate subscriber count you're hoping for, and truthful beryllium diligent and understand that it's a batch of work.
To springiness context, I hide nan nonstop numbers, but it took maine 3 months to deed a 1000 subscribers, it took maine different 3 months to deed 2,000, and past successful a month, betwixt months 5 and six, I went from 2,000 to 52,000 subscribers, roughly, and made $20,000 that period from YouTube.
That was a operation of YouTube, advertisement revenue, affiliates, and sponsorships. So, you're conscionable 1 video distant from changing nan trajectory of your future. Be diligent and don't springiness up.
This question and reply has been trim and edited for clarity.