If you want to grow on YouTube, one idea is to make a tech review channel. Many people use YouTubers as a source of authority when considering whether to buy a piece of tech. If you have proven expertise, are engaging, and can give honest feedback, you can gain an audience and make money. Let’s discuss how to thrive as a tech review channel.
Tips on Getting Started
Have a Niche
This is the first step for any YouTuber. Tech review is already a niche, but it’s not specific enough. What kind of tech will you review? Video game tech? Phone accessories? Old-school tech? The list can go on and on. One way to find your niche is to think about what you’re interested in and your expertise in that interest.
With that said, your niche shouldn’t have to box you in. If you’re reviewing the latest products from a company, there may be dry spells when there’s no new tech. Therefore, it would not hurt to review similar tech from other companies.
Start Cheap
If you’re a smaller YouTuber, you’ll probably not receive free products to review from companies. Reviewing the latest $1,000 phone may not be within your budget. If you own a tech store, it’s a different story, as you may have that tech in stock. However, if you don’t and have a short budget, consider reviewing cheap tech. You may specialize in reviewing the tech sold by a thrift shop. Or, you may cover knockoff tech and see how it compares to the real thing.
Learn from the Big Channels
If you’re a smaller tech channel, you should study bigger channels. You should even study the channels in the same range as you do. These bigger channels have done something right, be it an engaging personality, good video quality, honest opinions, etc. Take the positives and replicate them in your style.
On the other hand, even the more prominent channels have flaws. What can you do better than they do? By figuring this out, you can thrive as a channel.
Optimize and Advertise
You’ve probably heard these rules before, but they’re worth hearing again. Always have a thumbnail that gets your audience’s eyes and a keyword-rich title and description that excites you. Doing so will help your video in the algorithm and the search results. You may also want to invest in advertising.
Some spend nothing by advertising their content on their social media pages. Others may spend money on an ads campaign. Finally, some people use services to boost their numbers, such as a package that lets you buy YouTube video views.
Collaborate
Another way that you can grow your channel is to collaborate with another YouTuber. Regarding tech reviews, you may make a review where another YouTuber also gives their thoughts. You may have this collaboration be in-person or digitally.
Ideally, you want to reach out to a YouTuber in the same subscriber range as you. Significantly smaller YouTubers may not add value to your channel, while more significant channels may not want to collaborate. When you reach out, state your intentions, give a video idea, and a proposed deadline.
Finding the right person to collaborate with may take a few attempts, so don’t give up if the person you reach out to doesn’t respond.
How to Make Money as a Tech Reviewer
As your channel grows, so do your ways to gain revenue. Here are some ways you can make money by reviewing tech.
Ad Revenue
The first and most mainstream way to gain money is to have monetization on your videos. Your channel must have 1,000 subscribers and over 4,000 hours of watch time in the past 12 months to qualify. Also, your videos must be ad-friendly, with the guidelines constantly changing.
When people watch your video, there will be an ad. The revenue you receive from the ads can be a way to gain money. You need a lot (think hundreds of thousands) of views to make a living off it. However, the cash you earn may be enough to fund your tech reviews.
Sponsorships
Another way your channel can grow is to have sponsors. Many small businesses, and sometimes larger, will pay you to have an in-video ad in your content promoting their products. Even if you’re a smaller YouTuber, you can still find brands wanting to work with you.
Affiliate Links
Another way you can earn money is through affiliate links. These links are much easier for smaller YouTubers to access. You may receive cash if someone clicks the link (usually in the video description) and buys a product.
Paid Reviews
Some tech companies may pay you to review their product. The company may send you a free product and some money for reviewing it. If you’re making a paid review, be sure that you clarify this in the video.
You also want to work with companies, allowing you to give honest feedback. This is a massive red flag if a company provides you with a junk product but tells you to give only a positive review. Telling your fans to buy the wrong product can destroy your integrity as a reviewer.
Donations
Your videos may be well-edited content pieces not recorded in front of a live audience. However, as your channel grows, you should branch out by having live streams where you review tech in front of a live audience. Many of your fans will pay using super chats to answer any questions.
Premium Content
Finally, you can use sites like Patreon or YouTube’s premium subscription model to provide exclusive videos to fans willing to pay a monthly or annual fee.
Final Thoughts
A tech review channel can be a great way to make money. However, it takes time for you to build up a following and make money from it. By pursuing your goals, you can make a living doing what you love and make it a fruitful career.
