Social media is integrated into every aspect of the modern world and has changed how people consume news and information. Nowadays, news organizations reach new audiences through online platforms. YouTube is one of the main platforms for modern digital journalism.
At first, there were only struggling journalists, but now many renowned names in the journalism industry have joined YouTube. Also, reporting through YouTube channels is considered a revolutionary step for the present. Therefore, more and more people are becoming interested in YouTube news channels.
Are you a journalist and in a dilemma about whether to create a YouTube channel or not? Worry not! In this blog, we’ll thoroughly discuss the importance of YouTube channels for journalists.
Why are Journalists Choosing YouTube?
YouTube is the best choice if someone wants to start a career in digital journalism. Here are the reasons why journalists choose YouTube over other means of journalism.
- Creating a YouTube channel is the easiest. However, starting even a small local news channel requires a fortune.
- Operating YouTube is an easy process. On the other hand, managing a news channel or newspaper is a hectic task including various processes.
- Journalists can monetize their YouTube news channels with a little technical knowledge.
- Besides, reporters can earn limitlessly with high-quality content once after getting monetized by YouTube.
- Also, a YouTube channel starts earning from sponsored ads by local businesses.
Also Read: How to Make Money From a News Portal
What is the Importance of YouTube Channels for Journalists?
A YouTube channel is important for a journalist for the following reasons.
Building Authority and Credibility
Digital media allows journalists to have authority over the news publication. Therefore, Having their own YouTube news channel frees them to publish facts and report fearlessly about alarming social issues or happenings.
Journalists help audiences consume true and credible news content through personal news channels. This, in turn, shows a journalist’s expertise and enhances his reputation among the public.
Additionally, YouTube channels allow reporters to cover a wide range of news which is not possible when they work under an organization. This empowers them to reach a wider audience and improves their professional image.
Variety Content for Worldwide Reach
Journalists have an opportunity to widen their content in terms of industries. They can broaden their reach by producing videos regarding different news sectors such as sports and business.
Besides, reporters can present their content in different formats on YouTube including investigative, interviews, or live videos. Journalists can learn about user experience through these formats. Thus, they can create more engaging content based on the feedback.
Digital journalists can also communicate with their followers through interactive YouTube videos. This helps them gain a large audience and fan base.
To Get a Loyal Audience
Most people are consuming news on YouTube in the present. Therefore, news publishers are using YouTube to increase the number of their regular readers. Viewers watch news videos for hours on YouTube. For example, news of the North Korean intercontinental ballistic missile launch on the ABC News YouTube channel got more than 1.5 lakh views in a day.
Also, according to a survey, 90% of youth watch YouTube videos. Therefore, journalists can have millions of followers with only one quality news video.
A Greater Audience Engagement
YouTube has a tremendous impact on a creator’s career. Similarly, online reporters can engage audiences on a large scale through YouTube. However, this was not possible via traditional means of news reporting.
News representers can become popular overnight through their skills. Therefore, they can build a bigger fan base by regularly posting and commenting on news content.
Furthermore, YouTube Analytics offers viewers behavior data indicating their interaction patterns. This data is useful for adjusting a journalist’s content strategy.
Greater Involvement of Viewers on a YouTube Channel
Many viewers join memberships of their favorite YouTube channels. Hence, they become loyal and regular audiences who interact with the publishers through comments.
Viewers can give their opinions on any news through the YouTube video’s comment section. So, journalists can get honest reviews through content distribution on YouTube.
Many people share interesting news content making a news video viral. This, in turn, builds a news organization’s reputation.
News publishers can analyze user experience through their videos’ likes and dislikes count making it a great way to get reviewed. Thus, they can change the method of creating news content.
Generate Revenue Through Monetization
An established YouTube news channel can be an income source for a news publisher. Through the YouTube Partner Program, journalists can monetize their YouTube channels fulfilling certain requirements. Once the channel is approved for the program, YouTube pays the creator per every view count on a video.
Additionally, journalists can make money through product placements and sponsorships. Ultimately, the opportunities for monetizing YouTube content allow journalists to concentrate on creating more compelling news content.
Also Read: How to Make Money From a News Portal- 8 Best Methods to Get Monetized
Real-Time News Reporting
YouTube allows journalists to live feed their viewers. Therefore, reporters can present breaking news reports in real-time. Also, they share the real ground report from the scene itself. In addition, reporters can interact with their audiences through such live streams. People can share their opinions and knowledge about any incident live with the news anchor.
Through real-time reporting, announcers can feed the right news and enhance their credibility.
Professional Portfolio Development
YouTube allows newcomers to practice journalism through YouTube channels. This helps them acquire skills and create a professional portfolio. This can help them grab better opportunities in the future.
Also, reporters can build networks with other journalists with whom they share their ideas and news sources. Furthermore, they can get advice from their industry seniors and learn new expertise.
Journalists Who Adopted YouTube Journalism as Fulltime
1. Ajit Anjum
Ajit Anjum is a famous name and face in Indian journalism. He has managed famous news channels News 24 and India TV as managing editor. Ajit Anjum left the well-known news channel to create his own YouTube channel under his name. Now, he has become one of India’s renowned YouTube journalists.
2. Saurabh Dwivedi
Before starting his YouTube news channel, Saurabh Dwivedi was a famous journalist for ten years. He worked with news channels like Aajtak, Star News, Dainik Bhaskar, and Nav Bharat Times. Today, he has a successful YouTube news channel named “The Lallantop” with about 8.2 million subscribers.
3. Johnny Harris
Johnny Harris is an American independent journalist having a YouTube channel under his name with a subscriber count of 5.9 million. Harris has produced and hosted programs for Vox, an American news website. He has collaborated with The New York Times to produce many projects.
4. Punya Prasun Bajpai
Punya Prashoon Vajpayee has been a famous news anchor who worked with Aaj Tak and ABP News. now, he owns a YouTube news channel with more than 4.8 million subscribers. He is one of the well-known journalists who follow unbiased journalism.
5. Sakshi Joshi
Leaving the mainstream media, Sakshi Joshi also took the path of journalism through YouTube. Presently Sakshi is also earning fame for unbiased and true reporting. She has a YouTube channel with a following of 2.2 million. Before joining YouTube journalism, she worked with popular news channels such as BBC, Network 18, News 24, and India TV.
Also, Read: Social Media Marketing for the News Industry
Some Famous Names of the YouTube News Industry
1. The Lallantop
Saurabh Dwivedi started his journalism career by creating a YouTube channel “The Lallantop”. Due to his use of literary words and distinct style, Saurabh Dwivedi and his channel are today included in the list of best digital news channels with millions of followers.
2. News Clickin
News Clickin is a prominent name among YouTube news channels. The channel is known for its independent journalism featuring renowned reporters, hence is listed among the top YouTube channels.
3. Ulta Chashma
YouTube channel Ulta Chashma, run by journalist Pragya Mishra, is gaining fame among the top YouTube news channels today. With millions of followers, this channel is counted among the top YouTube channels.
What is the Right Way to Work on a YouTube Channel?
Create Interactive Content
YouTube is not only a video publishing platform, but also a social networking platform. Therefore, news publishers must produce interactive news content to communicate with the common people. This increases engagement and viewership on YouTube videos to a great extent.
Bring Traffic to the News Portal
News publishers can encourage their YouTube subscribers to navigate to their news portals for increased website traffic. They can also promote their news videos on other social media sites to attract new users and bring them to the news website.
Create Content that can be Shared
News channels must focus on creating sharable content. YouTube is the best platform for this type of news content. So, creators must make compelling videos that viewers can share. This enhances a news channel’s popularity and visibility.
Collaborate and Promote the YouTube News Channel
Promotion through collaboration is an effective way to grow a YouTube channel. Many popular brands have used this strategy to establish their online channels. Working with other popular channels can create credibility for newcomers. This will also help them reach a new audience.
Keep the News Story in the Context
News publishers must always keep stories in context for audiences. This could be through pop-up windows in the video, links to websites, or graphic points to the audience.
Journalists should make videos captivating from the beginning to maintain audience interest. YouTube provides data for channels to help them make the right choice, including information about whether viewers like or dislike a video. This aids creators in modifying their strategies to create more interesting videos.
React Fast to an Event or Happening
Online reporters must be the first to provide any news to their audience. If publishers have an important event, they must publish a news video about it and promote it as quickly as possible. This will keep their channels at the forefront of the digital news industry.
How Can Publishers Increase Viewership and Engagement on a YouTube News Channel
There are many ways to increase views on YouTube news videos.
- Present live news on the YouTube channel to keep the audience engaged.
- Post factual news consistently to grow a YouTube news channel. It is better to schedule beforehand so that publishers share their content regularly.
- Reporters can attract viewership through breaking news and other alluring news headings.
- Journalists can use other social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook to promote their YouTube videos.
- Besides, they can leverage paid YouTube ads to recommend their channels to the audiences when they search for a specific keyword on YouTube.
Final Thoughts
Journalists use YouTube as the main online media source for digital journalism. YouTube allows journalists to reach millions of users and share their thoughts on global events or incidents.
Therefore, having a YouTube news channel can be a game-changer for a Journalist. In this blog, we have explained what is the importance of YouTube channels for journalists. We hope this will help you establish your career in e-journalism. Don’t forget to give your feedback or suggestions in the comments box.
If you are also a journalist and want to create a news portal and spread your name through Social Media Marketing, contact us at contact@newtraffictail.com or call at 9310464180.
FAQs
Q1: How can journalists build an audience for their YouTube news channels?
Journalists can use related keywords while posting their news content to reach the target audience. They can also promote their channels through other social media sites.
Q2: What possible challenges can journalists face in YouTube journalism?
Newsmen can have difficulty maintaining fairness and credibility in their news due to several factors. They can also face trolling and negative comments on netizens’ YouTube news channel videos.
Q3: How can a journalist promote his YouTube news channel?
A publisher can promote his YouTube news channel through social media marketing and paid ads on YouTube. A journalist can collaborate with a trustworthy marketing agency, like New Traffic Tail, to boost engagement on his YouTube news channel.
