Five billion videos are watched on YouTube every day. It is the world's largest search engine, second only to Google. To put it simply, YouTube is the largest video site with no close competitor. Whether you want to drive up business or just need a creative outlet, there are many reasons to upload onto YouTube.

Why you should make YouTube videos

  • YouTube is huge. YouTube is the largest video hosting site and by a large margin. Their biggest competitor is the previously mentioned Vimeo, but the two are in really different leagues. According to TechRadar, Vimeo doesn't even get 1 million unique visitors a month. Whereas YouTube gets over 2 billion. If you want to reach a larger audience, YouTube is the superior option.
  • There is no cost. YouTube's biggest competitor, Vimeo, will actually charge you to upload. Additionally, they place data caps across different plans. If your masterpiece video is too large, you'll have to pay extra to get it online. This is not a problem with YouTube. You can upload as many videos as you want, regardless of size.
  • Income potential. Successful creators can join what's called the "YouTube Partner Program." After being accepted into this program, you'll earn some of the revenue from ads shown on your videos. Getting into the YouTube Partner Program isn't easy; you need  4,000 watch hours within the last year and 1,000 subscribers. How much income you'll make varies a great deal. Variables such as audience age, their location, and if they click on video ads will be key factors of how much money you earn. The amount companies are willing to bid for ads will change suddenly. The video's topic will also have a major impact on your ad revenue.

How to upload a YouTube video

Uploading a video to YouTube is very easy and simple. There is a good chance you have already completed some of the steps.

  1. Make a Google account. If you don't already have one, you'll need to create a Google account. This is a quick process that shouldn't take more than 10 minutes.
  2. Access your YouTube Channel. By creating a Google account, a YouTube account has automatically been made.  Go to YouTube's homepage, and click "Sign In" located in the upper right corner. Enter your Google sign-in credentials and log in. After logging in, you should see your profile icon in the top right corner. Click on it, and from the drop-down list, select "Create a Channel."
  3. Personalize your channel. You can choose to give your channel a separate name or keep the same name from your Google account. If you choose to give your channel a new name, we recommend something that is memorable and recognizable. In a sense, you're creating the brand for your channel. After naming it, you'll have more customization features. You can create a banner, write a description about your channel, upload your channel's image, and include external links to your Instagram or Patreon.
  4. Post a Video. After creating the channel, you can access "YouTube Studio." This can be reached by going to the YouTube home page, clicking on the profile icon in the upper right corner, and selecting "YouTube Studio" from the drop-down menu. Once you're in the studio, click on the "Create" icon in the upper right corner. From here, you can drag & drop your video file. You will be led through a sequence of prompts, like the description for the video, its category, if it's made for kids, etc. You can skip most of these if you want. Your video will be uploading in the background while you navigate through the prompts. The time to upload can be lengthy, but it really depends on your internet upload speed and video size. Some YouTube creators upload at the end of the day so it can process all night. 

Voila. You just uploaded a video to the largest video hosting site for free. It is really that simple. If you are looking for powerful software to edit your videos, then look no further. Pinnacle Studio has the feature you need to make great YouTube videos.