Bonus post: Creators on Youtube need our help.

I’m not on Youtube, I’m not a very visual person. I’m a writer, my work is there.

But the entertainment industry is evolving all the time. Indie writers are inventing new ways every day to bring our stories to people. We host podcasts, publish blogs, participate in indie cons and countless other things.

I myself had been thinking of putting out videos on Youtube. You know, have some nice artwork overlaying someone reading one of my stories. I’d also been looking into making trailers for my books, and putting them out on Youtube.

Turns out I have terrible timing.

A lot of people who aren’t active creators on Youtube don’t know how their advertising system works. I didn’t know until this worked until recently. Advertisers pay to have their ads up. Then they go up on videos sort of randomly. I personally think that it’s based on ad information, because I get a shit ton of makeup ads.

Then some stuff happened. Some ads were put on some questionable content. Some advertisers and brands were getting some clap back over it from people who don’t understand how the ads work on Youtube.

This resulted in these brands pulling their ads.

Here’s how Youtube is dealing with this. They are de-monitizing Youtube videos that are not ‘ad friendly’.

For the most part, I watch makeup tutorials and they’re safe. But I do know that Rob Dyke and Matt Santoro are likely going to be hit. There’s a good chance that your favorite creators might be taking a serious hit as well. I want to remind you that a lot of people make their living on Youtube through this ad money. Rob Dyke, for instance, has a team of people creating content for his various channels.

I’m telling you this for two reasons. One is that if you, like me, were looking to Youtube as a way to expand your audience, you want to keep this in mind. Questionable content, like politics, gay rights and horror might not be able to be monetized.

I also want to tell you this because I am a writer. I am a creator, specifically an independent creator. I know that a lot of people who read this blog are also writers. We are creators. And these are creators who are losing a ton of their ad revenue. This is a problem, and they need our help.

Now, I’m not saying damn Youtube. I’m not saying that you shouldn’t still look to Youtube as a medium to promote your work.

All I’m doing is giving you some information and encouraging you to find new ways to support your favorite creator.

• Many of them have Paetron pages.
• Many take donations via PayPal
• Share their work on Social media, to show businesses how popular these videos are and what they stand to lose.
• Like and leave comments for your favorite creators.

Hopefully advertisers will see that this is a mistake. Let’s all do our part to support our fellow creators.