Perhaps you have heard people earning lots of money on YouTube and decided to give it a try?

If yes, I have created a detailed guide that will teach you everything (I mean everything) on how to start a successful YouTube Channel in Kenya.

(By now you should have noticed that I like to make hefty promises at the beginning of my posts – and actually deliver it by the end you finish reading 😊)

Key takeaways from this guide:

• How to choose a profitable niche
• Important equipment you need to get started
• How to create a YouTube channel
• YouTube SEO: How to make keyword research
• How to monetize your channel and make money
• 5 Do’s of YouTube
• 5 Don’ts of Youtube

Here. Take my hand, and follow me as I take you through all the above steps.

1. Choose a profitable niche

Choosing a niche (topic) for your YouTube Channel is the first step to becoming a successful YouTuber in Kenya.

Niche is the genre or sub-genre a YouTuber explores in their content.

Three factors that you should consider while choosing a profitable YouTube niche are:

• Demand: does the niche you are taking have a large audience?
• Passion: do you have passion for that niche? Can you create hundreds of videos without getting bored?
• Competition: how ‘tough’ is the competition from other similar channels?

YouTube Niche Ideas

The following are some of the YouTube niche ideas in Kenya:

1. Tech Videos
2. Gaming
3. Product Reviews
4. Tutorials
5. Storytime Videos
6. Vlogs
7. Food
8. Fashion
9. Beauty
10. Weight loss & Healthy Living
11. Travel
12. Animals
13. How To’s
14. Humor/Comedy

Highest Paid YouTubers in Kenya

As of 2022, the following are some of the highest-paid YouTubers in Kenya:

Content Creator	Niche
Timothy Njuguna (Njugush)	Comedy
Henry Desagu	Comedy
Maxine Wabosha	Fashion and Beauty
Joanna Kinuthia	Beauty, Entrepreneurship and Wellness
Chebet Ronoh	Trending Issues
Over 25	Relationship, Sexuality and Money
Crazy Kennar	Comedy
Mungai Eve	Celebrity Interviews
Sharon Mundia	Travelling and Home Deco
Flaqo Raz	Comedy

Source

Have you chosen your niche yet? If yes, let’s proceed.

2. Get your equipment ready

While you may start YouTubing with only your smartphone, there are certain tools that will make your videos look professional:

• High-quality Camera
• External Microphone
• Tripod Stabilizer

In addition, you will need to install any of the following video editing applications:

• Filmr
• Quik
• FilmoraGo
• Kinemaster
• Viva Video
• WeVideo
• Video Show
• Magisto
• InShot
• Power Director

Check out this guide for the complete features of each app.

3. Create a YouTube channel

Starting a YouTube channel is absolutely free.

You only need a Google account to get started. But if you don’t have one, you can go to accounts.google.com and create one.

Now back to creating a YouTube channel:

• Head over to Youtube.com and click Sign in

• Log in using your preferred Google Account
• After signing in, click on your Profile Icon and select Create a Channel

• Type a name for your channel and upload a profile picture. Then Click Create Channel.

At this point, you have successfully created your YouTube channel.

Clicking on Customize Channel will take you to YouTube Creator Studio, where you can create descriptions for your channel, upload videos, and view your analytics.

How to Use YouTube Creator Studio

YouTube Creator Studio can be accessed via studio.youtube.com

On the right side, you can go to several sections:

• Dashboard: upload video or go live.
• Content: check the number of views, likes, and comments on each video.
• Playlist: create a playlist for related videos.
• Analytics: get insight into your audiences’ locations, age, gender, etc.
• Comments: manage the comments your viewers left on the channel
• Subtitles: add subtitles to your videos
• Copyright: somebody stole your video? You can request removal here by filing a copyright takedown request
• Monetization: Check monetization eligibility. (More on this later)
• Customization: you can change your profile picture, banner image, and video watermarks.
• Audio Library: for downloading and adding copyright-free music and sound effects to your videos.

4. Do keyword research

YouTube Keyword research is the process of finding the search terms that users type on YouTube search. You can then create your video content around these keywords.

One major mistake I’ve noticed among new YouTubers is that they try to guess what will interest their audiences. Keyword research is the exact opposite: you get to know what your potential viewers are actually searching for.

If you do keyword research the right way, you will eliminate the guesswork in growing your channel and concentrate on what works best.

You can use the following tools to do YouTube keyword research:

• Tube Buddy: this is a Chrome extension that gives you a list of search terms used on YouTube.

• KeywordTool.io: generates popular keywords, total search volumes, and average competition.

• VidIQ: is another great tool you can integrate with your channel to get more keywords, channel audits, and competition research.

• YouTube Autosuggestion: These are the keywords that the YouTube search engine shows you as you type in the search bar.

And here comes the sweet part!

5. Monetize your Channel

The main method of monetizing YouTube channels is through advertisements.

To be eligible for monetizing your channel through the YouTube Partner Program, you need to:

1. Follow all the YouTube Channel Monetization Policies.
2. Reside in a country where YPP is available. For your info, YouTube Partner Program is available in Kenya.
3. Have no active community guidelines strike on your channel. Expired or removed strikes are not considered.
4. Have more than 1000 subscribers
5. Have more than 4000 public watch hours in the past 12 months
6. Turn ON 2-step verification for your Google account.
7. Have only ONE Adsense account.

But wait, what is an Adsense account and how do I get one?

How to Setup an Adsense account in Kenya

Adsense is a Google program that let YouTube creators get paid.

To set up your YouTube’s AdSense account:

• Head over to studio.youtube.com
• Click on the Monetization tab on the left side of the screen
• Click START on the Google Adsense card
• Enter your YouTube account password when prompted
• Choose which Google account you’d like to use for Adsense.
• Provide your contact info, and submit the application.

You will get paid when your earnings reach 100 US Dollars or 70 Euros, depending on your account settings.

There are also other methods of monetizing your YouTube channel in Kenya apart from Adsense:

1. Paid sponsorship: other brands may contact you to advertise their products.
2. Affiliate marketing: adding your affiliate links to video descriptions and earn money when viewers purchase products through your links
3. Channel Membership: charge monthly membership fees for providing exclusive content and 1-to-1 chat.
4. Patronage: join Patreon and ask your YouTube subscribers to offer you perks.
5. Sell Merchandise on YouTube
6. YouTube Shorts Fund: YouTube creators can earn through the Funds set up to support YouTube Shorts.

Final Word

Starting a YouTube Channel in Kenya has never been much easier. Armed only with a Google account (and of course a creative mind), you can set up your launch pad to YouTube Stardom.

However, over the course of my YouTubing career, I have learned several tips I would like to share.

Do’s of YouTube

1. Always create your own videos
2. Engage with your audience often
3. Publish consistently (every day or twice a week – you choose)
4. Always be ready to experiment with something new
5. Start with what you have right now. Don’t wait till you get that shiny camera to start recording. You can always improve later.

Don’t of YouTube

1. Don’t get discouraged. The first few months will be the hardest but later on you will congratulate yourself for not giving up.
2. Never engage in Sub4Sub.
3. Never repost another creator’s video, whether it’s from YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, or Tiktok. Create your own!
4. Never buy subscribers. YouTube will remove artificial subscribers when they suspect you are engaging in the practice.

That’s all about starting a YouTube channel in Kenya. Got any questions? Leave a comment below.