Beyond the Red Button: Exploring Alternatives for Video Creators
For years, YouTube has been the dominant platform in the online video landscape.
Here’s an interesting fact; according to notta.ai, 92% of YouTube users use the video streaming platform to gather information and knowledge, and over 500 hours of new videos are uploaded every minute to YouTube.
This shows how big and competitive the platform is and also how hard it is for content creators to succeed on YouTube and gain massive exposure.
But is there a good alternative to YouTube for creators?
The answer is fortunately yes!
In this post, we will delve into the viable alternatives for content creators seeking a different space to showcase their work.
Whether you are a content creator or a business owner promoting your services on YouTube, you must keep reading this post to discover new platforms and opportunities that can lead to real growth.
Here’s a breakdown of some exciting platforms offering creators unique opportunities:
Vimeo: A Curator's Paradise
Vimeo isn’t just an alternative to YouTube; this platform is totally different in its purpose. Vimeo doesn’t contain ads and prioritizes high-quality videos made for specific audiences. This platform just loves artistic videos and encourages its content creators to work hard on crisp visuals, amazing storytelling, and sharp editing.
It has a user base of about 260 million compared to YouTube which has over 2.49 billion monthly active users.
Take a look at some of the reasons Vimeo is a great platform for some creators:
More Specific: Vimeo is a community ideal for filmmakers, animators, and documentarians.
Focus on Quality: Unlike YouTube where all types of content can be uploaded, Vimeo focuses on exceptional videos.
Quality Audience: On Vimeo, people mostly enjoy watching and appreciating the artistry and effort behind videos. They are less likely to seek out low-quality but fun videos like on YouTube. In general, they seek short films that offer creators the chance to connect with an appreciative and engaged audience.
Beyond Just Uploads: Vimeo offers unique tools for content creators. Some of them are advanced privacy settings, password-protected content, and analytics similar to YouTube Studio.
These tools help content creators to have better control over their content and distribution.
Monetization Options:
The platform offers content creators a chance to generate revenue through subscriptions and pay-per-views.
If you have a large audience on Vimeo that is interested in your content, you could generate bigger revenue with subscription-based videos, exactly like VOD.
Who Should Consider Vimeo?
- Prioritize artistic expression and high production values
- Have niche content that caters to a specific audience
- Want to connect with a discerning and engaged audience
- Desire a curated platform that fosters a sense of community
- Seek revenue streams beyond traditional advertising models
Should You Consider Vimeo?
Let’s face it, the audience on Vimeo is much more specific than YouTube’s, which limits the potential revenue for content creators.
So if you are looking for a platform you can make a lot of money from views, Vimeo may not be the best option.
Niche Platforms: Uscreen, Thinkific, Patreon
In case you are a highly skilled person with specialized knowledge, platforms like Unscreen.tv, and Thinkific may be good options.
Unscreen.tv helps you make the most out of your audience by building mobile and TV apps with no coding skills, live streaming with a five-star live viewing experience, subscription-based video monetization, and more.
Thinkific is a platform that can help you monetize your knowledge by launching a course and scaling it on this platform.
There are more than 1 million courses published, 378 million course enrollments, and $1.7 billion earned on Thinkific. So if you already have an audience seeking your knowledge, launching your online course on Thinkific may be profitable for you or your business.
On the other hand, Patreon facilitates a closer connection with fans through a membership model. So its creators can offer exclusive content and rewards in exchange for ongoing support.
Hundreds of thousands of creators use Patreon to share videos, podcasts, writing, art, music, recipes, and more.
This platform helps you build a deeper connection with your fans by offering a direct line of access to your fan community, with no ads or algorithms in the way. You can create group chats, comments, DMs, and more.
If you are wondering about the future of online community building on social media, you must read this post.
Unlike YouTube, Patreon offers various ways to earn. This can be done by selling memberships, ongoing benefits, online shops, podcast episodes, and more.
Should You Consider Unscreen, Thinkific, or Patreon?
Even though these platforms offer you different ways to monetize your content and value. Bear in mind that building a loyal audience on these platforms takes time and effort, and creating high-quality courses requires specific skills.
YouTube may be a better option if you want to build a more simple audience easily and grow over time without creating a strong connection as you can build on these platforms.
Other Social Media Platforms: Facebook Watch, Instagram, TikTok, Twitch, X
You should never put all of your eggs in one basket, so if you upload content on YouTube, it’s best to upload it on other relevant social media platforms.
These social media giants provide robust features for video creators looking to foster a strong community around their content.
On Facebook Watch you can share longer-form content and interact with your audience through comments and polls.
Uploading videos on Instagram is called “Reels” at the moment, and they are short videos of up to 90 seconds. If you have longer videos, you’ll have to split them into shorter ones.
TikTok can be a good option if you focus on short vertical videos that capture the attention of your audience.
Twitch is one of the greatest platforms for live streaming, where creators can interact with viewers in real time through chat and reactions. This platform usually works best for gaming.
X (Formerly Twitter) is also a potential platform to upload your video content to. The video length limit on X is 140 seconds, but subscribers can upload videos up to 4 hours long on x.com and X for IOS.
Each of these platforms offers different content monetization options, but usually, you’ll need to pass a not-so-easy requirement to be eligible for monetization. However, even if you don’t turn them into an extra income stream, you can still use them to grow your existing audience on YouTube.
Venturing Beyond the Mainstream: DTube
DTube takes a more innovative approach than YouTube. This platform is special because it leverages blockchain technology to create a decentralized platform with a focus on creator ownership.
The platform uses D. Tube coins (DTC) to reward content creators for the value they provide. Users can vote for videos and then creators receive DTC for it.
On Dtube, only views and likes count, and there are no algorithms or guidelines like on YouTube.
Therefore, it may be a smart decision to use DTube and post your content there as well.
To conclude,
There are so many platforms on which you can upload your videos.
The most important thing to consider is where your target audience is.
Maintaining different platforms at once is not an easy task at all, so make sure the platforms you post on are worth it for you.
If you still want to stick to YouTube and would like to find out the best way to grow fast on this platform, reading this post may help.
