YOUTUBE PARTNERSHIP

So you’ve got your channel underway, your sub count is growing at a steady pace and you are getting the views in with your amazing video content and eye-catching channel art, so whats next for the gaming YouTuber? Partnership! Of course this is an optional step, it is by no means necessary or going to actually improve your sub or view count (even if they say they will) in any way. I can tell you categorically, it wont happen. With that said you are probably thinking “what on earth do I need partnership for then!?” Partnership is a means for YouTubers to make some money from their video content, it is as simple as that! People are often misled into thinking they are going to gain thousands of subscribers and views from becoming partnered with a network, this couldn’t be more false. Companies will try to attract potential clients by suggesting things like this, but it is not true. Right, I assume at this point you have decided you would like to consider joining a network! So for the remainder of this article I am going to showcase some good networks and some terrible ones to avoid.

UNION FOR GAMERS

Curse Network or Union for Gamers is a popular network exclusive to gamers. I can speak from experience when giving my own personal opinion about Curse THEY ARE AMAZING! *ahem* My excitement aside, it really is a network worth looking into. Why you may ask? Well they offer a 90/10 revenue share, meaning you get 90% of any earnings that you make and Curse only take a tiny 10% . These earnings come from advertisements shown on the YouTube site, YouTube as a platform needs creators like you to fill their site with a foundation for ads, these advertisements are spread within,before,after your videos (you decide of course) and all around the webpage itself. By doing this they create a revenue for themselves and by allowing you to link your channel with an external network, YouTube is allowing you to use other means to get your cut for all your hard work! Some networks have requirements which you must meet within a certain time period usually 28-30 days to be eligible to join. Curse asks that you have a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 views in the last 30 days OR 8,000 views in the last 30 days. Furthermore, the majority of your content must be gaming related, or fit in with the gaming culture. Your account must be in good standing and of course you cannot be partnered with another network. Union for Gamers also accept applicants under the age of 18, however you must be at least 13+ years of age with additional parents consent for legal reasons. When you are all signed up you will start earning immediately, receiving your funds via Paypal on the 10th of every month. When you first join, you will have to wait two months to receive your first payment and this carries over for the duration of your time with Curse. e.g Money made in November will be paid in January, money made in December will be paid in February etc.

Additional Perks:

• Uncapped contract – there is no cap on how much you can be paid, you will always get 90% of your earnings no matter how much it is.
• No lock-in – You are free to leave curse whenever you please, you are not obliged to say for any agreed period of time!
• Unlimited access to free non-copyright music to use on your channel
• Curse dashboard – Track how well you are doing each month and which videos are earning you the most money

Overall, I have to say that Curse is a fantastic network and becoming partnered with them was one of my biggest YouTube achievements of 2015! I totally recommend them and if you have any further questions you can check out their FAQ page here!

FULLSCREEN

FullScreen is a network which in my opinion is one of the worst out there. I cant speak from experience because I refused to fall for their lies and deceit. However I do have many friends in the community who have and their experiences have been far from good. However I have to say, like Curse they do offer some similar features like the copyright free music libraries, a dashboard to track your progress. Unfortunately though, the good points do not outweigh the bad:

• 2 year lock in – You have to remain partnered with this network for at least 2 years before you can leave (unless you are under the age of 18)
• No rolling payments – You have to make up $50 before you can be paid
• 70/30 Money split
• ‘FullScreen Go’ – somewhere smaller Youtubers are placed until you are ‘big enough’ to join ‘FullScreen Arcade’ (how patronizing!)

If for some reason you would like to give FullScreen a try, you will need at least 100 subscribers and 50 daily views!

Perhaps the biggest indication that this network is not even worth considering is a simple search into Youtube. The first page is saturated in negative videos reviewing this network, that alone should be enough to tell you not to be sucked in by the prospect of “being partnered”. Once you have signed the contract, it is incredibly difficult to leave due to the terrible communication by staff and non existent customer service.

FREEDOM

Another network that I wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy. Like FullScreen it comes across like an absolute scam. A number of people have had their channels destroyed by this company. With an even lower revenue share than FullScreen at 60/40, Somehow Freedom appear to be slightly better with no limit on payments, you get what you earn. However, it offers nothing entirely unique compared to the previous two networks. The requirements for entry are low, you would only need 1000 views per month to qualify and of course you would need to be in good standing with no copyright strikes.

Id like to point out how having a low entry requirement is NOT a good thing. Essentially this means that anyone can join adding no real value to their company or your achievement (getting partnered). A good network will have a moderately high requirement, which is unfortunate but it enables you to be at the stage where you will actually make money! Companies that take on tiny youtubers have no intention of helping them grow, it just means more members and more money for them because they are aware that you wont make as much as someone larger on the YouTube Spectrum. In other words, the higher the requirements the better the network. If Oxford University let anyone in do you think they would be world class? No! They have high standards for their supreme quality service! Aim higher and work your way up to something of better quality!

You may have also noticed the lack of information I have for the two previous networks, that is because they don’t provide much! They wait until you have signed your two year contract and then give you all the terrible details. Look for a network that is openly displaying all their information about what being partnered with them will be like to avoid any nasty surprises!

THE SIMMERS SYNDICATE

Right, I think its time for something more positive am I right? The last network I would like to showcase is The Simmers Syndicate. A network exclusive to you guys! It is fairly new and is founded by Rachybop, you can check out her introductory video here! Here are some of the benefits of the network:

• No lock in
• 80/20 revenue share – you get 80% of your earnings!
• Sponsorship opportunities
• Unique Access to the Simming Community!

With this network you can enjoy some of the amazing benefits of being partnered as well as have a network that specifically focuses on catering to you as a simmer and not just a gamer or Youtuber in general.  To join you will now need to have at least 250 subscribers!

To conclude I would just like to offer some general advice when it comes to gaming networks and partnership:

• Ignore personal invites from networks, they are often small networks hoping to prey on small YouTube channels in the hope that you will sign the contract and be stuck with them forever. Networks that need to do this are clearly desperate and not very good AT ALL!

• Don’t settle for a network you’ve already joined if you are unhappy, if you can leave, LEAVE! There are other great companies out there who will offer you so much more!
• You do not NEED to be partnered. Trust me, joining a terrible network just so you can say “I’m partnered” is not worth it!

• Wait and do your research, go for a network with very strong positive reviews and make it something to be proud of!

• Noticed that your view count has decreased since being partnered? Keep and eye on your analytics! Being partnered with some networks can actually hinder your chances of getting high earnings by impacting your view counts. If you’re partnered with FullScreen or Freedom and you have for example 1k subscribers and your daily videos are only picking up 6 views? Something is wrong!

• DO YOUR RESEARCH!! A simply YouTube search alone will bring you a sea of reviews from others who have experienced these networks already!

That is all for now! I hope this helps some of you chose wisely when considering partnership so you can make the best decision for your channel. This is the final addition to the series, however if you have any other questions or would like advice on for your own YouTube channel feel free to comment down below or contact me via Twitter