darkSpyro

If this is in the wrong place, feel free to move or delete it; I'm really not sure where this topic would go at all ! I run a very small youtube channel with my cousin, and we partly do skylanders content. We're super small and not well known right now, but I was wondering if someday it would be a possibility for us to grow big enough to hopefully receive packages from Activision early, like other fairly well known youtubers. I know the basics, put skylanders in a good light, advertise it, all that jazz, but I have afew other questions too; Do they look for a certain amount of Subscribers? Is there a minimum requirement or something? Also, how long does it usually take for Activision to begin noticing people if they produce a fairly large amount of skylanders content? How do you know when they decide to aid you? If you can tell me any more about this subject in detail, I'd appreciate it, because I'm pretty new to running a youtube channel. Thanks!

All I can say is marketing.. Same reason people get rich by having a stupid cat video, because it got millions of hits. So then companies want those million viewers to see a product they sell. As far as skylanders, all the ones that getting special treatment have been doing videos when most people still wondered what the hell a freaking skylander was.. Now it seems everyone and even the step cousins have a skylander YouTube channel.. If you only want a few early figures, that shouldn't be hard, just write them a letter.. You think rob or skydad does it just for free toys? If only it was that cheap to pay for good advertisement!! Good luck though, but remember, activision is a company, not anyone's friend. So if you can show them something that will help sell more toys, than no one else is doing, go for it

So let me get this straight, Trap. You want to run a big youtube channel, like coinoptv, just so you can get the toys early?

Thats what it looks like to me Aura...like skylander_chaos said...its marketing. And what you would spend..(money and time)..its easyer to just go buy the figures...and cheaper....lol. Also by the time you built up to the levels needed to get Activision attention....you would be in to the next game...close to the end of it.

To be successful like CpinOp, requires prior fame. Skylanders Boy and Girl were the first of their kind, so that's why they are famous. In order to be popular you need high tech video software and hardware along with a charismatic personality and great video ideas. Also editing skills. Also thumbnails. And time. Basically you need a lot of stuff, and even with this you may or may not catch on. Just saying.

What's a YouTube?

First things first, don't do an LP channel just to get merch from Acti. It's easier to count the ones that get anything than the ones that even with a bit of fame never do(not counting those that live abroad like me and probably won't get anything even if it gets popular ;w; ).

The rest is the same that you'd do if you had an LP channel for any other game series. Be interesting, don't be a jerk, don't talk down to your viewers(Skyfamily might be the exception,but they're the first and hopefully the only), and do the best YOU can be, not what X popular guy is.
Aesthesics are also important as Ninja put it. I'm not one to talk because I record with a darn camera, but make everything the clearest it can get - voice, footage, thumbnails,title, description. Even if it's FAR from looking great, do your best so someone doesn't get confused and closes the tab - you're competing with a crapton of other guys with better recording software and expensive mics; BUT they might be huge jerks or boring or act like/are 12 year olds.

Oh yeah, and last but not least: don't think you can make a living off of Let's Plays. It'll be awesome if you make a good buck, but don't ever guide your channel around that because people will notice a sellout quick.

OH YEAH, and schedule. Make a lot of videos before you post a single one, people like knowing they'll wake up on that day and find your video if they need distraction. Speaking of which, time to put the second part of Chompy Mountain on for me before I go finally play and record Monster Marsh.

Quote: stoat2337

What's a YouTube?

Capiche?

Too late for Skylanders as it's a franchise on the decline. I say it'd be EXTREMELY lucky if Skylanders 6 sees the light of day...even then, most retailers will have bailed on the franchise to dedicate shelf space elsewhere and figures would be exclusive to TRU and maybe GameStop. You might be able to try Nintendo Amiibo, but I heard there are certain figures which are impossible to find and it's going to be very difficult to garner any viewers or following without showing off what the rare ones can do. I still don't know what they do in game and if the cost is justified. I think the main hype is behind the rarity of several underproduced figures and that they're the new kid on the block. Poor Mario and Link will be shelf warmers with a layer of dust on them a year from now much like Disney Infinity 1.0 characters I see in stores now.

Get lots of kids to watch your channel.

Quote: Aura24

So let me get this straight, Trap. You want to run a big youtube channel, like coinoptv, just so you can get the toys early?

Not solely for that reason. I think it would really help get our channel popular, because we'e pretty much stuck right now. Getting early stuff is icing on the cake, but I mainly want our channel to just become more successful and make better quality videos.

Quote: TrapShadowFan

Quote: Aura24

So let me get this straight, Trap. You want to run a big youtube channel, like coinoptv, just so you can get the toys early?

Not solely for that reason. I think it would really help get our channel popular, because we'e pretty much stuck right now. Getting early stuff is icing on the cake, but I mainly want our channel to just become more successful and make better quality videos.

Just don't make a channel with kids peeing their pants every time they unbox a new figure. To each their own, but I don't watch any of the YouTube Skylanders kids videos and other ones with adults who really should be doing more adult things rather than getting excited about toys. I did watch a few videos when the minis were first announced and realized how lame they looked in getting excited over them. Then again, you have to sell yourself out and truly show excitement about every last product they send out to you to generate hype. The YouTube stars who generate revenue are people who produce videos about something they have a true inherent passion for. Once you start getting free stuff, you lose the option of posting a true and balanced view of an underwhelming product that you've been sent. You have to put all their products in a positive light in order to continue receiving them.

Quote: mastermc54

Quote: TrapShadowFan

Quote: Aura24

So let me get this straight, Trap. You want to run a big youtube channel, like coinoptv, just so you can get the toys early?

Not solely for that reason. I think it would really help get our channel popular, because we'e pretty much stuck right now. Getting early stuff is icing on the cake, but I mainly want our channel to just become more successful and make better quality videos.

Just don't make a channel with kids peeing their pants every time they unbox a new figure. To each their own, but I don't watch any of the YouTube Skylanders kids videos and other ones with adults who really should be doing more adult things rather than getting excited about toys. I did watch a few videos when the minis were first announced and realized how lame they looked in getting excited over them. Then again, you have to sell yourself out and truly show excitement about every last product they send out to you to generate hype. The YouTube stars who generate revenue are people who produce videos about something they have a true inherent passion for. Once you start getting free stuff, you lose the option of posting a true and balanced view of an underwhelming product that you've been sent. You have to put all their products in a positive light in order to continue receiving them.

Most of what I do so far is unboxings, news on when new ones are coming out, an annual lets-play of each game, villain quests, the usual stuff. I don't really make videos saying how disappointing the game is or something.

The problem is that YouTube is already over saturated with Skylander channels with several very established. It's like trying to open up a new department store next to a bunch of Walmarts and Targets. Your chances of success are very slim. You'd have to have something that will draw their attention and keep it. But coming up with something new that hasn't already been done may be near impossible, at this point.

Quote: obidawsn

The problem is that YouTube is already over saturated with Skylander channels with several very established. It's like trying to open up a new department store next to a bunch of Walmarts and Targets. Your chances of success are very slim. You'd have to have something that will draw their attention and keep it. But coming up with something new that hasn't already been done may be near impossible, at this point.

It's never impossible to do something new or do something existing RIGHT, the problem is people aren't really guaranteed to notice it. There are way too many LPers and most people won't bat an eye at the thing that doesn't have 10k views, even if the person that's popular is anything but there to make you like the game (coughGameGrumpscough). You'll also need a lot of word of mouth even if it's just a forum(which isn't allowed here because advertisting is no good) or your group of friends. Which again,is the reason you don't start an LP channel anymore looking for a profit, just for fun or to share with people the games you love.

Also,mastermc, making a Skylanders channel with a grim/fake outlook on the series isn't really smart. Fangirls and fanboys are around to gush about the game,and they're the ones to give the pageviews; if they wanted to hear about the negative parts they could just end up here. I don't think it's going to last long with the current formula myself but I make sure to enjoy Trap Team at the moment I'm playing and not sharing my opinions on its future(at least not until the overly long credits show up, since then there'll nothing else to talk about).

Quote: obidawsn

The problem is that YouTube is already over saturated with Skylander channels with several very established. It's like trying to open up a new department store next to a bunch of Walmarts and Targets. Your chances of success are very slim. You'd have to have something that will draw their attention and keep it. But coming up with something new that hasn't already been done may be near impossible, at this point.

thats true, i suggest to start looking for the next 'new' toy comes to life thing, and just forgetting skylanders. its to late now...

That's what people keep saying about every new game that comes out, yet people still get notoriety over them. It's a gamble, and as long as you don't expect to win from the get go, you won't come out disapppointed. Again, if you're just sharing the love for some games or your opinion on a new one, it's still a thing you can easily do.