If you’re a YouTuber or aspiring content creator, relying on a single platform like YouTube can be risky for your business model and monetization. Your livelihood and income depend on your content’s visibility, which is controlled by the platform. 

But what if there’s a better way to approach video monetization without using YouTube at all? The solution may be creating your own app

From beauty bloggers to social media-happy celebrities, having direct access to stream videos and other media to followers has an array of advantages. Here is how you can monetize your YouTube videos smarter than ever with a dedicated app

Ditching all those algorithm changes

Mainstream social platforms don’t have a problem flipping a switch on what shows up in users’ feeds. For YouTubers who’ve outgrown the video streaming giant, being at the mercy of its ever-changing algorithms has become a source of ongoing anxiety. Just this past summer, many of the platform’s most well-known creators saw their content hit by an out-of-nowhere algorithm tweak, which favored lucrative children’s videos. The reshuffling is just the latest example of social companies making it harder for creators, who could be better off taking their engagement into their own hands with a personal smart TV app.

Bring your followers along for the ride

A YouTube powerhouse is nothing without their millions of followers, and YouTube knows this. By creating a custom space for your video content, you have control over what and when they see it, including sponsored ads and promoted partnerships. Launching a streaming app would give you a line of communication with fans, which in turn will help build a stronger relationship.

Control your branding

By foregoing the adherence to YouTube’s terms and services, vloggers have the opporitunity to cultivate and maintain their personal brand with full authority. This not only takes their brands out of YouTube’s shadow, but creates a complete branded experience that embodies their aesthetic and values independently. Not to mention, because YouTube controls what ads run on certain videos, along with followup suggested content, the viewing experience can be disruptive for fans.

New ways to monetize

YouTube stars rely on their channels to bring in revenue, so any tweak or change by the Google-owned platform affects their bottom line. With an app YouTubers can drive new revenue streams through a variety of digital ads, sponsorships, premium subscription options and more. This goes far beyond YouTube’s limited selection of pre-roll ads and banners, allowing creators to make more money per viewer.

Share on mobile, OTT and beyond.

Many third-party services will allow you to easily build a suite of apps across mobile, TV apps (OTT), and beyond. This offers a variety of benefits to video creators.

The smartphone app can be used to not only send push out real-time notifications but also help cultivate the community surrounding your brand. Followers have the opportunity to connect with each other over shared interests that brought them together by your content.