Create an Online College Video News Channel, Part Two
In an earlier post, we introduced the basics of creating an online college video news channel. Here are some ideas to help keep it going and make money at it.
So you’ve been running your news channel now for a few weeks, and you realize it’s eating a lot of your time. What to do? First, look for news subjects that align closely to your areas of interest. If you’re interested in sports, you probably spend a lot of time attending games, talking to friends about your college’s sports teams, and so on. Take your camcorder with you every time you attend an event, and you’re almost certain to come away with some footage you can publish on your new video portal. Save some of that footage for times when you can’t go out and cover the news, like during exams, so that you can keep your viewers happy with new videos on a regular basis.
When things get really busy, look to others for help. Check the want-ads for film or media majors looking to get some of their work published online. They may do it for free, just for the exposure.
How can you advertise your college news channel on a budget? Some of your best promotion will come from the people you feature in videos on your new video portal. Make sure you get email addresses from everyone you feature, and email them when your publish the video about them. If you’ve done a good job, they’re almost certain to email everyone they know. Handing them your business card gives them a way to get in touch with you, as well. You should also set up a MySpace page for your video channel and invite everyone you know. These are some free ways of drawing attention to your work.
Where’s the money in this? Glad you asked. There are lots of local online video news channels springing up on the web, and many will be looking for free-lance video contributors, such as this news channel in Reading, PA. Your skills and experience running your own video channel will almost certainly get you a second look, and you may even in a position to sell them some of the videos you’ve already done. As your video news channel becomes more popular, you’re almost certain to be asked if you support advertising. And then, if you’ve built a quality product, consider selling your video news channel when you graduate. The extra cash could be just what you need to launch your next big online video project.
Related Articles:
- Create an Online College Video News Channel, Part One
- Why selling information products is not such a good idea
- The Fake Steve Jobs Video Motivates Me
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- Five Things I’m Thankful For This Year
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Interesting idea. Myspace and facebook are good ways to gain some exposure and viewers.
The main obstacle would be creating original, interesting content. With all of the other sources of content and entertainment in college, the programming would have to be superior to keep viewers.
Personally, I think the content would have to be somewhat sarcastic or humorous to be successful. I’m thinking something along the lines of The Daily Show or Colbert Report.
But if you can get good content along with good word of mouth marketing, the return on investment could be pretty attractive for any college student.