{"id":18748,"date":"2023-08-23T13:58:15","date_gmt":"2023-08-23T13:58:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.yogajournal.com\/?p=113333"},"modified":"2023-08-23T13:58:15","modified_gmt":"2023-08-23T13:58:15","slug":"i-teach-yoga-to-millions-on-youtube-these-are-the-12-essential-lessons-ive-learned","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/2023\/08\/23\/i-teach-yoga-to-millions-on-youtube-these-are-the-12-essential-lessons-ive-learned\/","title":{"rendered":"I Teach Yoga to Millions On YouTube. These Are the 12 Essential Lessons I\u2019ve Learned."},"content":{"rendered":"
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When I began recording content for YouTube under Yoga with Kassandra, I figured that I could simply teach class the same way I would at a studio but in front of a camera. I couldn\u2019t have been more wrong.<\/p>\n

After spending the last decade building my YouTube channel<\/a> to more than two million subscribers, I\u2019ve come to understand many things about teaching yoga on YouTube\u2014including the fact that you\u2019re no longer at the mercy of studios\u2019 class styles and structures.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re curious to know what it takes to build a successful channel for yoga classes on YouTube, the following is what I\u2019ve learned.<\/p>\n

12 Things to Know About Teaching Yoga on YouTube, According to Yoga With Kassandra<\/h2>\n

1. Don\u2019t Expect Recording a Video to Be the Same as Teaching In Person<\/h3>\n

Because you\u2019re instructing YouTube content without students\u2019 energy or an ability to observe them, there\u2019s more performing compared to studio classes. It\u2019s almost more like an acting job. Recording classes for YouTube might take some acclimating. Also, not everyone likes being on camera and teaching when there\u2019s no one else in the room, so you might decide that it\u2019s not right for you.<\/p>\n

2. Learn What Your Audience Wants\u2026<\/h3>\n

At the beginning, I was stuck in yoga studio mindset. Even when I received requests for 10- and 20-minute classes, I was hesitant to step away from the studio model of longer classes. Instead, I recorded only 30- and 60-minutes vinyasa and yin yoga sequences.<\/a><\/p>\n

It took me a while, but I started to understand what YouTubers wanted based on their comments and what they watched over and over again, so I started leading 10-minute yoga classes<\/a>. Such a short practice feels more doable and makes it harder to find excuses as to why you can\u2019t get on your mat. What I\u2019ve noticed is that subscribers often start with a 10-minute class and then they keep on adding another and another and another until they\u2019ve been on their mat for 40 minutes.<\/p>\n

After I gave myself permission to respond to what students wanted, everything changed for my channel. When your audience tells you what they need, pay attention.<\/p>\n

\"Yoga
(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

3. \u2026And Then Share More of That<\/h3>\n

I thought I needed to offer a broad array of classes and sequences, but followers kept saying to me, \u201cWe want more yin yoga and we want more morning yoga.\u201d I initially thought, \u201cWell, I already have a couple of those classes.\u201d But just because you\u2019ve done a hip opening class once doesn\u2019t mean students will never want to teach a hip opening class again. They want that week after week.<\/p>\n

You don\u2019t have to totally reinvent the wheel. You just need to make sure that you\u2019re leading students through something that you\u2019re qualified to teach, that you\u2019re really good at teaching, and that your students actually want. That\u2019s really how you elevate your presence.<\/p>\n

If you do happen to release a video that does quite well, that\u2019s the time to ride the wave while you have it and to keep making similar content. Whatever is doing well on your channel, keep doing more of that.<\/p>\n

4. Focus On What You Do Well<\/h3>\n

Another mistake that I made early on was trying to offer all different styles of yoga and all different lengths of classes to all different levels. I wanted everyone who landed on my channel to find what they needed. But unfortunately, when you try to please everyone, you end up serving no one.<\/p>\n

You\u2019re much better off focusing on your strengths, your skills, and what you\u2019re actually qualified to teach and pairing that with what your students are requesting and what your numbers are telling you they\u2019re watching. Finding that sweet spot is really, really important.<\/p>\n

5. It\u2019s Okay to Turn Down Requests<\/h3>\n

I receive a lot of requests for prenatal and postnatal yoga. I\u2019m trained in it, but it\u2019s not my area of expertise, so I don\u2019t teach it. I honestly think I would be doing a disservice to students to start offering those classes. And I don\u2019t think they would end up being successful because that\u2019s not authentic to my practice.<\/p>\n

6. Don\u2019t Compare<\/h3>\n

Do not compare your channel and your classes to other teachers\u2019 videos, especially when you\u2019re starting out. You\u2019re learning a new skill, so of course you\u2019re going to occasionally fall short. But you need to go through that learning curve. It would be the same as if you\u2019re learning to paint and you\u2019re comparing your first work to someone who\u2019s been creating art for 20 years.<\/p>\n

Successful yoga teachers on YouTube find their following because they\u2019re authentic in their approach. You have to focus what you<\/em> do well, especially in the beginning when you\u2019re easily influenced to go in one direction or another. Even if you tried to recreate a popular video by another teacher, odds are it\u2019s just not going to work for you. That video was likely the perfect marriage of the right teacher bringing the right practice to the right audience. Stay true to yourself, be patient, and grant yourself some grace. You\u2019ll find your tribe.<\/p>\n

7. Entice Your Followers to Stay On YouTube<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s tempting to offer something small on YouTube and try to send people somewhere else, whether to your website or to another platform where you offer paid classes. But YouTube wants to encourage people to stay on the platform\u2014and it rewards channels that encourage followers to do the same. If you want YouTube to be a functional platform for you, it\u2019s wise to treat it as its own entity and with respect.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve found that \u201cmore is more\u201d here. Don\u2019t worry about offering too much content for free. I know that some of us are hesitant to dive into that mentality because we think we should hold back and maybe offer only a few select free classes. But if you\u2019re going to embrace YouTube, the more content you can offer, the more your students will receive, the more they will come back to your channel, and the more it will benefit you and your teaching in the long term.<\/p>\n

8. Choose Your Class Title Carefully . . .<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s easy to forget that YouTube is a search engine. Users engage with the platform in the same way that they do Google\u2014they type in what they\u2019re looking to practice. Based on those keywords, YouTube decides which videos to show.<\/p>\n

The number one way to make sure that someone sees your class is to title your video accurately<\/a>. Keep it simple. Ask yourself, what\u2019s the focus of your class? Who is it for? What amount of experience do students need? How long is it? What style is it? Do they need props? Remember, your class is solving a problem for practitioners by offering something that\u2019s in line with what they\u2019re seeking. Title it accordingly.<\/p>\n

Also, YouTube offers built-in tools that recommend keywords relevant to your niche, including video titles that would resonate well with your audience.<\/p>\n

9 . . . But Don\u2019t Stress Out About SEO and Algorithms<\/h3>\n

Many yoga teachers become overwhelmed and think that they need to have a bunch of SEO savvy to optimize their YouTube content. Not true. If you have even a minimal amount of SEO awareness, use that here. But it isn\u2019t necessary.<\/p>\n

In addition to being literal when you create a title, be thorough with your description, as if you\u2019re writing a blog post. You can also include a playlist in your description. Also, optimize the wording on your thumbnail image, which is the small image for your video that users are shown in the search results, in the same way you do the title of your video. And YouTube allows 500 tags for each video. Don\u2019t be shy about using them, although make certain that they\u2019re truly relevant to your video.<\/p>\n

At the end of the day, people will find your videos in myriad ways. Sometimes, they\u2019ll be watching someone else\u2019s video and yours will pop up because it\u2019s offering something similar. Maybe your video will come up in Google search results. Someone could share your class on Facebook or Pinterest. In those cases, it\u2019s as simple as someone searching for the title of your video, such as \u201cevening yoga,\u201d and then a lot of classes will pop up and they click on one\u2013perhaps yours.<\/p>\n

\"Yoga
(Photo: Yoga With Kassandra)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

10. Set a Schedule and Be Consistent<\/h3>\n

Yoga rewards consistency and so does the YouTube algorithm. YouTube tends to share content from channels that are consistent and don\u2019t disappear for long stretches of time. For the last nine years, I\u2019ve released a minimum of one video a week, and I always share them on the same day of the week and at the same time. There\u2019s even a tool in YouTube that recommends the best time of the week and time of day to publish your videos, based on your audience\u2019s digital habits. So set a schedule and stick to it.<\/p>\n

Posting with predictability and consistency also establishes trust with your viewership. It\u2019s difficult when a student notices that you\u2019ve uploaded a lot of classes in a few days and then you disappear for several months. They might not be as likely to subscribe to your channel because they don\u2019t know if you\u2019re going to return. It\u2019s better to set a schedule and remain accountable to it and your followers. It\u2019s better to do less and stay as consistent as possible. You can add more classes to your weekly schedule later if you find that it\u2019s manageable for you.<\/p>\n

You can also include a reminder in your video description to subscribe to your channel and turn on notifications so your audience knows when you\u2019ve shared new content.<\/p>\n

11. Wait to Invest in Equipment<\/h3>\n

Everyone asks about the best equipment to film and edit YouTube videos. But I always recommend that teachers wait until after they consistently record content for YouTube for six months to buy a camera and sound system. Six months is enough time to know if you even like teaching on the platform.<\/p>\n

If you decide to invest in equipment, focus on a mic more than a camera, because a student at home in Downward Dog is hopefully listening more than they\u2019re watching and not turning their necks in a bunch of ways trying to look at you. (This means you also want to pay careful attention to your cues.) In the meantime, use the camera on your smart phone and make sure that you\u2019re in a well-lit place, such as in front of a window with natural light.<\/p>\n

12. Be Patient<\/h3>\n

The one question that always comes up is \u201cWhen can I start earning income from YouTube?\u201d<\/p>\n

That\u2019s difficult to answer. You have to meet certain criteria before you can apply to be part of the YouTube Partner Program<\/a>. At the moment, in order to be in that partner program, you need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months in order to qualify. YouTube is in the process of changing the program standards to allow access to more creators.<\/p>\n

Once you are accepted into the program, you\u2019re able to earn ad revenue from your videos, which means advertisers place ads on your videos and you share that commission with YouTube. If an advertiser spends one dollar, you get 60 cents and YouTube keeps 40 cents.<\/p>\n

Until you\u2019re in the partner program, YouTube can place ads on your videos, but the commission will not be split with you. (Perhaps they\u2019ll revise that policy in the future, because a lot of people are displeased with it.) Also, you are not able to remove ads that interrupt your class until after you\u2019re in the partner program. Only then can you delete ads, decide where ads go, and determine how many ads you want.<\/p>\n

YouTube is not a path for instructors seeking instant gratification. If you\u2019re thinking that you\u2019ll just put a couple of videos on YouTube and make a quick buck, it\u2019s probably not going to work for you. You need to commit to it for the long haul.<\/p>\n

About Our Contributor<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kassandra Reinhardt<\/em><\/a> is an Ottawa-based Yin Yoga and vinyasa yoga instructor whose <\/em>YouTube channel<\/em><\/a> has grown to 2.2 million subscribers and has more than 230 million views. Kassandra recently released her guided yoga journal,<\/em>  My Yoga Journey: A Guided Journal<\/a>, her daily affirmation card deck,<\/em> I Radiate Joy, <\/a>and her book,<\/em> Year of Yoga.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\"I<\/figure>\n

Yoga With Kassandra has grown her channel’s following to more than two million subscribers (and counting) in less than nine years. Here’s how she did it.<\/p>\n

The post I Teach Yoga to Millions On YouTube. These Are the 12 Essential Lessons I’ve Learned.<\/a> appeared first on Yoga Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":18749,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[37,35,36],"class_list":["post-18748","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ayurveda","tag-blogs","tag-yoga","tag-yogacourseware"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18748","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18748"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18748\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/18749"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18748"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18748"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/yogacourseware.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18748"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}