Captivating content for children is aimed at making younger viewers happy and provides them with a fun and easy way of discovering the world. However, it is also a great opportunity for content creators to increase their revenue by monetizing kids’ shows. And it is not only about YouTube which often limits video monetization potential because of the strict regulations and rules you need to stick to.
Youngsters love watching their favorite shows both at home and on the go, so you should aim to use multiple platforms and channels to promote your content and attract more young viewers from around the world. There are many ways you can distribute kids’ content and generate revenue from it, and today we will reveal them.
The features of content consumption by younger viewers
First, let’s talk about the differences between how adults and younger audiences consume video content.
- Adult viewers usually watch a series once and do not often rewatch individual episodes. However, children tend to enjoy their favorite shows over and over again, and they can watch the same episode every day. Thus, content for these younger viewers gives higher ROI for video creators and streaming platforms.
- Retention is another important point for CTV platforms. It is necessary to constantly implement various strategies to retain an audience and keep profits high. However, this is much easier than acquiring new viewers. In this case, youngsters are usually more loyal. They stick to their favorite shows and characters and make consistent choices. This means their retention doesn’t require a lot of extra effort. As a result, their potential lifetime value for streaming services is greater.
- Households with children tend to have more subscriptions to streaming platforms than those without. The reasons for this are twofold: 1) every kid has their own preferences and chooses different shows, 2) some companies do not have relevant content for parents, so they need to use another subscription.
As we see, children’s content creators have a great potential for revenue generation because young viewers tend to be more loyal and consistent in their viewing behavior. Now let’s examine popular channels for kids and how apps are monetized.
Top OTT channels for children
Though animated series and cartoons are what kids like watching most of all, there is a tendency towards educational content – OTT apps offer e-books, quizzes, and lots of other activities to train the brain. But how can parents be sure that their child will access only kids’ video content and won’t stumble upon something inappropriate? Considering that most videos watched OTT are viewed on different devices, controlling what a child can see becomes a pressing concern. Fortunately, platforms and apps offer kids’ versions or even separate profiles created specifically for younger viewers, which let them access only the content that corresponds to their age. Here are the most popular apps and channels to stick to.
Kid’s Planet
With this channel, you can be sure your child will grow up happy and well-educated. There are the answers to all of the questions a kid may ask and they even provide them in a playful manner via short animated clips.
Kids Room TV
Created by the VlogBox team, this is the best channel for children to have fun and learn. Amazing top-quality shows made for kids by multiple creators will captivate little viewers wherever they are, help them develop new skills, and spend their leisure time on an exciting journey whenever they turn Kids Room TV on! Here education and entertainment combine giving every child the opportunity to choose a new activity every day – from art & crafts to dances and lessons taught by their favorite cartoon heroes. The channel is available on Amazon Fire TV, and Google TV.
YouTube Kids
A world famous platform that offers tons of video content for adults, but has launched a special kids’ version. Younger viewers want to watch YouTube too, and there is a lot of nice kids’ content – but there are also lots of videos that some parents may consider inappropriate. YouTube Kids provides parental control and offers videos for different age groups in order for every child to find the best content that will entertain and teach them.
Disney+
With this app, you and your kids can watch and download your favorite movies and TV shows, as well as new original series by Disney, Marvel, Pixar, National Geographic, and Star Wars. The Disney+ app boasts of over 100 titles, unlimited downloads, and the ability to watch on 4 devices at once.
LEGO
If your kid is a fan of LEGO, there’s good news. An entire LEGO channel has been created for those who adore the famous constructor blocks, and there is a wide range of LEGO-related videos – shows, tutorials, news, etc. The app is free, but you shouldn’t worry about the commercials, as they’re also kids-oriented.
Monetization and promotion opportunities for kids’ content creators
In 2020, YouTube announced new rules for their kids’ content policy, updating it with the intent to protect children from negative viewing experiences and to comply with COPPA (Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act). This means that the video monetization strategy for children’s content differs from the promotion of other video channels. Content creators should label their videos as ‘Made for kids’ and advertisers are prohibited from gathering cookie data and retargeting. Among barriers on the way to high revenues are restriction of targeted advertising, disabling features like notifications, and adding videos to the “watch later” playlist, etc. Personalized ads are not allowed but those who decide to start a kids’ channel can benefit from contextual advertising. It is the best solution to meet all the legal standards, get a higher ROI, and engage children more because it displays ads based not on personal information but on the content of the videos.
However, you should not limit your potential to YouTube kids’ monetization. There are other effective ways to make money with videos made for kids, so let’s consider what you should do to succeed.
- Create a CTV channel
Connected TV is an ever-growing area that provides content creators with a wide range of possibilities for content promotion and video monetization. By creating your own CTV channel, you get an opportunity to present your brand to a wider audience and offer your existing subscribers a new platform with top-quality video content that can be accessed anytime.
What is great is that you don’t have to create your CTV app from scratch; you can get professional assistance from VlogBox. Our team of skilled experts will create a custom CTV channel for you considering your goals and requirements. We will provide you with a one-stop cost-effective solution to cover your needs. Our team will help you launch an exclusive channel and distribute your content across the most popular platforms, such as Apple TV, Google TV, and Amazon Fire TV. You will be able to get any necessary support from a dedicated manager, and your brand new CTV app will be published in 2-3 weeks. After this, we will continue supporting you and can also assist in promoting your channel, as well as developing efficient marketing strategies. Apart from that, you will get detailed analytics to track your channel performance and do the necessary optimization to get better results.
Our experts have created over 1,000 channels and always implement the most effective practices to help you reach your goals. All you need to do is to provide your first-class-quality video content, the rest will be done by VlogBox!
- Offer merchandise
Selling merchandise is one of the fastest ways to make a profit if you have a lot of subscribers and creative ideas. True fans of your channel may want to buy something related to the content they love watching so much. So, if you want to generate extra revenue, think of merchandise you could offer your followers.
What merch can you produce? Anything where your branding can be put: t-shirts, phone cases, cups, hats, stickers, toys, etc. Make sure that your design is catchy and recognizable, you create a unique logo and add catchphrases. Your subscribers will be happy to get themselves something exclusive related to your brand.
In order to promote your goods, you’ll need to place the link to one of the e-commerce platforms where users can make a purchase. In this case, an e-commerce platform like Shopify for Creators is likely to help as it lets you create an online store and then just share the link to it. Don’t be shy about inviting viewers to your digital store and highlighting all the benefits of the products you provide.
- Attract sponsors
Sponsorship is a great way to make money from videos made by kids or for kids. And your channel doesn’t even have to be extremely popular to be noticed. The key to success is to create appropriate high-quality content that relates to the potential sponsor. Research the kids’ market and think over the idea of attracting the attention of some brands.
When you offer your subscribers something they need, your content becomes much more valuable. The more your sponsors match with your audience’s interests the more trust you will build with your audience and the more revenue you can generate. So, choose brands for cooperation carefully, especially when it concerns content for kids. What sponsors can you pick when you make videos for children? You can promote cool apps for kids’, stores that sell toys and clothing, video shows, or even game centers for children, – it can be anything that is interesting, safe and intersects with your content. Apart from inserting information about the sponsor or promoting some of the products or services, you can also use the format of sponsored reviews which will also be valuable and can engage your audience more.
Takeaways
Kids’ content is always in demand, and during the pandemic, its viewership has skyrocketed: music has grown by 41%, and animated series have received a 32% bump. Spending on kids’ digital advertising reached almost $3 billion in 2021. Experts estimate it will be valued at more than $21 billion by 2031 (a growth of 22% at a CAGR). This tendency means that marketing strategies can be improved by partnering with popular media companies and the premium shows preferred by kids and families. That will help grab the attention of new viewers. It’s also important for kid-focused brands to adjust their advertising strategy for OTT and connected TV environments since those venues provide lots of new opportunities to promote and make money with video content for kids.