Your audience may unlock the earning potential of your YouTube channel, just as it does for Instagram influencers or bloggers, but making money requires the creation of multiple revenue streams, such as side hustles or businesses.
Fortunately, there are some unique ways to make money on YouTube: let’s take a closer look at each of these streams.
Sign up for the YouTube Partner Program.
Ads will almost certainly be your primary source of income. If you want to make money on YouTube without making videos or as a content creator, you’ll need to join the YouTube Partner Program and set up monetization.
You must agree to all of YouTube’s monetization policies and live in a country or region where the YouTube Partner Program is available. You can apply for monetization once you’ve reached 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the previous year.
Here’s how you can monetize YouTube:
Log in to the YouTube account from which you wish to profit.
Click the account icon in the top right corner.
Select YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.
From the left menu, choose Other Features > Monetization.
Read and accept the YouTuber Partner Program terms.
For your channel, create a new Google AdSense account or connect an existing one. (You must have an AdSense account to be paid.)
Set your monetization preferences.
Select the Analytics tab from the left-hand menu to return to the dashboard. To get an estimate of your expected YouTube revenue, go to the top-level tabs and select Revenue, then scroll down to the Monthly Estimated Revenue chart.
How many views do you need to get paid on YouTube?
The amount of money you make has nothing to do with the number of views you get. If your video receives thousands of views but no one watches or clicks on the ad, you will lose money. This is because YouTube’s billing criteria require a viewer to click on an ad or watch it for the entire duration (10, 15, or 30 seconds) in order for you to be paid.
You no longer have to rely on advertisers to create engaging or enticing ads to make money with the launch of YouTube Premium.
What does YouTube Premium entail, and how does it function?
YouTube Premium is a paid subscription service that allows fans to support and watch their favourite content creators without being interrupted by ads. Creators will continue to be compensated for content consumed by non-members on YouTube as well as content on YouTube Premium, so there are few changes for them.
YouTube Premium creators are paid based on the number of views their videos receive. Consider YouTube Premium revenue as a supplement to your ad revenue.
While becoming a YouTube Partner and earning money through advertising is simple to set up, it isn’t the most lucrative way to make money.
Why should you look for alternative revenue streams to advertisements?
YouTube has recently faced a lot of backlash as a result of its decision to be more transparent about advertising on the platform and what qualifies as “advertiser friendly” content.
Many creators were concerned that they would lose ad revenue, which helps to fund their channels, due to the nature of their content.
If your video contains the following elements, it may be excluded from ad revenue, according to YouTube:
- Sexually suggestive content, such as partial nudity and sexual humour
- Violent extremist events, as well as displays of serious injury, are examples of violence.
- Inappropriate language includes things like harassment, profanity, and vulgarity.
- Promotion of drugs and regulated substances, including their sale, use, and abuse
- Even if graphic imagery is not shown, contentious or sensitive subjects and events are included, such as war, political conflicts, natural disasters, and tragedies.
Since 2012, however, YouTube has been demonetizing content that it deems unsuitable for advertising through an automated process that occurs without warning and without the content creator’s knowledge.
When their content is flagged, creators are now notified, and they can appeal any time they believe a video was mistakenly removed from YouTube’s advertising network.
Although advertising is a popular way for creators to earn passive income, YouTube’s parent company, Google, retains a 45 percent share of ad revenue.
To summarise, in order to keep their creative hobby afloat, YouTubers should look into other revenue streams.
In the sections below, we’ll show you how to make money from YouTube without using AdSense.
Make a product or service available for purchase.
You can make money by selling a variety of products on your YouTube channel. Selling merchandise, such as t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, and snapbacks, has advantages beyond revenue.
Merchandise extends your reach by bringing your online brand and personality into the real world, and it strengthens your relationship with your fans by allowing them to “buy” into what you’re doing.
You can order affordable designs tailored for specific products, such as t-shirts, using freelance sites like Fiverr.
You can integrate your store with services like Oberlo or one of the many print-on-demand providers to handle shipping, fulfilment, and customer service for you, allowing you to reap the benefits of a print-on-demand business while putting in less effort.
You could also team up with an established creator merchandising network like DFTBA (Don’t Forget to Be Awesome). However, you will be competing with other YouTubers, and you will have less control over adding products, offering discounts, integrating your content, and all of the other advantages that come with having your own ecommerce site.
You can even take it a step further by creating and selling your own unique products, as Luxury Hair did with hair-related how-to video tutorials to sell its hair extensions, and running your business through your YouTube channel.
As a YouTuber with a large following, you’ll have two advantages that other store owners would envy right away:
A content engine that sends consistent traffic to your store.
Your audience’s trust, which you’ve earned by regularly providing them with your own brand of free content.
Crowdfund your next creative project with Kickstarter.
When money is the only thing standing in the way of a great idea, crowdfunding is a great way to get it off the ground.
You can enlist the help of your own audience and the crowdfunding community to help you buy better equipment, hire actors, or cover other production costs if your idea is compelling enough.
Consider making a video explaining your project or giving a taste of what it’ll be like, like this popular Kickstarter for Kung Fury, a short film based on 1980s action movies, to pique people’s interest.
The following are some popular crowdfunding sites with a history of YouTuber campaigns:
Kickstarter. One of the most well-known crowdfunding platforms for innovative products and projects. Make sure you set a realistic financial goal for yourself because you’ll only be able to achieve it if you stick to it.
Indiegogo. A crowdfunding platform similar to Kickstarter, but with more flexible funding options.
Use “fan funding” to enlist the help of your audience.
Similar to how you can crowdfund a project, you can set up “fan funding” streams to solicit donations from your audience.
As a creator, you’re adding your voice to the internet without making your audience pay to listen. As a result, if you consistently provide quality content, your audience may be willing to support you on a regular basis.
Many fan funding platforms offer creators a new way for people to discover their work, as well as a way to engage and reward their most ardent supporters.
Wait But Why is a great example of Patreon community support because it produces more long-form written content than YouTube videos.
There are a few best practises to keep in mind if you decide to go the crowdfunding route. To begin, make certain that the funds are spent in an open and transparent manner. Your audience will be enthralled by your storey or mission, and they will literally believe in the value of your content as a result.
Second, offer enticing rewards for larger pledges. You’ll get more donations and pledges if you can make donors feel like they’re getting something special for being a long-time supporter.
The following are some of the most popular fan funding options:
YouTube’s Super Chat. Super Chat is a feature that is used when doing live streams on YouTube. It enables you to set up a tip jar where your viewers can donate whenever and in whatever amount they want. As previously stated, you must set up your YouTube account for advertising purposes.
A channel’s membership. Members-only perks allow subscribers to support your channel by paying a monthly fee in exchange for exclusive content. Like Super Chat, you must be a member of YouTube’s Partner Program to use this feature.
Patreon. The membership platform that enables creators to receive prompt payment. For as little as a dollar per month, fans can receive exclusive rewards by subscribing to their favourite creators.
Tipeee. You can receive a mix of one-time and recurring donations using this platform.
Please purchase a cup of coffee for me. Buy Me A Coffee allows creators and artists to accept donations and membership fees from their fans. It’s been dubbed the “#1 Patreon Alternative” because it has over 300,000 creators. Buy Me A Coffee differs from Patreon in that it is easier to accept payments, there is a flat 5% fee for all features (versus up to 12% for Patreon), and payouts are instant.
Allow the media to use your content.
If you create a viral video with mass appeal, such as a funny clip featuring your dog, you can license your content in exchange for money.
TV news outlets, morning shows, online news sites, and other creators may contact you about using your videos if they become popular.
You can also upload your videos to a marketplace like Juken Media, where the right people will be able to find and purchase them.
A video of a woman wearing a Chewbacca mask went viral, attracting the attention of a number of news outlets.
Work as a brand’s influencer.
Influencer marketing is becoming more popular, with brands allocating large ad budgets to influencers who have already earned the trust of their audiences.
As a creator, this opens up a huge opportunity if you can strike the right deals.
Brendan Gahan, a YouTube marketing expert and influencer, recommends multiplying the number of views your videos typically receive by five to fifteen cents per view when calculating your baseline flat fee (which is around what many brands are willing to pay for views via YouTube ads).
The following are the possible prices for influencer marketing on YouTube, according to WebFX:
With 10,000 subscribers, a YouTuber can charge $200 per video.
With 100,000 subscribers, a YouTuber can earn $2,000 per video.
A YouTuber with one million subscribers can earn $20,000 for each video.
If the brand is a good fit, you might be able to get a better deal based on your leverage—the demographics of your target audience, the quality of your content, and how unique and profitable your niche is.
When it comes to brand-sponsored content, transparency is key, as is not endorsing anything you don’t like or believe in and explaining why you’re doing it to your audience.
Here are a few of the numerous influencer marketplaces where you can list your channel and be discovered by both big and small brands:
The grapevine has spoken. To join one of the most popular influencer marketplaces, you only need 1,000 followers.
Channels have pages. Collaborate with other YouTubers and brands to achieve your goals.
Crowdtap. Complete small content creation “tasks” in exchange for money and other incentives. The number of followers you can have is unrestricted.
Some influencer marketplaces offer free products, while others are known for attracting big brands willing to pay a premium. Take advantage of the opportunities that best suit your needs, but make sure to list yourself in as many places as possible to give your channel the most exposure.
Start an affiliate marketing business.
Affiliate marketing is the practise of earning a commission by promoting the products or services of another company. As an affiliate marketer for a company, you can use product placements, endorsements, and other types of content in your work. You must, however, inform your viewers about the collaborations in your videos.
If you use your YouTube channel to review products, this is especially useful. Getting started is usually simple because there is no risk on the brand’s end (they only pay when they make sales).
Two popular affiliate programmes are ClickBank (1 percent to 75 percent commission, depending on the vendor) and Amazon’s Affiliate network (earn up to 10 percent per sale). You can also reach out to brands in your niche that have their own affiliate programmes, which is fairly common in the ecommerce world.
What is the best way to make a “sale” without annoying your audience?
Many of the above-mentioned monetization methods entail promoting products or campaigns (e.g., crowdfunding a video series). You must, however, make certain that your promotions do not jeopardise the quality of your content.
Many artists are afraid of being “sold out.” However, you will never receive if you never ask.
You can promote your products or campaigns through a variety of “placements.”
Include a call to action in your videos.
“Please Like and Subscribe if you enjoyed this video.”
Many YouTubers include a call to action along those lines at the end of their videos in order to increase their viewership. If you suggest the desired action to your audience, they are more likely to do so.
You can use this strategy to bring your audience’s attention to a revenue-generating opportunity.
At key points in your videos, insert YouTube cards.
Whether it’s as part of a deal with a brand or to promote your own products, YouTube Cards are an eye-catching way to get the attention of engaged viewers.
You can schedule them to appear at just the right time, when they’re most relevant and least distracting, to maximise their impact.
Include links in your video descriptions.
You can direct viewers to your store, Patreon page, Kickstarter campaign, or other revenue-generating section of your website by including links in your video descriptions.
If you’re a video creator who wants to focus on making money as an affiliate marketer, check out Unbox Therapy. Unbox Therapy specialises in product reviews, and it makes money by including affiliate links in its video descriptions.
You can use “buy X, get Y” promotions or discounts to entice new customers to buy your products if you make videos about your own products and own or manage a Shopify store.
Your offer should be promoted on other platforms.
Just because your content is on YouTube doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use all of the other distribution options available to you.
To get the word out about new campaigns or discounts, use Twitter, Facebook, and any other social media accounts you have.
Your message is more likely to be seen if it appears in multiple locations. As a result, extending your audience beyond YouTube through social media marketing is always a good idea.
