How to Make Money on YouTube: 13 Easy Strategies
If you're a digital content creator, you've probably wondered how to make money on YouTube at some point.
And if you’re aspiring to be a digital content creator, you're also probably wondering that!
Social media is a profitable avenue for content creators, and YouTube is no exception. Let's break down how to make money on YouTube, all the details, and the tools you'll need.
There is no need for a background in videography; all you need is a simple video maker like Animoto, some inspiration, and a little bit of knowledge on the subject.
You're on your way to being a YouTube star!
How to make money on YouTube
There are a bunch of ways to make money on YouTube. Some are easy, and some require a little bit of creativity.
We've found the top 13 ways to make YouTube your next income source. Read on to find out which gig is the one for you.
1. Join the YouTube Partner Program
The YouTube Partner Program (or YPP) is step number one for two reasons: it allows you to monetize your content and gives you access to great resources to help grow your channel.
The YPP gives creators access to the Creator Support team, the Copyright Match Tool, and the YouTube monetization features.
The Creator Support team can troubleshoot issues for you, help with technical aspects of YouTube, navigate policy, and more. They're always there to help.
The Copyright Match Tool allows you to copyright your content, identify matches that exist across YouTube, and takedown stolen content.
Without joining the YouTube Partner Program, you won't monetize your videos or your channel.
Check out this video for a brief overview of the YouTube Partner Program plus a few commonly asked questions.
2. Make money via YouTube Premium
YouTube Premium gives viewers many benefits when watching YouTube, such as no ads, background play, download abilities, and more.
You'd think that YouTube Premium takes away revenue by removing ads from videos, but that's not the case.
YouTube supports creators whose videos get displayed on YouTube premium when ad revenue is lost. YouTube will pay creators for views when viewers watch your content via YouTube Premium.
Many viewers prefer the YouTube Premium experience. And thanks to YouTube, your viewers can have their preferences, and you can still profit.
3. Connect with brands via YouTube Brandconnect
YouTube Brandconnect is a platform that fosters connections between creators and brands.
Brandconnect makes it simple for influencers and brands to work on campaigns together.
Everybody's happy–brands share their products, you make money, and your viewers learn about new products from top brands based on your recommendations.
When partnering with brands, you can negotiate your rates, kickbacks, and campaigns. And as a bonus–YouTube Brandconnect has powerful insight tools so you can prove your worth.
4. Monetize live streams via Super Chat
If you're a streamer, you better be monetizing your live streams!
Super Chat exists through the YouTube Partner Program, and it allows users to pay to leave comments on your streams.
Viewers can purchase comments while watching your content, and they get pinned to the top of the chat feed. The more money they spend, the longer the comment stays at the top of the feed.
This is a super simple way to monetize YouTube content. You get a 70% cut of the Supers revenue just from your fans leaving comments.
5. Participate in the YouTube Shorts Fund
If you make creative shorts, the YouTube Shorts Fund is for you.
The YouTube Shorts Fund is a $100M fund that rewards creators for original shorts on YouTube.
Each month, YouTube assesses the performance of Short films on their site and offers creators a bonus from the fund.
You could receive between $100 - $10,000 per month just for uploading your regularly scheduled programming!
Make sure your short is original, creative, and exclusive to YouTube. If it performs well, YouTube will come through with your bonus!
6. Offer channel memberships
You can offer your biggest fans exclusive content for a monthly fee with channel memberships.
How does it work? Well, you can gatekeep content like videos, badges, emojis, and only your monthly subscribers will have access to it. They become members of your channel and get members-only perks.
You don't need a million subscribers to find success with channel memberships! If you offer valuable content and have devoted viewers, channel memberships are an excellent money-making method.
7. Get ad revenue from video ads
YouTube's primary source of revenue is advertising. And yours can be too!
Once you enroll in the YouTube Partner Program, you're able to offer your videos as ad space to brands and advertisers.
Just set up your AdSense account, connect it to your YouTube account, and Google does the rest! You get a cut of the ad revenue they make.
Your revenue will depend on your content, views, and engagement rate. And as your account grows, your income will too.
8. Use Merch Shelf to showcase your merchandise
Merch Shelf allows creators to sell branded merchandise to their followers through your channel. You can display your buyable merch on your videos, end screens, channel, and live streams.
Organizing and selling branded merch might sound complicated, but we promise it's not. Many retailer sites and platforms handle everything like payments, production, fulfillment, and shipping.
They do the work, and you make money!
Selling merch is a great way to make money on YouTube because it's a way for your fans to support you while getting something in return.
9. Sell products or services to viewers directly
If you're business savvy and you want to sell directly to your viewers, consider creating a product or service for them to purchase.
Selling products is an excellent option for creators with specialized content or a large following. For example, a beauty guru could produce makeup brushes, or a YouTube chef could sell a cookbook.
If you sell your products or services off YouTube, just promote them in your videos! Make sure to include links on your end screens, your bios, and your video captions.
10. Make sponsored video content
If you enjoy working with brands, making sponsored video content is a great option for making money on YouTube.
Partner with brands that relate to your content and fanbase, and get them to sponsor your videos in exchange for a shoutout.
Lots of YouTubers use this method. The more followers you have, the more brands will pay you for a shoutout.
Getting sponsored video content is straightforward:
- Research brands who might have a similar audience as your YouTube audience
- Reach out with a short intro and your YouTube insights and stats
- Mention them in your next video
Then, you can negotiate rates, and voila! You now have a sponsor for your video.
11. Become a brand affiliate
Brand affiliation is a popular method for creators to profit from their content.
When you become a brand affiliate, you become a representative of that brand. These partnerships last for a while, and you make money off of kickbacks and conversions.
Brands will give you a way of tracking which sales you influence, either through an affiliate link or a discount code.
Every time you lead a shopper to make a purchase, you get a cut.
12. Crowdfund your next project
Crowdfunding is an excellent way to source revenue for upcoming projects. If you think your project will benefit others, try crowdfunding!
Perhaps you're a travel YouTuber who is constantly exploring new places. Your followers may be inclined to support your trips so they can view the content.
If you host your campaign on a crowdfunding website, other investors can find it and fund your project too.
13. Become a YouTube influencer
Influencers exist on every social media platform. Simply put, they are creators with a devoted following. And they're experts at monetizing their content.
You can be an influencer in any industry. Some industries are more popular than others, like beauty, fashion, and health and wellness. But that doesn't mean you need to stay within these guidelines.
As a YouTube influencer, you should use all 13 of these ways to make money on YouTube. Being an influencer means creating content is your full-time job, so get to it!
A quick checklist to monetize your YouTube channel
So now you know there are many ways to make money on YouTube. And some methods may be better suited for you than others.
But if you're ready to monetize your YouTube channel, here's a quick checklist to get you started.
1. Join the YouTube Partner Program
As we mentioned before, this is an essential first step. Almost all the monetization channels we said before require your enrollment into the YouTube Partner Program.
Joining the YoutTube Partner Program will enable you to use the most profitable aspects of YouTube.
2. Meet YouTube's requirements
Most of YouTube's perks have requirements.
There are basic eligibility requirements to turn on monetization features. They vary by feature and depend on your follower size, location, and age.
3. Create a Google AdSense account
A Google AdSense account is what connects your YouTube account to advertisers.
You need an AdSense account to make money, track analytics, and get paid.
4. Choose a method to monetize your channel
Choose from the 13 methods above to monetize your YouTube channel.
As we mentioned, some monetization methods will better suit your channel and content than others.
However, choose as many or as few as you like, and start making money!
5. Follow YouTube’s rules on monetization
You'll need to learn about YouTube's policies to ensure that your account doesn't break any rules. If it does, you can lose all the ways to make money on YouTube.
Your content will need to comply with rules and best practices to continue receiving ad revenue and other forms of monetization.
Frequently asked questions
What are the YouTube Partner Program requirements?
There are six requirements for your account to be eligible to join the YouTube Partner Program.
- You must follow all the YouTube monetization policies.
- You must live in a region where the YPP is available.
- You cannot have any active community guideline strikes against your channel.
- You must have more than 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months.
- You must have more than 1,000 subscribers.
- You must have a linked Google AdSense account.
If you aren't eligible for the YouTube Partner Program yet, focus on creating great, consistent content, and you'll get there.
When does YouTube pay you?
YouTube pays its creators monthly.
At the start of every month for the previous month, YouTube will pay out your revenue to your AdSense account. So, for the money you made in January, you'll be paid in early February.
Once the money is in your AdSense account, you'll have to withdraw it to your connected bank account.
How much do YouTubers make?
Asking how much YouTubers make is an open-ended question, and the honest answer is any amount!
Small accounts on YouTube can bring in a small side income. YouTube's biggest creators can make over $50 million in a year.
It all depends on your content, your followers, and which monetization methods you choose to use.
That's why it's essential to know all the ways you can make money on YouTube.
How much does YouTube pay per view?
How much YouTube pays per view depends on your revenue streams and followers.
YouTube pays out 68% of its AdSense revenue. On average, a YouTube channel can make $18 per 1,000 ad views.
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million views?
If your videos are getting a million views, you could make up to $30,000 per video!
However, this isn't guaranteed. Your revenue will depend on ads, sponsorships, affiliates, and more. This number differs for everyone, so it will depend on your channel, its size, and how you're monetizing YouTube videos.
Why trust Animoto to make YouTube videos
To be a great YouTuber, you need to have great videos.
Great videos are all in the tools you use. You'll need a good camera, a microphone, proper lighting, and a great video editor to start.
Animoto is a fantastic video editor because it's fun and straightforward. Any experience level will serve you well–you could be a video editing master or a first-timer.
Animoto is a great video maker for five reasons:
- Our video templates inspire your next video while saving time.
- Trim your footage, crop your photos, and adjust the timing of your media.
- You can access millions of stock photos and videos from within the video maker.
- You can fully customize your videos with unique video and text styles
- It's easy to preview and export your finished product in moments.
Don’t know where to start? Show your audience what to expect on your YouTube channel with a fun, informative trailer video.
Look no further if you need a simple video editor to create great YouTube videos.
Now you know how to make money on YouTube and how Animoto can help!
Time to bring in the cash
If you're looking to boost your YouTube content and monetize your channel, you can start today.
Use our checklist, pick some monetization methods, and create great videos with Animoto.
If you put the time and effort into growing your channel and raking in revenue, you could be a high YouTube earner in no time now that you know how to make money on YouTube.