Digital Marketing

Here Are The 11 Best Ways to Make Money on YouTube Consistently

How to make money on YouTube

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In this article, you’ll find my top ways of making money on YouTube while staying at home.

YouTube is the second most viewed website on the Internet, just after Google in the first spot. With 2 billion monthly users watching 5 billion videos daily, YouTube gets the attention of many people as a way to make money online.

Today, with the ease of video recording we now have (almost anyone can do it with their smartphone), everyone can literally start a YouTube channel. And if you want to leverage it, you should learn how to make money on YouTube.

Even a 7-year-old boy started making money on YouTube, bringing in $22 million with his videos in 2018. That’s pretty amazing for just reviewing toys for kids.

You might think that YouTube is already over-saturated, and newbies can’t gain views and start to make some money. That might be true if you’re only thinking about the revenue coming from advertising after you join YouTube’s partner program, for which you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of views in the last 12 months.

However, there are other opportunities to generate revenue without relying on advertising.

Even without a YouTube channel, I can still make money from YouTube!

Let’s get started!

How to Make Money on YouTube

With five hundred hours of video uploaded to YouTube every single minute, it’s not the easiest thing on earth to make money on YouTube.

With numbers rising and the competition getting harder, earning money with YouTube is challenging and may also put you off along the way.

Nonetheless, some strategies will lift you up and open your eyes to what’s possible (even if you don’t have a million views).

1. Join YouTube’s Partner Program and earn from ads

This is the typical revenue stream that most people think of when it comes to making money from YouTube: advertising revenue.

On YouTube, advertising can be presented in different formats:

  • Video ads before your videos.
  • Google Adsense banner ads.

However, to start generating income from those ads, your channel has to meet the minimum eligibility requirements and be approved by their automated systems and human reviewers. They will review your channel’s content to check if it follows all of their guidelines.

join YouTube Partner Program

To become eligible and join the YouTube Partner Program, you must:

Another way of leveraging the YouTube Partner Program is through channel memberships that allow viewers to join your channel through monthly payments and get members-only perks. For that, you need more than 30,000 subscribers (unless you’re a gamer, then you only need 1,000).

Having all those hours and subscribers might be disappointing to beginners, especially if your goal is to make money with YouTube.

Still, there are other ways to leverage the biggest video platform in the world, so keep on reading.

Using affiliate links on the first line of your video description is a great way to monetize your videos, especially when you’re reviewing products and the link guides the viewer to that product page.

In-depth tutorials and product reviews are the best type of video content for this monetization model. For each transaction that occurs through your affiliate link, you get a commission.

Now, don’t go overboard and dump a bunch of affiliate links on your description. That will look spammy, and your viewers will distrust you. Just like in a blog, people who are consuming the content must trust the person who’s sharing it.

The best way to gain trust from your viewers is to pose a problem and then solve it (with the product you’re reviewing, preferably). Your viewers will trust you and also the product itself. And if they have a similar problem, they’ll know how to solve it, thanks to your tutorial or review. This will increase their chances of clicking on the link and buying the product.

Remember that people respond more to video than to text. Usually, when someone is inclined to buy a product, they go and look for a video review.

Build trust with your viewers and create honest reviews.

3. Get funds from your fans in a subscription-based model

If you already have a big following, you can leverage the platform to encourage your followers to fund you, like a crowdfunding project.

Since you’re producing content without forcing your audience to pay to access it, your audience may feel disposed to support your channel regularly if it’s of good quality.

There are platforms specifically crafted for this type of funding, such as Patreon and Tipee.

These platforms allow your most loyal fans to make donations for as low as $1/mo so they can access exclusive content and rewards made by their favorite content creators. They can even earn rewards they wouldn’t be able to get through YouTube.

the-conscious-kid-patreon-page

On Patreon, The Conscious Kid has pledges from as little as $1 to $100. In their highest tier plan, they offer to speak to them over the phone.

A good practice is creating transparency around how the money will be spent and what you offer in each tier. I believe people are more willing to support the artists they love directly rather than pay a platform that gives them access to the artists. When you have this direct contact, your fans will feel they are part of your creation.

Another platform where your fans can come and support you financially is Tipee. Here, you can support your favorite artists with a one-off tip or monthly recurring tips.

YouTube also has a Super Chat feature, which allows creators to create a tipping jar when they go live. Viewers will be able to pay to pin their comments on live streams. This way, content creators can pay attention to the messages of their most loyal fans while making some extra money on YouTube.

4. Link your YouTube channel to your blog

Your channel should be linked to your website or blog to get the most out of YouTube.

This way, you can get more people to sign up for your newsletter, converting your viewers into buyers if you sell anything on your blog.

Imagine you have a video reviewing a product. You can repurpose that content on your blog and include the video. Your channel and blog will have affiliate links, and you can leverage both platforms to generate commissions.

Your YouTube channel will build blog readers, and your blog will build YouTube viewers. It’s a win-win.

5. Join the Amazon Influencer Program

Amazon Influencer Program homepage

The Amazon Influencer Program allows you to have your own page on Amazon to showcase the products you recommend to your audience.

You get a cut of the pie by recommending Amazon products through your videos (and affiliate links). Usually, the commissions range from 8-10%.

This is not a service only for YouTube but for all social media. Therefore, the more followers you have, the more you can earn.

However, social media followers and other metrics will dictate your eligibility to participate in the program.

If you don’t have a big following yet, you can always join the Amazon Associates Program, free for everyone. You’ll get the same commissions by recommending Amazon products but won’t have your personal Amazon page.

6. Leverage YouTube Premium for extra revenue

YouTube Premium homepage

YouTube Premium allows users to view videos without any ads for $11.99/mo.

In this modality, channels get paid 55% of revenue by watch time. While there’s not much information about whether this model is viable for making an income, some report it’s really worth it.

For most channels, ad revenue may not be as consistent as watch time. For example, in January, companies may not spend much on ads since nobody has money after Christmas. While watch time may be steady, ad revenue will be lower.

Keep track of your watch time and video engagement to determine whether YouTube Premium is worth the deal.

7. Crowdfund your next project

Crowdfunding is an excellent option to bring your ideas to life. If it’s only a matter of money, then crowdfunding will help.

People like to support what they value, and you could be surprised to find out how much some people are willing to give to you to create your project.

To start a crowdfunded project, be transparent about how the money will be spent. You can also offer a work preview to get people excited about it.

If you have a trailer or other promotional material, upload it to YouTube and show the world your idea. In the description, link to the crowdfunding site so people can pledge what they want.

Kickstarter and Indiegogo are two of the most popular crowdfunding sites for creatives. But you can also promote a “non-creative” project on YouTube through these sites.

8. Sell merchandise

There is a lot of merchandise to sell online, from t-shirts, mugs, and bags to socks, jackets, clocks, pins, and many more. With the right integration, selling merchandise can be a powerful way of making money on YouTube.

Merchandising will increase your (or your brand’s) exposure in the real world and the offline world, deepening your relationship with your fans.

Lucas The Spider YouTube channel integration with Teespring

Like Lucas the Spider, channels with over 10,000 subscribers can integrate their Teespring store with YouTube. This way, the channel can sell the merchandise directly under its video instead of having links in the video description.

Teespring is a print-on-demand provider, so you don’t have to deal with shipping, fulfillment, and customer support. You reap the benefits of a dropshipping business without all the hassle of managing an inventory.

9. License your video

Imagine you have a video go viral.

You can license it to the media and make money. TV shows, news, and online news sites are always looking for what’s trending, and they can contact you if you have a viral video.

With Jukin Media, there’s an easy way of safeguarding your copyrights, where your videos can be searched for and purchased. You get 50% of the shared revenue.

jukin-media-license-your-videos

For example, several media outlets may be interested in using this video of a robot painting a portrait of a renowned Dutch painter.

10. Claim the copyright of your content with Content ID

If you create music or videos, you can protect the copyright of your works.

Content ID is YouTube’s automated, scalable system that enables copyright owners to identify YouTube videos that include content they own. Videos uploaded to YouTube are compared against audio and video files registered with Content ID by content owners, looking for any matches.

When there’s a match, those videos receive a copyright claim. This is a way of preventing fraudulent copies and reclaiming your rights to monetize your creations.

If, for example, you compose and record a song, put it online, and someone downloads it and uses it on a YouTube video without permission, you can claim ownership of the song by registering it with Content ID. The video uploader will receive a copyright claim; if he doesn’t remove the song, ads may appear on his video. You’ll be entitled to receive the ad revenue since you own the copyrighted content.

The most well-known companies that offer Content ID protection are AdRev and Identifyy.

Content ID is a great alternative to make money on YouTube through unlicensed music usage if you’re a musician or video creator.

Learn how I earned $912 from YouTube ads without making videos.

11. Super Thanks

YouTube never fails to keep its creators interested. They now have a feature called Super Thanks! It’s a playful name and a game-changer that turns viewers’ love into cold, hard currency.

YouTube Musical Wanderings Super Thanks

With the Super Thanks, each viewer’s ‘like’ could become cash in your pocket. A viewer simply clicks a Super Thanks button beneath your video, picks a dollar amount to donate, and there you have it! Not only does this encourage your creativity, but it also makes income generation a little bit easier.

How many views do I need to make money on YouTube?

It all depends on the monetization method you’re using.

To be eligible to display ads on your videos, you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months. Only after you reach these milestones will your channel be reviewed.

The more views you have, the more you earn. It’s that simple. However, monetizing your video with affiliate links requires only one view to generate a sale and receive a commission. There really is no rule here.

How much money do YouTubers make?

The highest-paid YouTubers make a lot of money from advertising. According to Forbes, here’s a list of the top 10 earning YouTube stars of 2018:

  1. Ryan ToysReview: $22 million
  2. Jake Paul: $21.5 million
  3. Dude Perfect: $20 million
  4. DanTDM: $18.5 million
  5. Jeffree Star: $18 million
  6. Markiplier: $17.5 million
  7. Vanoss Gaming: $17 million
  8. Jacksepticeye: $16 million
  9. PewDiePie: $15.5 million
  10. Logan Paul: $14.5 million

Those are big numbers. However, most YouTubers earn nothing or almost nothing.

Making money on YouTube through ads is not easy. Your channel needs to grow, and you need a strong commitment to consistently publishing and promoting your videos over time.

To get straight to the numbers, Google pays out 68% of AdSense revenue, so for every $100 an advertiser pays, Google pays $68 to the YouTuber. Revenue also depends on the niche your channel is in.

Per 1,000 views, ad revenue can range from $0,30 to $5. But, as I said, it depends on your niche. Probably, the most successful niche is gaming. Others include lifehacks, celebrity gossip, news, food reviews, animal activities, and spoofs.

Here’s a great tool to understand how much you can earn through ads based on video views and engagement.

How much can I earn with 1,000 views on YouTube?

The answer depends on many different factors. These include the niche you’re in, how many viewers click on the ads, the ad formats (banner or video), and the country you are located in. Your CPM will vary according to all of that.

Advertisers can choose different ad strategies, so you can get $0 for one view or $3 for another if the latter clicks on a high-value advertisement. On top of that, advertisers only pay if the ad is actually watched. Therefore, if your viewers skip the ads, you’ll significantly impact your earnings.

Is it hard to make money on YouTube?

It’s no easy task to earn a considerable income from YouTube. Besides reaching the threshold of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months to be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program, you still need to create videos to generate tons of views consistently and monitor your CPV (Cost Per View).

Affiliate marketing is the best way to start making some money on YouTube. You don’t need a lot of viewers or subscribers to start earning some revenue. The videos that perform better for this model are product reviews or tutorials. You just have to place your affiliate links in the description.

To further increase earnings potential, consider starting a blog and embedding your videos on your posts by repurposing the video content on your blog. This will get you more views and improve your rankings on search engines.

How To Make Money On YouTube: Conclusion

That’s it for my top 10 ways to make money on YouTube.

While making money on YouTube might be a great way of generating some passive income, it may not be the best way to start making money online. That is if you want fast results.

My main advice is to start a blog and use YouTube as a secondary way of generating traffic to your blog. Then, using affiliate links both on your blog as well as in the description of your video will increase your chances of earning money fast. This way, you don’t have to rely solely on YouTube ads; you’ll have to walk a long distance to get there.

Did I forget anything? Let me know in the comment section if you know another way of making money on YouTube that’s not mentioned here.

Vaslou is a passionate digital creator and blogger who loves to explore unique paths to generate online income. He’s also a musician, always looking for exciting paths to articulate his inventive spirit in the musical realm. When he’s not at work on his online endeavors, Vasco loves to delve into spiritual realms to become a better version of himself.

1 thought on “Here Are The 11 Best Ways to Make Money on YouTube Consistently”

  1. Absolutely amazing! I loved it. In addition, I would say that tools such as TubeTarget, Tuberank Jeet, etc. are also of great help to make money on YouTube. They help in proper optimization of the YouTube channel and videos by finding the right keywords, tags, titles, and so on and making it rank #1 on YouTube.

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