In this YouTube Monetization Guide, you will learn 10 methods on how to make money from YouTube. So, get ready to find out real ways today.
Did you know that you can make money on YouTube by doing any other method than ads?
In this guide, you will learn 9 methods on how to make money on YouTube.
Table Of Contents
- YouTube Ads
- Get paid through YouTube Memberships
- YouTube Merch
- Super Chats & Super Stickers
- Sponsorship
- Affiliate Marketing
- Educational Materials
- Online Stores
- What I think about these methods
The first 4 ways a channel can generate money are provided directly by YouTube.
The following 5 methods involve self-monetization practices (outside the platform).
Also, in this article, you will find my estimates in terms of earnings for each method.
YouTube Ads
What are Youtube Ads?
Ads are the most popular method of monetization and method on how to make money on YouTube.
Content creators who are part of the YouTube Partnership Program may place ads. Furthermore, the ads show up in various formats.
The Ads can be placed manually or automatically directly by YouTube. Everyone knows that the most used are video ads.
How to make money from YouTube Ads?
If you want to learn how to make money on YouTube thought YouTube Ads and improve, you need to be a YouTube Partnership Member.
To apply to this program, YouTube has set certain minimum eligibility criteria: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours.
The reason is quite obvious: YouTube wants to make sure advertisers that their ads will reach active channels.
(UPDATE 25.11.2020)
YouTube has announced that it will start placing ads even on channels that are not part of the Partnership Program.
That means YouTube will collect all the money from the ads that run on the videos of the channels that do not meet the monetization conditions.
For more information, I advise you to do more research here.
It is a decision that has caused controversy among content creators.
They find it immoral how YouTube takes advantage of and uses its content.
I have a different opinion: the success of entrepreneurs and companies weighs in on the profit. Why? This is capitalism.
How much money you can make from Youtube Ads?
The average AdSense revenue for 1 million views on YouTube is around $900.
Channels report earnings between $500 and $2,000 and the main factor influencing the amount is their niche.
If you own an entertainment channel, you will earn less than a business channel.
Let me be more specific here:
“1 million views with a kitchen knife will earn less than a video about investing tips on the stock market, which has only 500k views.”
Don’t rely on advertising revenue because really, it’s quite difficult to live decently just from this, monthly.
It can take years to reach this performance. But, of course, it is worth developing a YouTube channel. Plus, the Adsense revenue slowly grows up the more views you have.
Do you think that those channels that reach 1 million views per month constantly are based on advertising revenue? I can ensure you that they do not.
Get paid through YouTube Memberships
YouTube Memberships is a way for your audience to join as Channel Members by paying a monthly fee in exchange for special benefits you can offer.
In addition to advertising, Memberships is the next method by which you can make money on YouTube.
You will be able to create a subscription to be purchased by the most loyal spectators in your audience, especially if you give them the necessary reasons.
This is another great way on how to make money on YouTube.
How do you make money from YouTube Membership?
You can start offering the opportunity to join as a Channel Member if you have over 30,000 subscribers (1,000 if you are a Gamer) and of course if you are part of the YouTube Partnership Program.
Don’t rush and don’t be surprised by the number of subscribers because many channels can get access to this option much earlier.
There are many content creators whose Membership option has been unlocked before the colossal threshold of 30,000 subscribers.
Once you meet the eligibility criteria, you will have the opportunity to create “various” packages to sell to your audience and if you play correctly, this method can become a constant source for you to earn some money.
For more details about how to set up a Channel Membership and make money from YouTube, check out this video:
How To Enable Your YouTube Channel For Monetization – GET PAID
Btw, it helped me a lot!
How much money you can make from YouTube Membership
A channel of 10,000 subscribers can make from $2 up to several hundred $monthly.
There are many variables to consider that can influence your monthly Membership sales, and the most important variable is how active your subscribers are.
If, out of 10,000 subscribers, in the first week you have only a few hundred views, realistically speaking, how many subscriptions do you think you will be able to sell?
Even if you have won your subscribers correctly and you have an active channel with a good engagement rate on each video, if you fail to sell elegantly, you will not have more than a few subscription sales.
The moment when channels present YouTube memberships to subscribers for the first time is often devastating. That’s because YouTubers either do not present this “opportunity” well or do not prepare their packages properly.
My advice
To be successful with YouTube Memberships, you need to develop a loyal audience from the beginning of the channel.
If you only have a few hundred views on the video published after a month, 20,000 subscribers are just an insignificant number.
Even if you have a loyal audience, this method will work properly only if you offer something in return for that subscription.
There are a lot of possibilities regarding what to sell. This depends on your field but I will give you some examples:
- Provides access to private, behind scenes or unedited videos
- Give entrance to a mastermind group; Provides access to private live streams
- Pitch consulting sessions in your field
- Offer promotions/commercials, etc
YouTube Merch
It is a carousel section located below your videos and includes products, which can be sold in Print-on-Demand mode.
The poD is a business model that allows you to sell clothing and more, without the need for a stock of goods, warehouse, or employees.
When you sell a product, the order is processed and delivered directly by the manufacturer.
All you have to do is design the articles, and after you upload them to a PoD. Then, sync them with the product shelf on YouTube and anyone who views your videos can place orders from your products, even if it’s not subscribed to your channel.
How to make money from YouTube Merch
The product shelf can be configured if you are part of the YouTube Partnership Program and have 10,000 subscribers. Once you meet these requirements you will receive access to the section configuration.
As with YouTube Memberships, there are channels for which the Product Shelf was unlocked before it reached 10,000 subscribers, so don’t get impatient.
If you are still tempted by the Print-on-Demand business model, know that there is a similar version through which you can collaborate directly with a supplier of personalized articles.
I highly recommend Printify, as it is the leading, global PoD service. You can sign up here and start your own business.
How much money you can make from YouTube Merch
With a loyal audience and a little imagination about what products would be right for her and your field, you can hit it off and sell hundreds of items.
At the time of filming this video, YouTube is testing the option of highlighting a sale on the chat of a live stream, just to stimulate and interact with the audience.
My advice
Print-on-Demand, nationally speaking, is a relatively new concept but one that will develop over time.
If you do not want to get involved with an online store but want to make money from YouTube, consider working with suppliers of customized products.
Before you start designing products, I want to tell you about Placeit. Also, it is a perfect graphic design platform for beginners, being a modern drag & drop.
Perfect for POD, Placeit is sensational even for a YouTube channel, because you can make logos, intros, thumbnails, banners, you even have end-screen templates or live streaming.
Without further due, I highly recommend you their services. You can sign up here.
Super Chats & Super Stickers
Super chat and super stickers are donations.
When you start a Livestream, your fans can pay for their messages to be highlighted, while also being a form of channel support.
How to make money from YouTube with Super Chats & Stickers
As I mentioned before, you must be accepted into the YouTube Partnership Program, because this method only works live.
If you are waiting for the world to support you, this is also an elegant option.
Instead, if you are looking to monetize your time on YouTube, think about how you could stimulate donations but without disturbing the audience.
How much money you can make?
It is difficult to appreciate how much money you can make with this method because it depends on your niche, the size of your audience, and of course how often you live.
As I mentioned earlier, be inventive and elegant in stimulating the “transactions”.
So, you can end up making good money on YouTube by live streaming. But please be aware that if you insist on receiving this, you might end up losing every single subscriber.
YouTube “forces” you to be a person with positive values and oriented towards those around you… towards the audience.
Sponsorship
A sponsorship is a direct collaboration between a content creator and a company interested in promoting various services or products on the creator’s YouTube channel.
Have you made a visible effort, created a community and an engagement around your videos?
Certainly, companies will appear at your door with various proposals that you would not have even thought of.
As your YouTube channel grows, so will the interest of companies in collaborating with you in various ways.
Do you know how much money we’re talking about? A lot.
Not to mention the products you can receive for free, for a review ?
How to make money on YouTube through sponsorship
There are 2 ways you can make money from sponsorships:
- either you are contacted directly by sponsors,
- or you contact them with various personalized proposals
Most of the creators are waiting for the sponsors to contact them with great offers. This is true, but only for very large channels.
If you have a channel with 4,000 active subscribers, I am convinced that you can get your first sponsorship from the first attempt.
The first impression matters, no matter what people say. Arrange the channel, present yourself nicely, create a list of rates.
How much money you can make with YouTube Sponsorship
The rates can start from $200 and can reach several thousand of $, depending on your audience and its quality, the duration of the campaign, and of course, the objective pursued.
The main thing you need to consider before entering into a deal is:
A sponsor is an actual impact you create on the sponsor’s business by promoting it on your channel.
My recommendations
Sponsorships for YouTube channels are the icing on the cake (most of the time).
Even the channels with only a few thousand active subscribers can earn a few hundred dollars per sponsorship.
Pay close attention to prices: you can’t give the same prices to the same companies because going back to the impact, it can be different.
You know your audience best, so do analysis and try to estimate the real impact of a campaign.
Going back a little to how much money you make from YouTube with the help of sponsorships, I feel the need to repeat: analyze well.
If you have more than 5,000 subscribers, I suggest you take a look at the Influencer Marketing platform, MOCAP, where you can get sponsorships.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is the process by which you promote through your content, a certain product or service, and for each sale, you are rewarded with a commission.
Most merchants have affiliate programs, so once you apply and are accepted into such a program, you will receive a link that you will be able to promote to your audience.
Affiliate Marketing can be done for free, you do not need to pay for signup or your links.
I will not go into technical details about PPC, or what the cookie means. All you need to know is that the links are tracked and you will be rewarded for every sale.
How to make money on YouTube with Affiliate Marketing
The first thing you need to do is find out if the companies from which you buy products/services have such affiliate programs.
The most important aspect when we talk about Affiliate Marketing on YouTube is your honesty when promoting.
To ensure the growth of the channel, it would be preferable to choose the target audience.
Once you have obtained the affiliate link for the products or online store you want to promote, you can start generating commissions by adding it into the description.
How much money can you earn?
The Affiliate Marketing market is quite dynamic in terms of commissions. The commission is usually 1-10% and in terms of digital products and services, it’s about 50%.
The niche in which you produce content again plays a decisive role in establishing the affiliate programs to which you must apply.
- As I mentioned earlier in the article, it depends on: the activity of the general audience
- on the product and the affiliate program
- the way you deliver the information and “sell” that product, etc.
Mark my words
The most important advice you will receive from everyone:
Success in affiliate marketing is when you o promote value.
Affiliate marketing is one of the most common YouTube monetization methods you can use, so you need to do it right!
It’s a long-lasting game, so be patient and ambitious.
Educational Materials
Educational materials can be found in the form of online courses, ebooks, or other digital products.
If you already have an active audience, and your YouTube channel is constantly growing, you may want to consider creating such material for two reasons:
-
your audience will surely enjoy the premium material
-
It is one of the most profitable methods
How to make money from educational materials on YouTube
Throughout educational materials, you must first make a considerable effort, in advance, to produce them.
Writing a book or creating an online course is not an easy task at all and is certainly not a method recommended for beginners.
The first step is to analyze the opportunities in your niche as well as the desires of your audience.
- If you have a cooking channel, a book of “unpublished” recipes will probably sell better than a course.
- If you are an SEO expert, maybe it is more profitable to take a course.
After analyzing the needs of the audience, study, but seriously study, HOW to write a book or HOW to organize a course.
The last thing you want, after working so hard to build an audience, is for your first clients to be dissatisfied with the quality of the materials received.
If you offer such materials but for free, no one should say anything, but when you start asking for a certain amount on them, the public’s demand changes.
How much you can earn?
The answer varies depending on the views you generate, the quality of your videos, and of course the visitors you manage to retain.
There are YouTube channels with exceptional conversion rates but also other channels with unexpectedly poor results, even if on the surface they “seem successful”.
This method is recommended for those who have already formed an audience and have experience in monetizing the traffic generated.
If you have a community around you and you are thinking of producing an online course, before you start working on it, think about a fair price and estimate a conversion rate. So, 0.4% of your subscribers would be your target conversion rate.
The truth is that now you can’t even talk about how much you can make from YouTube.
That’s because the money is made outside the platform, and YouTube becomes a sales channel.
Note this down on a paper
Before you produce such materials and try to sell them, I recommend you make a name for yourself.
All this print content marketing. If you have already checked these activities, congratulations and, good luck!
The best long-term strategy is to succeed in generating organic sales.
Present your materials transparently, without pressures or other embarrassing teleshopping techniques.
Everyone is thinking about how to earn something from your channel, what courses to create and how to achieve financial freedom from the audience.
Few people think that the goal is to help and add value to the lives of the spectators, not to get rich.
Everything must happen on your merit, otherwise, you risk your entire “career”.
Online Stores
The last way to make money from YouTube is an upgrade to the Affiliate Marketing method.
The only impediment to this method is that here you have to invest money, compared to the others where the main investment was time.
How to make money from YouTube with an online store
First of all, it is necessary to make your store online, and I recommend Shopify as the platform where to build your online store.
After creating the online store, the really important part follows, in which you have to elegantly direct the traffic from your YouTube channel to your store.
Just like when you do Affiliate Marketing, it is good to insert a link in the description, a link on the banner, or even as a fixed comment.
Also, if you do some product reviews or comparisons, you can specify in the video that I can find those products in your store.
Your possible income
You need to invest a few hundred dollars for building an online store and supplying a modest product.
If you already have an audience of several thousand or even tens of thousands of subscribers, you can expect a surprising income.
If you do this without mistake, in a month you may repay your investment.
In other words, let me show you an example: You post a review about a pair of sneakers. Let’s assume 50k people view your video and you manage to make 50 sales on a profit margin of $10.
Congratulations, you have just made $500. The best part about it is that you don’t even need to be viral.
Just by understanding YouTube’s Algorithm, you can make thousands of views while still having a small community.
I’ve seen people with 7k subscribers crushing down everything, posting a video, and making 2-3 million views. Now, how would it be if those 2-3 million would see your store?:)))
What I think about these methods
There are advantages and disadvantages to each option, so think carefully about which one you will choose.
I told you 9 different ways to make money from YouTube in 2021.
Also, I you feel you have learned a little bit more about how to make money from YouTube, share this post so that your friends can find out too!