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YouTube provides a great platform for creators to monetize themselves through their content. Want to know how to monetize on YouTube? Don’t worry, this article has got you covered.
Recently, YouTube monetization has changed and has begun running ads on some creators’ videos, but it won’t give them a portion of the ad revenue because they’re not big enough to be enrolled in its Partner Program.
When advertisements run on YouTube videos, those creators typically receive a portion of the revenue through their role in YouTube’s Partner Program. With the new monetization rules, a creator who is not in the partner program “may see ads on some of your videos,” according to an update to the platform’s Terms of Service.
Before the update, YouTube says these videos only received ads in limited circumstances, like if they were monetized by a record label as part of a copyright claim. The update will mostly affect smaller creators without a huge viewership.
YouTube’s Partner Program requires creators to have accrued 4,000 total hours of watch time over the last 12 months and have more than 1,000 subscribers. Nevertheless, monetization on youtube is still more than possible.
How to Monetize Your YouTube Channel
According to Investopedia “The first two steps to monetize on YouTube is to open an account and turn on account monetization. Enabling monetization requires accepting YouTube’s advertising guidelines and connecting to an AdSense account for payment. Enabling ads on your YouTube videos requires agreeing to Google’s ad revenue share for YouTube.
Investopedia continues by saying there is a 45/55 split for content creators. In other words, Google keeps 45 percent of a creator’s profit through YouTube advertising, and the creator will receive the remaining 55 percent. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to monetize your channel (Note: The instructions below are done on a computer.)
- Sign in to your YouTube account.
- Click your Youtube account icon found in the top right corner.
- Click on Youtube Studio.
- In the left menu, scroll down until you find Monetization.
- Make sure you meet the requirements.
- Create an AdSense account.
- Set your monetization preferences.
To give an idea on how to monetize on YouTube, in 2013, the average cost per thousand (CPM) for YouTube was $7.60. CPM is an industry term that represents revenue per thousand views. In 2013, the average income for each YouTube content creator was $7.60 per every thousand views.
A video with 500 views would have earned roughly $3.80. A video like Gangnam Style with a billion views would earn $7.8 million. Some videos earn a higher or lower than average rate depending on the video content.
Videos containing copyrighted music do not earn revenue for the video creator, and some topics may not attract advertisers. Others have a strong draw from advertisers and drive up the CPM.
1. Monetize with Brand Sponsors
Another great way for creators to monetize on YouTube is with brand sponsors. Similar to how brands are looking for bloggers to do sponsorship activities, they’re also working with youtube creators.
From unboxing videos, tutorials, and product reviews, brands are looking for their next creators to show off their products. A company that can help guide creators through this process is called Youtube Brand Connect. Here are the requirements you must meet to monetize on YouTube with brand sponsors.
- Be over 18 years old
- Be a part of the YouTube Partner Program
- Be based in the U.S, Canada, or the UK
- Have zero active Community Guidelines strikes
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2. Take Advantage of YouTube Red
YouTube is a monthly subscription that creates an ad-free experience on YouTube for all videos. According to Cnet, YouTube Red was introduced as YouTube Music Key, “a service that lets you stream music and music videos from YouTube without ads.” Eventually, YouTube Music Key broadened its horizons and allowed an ad-free experience to all videos in late 2015.
Now you may be asking, “will creators still be paid when a user has YouTube Red?” The answer is yes – you will still receive revenue from premium members. YouTube Help responds to this crucial question stating that “YouTube Premium gives a secondary revenue stream for creators in addition to what you’re already earning today through ads.”
However, your revenue is based on how frequently your members watch your monetized content. The more your fanbase watches your content, the more money you will receive. Do remember, YouTube will also take a 45 percent cut of a creator’s YouTube Red earnings, but earning an extra amount of cash is always a benefit when focusing on monetization.
3. License your Content to Media
If you happen to have a video go viral – which is most probable with a short, funny video clip – media outlets will be begging to post it on their sites. If this does happen, this opportunity is your time to shine and monetize. Media outlets will hopefully reach out to you, so be sure to keep your eyes out on your public social media.
According to Shopify, you can also post your videos to Jukin Media. Junkin Media is a website where you can post your videos, negotiate with video owners, and license videos for others to use or feature on their websites and social media outlets.
Interested in finding new ways to become popular on YouTube? Check out this blog to find out more about YouTube Shorts and decide whether or not posting shorts will help you grow in popularity.
4. Live Stream
Another way is to live streams where you can show off new content, play video games, do giveaways, or simply chat with your audience. As a matter of fact, you can also monetize your live streams directly on YouTube.
According to YouTube Help, if your channel is monetized, YouTube will automatically post ads to split your content into small chunks, though, there will be times that users may not see an advertisement, for example, YouTube Red members.
Pre-roll ads will run before a live stream begins which can both be seen on mobile and on computer. Mid-roll ads run during a live stream, which can be manually added during live streams on a computer. Meanwhile, overlay ads can run over content, which is also viewable on a computer.
YouTube Gaming has been a great way to successfully monetize your channel. Check out this blog to see the Top 10 YouTube streamers of 2021.
5. Record a Call to Action on your Videos
Believe it or not, a simple call to action like “don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe if you enjoy my content” can do wonders to your engagement levels. There will be times that people forget to like or comment if they enjoy your content, which can impact your ability to successfully monetize on Youtube.
According to Real Men Real Style, Real Men Real Style says that whenever they post content to YouTube and don’t include a call to action, they notice their audience engagement plummet by 70 percent.
One notable tip is to be sure you’re not overusing your call to action or constantly pressuring your fanbase to subscribe. This often irritates your audience and even disconnects you from them because of your infatuation with YouTube statistics rather than the content you release.
6. Monetize your Channel with Community Sponsors
For some time now, Youtube has offered a sponsor button on gaming channels, they have started beta testing on non-gaming channels.
For $4.99 a month, your biggest fans can sponsor your channel. This will give them a badge that displays in your comments. Creators can also offer them special perks like sponsor-only content. Creators receive 70% of the revenue after local sales tax.
7. Become an Amazon Influencer
Amazon has recently introduced its influencer program which allows social media influencers on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to earn money through their Amazon recommendations.
Once approved, creators will have the ability to create a page on Amazon filled with products they recommend, like this one by Angie Nelson. By simply sharing a personalized link on social media channels you will earn commission on any products you recommend that are sold through your personalized link.
8. Use Sites like Patreon to Gather Donations from Fans
While there are many ways to monetize on YouTube through the website itself, websites like Patreon are excellent ways to gain money through donations from fans.
Patreon consists of different tiers of donors. Depending on how you donate, your fans may gain access to exclusive content like YouTube videos, discounts, or even gifts, but of course, this all depends on you and what you wish to give to your supporters.
Popular YouTuber’s like JaidenAnimations have Patreon memberships with benefits like having access to secret weekly screenshots of her future projects, animation rough drafts, and even clips of her upcoming animations.
More information on how to become a creator on Patreon can be found here.
9. Sell Merchandise
Another great way to monetize on YouTube is by selling merchandise. Once a creator’s channel gains popularity, they will have the opportunity to sell specifically branded merchandise to promote their brand.
There are several options to use drop shippers so creators could potentially have inventory. Pewdiepie has been able to capitalize on selling merch by hauling in millions of dollars this past year. Here is a link to his youtube store.
Ways to promote your merch consist of including links to your website in your YouTube video descriptions, encouraging your fans to post them wearing your merch on social media, and asking others to share posts of your merch.
This screenshot is taken from Pewdiepie’s Merch Store of his Waves short sleeve tee.
The Takeaway
Fortunately, there are many ways to monetize on YouTube as a creator once you take these first few steps. It is crucial to set out with a strategy or else it’s easy to become overwhelmed as your channel begins to have traction-gaining followers and viewing hours. Also, make sure to have a good understanding of how to maximize YouTubes SEO for your benefit.
Choosing the right tags and keywords could be the difference between hundreds and thousands of views on your videos.
Happy Monetization!
