How to start earning money on YouTube
How do you earn money with a video blog?
Over the past years, YouTube has been actively developing and now can offer you several options for officially making a profit by running a channel. Let's check them out!
YouTube Partner Program
YPP gives content creators access to additional resources and features YouTube provides, including copyright checkers to protect their content. Activating YPP also allows making money on YouTube by sharing the profit from showing ads on videos.
However, before applying to the program, certain conditions must be met:
- The number of subscribers is at least 1000;
- The actual viewing time of public videos is 4,000 watch hours in total over the last 12 months.
YouTube subscription
A paid subscription lets viewers join a channel through monthly recurring payments. In exchange, they get benefits only available with a paid subscription, such as badges, emojis, and other things you offer, like exclusive broadcasts, additional videos, and even discounts on merchandise.
However, to activate it, you should have 30,000 subscribers, be over 18 years of age, and be located in a country where paid subscription tools are available.
Affiliate marketing
As a beginner, you can also try participating in affiliate partnerships, which allows you to earn on "hidden" advertising.
You have probably already seen the videos of how bloggers unpack things, check products received from certain companies, etc. In the description of such videos, bloggers place hyperlinks to the pages with these products. Thus, viewers can immediately buy the thing they like, and the author of the advertisement will receive 5-10 percent for their participation.
Brand deals and sponsorships
When a blogger gets sponsored, instead of playing a direct ad, they can unobtrusively promote the product, often after having a personal experience with it. It is a good way to create a video with naturally integrated brand items or services, making viewers more interested in getting it.
These methods are very effective since they use a strong personal connection between vloggers and the audience. Thus, it is worth remembering that brands usually turn to YouTubers that cover a certain audience – for example, video games tend to be viewed mostly by teens and young adults, while channels with more in-depth topics tend to appeal to older users.
Merchandise
Becoming even more popular, the blogger becomes a brand and can sell branded items: T-shirts, cups, caps, and other souvenirs. Depending on the theme, you can also make more specialized merchandise. For example, beauty bloggers with a large audience can sell beauty boxes – cosmetics of different brands, from which they make up a set and brand the box.
Possibilities are endless. As your channel grows, you'll create brands, slogans, and characters that people might want to have as merchandise.
Crowdfunding
You don't have to be a top YouTuber for your crowdfunding campaign to succeed. It's enough that your fans support you even with a small donation. Additional income from collective investment can turn running the channel from a sweet hobby into a fruitful job, and you will be able to implement more ambitious projects.
Crowdfunding sites typically offer tiered reward systems to make sure that those who provide support receive a reward or various benefits in return. Individual rewards can encourage users to support projects with various amounts. For example, for a small donation, they can be mentioned in the next video, and for a large one, they can be rewarded with something more significant.
Events
Did you dedicate your channel to a hobby you excel at? Try hosting paid events! They can take place either in the real world or virtually, as live streams or conferences, access to which is provided for a fee.
This method, of course, is better to implement when you have a fairly high number of viewers. Also, the organization of such events will require more time and preparation than a regular video, so it's worth thinking over this option before trying it out.
YouTube offers a variety of profitable opportunities. However, before you start counting your future income, we recommend that you study them well and evaluate your capabilities, and then you can safely start trying your hand!
