In this article, we will break down how to make money on YouTube by becoming a YouTube Partner, and the most interesting thing is that you can also make money on YouTube without making a profit.
If you are just getting started with YouTube, this link will guide you on how to start a YouTube channel to make money
The first thing you need to do to make money on YouTube is that you need to become a YouTube Partner by joining the YouTube Partner Program in order to access different monetization features. Each feature has its own set of eligibility requirements.
How does the YouTube Partner Program work?
The first thing you need to be aware of are the requirements for applying to the YPP.
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Make sure your channel follows the YouTube Community Guidelines
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You must reside in a country or region that supports the YouTube Partner Program
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Your active public viewing time should be more than 12 hours in the past 4000 months.
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Make sure your YouTube channel has more than 1000 subscribers.
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You should create a Google Adsense account
If your channel meets the above requirements, then you should apply to YPP. Make sure to set up a 2-step verification code on the channel to avoid any delays when applying for YPP. Once the application process is complete, it will be reviewed and approved by YouTube. The application process can take a long time, but that shouldn’t stop you from posting on the channel.
You can make money on YouTube with the following features:
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Advertisement Income
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channel membership
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commodity shelf
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Youku premium income
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Super Messages and Super Stickers
i. Advertising revenue – You can become a YouTube partner and earn money through Google Ads. YouTube pays YouTube users monthly through revenue generated from Google Ads. This is why you need to set up a Google Adsense account, which needs to be linked to your YouTube account.
If your YPP application is accepted, YouTube automatically grants you the right to advertise on your channel, and the more YouTube reaches through you, the more they will pay you.
YouTube pays creators 55 percent of revenue, while YouTube takes 45 percent. The requirements to earn income on YouTube through advertising revenue are; you must be at least 18 years of age, or have a legal guardian over the age of 18 who can process your payments through AdSense.
You must create content that meets the content guidelines for YouTube Advertisers.
Using YouTube and making money from it is easy if you can simply follow its rules and understand the YouTube algorithm.
As a YouTuber who wants to make a lot of money. It is not recommended to pin your hopes only on Google Ads, as prices fluctuate from month to month. It could be ridiculously high one month and ridiculously low the next. This is how the YouTube algorithm works, based on how your content performed that month.
Additionally, YouTube demonizes content that does not follow its advertiser-friendly content guidelines, and any content that breaks your guidelines, will likely not be able to monetize from it. To avoid touching stories, it is also suitable to use other income streams on YouTube to make money.
ii. Channel Membership – Channel Membership allows your viewers to support your channel with a monthly payment in exchange for member-only benefits.
This is a way to engage more deeply with audience members who purchase monthly channel memberships. In turn, creators make more money. Channel membership benefits are only available to your active paying members.
Channel membership perks include custom emojis, loyalty badges, and additional access to the perks you offer. YouTube mandates that you create at least one perk in order to offer it to your members. Canadian YouTubers Martina Sazunic and Simon Stawski are also known as Eat Your Hinch Studios.
Besides custom emojis and inside jokes, they create original and unedited videos exclusively for channel members, this perk helps connect them more with their special audience, it’s a way to give back to their audience
These benefits must comply with YouTube Policies and Terms. Your goal as a creator is to provide these members with exclusive content, creating something unique from what regular users get. For every YouTube membership fee paid, the channel owner will get 70% of the money, and YouTube will get 30%.
The channel membership requirements are that you must be at least 18 years old and have over 1,000 subscribers.
iii Merchandise Rack – Brand Parade A huge win for YouTubers, this feature allows eligible channels to market their official branded merchandise on YouTube, and it also enables them to sell up to 12 items to viewers.
The requirements for the merchandise rack are that you should be a YouTube partner, you need and have more than 10,000 subscribers. It’s a great option for YouTube influencers to earn more money in addition to Google Ads.
For example, Irish YouTuber Sean McLoughlin, who has more than 270,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, offers a range of branded merchandise, much of it in his signature color green. This earns him additional income on his successful channel.
iv YouTube Premium Income – This feature allows creators to earn a second stream of income. All of your content is available to YouTube Premium membership for $12 per month.
The benefit of premium membership is that it gives your members access to download your videos and watch them offline, it allows them to play videos in the background, helping creators get more watch time.
Revenue is distributed by YouTube based on how many times your members view your content.
v Super Chat and Super Stickers – Super Chat and Stickers provide another way to monetize your channel. This way, your users can highlight their chats or stickers during the live stream.
It’s more like fan funding. It allows you to interact with your community. A super message is a comment that will be pinned to your live stream chat depending on the amount, it will change color and may be longer or shorter.
This feature provides another source of income for creators and provides another way to interact with creators.
Super Stickers allow viewers to purchase Super Stickers during a live stream or premiere. Super stickers are animated images that allow viewers to convey emotion in response to what is happening on set.
Requirements for Super Chat and Super Stickers are 1 subscriber, you should be a member of the YouTube Partner Program, and must list an eligible country here.
How to Make Money on YouTube Without Making Money
You must be wondering, what if you are not yet monetized or your channel does not meet the YPP requirements, does that mean you cannot make money on YouTube, the answer is no, you can still make money on YouTube. Although you need to have a large audience on your channel.
Ways to Make Money on YouTube Without Making Money
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affiliate marketing
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digital product
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Brand Offer
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cooperate
i. Affiliate Marketing – This is the process by which affiliates earn money by marketing branded products. You make money from every piece you sell.
Typically, the brand will give you a percentage of the money you’ll earn on every purchase a consumer makes. Affiliate marketing revolves around 3 cycles; seller, affiliate and consumer.
When making a YouTube video, you can let your audience know that they can get a certain product you use at a discount, and the more they use the link to make a purchase, the more you will earn.
One known affiliate is Amazon Associates, which helps creators monetize their traffic. Amazon also pays its affiliates based on anything a buyer gets through your referral link, not necessarily the products you recommend.
Affiliate marketing works and a lot of people make a lot of money from it. As a YouTuber, you can use your platform to market your company’s products and earn yourself some extra income.
second. Digital Products – As a YouTube creator, you can take online courses or sell ebooks. It’s a way to earn extra income for yourself.
Make sure that whatever you decide to teach or sell offers a lot of value to your audience, which will allow them to build trust in you to buy subsequent ebooks or online courses.
Take a course you know, and make sure the content is impactful, For your students or anyone who buys an online course or ebook, give them a reason to buy your content again, or refer someone to you.
iii. Brand Deals – You can also earn money by partnering with brands by creating content for them. For those who have a small audience on YouTube.
Realistically, if you’re just getting started with YouTube and you’re looking for a partnership or brand deal with a company, you need to reach out to them by crafting a perfectly crafted email explaining that if you work with them, their What ambassadors or influencers will get.
These days, brands look for people who can create amazing content for them [visually], putting your audience aside. Brand transactions should be a win-win situation for both parties.
As a creator, you shouldn’t be creating mediocre content for the brands you work with, marketing their products as well as yours.
To find out how much to charge your partners for any brand, you can use the social blue book, they will review your channel and let you know how much you can charge a brand.
iv . Collaboration – Collaborating with other YouTubers will indirectly increase your chances of making more money. The reason is when you collaborate with other YouTubers, it increases your audience and helps you grow your YouTube presence. Through this process, your channel will have more opportunities to earn money.
Now you’ve learned about the various ways to make money on YouTube, whether you’re monetized or not. You should implement different monetization strategies for your channel to see which one works for you.
If you’re just getting started with YouTube, it may not seem like it’s going to be profitable right away. The YouTube journey is an endurance marathon, not a sprint. You don’t give it up because it doesn’t work. Just enjoy the process.