How to Make Money on YouTube (6 Best Ways)

Do you want to learn how to make money on YouTube? In this article, we’ve discussed different ways to earn money from YouTube. Check it out!

If you are living in the 21st century, then you must have heard about YouTube. It’s the largest online video-sharing platform in the world.

YouTube gives you a platform to create your own channel and share your videos with the world.

You can not only share your content with the world, but you can also earn money from youtube.

There are several ways of earning money from YouTube. In fact, a large number of YouTubers have successfully turned their YouTube channel into a business doing things like affiliate marketing and product reviews. 

However, in order to earn from YouTube, you need a substantial number of followers. For that, you have to have great content.

It might seem very difficult to jump into this field right now, but if you keep creating engaging content, and keep on delivering what your audience loves, you will do just fine.

So, let’s take a look at how you can earn money from YouTube

How to make money on YouTube by affiliate marketing

Pre-requisites: 

i. Just a loyal fanbase!

Google AdSense might be the most popular way of earning from YouTube but that isn’t the only way. Affiliate marketing is a really great earning source if you have a loyal audience on YouTube. With affiliate marketing, you can “Monetize your YouTube channel without being Monetized”!

Before starting, it is important to understand what affiliate marketing really is. Affiliate marketing is the process of earning money when you successfully refer a person to a paid product or service. 

For example, if you want to do affiliate marketing for Amazon, you can join Amazon Associates. This is Amazon’s affiliate marketing platform. After joining, you will have access to custom links which you can add to the description of your videos. If someone clicks on that link and purchases that product, then you get a commission for the referral.

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You can use affiliate marketing in many creative ways to earn money. For example, you have a really good microphone, your subscribers can hear your voice crystal clear. They might want to know what kind of microphone you use.

You can then direct them to your affiliated links in the video description so that they can purchase the same microphone. Your subscribers would be happy with their gadgets and you would be get paid. It’s a double win!

You might want to keep in mind that there are various affiliate marketing programs. Some programs will pay you if a user clicks your link and signs up for a forum, service, or a trial. Others will pay you only when a user purchases a product following your link.

There are several companies that have referral programs and it might seem like a good idea to become a member of all of them. But this may also drive away your audience.

You have to understand that your YouTube channel is your platform to reach millions of people. Your subscribers watch your videos because of YOU and the content you produce. 

If you flood your description with a large number of products from various companies, people might lose interest in your channel. As a YouTuber, it is the worst thing that can happen to you.

A good way to do affiliate marketing is to promote the products that you use or have used. If you loved the product, then share your thoughts about it. Discuss its pros and cons with your audience. This is the way your audience will trust you and be more likely to purchase from your links.

Making money using YouTube monetization

Pre-requisites: 

i. 1000 subscribers

ii. Valid 4000 watch hours in 12 months.

iii. Linked AdSense account

iv. And more

For more details on the eligibility, policies, and guideline visit the YouTube Help platform.

YouTube monetization is the most common way regarding how to make money on YouTube. But this is no easy task. In order to monetize your channel, you have to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). This program gives you better access to YouTube resources and features. It also enables revenue sharing via AdSense. 

As mentioned above, you have to have at least 1000 subscribers. There has to be a minimum of 4000 watch hours within 12 months. Only after that, you will be eligible to apply for the YouTube Partner Program.

After that, YouTube will check a number of different things on your channel before approving you as a partner. Once YouTube monetization is enabled on your channel, you’ll get paid for the ads shown on your videos.

Achieving this milestone is very difficult as millions of people upload a lot of engaging content on their channels every day. So you need to have a niche for your channel. Don’t just upload random things such as cooking, reaction video, fitness video, etc. Remember, you are making videos for people, not for algorithms.

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Create content that you are passionate about. There are many successful YouTubers. Their viewers are like-minded people and enthusiasts just like them. They won’t just watch the videos, they will most likely become subscribers.

Base your content around the stuff you love. Naturally, you will have more than 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours within the required time span.

After you fulfill these conditions, you will be eligible to become a YouTube partner. You will receive an email from YouTube notifying that you can apply for the YouTube Partner Program. You know the next step. Apply, become a YouTube partner, keep creating beautiful content and keep earning money!

Earn money from YouTube premium Super Chat

Pre-requisites: 

i. Channel must be monetized

For more details on the eligibility, policies, and guidelines visit the YouTube Help page.

As your channel becomes more popular and you gain more views, many wonderful features are unlocked for you. The features that I am talking about are Super Chat and Super Sticker. With these features, you will be able to better connect with your fans and earn money as well.

Let’s first understand what Super Chat and Super Sticker are. During your live sessions (Live Stream or Premiere) on your channel, viewers can participate in the video by enabling live chat.

They will also have an option to purchase a super chat or an animated super sticker to stand out in the live chat. These texts get pinned in the chat for a set amount of time. The higher the purchased amount, the more the message stands out. It also stays longer in the chat feed.

Who can use Premium Super Chat

Before you run off and start doing live streams, let me tell you who can use the Super Chat and Super Sticker features. Your channel requires to meet the following criteria in order to use Premium Super Chat features:

• It must be a monetized channel
• You have to be in a country that supports Super Chat (See YouTube’s Help Center)
• Live chat must be turned on
• Your video can’t be private, unlisted, age-restricted, or Made for Children
• You can’t have music owned by third-party in your stream

It is also important to mention that timed-out, blocked or banned users cannot purchase your Super Chat or Super Stickers.

To turn on the Super Chat feature, go to Monetization and click on Supers tab on the top. Simply click “Get Started” and follow the on-screen instructions. Super Chat features will be available on your next live session!

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After enabling Super Chat, you can manage your Super Chat and Super Sticker just like live chat. You can use ‘Blocked Word’ to filter out offensive or inappropriate words from the chat. If you find some offensive comments in the Super Chat, you still have the power to remove that chat. You can still keep the earnings.

Super Chat is an amazing way to engage with your viewers. But you should follow some good practices in order to encourage your viewers to purchase super chat or super stickers. You can use the following tips:

Inform people about your live stream

It is a good idea to let people know about the purpose of your live stream. Use your community tab, Stories, or social media and let them know ahead of time what your live stream will be about. It can be a fundraiser, celebration, Q&A session, etc. Keep your audience informed and tell them how to use the Super Chat.

Always be respectful and grateful

Fans have been known to support their favorite band, artist, content creators, etc. when they have faced tough times. It is because of the love and support of the fans, many artists and content creators are successful.

So, when you do your live stream, take some time to thank your supporters, show some appreciation and give them a shout-out. It means the whole world to a fan when s/he hears their name from their favorite content creators.

Use the live chat feature as a Q&A tool

Live chat is an excellent way to communicate with your audience. Use this to answer the questions of your viewers. It makes live streaming sessions more engaging for your viewers. 

You can experiment with different content types 

The live chat feature gives you a direct link to communicate with your clients. If you are a musician, use the live chat to take requests. If you are a fitness coach, use the live chat to answer people’s questions about their fitness, etc.

The super chat and super stickers are great means of earning from YouTube. You can use this method to make some good money during your live streams. But remember, live sessions were created so that you can better connect with your audience.

It gives you a chance to engage with your audience. Don’t just premier live sessions to sell your super chat and super stickers. Give the audience value and follow the good practices.

Get sponsorships and promote products

Pre-requisites: 

i. A substantial amount of subscribers and regular views

Once your channel grows in popularity, you will start to receive sponsorship offers from numerous companies. Many companies also offer YouTubers to become their Brand Ambassadors. Famous YouTubers like Pewdiepie and Markiplier also promote the products of their sponsors.

How to get sponsorships on YouTube

If you have been creating content for a long time and have a  good audience base, then you might have already been contacted by sponsors. Companies are always on the lookout for channels with a great audience and they try to promote their products to the channels that match their niche.

For example, it is very common for a gamer to receive sponsorships from companies that build gaming chairs, headphones, and other gaming accessories.

If you haven’t been approached by any companies, it’s ok. You can approach companies for sponsorships. But before marching out to companies, remember, you need to have a good audience base. You need a lot of subscribers. With that being said, let’s find out how to approach sponsors and what is the best practice when you approach.

Email

The most obvious way is perhaps the best way. Yes, a simple email to the company you are interested in is the best way to approach companies. Always remember to approach companies that need brand promotion. Introduce yourself and email them about you and your channel. Let them know you would love to promote their product on your channel.

A helpful tip! If you have a decent amount of subscribers (thousands) it’s probably a good idea to avoid multinational companies like Amazon and Flipkart. You might think you have reached a great milestone (which you actually did) but big corporations like that are mostly interested in channels with millions of subscribers. So this is a point to keep in mind while figuring out how to make money on YouTube. 

Approach companies that match your niche

If you are a Photographer and your videos are based on photography, it would look unnatural if you promoted cooking appliances.

Always try to approach companies that sell products that match the theme of your channel. If you are a photographer, approach companies that sell cameras and photography equipment, if you have a cooking channel, approach companies that sell kitchenware, etc.

Remember, the audience you have follows your channel because they love your niche. They are interested in the products you use.

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Make money on YouTube by selling your merchandises

Pre-requisites: 

i. 10,000 subscribers

ii. Member of YouTube Partner Program

For more details on the eligibility, policies, and guideline visit the YouTube Help platform.

At this point, you have reached the celebrity level! This is the point where you publish a video and it will reach thousands (or even more) within a day. Once you reach a subscriber count of 10,000, YouTube unlocks this option for you. YouTube offers you a great option of selling your own custom merchandise or merch through your channel.

To start selling your merchandise, simply go to your monetization tab and select the ‘Merchandise’ tab. From here select ‘Get Started’ and follow the on-screen options to set up your own Merch. You can sell hoodies, t-shirts, mugs with your custom logo print on them.

You have to connect your YouTube channel with Teespring in order to design and manage your merchandise. It might take a day or two for the merchandise to show up on your YouTube page.

You can also use other tools to help you sell your merchandise. Streamlabs is a great live-streaming software that also assists you in selling your merchandise.

After the design and setup of merchandise on your YouTube channel, you can let people know in your video that you are selling your merchandise. Include the links in your video description. You can view your monthly analytics in your channel’s ‘Merchandise’ section.

Earn money from YouTube via channel membership

Pre-requisites: 

i. 30,000 subscribers (1,000 subscribers for a gaming channel)

ii. Member of YouTube Partner Program

iii. Content must NOT be set as ‘Made for Kids’

For more details on the eligibility, policies, and guidelines visit the YouTube Help platform.

When your channel reaches a new height of 30,000 subscribers or 1000 subscribers for gaming channels, you become eligible to create Channel Membership. This is a similar feature that Twitch offers.

With the membership option turned on, you can add different tiers of subscriptions. The higher the tier, the more it costs to join and the better the perks! Your most loyal subscribers can select the tier they want and become paid members of your channel.

 As a paid member, you can reward your subscribers with some extra perks such as:

• Bonus content
• Behind the scenes
• Live chat access
• Custom emojis
• Badges

Famous YouTuber Marques Brownlee has a tech-focused channel where he reviews various gadgets and talks about technologies. He also has a paid membership in his channel where he offers bonus content for his loyal supporters.

However, you should know something before you turn on your membership option in your channel.

• Using the membership option is free and you can set different tiers of membership.
• The higher the tier, the more money your subscribers have to pay for added benefits
• You can set the membership fee. You can select from $1 – $49.99 per month
• YouTube takes 30% of the revenue you earn from membership per month

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Get paid by YouTube Premium (RED)

Pre-requisites: 

i. Access to the YouTube Partner Program

If you are a content creator on YouTube, you might have noticed an option called “Premium Revenue” in your YouTube channel. This is the amount you gained from views through YouTube Premium.

YouTube Premium or more popularly known as YouTube RED is a premium package sold by YouTube. YouTube Premium price is $11.99 (more on iPhone) which offers you a handful of benefits. Some of these benefits are:

• Ad-Free videos
• Ability to download videos
• Ability to play YouTube videos in the background
• Access to YouTube Music and downloading is available
• Access to YouTube Original

Now, the people who subscribe to YouTube Premium don’t get any advertisements when they watch videos on YouTube. But how do you make money then? When a YouTube premium user watches a video from a channel, YouTube pays a small amount of money to that channel as well.

You don’t have any control over this, but it is a method through which you can get paid on YouTube.

Conclusion

It is possible to make a solid income from your YouTube videos but it is really hard if you are starting out. In this case, it is best to create content when you find free time in your job.

You cannot just leave your job and start creating YouTube videos and expect to earn a huge sum of money. Remember that you are competing against lots of other content creators. Try to make unique contents that the viewers might actually find helpful or entertaining.

Build up your audience and reward them with quality content that they would love. Always keep in mind, those number of ‘views’ shown below your video, are from actual people who are watching your videos. Remember, you are making videos for actual people and not just some algorithm. With that being said, happy YouTubing!