Ever Wonder How YouTubers Make Millions of Dollars?
We break it all down in our new podcast. After you click the button below hit the
“Listen On Apple Podcasts” link and subscribe to discover the truth.
If you’ve been paying attention to the world of entertainment in the last few years, you’ve no doubt noticed the meteoric rise of online personalities striking it rich and attracting both millions of fans and dollars in the process.
YouTube has become one of the focal points of this trend, with YouTubers like Logan Paul and PewDiePie raking in the big bucks, causing virtually everyone else with a camera and an account to try and make money on the site.
However, if you’re caught up in all of the YouTube hullabaloos, you may be wondering how to earn money by making video content. After all, don’t you need tons of subscribers to make it work? What if you only have a few hundred or a few thousand?
Fortunately, you can still make money without having the subscribership of a small country. You may have to put in a little more legwork and get creative, but there are ways. From affiliate marketing to sponsorships to video editing solutions, these are the best ways to for your small channel to make money on YouTube.
AdSense
If you’ve ever wondered how major YouTubers are making millions of dollars through the site, this is how. As a smaller channel, you probably won’t get rich with AdSense, but it can be an excellent way to have residual income coming in, particularly if you have a dedicated audience.
To qualify for AdSense, you need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time on your channel. If you’re just starting, then these may seem like insurmountable hurdles. However, no matter what, brand new channels have a massive uphill battle to face, so don’t get discouraged.
Nonetheless, if you have been on YouTube for a while and built a decent following see how close you are to reaching these qualifiers. If you’ve surpassed them already, then AdSense is an ideal way to go. If you’re relatively close, then start focusing your attention on getting to those numbers so that you can start making money.
Overall, AdSense pays per thousand views, so you need to make sure that your videos are getting decent attention. Again, you probably won’t get rich from this (until your channel blows up), but it can be a good way to get some consistent income from your content.
Affiliate Marketing
Unlike AdSense, you don’t have to jump through any hoops or reach any qualifying stats to get started. Affiliate marketing is both super easy and incredibly lucrative if you do it well. The way it works is that you promote someone else’s products or services and then you get a commission for every sale or every click (depending on the affiliate).
As a marketer, you don’t have to do anything but include a link in your video descriptions. YouTube doesn’t have any rules regulating this practice, so you can get started immediately.
One of the best ways to make affiliate marketing work for you is to find a niche related to your content (i.e., unboxing videos, makeup tutorials, cooking, etc.) and search for an affiliate program related to it. Sign up for the program, add the links into your videos, and see how you do.
In some cases, you can make a lot more this way than you could with AdSense, depending on the affiliate program you use.
Sponsorships
Thankfully, most businesses realize the value of social media and video content marketing. So, if you have a loyal following, you may be able to leverage it for a branded sponsorship.
Typically speaking, you need to show that you are an authority in your niche and that your audience engages with your content. If a company sees that sponsoring you is a smart investment, then they are much more willing to sign a check.
Most often, sponsorships work by giving you a flat rate in exchange for a single video. In some instances, you may be hired to do multiple videos or do ongoing work for the company. Usually, if the business sees value in your content, then you’re more likely to get more sponsored.
Another excellent thing about sponsorships is that you can potentially work with a variety of companies. Better yet, if there is a growing demand for your content, you can charge more per video or create an exclusive (and more lucrative) contract with a business for sponsored content.
Merchandise
You’re already marketing yourself and your brand (your channel), so why not use it to sell your own products? Merchandise is an excellent way to earn money, and you control every aspect of it.
Another great thing about merchandising is that you don’t have to sell physical products. Digital items like e-books, webinars, stickers, and more can help you minimize your overhead and maximize your profits.
To sell merchandise, you will have to set up an online storefront since YouTube doesn’t allow you to sell directly from your account, but these days it’s insanely easy to get one up and running.
Bottom Line: You Don’t Need Millions of Subscribers to Make Money
Hopefully, reading all of these money-making methods have inspired you to take charge and fulfill your dreams of earning an income through YouTube. That being said, no way is going to get you rich immediately, and you still have to do the hard work of producing content. However, you may not have to work as hard as you might think.
That’s called a segue-
Bonus Round: Vidchops
One of the most time-consuming aspects of having a YouTube channel is editing your videos to make them splashy and eye-catching. Who has time to cut hours and hours of footage into a three-minute clip?
Fortunately, Vidchops is here to help. It’s a subscription-based service that will edit and polish your videos for you. You submit the raw material and give them an outline of what you want it to look like, and they return a fully edited masterpiece (subject to interpretation).
Saving all of this time from the editing room will enable you to focus more of your attention on building your audience and finding the right method to earn money from your channel. Your time is valuable, so be strategic about how you’re spending it.
[do_widget id=recent-posts-2]
