YouTube is not only the world’s largest video platform, it’s also perfect for making money! There are several ways to do this, and today we’re going to take a closer look at the 6 best ways to make money online with YouTube.
Making money online with YouTube – surprisingly easy
Millions of people today run their own YouTube channel. Of course, we find very different quality levels, target groups and subject areas. If you’re thinking about making money online, I recommend you become one of them!
Because your own channel can become a real goldmine – and that already with manageable follower numbers and without excessive effort! The reason for this is that there is a whole arsenal of ways to cash in here.
However, getting in front of the camera yourself isn’t for everyone. If you’re one of those people who would rather not show their face, you can still create videos and run a successful channel.
Today, programs like Toonly make it easy to produce animated videos that can help you build an entire channel. Many users use exactly this kind of content to earn money on YouTube.
The best thing about having your own channel as a business model: you don’t need any start-up capital! A good camera and microphone as well as professional lighting would be great, but for the beginning you can easily start with your cell phone and some planning.
And „start“ is our keyword: let’s get started with the 6 methods that are best suited to earn money on YouTube!
1. YouTube Ads
The first option might not blow your mind – it’s the simplest and most obvious one. YouTube periodically displays ads when a user watches videos. A portion of the revenue from this can go to the channel owner.
However, this requires that your channel has at least 1,000 followers and that 4,000 hours or more of your material have been viewed in the last 12 months. The exact numbers change a bit here and there, so better look them up again.
Admittedly, getting over this hurdle can take some time and work – it took me just over a year to get ads up and running. But once you’ve done it, you can look forward to regular income.
The amount depends on your niche, i.e. the topics your channel deals with. If you fall into the category „entertainment“, for example, you can expect between 1 and 5 euros for 1,000 views.
Finance, on the other hand, can be much more profitable – here you can expect 30, 40 or even 50 euros! However, it will be much more difficult to reach the corresponding viewer numbers.
If you use ads to earn money with YouTube, the income is very different. Let me tell you a little bit about it: When my channel got to 1,800 subscribers and about 10,000 views per month, I was earning about 400 euros per month with it.
That’s certainly not a fortune, but considering the effort put in, it’s still considerable! Especially the fact that even your old material still brings in money is worth pointing out: so such a channel can make a great passive income.
2. offer memberships
Websites like Patreon have for some time offered the opportunity to subscribe to your favorite content producers for a monthly sum, giving you access to exclusive material. It’s clear that YouTube didn’t take long to get involved either!
With memberships, channel operators can offer additional videos to fans who are willing to pay a monthly fee. What material becomes available through this is entirely up to you.
You can offer additional content, particularly useful information that is otherwise difficult to find on the Internet, or simply provide a look behind the scenes of your channel. There are almost no limits to your imagination.
It is even possible to offer different levels of membership, each of which can contain different extras. You also have all the options when it comes to pricing.
You can offer your premium content for any amount – whether 99 cents or 99 euros. Of course, whatever price you decide on should be commensurate with the value….
The great thing about this method is that it offers you a more reliable income than you can expect from advertising revenue, for example. Because your subscriber numbers fluctuate much less than click numbers and ad revenues.
3. merch products
This option is especially for the big accounts, because you need at least 10,000 followers for what I would like to suggest next: With the provider Teespring you can sell merchandise for your channel.
The selection includes typical products such as T-shirts, bags, mugs and everything else known from the merchandise sector. Of course, you also determine the designs yourself. But what does all this have to do with YouTube and earning money there?
Teespring can be connected to your channel and allows you to place ads for your merchandise below your videos. This leads to surprisingly high sales figures and builds additional income.
4. affiliate marketing
Don’t worry, not all methods of making money on YouTube require huge amounts of followers – for this one, for example, you don’t need a single one! With affiliate marketing, you can make good profits regardless of the number of fans you have.
You recommend products to your viewers and place the appropriate affiliate links in your video description. If a user follows your tips and makes a purchase, you receive a commission.
Of course, the recommendations should match the content of your video and channel. For example, if your topic is photography, you should appropriately position an affiliate link to purchase the camera you recommended in your video.
Depending on what affiliate program you participate in, what niche you fall into and how expensive the advertised products are, you can earn very high sums here. The number of viewers and their propensity to buy are also relevant, of course.
High-priced segments are often more lucrative here, but low-priced items can also be worthwhile if you can reach the appropriate quantity. These don’t even have to be physical goods: Online courses, subscriptions, software, etc. are also very lucrative!
5. shout outs
A Shout-Out is another way to earn money on YouTube. It requires a certain size of your channel – however, there are no concrete minimum dimensions. The way it works is quite simple:
You use your high reach to give smaller channels a so-called shout-out, i.e. to mention them positively in one of your videos. The result, or at least that’s the hope, is additional followers and click numbers for the small account.
In principle, you’re advertising for another YouTuber – and advertising costs money, of course. Depending on how many fans you yourself bring to the scale, you can charge corresponding sums.
Especially if both channels are active in the same subject area, a shout-out can be integrated organically and without much effort. You introduce the smaller channel to your viewers for a few seconds and recommend that they take a look there. That’s it!
How much you can earn depends again on the niche and size of your channel. Even with 1,000 followers, however, you can confidently charge 20 or 30 euros. With an additional zero in fans also follows another zero in fees you should charge.
6. sponsors
Working with a sponsor is usually very lucrative and also not dependent on a minimum number of followers. However, as always, a larger account will have more success here.
To earn money with this variant on YouTube, you only need to have enough reach to be an interesting advertising partner for corresponding companies.
Many companies follow a so-called „micro-influencer strategy“ and prefer many small advertising partners instead of pumping their money into a large account with millions of followers. So don’t worry about your channel being too small!
You can then promote your sponsor’s products in your videos in a variety of ways. This can be done both obviously and surreptitiously. For example, some companies are already happy with you wearing their clothes in your videos.
Provided you have the right number of followers, you will also be contacted by potential sponsors without your intervention. However, there is nothing to stop you from becoming active yourself and contacting potential partners.
However, it is even easier to use websites like SeedingUp. Here, sponsors and YouTubers are brought together in a targeted manner. Companies can search there for personalities in their respective niche, which makes cooperation much easier.
The remuneration – you’ve probably already guessed – is of course again dependent on your size and the subject area. However, a few hundred euros per post is not unusual and can be achieved with several thousand followers.
My conclusion: It’s best to get started right away!
The mentioned possibilities are by no means all that allow you to earn money on YouTube – they are just my personal favorites. So you can see that the platform is ideal for your side income!
However, all variants have in common that they benefit from a large reach and number of followers of your channel. Since these can only be built up with work and over time, the most important tip is to start right away and stick with it.
After just one year, most YouTubers have built a lucrative following and can easily make money. However, getting there can sometimes seem difficult, especially if you start out producing videos that hardly anyone wants to watch.
Once you get past the startup phase, though, you’ll find yourself on a permanent growth trajectory – as long as you stick with it. So an early start and the necessary perseverance are the most important tips if you want to make money on YouTube.
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