For many, making money on YouTube is the dream. After all, YouTubers appear to have a great life and the adoration of their fans to bask in. And since creating a YouTube channel is easier than ever, there’s no harm in thinking big and aiming high.
But, while creating a YouTube channel is simple, turning it into a cash machine isn’t as straightforward. You may earn your first hundred dollars by selling something or landing a sponsorship deal, but maximizing earnings requires understanding all your options before you dive in.
We’ve created this article to walk you through all of the information that you’ll need to know if you want to know how to make money on YouTube. At the end of this article, you’ll know the different ways to make money on YouTube, and you’ll be able to grow your own business with one of the biggest Internet platforms in the world.
How to get started a YouTube Channel
If you want to start a YouTube channel, you will have to create a YouTube account. Do you have a Gmail account? Then you can use your Google account to set up a YouTube account.
Now you can set up a YouTube channel. First, you need to record a video or two. Then set up your profile by adding a picture, uploading a banner, writing your about section, linking in any website and social media account you have, and creating a trial video.
Once you have set up your YouTube channel, you can start recording videos for your channel. But before you start doing the videos, determine your niche. Who do you want to watch your videos?
You will have to choose a niche you are passionate about and that has the potential to make money. Once you have identified your niche, you can start making videos and posting them to your YouTube channel. But before you post your videos, be sure you have the right equipment to record your videos.
Plan Your Content
Before even starting a YouTube channel, you’ve probably already decided on the kind of video content that you want to show. The best ways to increase your views and gain followers is still to keep your content interesting and engaging; the more people can relate to it, the more they’ll want to click on it and watch until the end.
It also helps to stick to your theme, if you have one. For example, many successful YouTubers have dedicated channels for travel, tutorials, or their daily lives. Viewers like living vicariously through the people they watch, so let them know what they can expect and deliver interesting material that they can enjoy.
Start with Simple Editing Software
Just because you’re creating videos doesn’t mean you need advanced software (like Final Cut Pro) to edit your content. These software programs don’t necessarily improve your content, particularly if you’re going to be struggling with it a lot during the first few weeks.
If you’re new to video editing, you’d do much better with simple programs like Windows Movie Maker or Apple iMovie. These are a lot more user-friendly and are easily downloadable (for free), if you don’t already have them on your computer.
Stay within copyright laws – Licence your background Music
As mentioned above, YouTube has strong policies in place to tackle copyright breaches. When you want to add music to your YouTube videos, avoiding copyright issues is important. If you break copyright rules, not only do you risk being rejected by the partner program, but your content could be taken down entirely. For creators seeking revenue generation from their channel, having background music that you’re licenced to use is essential.
This is where Lickd comes into play, especially if you’re fed up with the bog-standard royalty-free music you find on many videos. Make the best content possible for your fans and viewers with properly licensed music from your favorite artists. With Lickd you can quickly, easily and cheaply add chart-topping artists’ tracks to your videos. Lickd’s VOUCH software works alongside YouTube’s Content ID so you’ll never have to worry about a copyright claim again.
Gain an audience
Building an audience is key to increasing your monetization. You need people to watch your ads in order to make any money off of them. There is no one secret to getting more subscribers, just make the best content that you can and they will come to you.
- Sometimes there will be haters, so you just have to ignore them. If you want to thrive, you have to be confident.
- Keep uploading content and try to get people hooked. Send your video out on Twitter and Facebook. Share it with people. Distribute it elsewhere on the internet. Subscribers are essential to becoming a partner.
- Interact with your viewers by responding to comments and making occasional videos directly related to viewer comments and questions. Connecting with your community will bring more members into that community. One good way to do that is pretty simple, shout outs.
Meet the requirements
- You can monetize a video as it uploads by clicking the Monetization tab and checking the “Monetize with Ads” box.
- To monetize a video after it has been uploaded, open your Video Manager and click the “$” sign next to the video that you want to monetize. Check the “Monetize with Ads” box.
Adsense
This is the most popular way to make money on YouTube. However, you’ll need to hit two specific milestones before YouTube allows you to place ads on your videos:
- Have at least 4,000 hours of watch time on your videos in the last 12 months
- Have at least 1,000 subscribers
Given these strict requirements, many people are finding that ads are more of a supplemental rather than a primary way to make money on YouTube.
“Ad rates (CPM) are also definitely down,” said Sarah Wilson of Budget Girl. CPM refers to cost per mille, or the rate advertisers pay to show their ad to 1,000 viewers. “Overall, we are getting paid less. YouTubers aren’t allowed to disclose CPM, but I track mine and can say it’s been lower this past year than in years past.”
That’s another reason why relying on YouTube for your sole income may be dangerous. You’re always at the whim of the platform. It helps to diversify your revenue streams by starting a blog or creating your own products.
Brand partnerships and sponsorships
Ads are a great way to earn passive income, but the real way many YouTubers make money is by partnering with brands.
You need to be careful with this method. It might be lucrative, but you can’t advertise or sell products that don’t make sense for your audience. If you do, you’ll lose their trust.
“Be very picky about who you partner with,” Wilson said. “No matter how great the company is, it dilutes your brand. So, charge accordingly and be prepared to do your own research into how the company operates. Also, if they mess up with one of your viewers, be prepared to hear about it.”
Make a list of your favorite relevant companies that pay to advertise and contact their marketing departments. If you’ve already made videos about those products, you can show them as proof that you’re a real user.
What to Do When If You’re Rejected From the YouTube Partner Program
Now, let’s say you’ve applied for the YouTube Partner Program, but you’ve been rejected. What can you do?
When you are rejected from the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube will give you a general reason why. Unfortunately, they won’t tell you specifically what video or content is causing the issue, so you may be left blindly adjusting your channel. However, the good news is you can reapply for the program in 30 days’ time.
Again, this is where you will have to use your common sense. If you think there are videos violating the community guidelines, they most likely are, and you need to adjust them. Another common issue is videos that include copyrighted content; you will need to delete those parts of your content and re-upload.
Will a community guideline or a copyright strike prevent you from getting into the program? It definitely won’t stop you, but it is going to have an impact.
There is a dedicated support page with advice on what you should do if you are rejected from the YouTube Partner Program
