How To Make Money On YouTube – The Ultimate Guide

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There are many people who want to learn how to make money on YouTube. Are you one of them? If yes, you’re in the right place. 

YouTube is not only a way to promote your business. It is also an effective way to get a passive income. There’s so much information out there that can confuse you. It’s easy to get overwhelmed before you’ve even started.

Making money on YouTube can be a challenge if you’re just starting out. But, once your channel becomes more established you can use it as another source of income to help pay the bills. 

The key is to focus on creating quality content and not only monetize your videos but to engage with your audience too. Not only will this enhance your visibility in search engines, but it will also encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel.

There are many ways to make money on YouTube, and we’re going to show you every way that we’ve found success with. This guide will walk you through the entire process.

1. Set up an AdSense account

The first step to monetizing your YouTube channel is to create an AdSense account. You’ll need a Google account to do this. The Adsense account is used to accept payment for ads served on your channel.

You will be able to set up an AdSense account by clicking here.

Setting up an AdSense account will help you to join the millions of YouTube creators who are earning money from their content.

Signing up for AdSense is as simple as setting up a Google account. If you already have one, just log in and start making money from your videos. 

First, you’ll need to register a YouTube channel and set up an AdSense account. Make sure your YouTube channel is separate from your personal one so that you can accept ads on all of your videos. 

Create a new YouTube channel, enter all the required information and accept the terms of the agreement. 

2. Join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP)

The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) allows you to earn revenue as a YouTube content creator. The program includes monetization options for channels, video creators, and publishers. 

To monetize your content on YouTube, you need to apply and be accepted to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).  

Some of these options include displaying ads before and during videos, subscriptions, and merchandise. Essentially if you are eligible to join then it allows you to make money by creating videos.

To qualify for the YouTube Partner Program, you need to have at least 1,000 subscribers. Also,  4,000 watch hours in the previous year. Besides, you must have linked your AdSense account.

Here’s how to sign up:

  1. Sign up for the Google AdSense program.
  2. Sign in to your YouTube account (linked with the AdSense account).
  3. Navigate to YouTube Studio (click on your profile)
  4. If the criteria are currently not met, you can then click “Notify me when I’m eligible” and you will get an email after you’ve exceeded 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of views. 
  5. Click start on the “Review Partner Program terms” if you’re eligible.
  6. Sign the term and you’re ready to go.

Acceptance into YPP is not guaranteed and varies based on a variety of factors. Such factors include; video quality, viewer engagement, content ownership, and others.

3. Use affiliate links on YouTube

YouTube monetization refers to the way any YouTube channel can be utilized for direct monetary gain. This is done by adding affiliate links inside of the video descriptions placed throughout the videos. Then directing viewers to relevant products through a clickable link (usually associated with Amazon.com). 

Affiliate marketers are independent business owners who sell products on their own websites. They offer great incentives for viewers to buy products. They use special affiliate links embedded in the description box of your YouTube video. 

When viewers buy products using these links you will be paid a small commission by the affiliate marketer for that sale without any extra work on your part. All you have to do is include a link and some product information in the description box!

Yet, to remain trusted, use affiliate links in your YouTube videos the same way you’d use them on your blog posts. You can offer a review of a product or service with your affiliate link embedded inside. Thus permitting you to share the correspondence with site visitors who follow up when interest in your video is high.

YouTube has a unique system to monetize the content you create with affiliate links. According to affiliate marketing experts, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. 

The main goal of these affiliate ads is to convert the viewer into a consumer. One way to achieve this is by creating some type of partnership, which is based on reward systems.

4. Recognize viewer personas

Viewer personas are developed through observation of where the viewers of your channel currently are engaging with your content. For example, many Minecraft channels have a viewer that is slightly older than the average youtube viewer who is visiting their channel.

Personas are a convenient way of organizing the many potential users of our product into a handful of imaginary people. A persona is designed on the key target market being addressed.  

Viewers are all different and you need to understand who they are before you create a video. Start by asking these questions: 

  • What does my user want?
  • What is my target audience? 
  • Who will be reading my content?
  • Are they buying something, or just curious?

By identifying the major characteristics of your audience and turning them into personas, you can create a text that speaks to those very different motivations.

Besides, there are many factors to consider when choosing personas for your channel. Each persona should have needs or goals that align with your product or service. 

In most cases, you should develop more than one customer persona. It’s important to make the personas representative, so they’re believable and relatable.

5. Funding from your subscribers

One social media marketing strategy is to make money with your truehearted subscribers. Funding can be provided by anyone who subscribes to your channel, even if they aren’t paying for a monthly subscription. 

There are lots of people that want to help, but they don’t know how to, so why not show them the way? Using a tool like Patreon is a great way to allow your subscribers to give you money on a recurring basis (a.k.a. on a monthly basis).

That way, if you’re creating enticing content on a regular basis, your fans can fund those projects. In doing so, they make some money for you in the process.

You can also ask for crowdfunding from viewers who subscribe to your channel through regular monthly payments. 

Subscribers like to see that their interests and financial contributions are rewarded by a channel. So, don’t be afraid to crowdfund your video productions. It’s a great way to prepare for expensive productions, like travel and special events.

6. Optimize your page for conversions

Optimizing your product page for conversions is critical. It is your last chance to convince your visitors to buy from you.  A conversion is the desired action that a visitor takes on your page. 

What does this mean? Well, you have to focus on improving not only the quality of your pages but also their user experience. 

A great user experience is important because it will force users to scroll down to read your content. The more users scroll down on a website, the more conversion there will be. 

If your video has a Call to Action at the end of it to drive people to your website or another landing page. Also, you should be sure that your video page is optimized for these goals.

In eCommerce, we think of actions like purchasing, signing up for email lists, and submitting a contact form. If someone doesn’t take one of these actions while on the page, they usually leave and never come back.

Your meta-tags, image names and descriptions, product images, and videos are all parts of this discussion. They play a significant role in the percentage of users that will buy your product.

In addition, there are some YouTube SEO ranking factors. They are:

  • duration of the video
  • comments
  • how many people subscribe after watching a video
  • percentage of likes and dislikes
  • YouTube search results click-through rate.

NOTE: Optimizing for conversions doesn’t mean you have to compromise on the user experience. 

It’s all about knowing what works and putting everything in place that will help maximize conversion rates. 

What you want to do is draw in as much traffic as possible without sacrificing quality on the page.

7. Sell merchandise

There’s no denying that merchandise has become a major driving force behind many YouTubers’ successes.

These days, you can find merchandise for every niche on sites like Etsy and Zazzle. This is in addition to customized products that you can create and sell yourself.

Merchandise could be t-shirts, tote bags, mugs and etc. The sky’s the limit. There are also teaching programs where they pay people for making free courses, tutorials about different things. 

Sell your merchandise with the following steps:

Design your product

This is one of the most exciting steps toward making money through your videos. Designing your own merch can be appealing and lucrative. Besides, you’ll be able to set your own prices.

If you are going to design clothing, make sure that the product is something that your audience will like. Bad design can turn viewers off. So, put some thought into the look of your product before you get started.

Source your product

Once you have your product, you’ve got to decide where to get it from. It’s time to find a manufacturer, supplier, or wholesaler who can make and deliver the product you want to sell on your channel. 

Details include: who makes the product, how many they can deliver, how much they cost, how else you can promote them, and other considerations.

Enable your YouTube Partner merchandise shelf

You can choose to enable or disable the ability for viewers to buy merchandise from your channel. If you are eligible to turn this feature on, follow the instructions under “Merchandise” and click “Enable.” Once enabled, you will be redirected to your sales dashboard.

Promote your products in your videos

With more than 1 billion active users, the possibilities of making money with YouTube seem endless. You can promote any type of product or service in your videos. 

If you’re into fashion, show off some clothing!  If you’re into cooking, start selling the tools of the trade!  You see where we’re going with this.

What is most important is to connect with your audience and present them with value. This will help them trust you. Besides, when the time comes to buy from you, they will be ready.

8. Be consistent with quality video uploads

There are hundreds of ways for you to make money on YouTube. Besides, what methods you use will depend on your niche. You want to appear professional. 

Being consistent with video uploads is very important to your market audience. This will allow them to have a routine to follow and it will also promote a sense of loyalty. 

Consistency can need that you upload 2-5 videos per week. But the more videos you produce, the larger your audience will grow.

Your videos need to be of high quality. If you are doing video reviews using a smartphone, don’t even bother. One thing that viewers will do is jump to the reviews and watch your video in-depth along with all the others. You want to give people a reason to subscribe. 

Above all, you need to adapt your content strategy into something that works for your business model.

9. Produce sponsored content

Sponsored content is when online brands work with influencers to create original content. These contents incorporate the brand’s message. 

This can be educated about the product. Also, it could be to promote the company’s brand and message.

When you publish content that is sponsored, you’re making money in the same way as if you sold advertising space. 

The difference is that you’re selling it directly to a brand and working on a much more personal level with them. You are not going through a middle man like an agency.  

What better way to build your audience than by producing sponsored content? By partnering with other companies, you’ll be able to educate and engage with your audience. This will also help to strengthen social proof and create trust amongst potential buyers.

In most cases, the brand wants to appear authentic and not look like they’re buying ad space. So, this isn’t typically used with large companies.  

In general, this is a good way to make money on youtube fast. Besides, it can be done without even starting a channel. 

Take these steps to produce sponsored content.

Get a brand to partner with

Start by identifying the right type of partner or product to help a company expand its brand presence.

Forming a partnership with a brand is a great way to increase the value of your content. The right brand will help you expand your reach and attract new viewers. 

If you have a large audience that likes a certain brand, the best way to monetize it is to make sponsored videos. 

Strike a deal

Once you have found and determined that your brand can create a product that matches the customer’s needs, the next step is to consider a deal with a brand to produce it.

A lot of companies like to hire content creators that have large audiences to partner with.

Get in touch with such a brand and work out a contract. Also, keep readers in mind when creating content. 

Remember to brand yourself as a trusted resource. 

10. Take advantage of your YouTube funnel

Your YouTube marketing funnel is everything that leads someone to become a customer on YouTube. This includes the publishing page of your video, the descriptions of your video, and your channel. Also, the annotations associated with your video.

Your YouTube marketing funnel is also known as your sales funnel. Its primary job is to guide viewers from the time they arrive on your video page until the point where they buy or engage in one of your desired actions. 

You can structure this process by adding events that will occur when someone clicks on a link. For example, or by offering bonuses as people continue through the process. 

You have to be smart about your YouTube marketing efforts to make the most of them. To summarize, you must offer valuable content and build a loyal subscriber base that trusts your brand. This will make them return for more videos. 

As you move down the funnel, which is driven by the subscribers that you earn, the number of views and products sold will increase. 

The goal is to create a few video masterpieces and get as many people as possible to share them with their friends. It’s all about growing your audience (subscriber) base.

11. Become an amazon influencer

The Amazon Influencer Program is a surefire way to make money by helping Amazon customers discover products. Amazon will pay you when people buy a product you recommend.

To apply, you must have a blog (or social media account). The account must be in good standing with Amazon and has published content recently.

Once you become an Amazon Influencer you no longer have to knock on a brand’s door or beg for money. Brands will be knocking on your door. 

The interesting aspect of this is they will also be paying you to do things you already love to do. Showing off products you like and use. 

12. Make money with YouTube Red subscribers

YouTube offers an excellent opportunity for brands to deliver their message to millions of consumers. But it is a crowded space and the battle for viewers’ time and attention is fierce. The company has launched YouTube Red, which gives subscribers access to ad-free videos.

YouTube Red Subscribers is the membership that gives you background, offline, and ad-free play across YouTube. 

First of all, YouTube Red Subscribers are much more than ordinary subscribers. They are your loyal fans who not only care about what you put in the video but also how you interact with them. YouTube Red subscribers are charged $9.99 to enjoy special features from YouTube. 

The special features include music streaming, uninterrupted video playback, background play across devices, and more. You can get benefits from this product by subscribing to YouTube Red.

The YouTube Red Subscribers will enhance the quality of your content. Also, it will help to add more traffic to your channel. It brings more viewers to your site through the Google display network. Activate Red when you are ready and it will replace the recommendation row with a Red memberships row.

13. Use crowdfunding

Crowdfunding is the process of funding a project or venture. It is done by raising monetary contributions from a large number of people.

You can raise money by means of crowdfunding. Smart innovative people around the world have come together to launch thousands of crowdfunding campaigns. Each campaign is dedicated to a specific cause. 

A business that offers a product, service, or idea must pitch to a lot of people for seed money. Crowdfunding is often used to raise money for a plethora of deserving projects on several websites. Besides, it’s also a great way to start building an audience for your personal brand.

Offer products that cater to your audience. Perhaps you have an eBook on dog training, and many of your subscribers are dog owners. Open a campaign to raise funds for publishing your training book. 

You might find that you don’t need to raise thousands to publish your book. The sense of community you’ll develop with project contributors will lead to some future affiliate sales. This happens when they buy similar pet products from Amazon to practice training their dogs.

14. Follow YouTube best practices

YouTube best practices entail creating a story that will be compelling and persuasive. Also, building it in a manner that is easy for the viewer to follow. Then following through on all the details.

There are some best practices, or guidelines, for YouTube video descriptions. Follow some simple tips to make your videos spicier and increase your rank in search; 

Keep your audience in mind

Keep your audience in mind when choosing your channel name and keep it clean and simple,  focusing on what you do best. This is what google search will display as your channel name if you don’t have one. 

Engage your viewers

You’re not going to get far on YouTube if you don’t comment and reply back to your viewers’ participation. To increase interactivity, it’s possible to show a live comment feed near the bottom of your videos. That way, viewers are more likely to engage further with your channel in the future.

Be professional with your contents

Your content needs to be professional. This means that, as much as possible, avoid slang and colloquialisms in your video descriptions. Make sure the information is clear and well-organized. Penetrate your videos with details about what people can expect if they take action.

Use strong calls to actions

Make sure to put the call to action something that makes sense for your YouTube channel. Putting “click here” and a link is incredibly effective if you want viewers to take a specific action. 

Use a simple, yet unique username

Also, choose a username that is easy to remember so your viewers will not find it difficult to find you. If they cannot find your channel, they cannot subscribe to you!

Don’t forget video descriptions

Use your video descriptions to connect with viewers. YouTube search will now display your uploaded video’s description in search results. Use this opportunity to help viewers understand why they should watch.

Use a catchy icon

Pick a recognizable icon that represents your channel for the visual thumbnail. 

Follow AdSense guidelines

Google, the primary party receiving payment for AdSense on YouTube content, has guidelines that must be followed to receive payments. These guidelines are in place to prevent misuse of these ads. 

It is important to understand that Google requires content creators on YouTube to follow their guidelines for receiving payments for AdSense advertisements displayed on their videos. Following the guidelines ensures that your payment will not be jeopardized if it is accidentally revoked.

FAQs

Do you get paid for uploading videos on YouTube?

Not necessarily. YouTube is a partner program in which you get paid for quality content if selected by them. 

But you would get paid for other videos like Google AdSense CPM basis. Also, if you have your own products or services which in turn generate sales. 

In most cases, you do not get paid for uploading videos. But, you get paid when people watch your video. 

What matters is that if you have the ability to be influential and do good marketing on YouTube. With the right audience, you can make money off this platform.

How many views do I need to make money? 

The amount of views you need to make money on YouTube varies a great deal. It depends on several factors such as your niche, audience engagement. Also, the product that you are promoting.

YouTube pays you when someone clicks your video and becomes a paid subscriber. Besides, YouTube will pay you for every 1000 views of your video that you generate without having to refer a real human. 

Yet, this is never a guarantee. What’s more important is you keep focused on making great content? Also, have a strategy for building an audience that will watch that content.

Can I make money on YouTube without subscribers? 

Yes, you can! There are many ways to make money without many subscribers on youtube. Although having viewers will definitely help your channel grow quicker, there are still other ways to make money online for free.

What are the requirements to make money on YouTube? 

Anybody can make money on YouTube. But, there are certain things you need to do to be approved for monetization:

  • You have to be over 18 for Google Adsense. 
  • Your videos must contain advertising that is relevant and legal. Besides, it has to abide by all the policies listed there. 
  • You must understand and agree to our terms of service.

How do I make money on YouTube as an affiliate?

There are a few ways to make money on YouTube, as an affiliate. You can earn money from sales referral links, Adsense, paid reviews, sponsorships, and affiliate programs.

How do I get a YouTube channel to get approved for monetization?

YouTube channel monetization is for the fastest and most popular YouTube channels. Don’t aim to earn money with your first video. 

The most important aspect of monetizing a video is the traffic you’re going to drive to your video. Put in 100% effort before expecting results. 

Treat it like any other business, as no one will care about it until you make them believe it’s worth making an investment in.

Is there any shortcut to making money on YouTube?

No, there is no shortcut to making a dime on Youtube. It’s all about putting in the effort and building a loyal audience.

You have to work at posting videos, building a community, and keeping traffic on your channel. It takes a lot of time and consistent efforts to gain momentum on Youtube.

Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t use some tips and tricks to help you go faster. But it’s going to take time, energy, and commitment.

Conclusion

YouTube is the second most popular search engine after Google. It reached 1 billion unique users in 2013. In fact, 148 minutes of video are uploaded on YouTube every single minute.

YouTube is an amazing platform for anyone who wants to share their life through videos. I also recommend the platform for those who want to do the same with makeup, hair styling videos, and others.

How to make money on youtube is the number one question everyone asks. Besides, it is a reliable money-making method. 

If this describes you, it is important that you benefit from this opportunity. The article above provides you with what you need to know about YouTube and how to get started through video marketing.

YouTube continues to be the major source of income for the best content creators. The steps that have to be taken to make money on youtube are very simple and easy. Follow these steps to increase your YouTube income.

Thanks for reading.