How to make money on YouTube
Cheetahimarketing February 2nd, 2023 Youtube
Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Though it's a little challenging to make money from YouTube, the potential income one can earn from YouTube is pretty high. One of the advantages of YouTube monetization is that you're paid in dollars. There are various ways to make money from YouTube just like SEO training and different ways to make money from it.
In this article, we're going to explain how to make money through ads.
The following topics are discussed in this article:
- Five important factors affecting your YouTube monetization potential
- How much does YouTube pay per view
- Key requirements for YouTube monetization
- What you should know about fake subscribers and views!
- Things to know about copyright infringement on YouTube
- Seven general strategies on how to make money from YouTube
- Make money from YouTube without creating videos
- What's YouTube SEO?
- Steps to Improve Your SEO
- What's YouTube Analytics?
- Four personal lessons learned from working with YouTube
In what follows, all the topics are fully covered.
Five important factors affecting your YouTube monetization potential
Before you get started with YouTube, you need to know what factors affects your income on this platform:
Number of views you get;
Number of unique users who clicked your YouTube ads;
Quality of ads;
Adblockers;
Length of the video;
Each of the abovementioned factors affects your earning from this social media in some way.
How much does YouTube pay you
How much does YouTube pay you per view? This is one of the many questions that may pop into your mind. You've probably seen YouTubers sharing videos of their luxurious life and showing their advanced facilities, and have wondered how much money they earn.
- How much YouTube pays per 1000 ad views
It's impossible to say exactly how much YouTube pays you per 1000 views, but on average, YouTube pays $1- $3 per 1000 views. It has to be borne in mind that YouTube pays you per ad views. Some YouTubers estimate that you can get paid $18 per 1000 views of a video based on how many ads you run.
Important note: Sometimes users fast-forward and skip ads or even have ad blockers installed on their browsers or have a YouTube Premium subscription, in which case you don't get paid a dime.
- How Much does a YouTuber Make per subscriber
Regarding ways you can earn money from YouTube, it should be noted that YouTube actually does not pay you based on the number of subscribers you have on your channel. So forget about increasing your subscribers to earn more money. Although you don't get paid per subscriber, the more subscribers you have, the more potential you have to generate revenue.
The more subscribers you have, the more views, comments, and likes you'll get, as a result of which your video ad's view rate will be higher, thus generating more revenue.
How much does YouTube pay per number of videos uploaded
The number of videos on your channel is just as important as the number of subscribers in indirectly boosting your revenue. Imagine you get paid $3 per 1000 views of a video. If you get a million views on a YouTube video, your revenue will grow a thousand-fold accordingly, that is $3000. YouTube influencers make more money than an experienced and competent physician or engineer. (They earn much higher than influencers in Instagram)
Basic requirements to activate YouTube monetization
Earning money from YouTube is pretty easy. YouTube has a few requirements for you to meet in order to monetize your channel. If you're planning on making money from YouTube, you must meet the following requirements:
You need to have at least 1000 subscribers to your channel and 4000 hours of watch time.
You'll need to have amassed 1000 subscribers as well as those 4000 hours of watch time over the past 12 months to start earning off YouTube.
Reaching that 4000 hours of watch time is easier than getting 1000 subscribers, therefore, it's suggested you first focus on attracting 1000 subscribers.
After meeting the above requirements, you can go to YouTube Studio to apply for YouTube monetization. Once YouTube reviews and approves your channel, you can start making money and having ads on your videos.
What you must know about fake subscribers and views
One of the most talked about topics with respect to making money from YouTube is invalid or fake subscribers and views. Basically, getting fake subscribers and views is feasible and you can get them for your channel. As mentioned earlier, however, YouTube checks your subscribers and views. This checking isn't limited only to monetization policy, they constantly check your subscribers and views. YouTube can easily detect fake subscribers and views, resulting in them being removed.
Don't even think of getting around YouTube algorithms as it could damage your channel irreparably.
Important things to know about YouTube copyright rules
Another important issue you need to deal with in making money from YouTube is copyright. Copyright law is implemented strictly across the world. Usually, an unauthorized download of a copyrighted item will result in hefty fines. Technologically speaking, YouTube has become much more advanced and smarter in recent years and it takes copyright infringement very seriously. If you just use a small part of a copyrighted music in your video, YouTube would easily detect that and prevent you from earning money off that certain video.
If you use someone else's content in your video, they can ask YouTube to pay them the income generated by that content or they can ask YouTube to remove your video. YouTube will remove your video if they receive an infringement request. If YouTube determines that your video violates copyright, it will notify the copyright owner of your violation of their copyrighted content. Interestingly, YouTube features a highly advanced editor, allowing you to delete, mute or replace the part violating copyright.
Content ID in YouTube
Content ID is a technology through which Google tracks and identifies copyrighted items. Each and every content registered with Content ID will qualify as a copyright-protected content and if it's published by any other channels, the copyright owner can block the associated video or monetize it.
The Content ID system was introduced back in 2007 and was further developed in 2016. This project cost Google a whopping 60 million dollars. Google has paid out 2 billion dollars to right holders via Content ID. As of 2018, Google has invested some 100 million dollars in this project.
Content ID create an ID for copyright-protected contents and reserves it in a database. When a video is uploaded on YouTube, its features are reviewed in the said database; in case of finding a match, it's flagged as a copyright violation.
When such a situation arises, the owner of the content to whom the ID Content has been issued can block his/her content from being viewed in the associated channel, see its viewership statistics, or run ads on it and automatically transfer the revenue generated from it to his/her own account.
Those YouTubers meeting specific requirements and criteria can be granted a Content Id more easily and their Content ID claims will be dealt with more quickly. Paying due attention to Content ID is of high importance when it comes to making money from YouTube, so you have to be careful not to use any audio or video registered with Content ID. Moreover, you should register your valuable contents with Content ID.
YouTube itself suggests using YouTube Library. You can go to YouTube Library and download royalty-free tracks depending on how long you want them to be.
6 general strategies to earn money from YouTube
In this section of the present article, we'll be offering strategies to earn money from YouTube search engine:
- Becoming a YouTube Partner
YouTube Partner Program allows YouTubers to regularly have access to the special features provided by YouTube.
You don't have to be a YouTube partner to earn money from YouTube (the only thing you need to do is create an Adsense account and get views), but you should know that being a YouTube partner makes things easier.
YouTube partners can tap into several ways to earn money including Premium subscription and many others as well as running ads.
How to become a YouTube Partner
Step 1: create a channel on YouTube
Step 2: Develop your channel well enough to meet the requirements set by YouTube to be able to qualify for YouTube Partner Program
Step 3: Set up an Adsense account
Step 4: Search about the features of your new way of making money
Step 5: Take due care in following YouTube's principles and guidelines
- Selling your business products
Always keep in mind that, in the first place, you're a content creator rather than an entrepreneur; remember that you're an entrepreneur before you're a video creator, meaning that right now you're offering a product or service or are thinking of a strategy to market your YouTube channel so as to sell your products.
If you aim to sell your products and services via YouTube with this view in mind, rest assured that you've chosen a sustainable strategy for yourself and your business.
Steps to sell a product on YouTube:
Step 1: Imagine and design your product
Step 2: Create your product
Step 3: Create a landing page to your product in your website
Step 4: Enable YouTube Merchandise Shelf
Step 5: Promote your product in your videos
Step 6: Invite your subscribers to click through to your landing page
- Creating ads
One of the advantages of YouTube over Instagram is that it allows you to run ads without having to be an influencer. If you're able to get a good amount of views on YouTube, you'll be able to connect with various brands, persuading them to promote their products in your videos.
In this method of making money from YouTube search engine, three steps need to be taken from start to harvesting, which are summarized as follows:
- Select a brand to collaborate with
- Give them a tempting offer as to how your promotion of their product can increase their brand visibility
- Promote the product clearly enough to communicate branding
- Ask your fans to directly pay you
This strategy for making money from YouTube consists in different parts; but they all share a common feature: you have to give your fans something that's valuable enough to get them to appreciate you by paying you by credit cards.
Step 1. Create a live stream where people can use Super chat.
In early 2017, YouTube replaced its former Super Fan Funding with Super Chat.
Super Chat is a special feature which is only available for YouTube Partners during live streams.
Your fans can state their views on Super Chat in a more comfortable way. How long Super Chat messages are pinned to the top of the chat window depends on how much they've paid for their Super Chat message.
Step 2. Encourage your fans to subscribe to your channel.
YouTube allows your viewers to subscribe to your channel. In turn, they can enjoy special access to your live streams.
Step 3: Encourage your fans to sign up for a YouTube Premium Plan
This last step can indirectly benefit your channel. Members of YouTube Premium can get a discount if they watch the videos on your channel. (the same is true for watching other channels' videos)
- Try to make your contents go viral
Unlike Instagram and Telegram, YouTube doesn't allow anyone to copy a content and publish it with their name on it. If you can create contents that go viral and become widespread enough, rest assured that other channels will ask for your permission to use a copy of your content in their videos. This is undoubtedly a unique strategy to make money from YouTube, but it requires effort and commitment, uniqueness, and of course, a bit of chance.
- Creating educational content
If you randomly ask 10 people why they visit YouTube, 8 of them would certainly tell you they use it for educational purposes. As a result, if you have no idea or strategy to start a YouTube channel, we suggest creating educational videos.
As an example, if you're well familiar with SEO, you can teach SEO using certain content strategies. This way, you can show off your experience and skills to persuade potential clients to hire you as their SEO expert. This is a less trouble-some method to earn money than other methods mentioned so far. This way of making money from YouTube is considered an indirect revenue. (Don't forget that you can make money in dollars by running ads on your videos as well as earning indirect revenue)
Making money from YouTube without creating videos
Those reluctant to produce videos for any reason, can earn money by posting trending videos which is called reposting. You can download videos made by others and edit them just enough that they don't violate YouTube's copyright rules and ultimately repost it on your channel.
To do this, it's recommended that you constantly track different social media in which videos are shared (especially YouTube) and download catchy and user-friendly videos as soon as they are published and start editing them.
To watch the most viewed videos on YouTube, you can type "top 10" in the search box, then hover over the filter and click on "creative commons". Now all the videos appearing in this section are the most viewed ones which are really great to merge and make new videos with.
Merging several videos in a creative manner and connecting them together can result in creating more attractive videos and not being penalized by YouTube copyright rules.
You have to be very careful when using this method because YouTube's AI is extremely smart when it comes to identifying copyrighted material, thus you must make just enough changes to the videos you choose to repost. Measures you can take to avoid infringing any copyright includes pixelating and cutting part of a video, changing the soundtrack of a video, adding background music to a video, etc.
It's stated in YouTube copyright rules that if you'd like to use copyrighted videos, you must creatively make considerable changes to them to be allowed to publish them.
What is YouTube SEO?
One of the critical factors affecting your income from YouTube is YouTube SEO as it increases your views on YouTube drastically. It's very similar to Google SEO. To drive more traffic from Google to your website, you have to find keywords users use to reach your website and use them in different parts of your website. Do the same for YouTube SEO.
You have to find those keywords which users are likely to search for and which are related to your video, using them in your video's title, description, and tags to boost its views.
Steps to optimize videos for YouTube search
- Looking for keywords
The best way to find relevant keywords is using YouTube automated suggestions appearing in the search box. To do so, just type the keyword for your video in the search box and jot down the phrases popping up. These are the most searched phrases related to your video by users on YouTube.
Optimizing your video title: Title of a video must be 5 words long at a minimum. Make sure you write meaningful and relevant titles, using the keywords obtained earlier as mentioned in the previous paragraph.
Optimizing your video description: Words you use in your video description helps YouTube learn the topic of your video, consequently, it's critical to pay enough attention to what you write in the description field. Write a minimum of 250 words for the description and make sure to repeat 2 to 4 major keywords in it. Note that major keywords should be mentioned at the beginning of the description text at least once.
Optimizing your video tags: Although tags aren't as effective as titles and descriptions in optimizing videos, you have to know a few things about using them as effectively as possible:
Use the major keyword in the first tag. Use other keywords in tags. Use peripheral phrases in tags too. Use those tags used by similar videos that have gotten a lot of views for your video.
What is YouTube Analytics?
One of the valuable ideas that help you with making money from YouTube is analyzing different factors related to your channel. YouTube analytics gives you profound insight on crucial data regarding your channels and users' interaction with it. But note that YouTube Analytics releases data with a couple of days delay.
Analyzing these data demonstrates how successful your content has been. You can see which content has been most popular, comparing its performance engagement rate with other videos of yours and identifying top videos with better performance. Proceed as follows to see this information.
Go to YouTube Studio.
Select Content on the left-hand menu.
Select your desired video and click Analytics. You can see the latest performance of your channel from your dashboard.
Clicking on See More or Advanced mode, you can have access to an expanded report on the analysis of data, receive specific data, compare performance of videos, and export this data. You'll see different tabs on YouTube Analytics which helps you get a better understanding of your content and increase your revenue from YouTube. We'll go over these tabs briefly in what follows:
Overview
This tab provides you with a summary of your channel and videos performance. Key metrics such as views, watch time, subscribers, and estimated revenue are accessible from this tab.
Reach
This tab gives you an overview of how your audience is finding your content. Key metrics such as impressions, click-through rates, views, and unique viewers are accessible from this tab.
Engagement
Engagement tab gives you an overview of the number of hours your viewers have spent watching your videos. Also, key metrics such as watch time and average view duration of your channel are accessible from this tab.
Audience
This tab gives a summary of the type of audience who's watching your videos. Key metrics such as returning and new viewers, unique viewers, subscribers, and total number of members are accessible from this tab.
Revenue
If you're in the YouTube Partner Program, this tab helps you track your earnings on YouTube. Key metrics such as estimated income, RPM, and playback-based CPM are accessible from this tab.
Personal experience with YouTube
We suggest that you take earning money from YouTube seriously and start right from today. Sometimes you may encounter people willing to buy your channel. It’s true that earning money from YouTube is a little difficult, but you should take a start, create your channel and get 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time. PATIENCE, that’s what it takes to become a successful YouTuber.
Below are some suggestions from our experience with YouTube monetization
Probably your videos wouldn’t be greatly welcomed in the first few days or even months from the date you created your channel, you shouldn’t be disappointed. Most successful YouTubers rose to prominence after one or two years from the creation of their channel. You don’t need high-end equipment to start your career, you can start with low-cost equipment, as many successful YouTubers have!
Once your channel is approved and you can start running ads on your videos, make sure you run ads the standard way. Unfortunately, some YouTubers run too many ads on their videos, irritating the viewers. No one is happy with this at all.
The standard number of ads to be run on videos depends on the length of the video, so you should run ads based on the length of the video. You can make a video of anything you can do and publish it.
Frequently asked questions regarding making money from YouTube
In the following section, we’re going to answer the most frequently asked questions based on users’ reviews and Google results:
What’s the best country where you can safely open a bank account to receive payments from YouTube?
Following our investigation, Turkey is the best country in which you can open a bank account to receive payments. Turkish banks, especially Ziraat bank, provide suitable conditions for YouTubers to receive their payments.
How much money does a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers make per year? The average income for a YouTuber with 1 million subscribers is $60000 per year.
How much money do you get per 1 Million Views?
On average, a YouTuber can earn $2000 to $3000 dollars per video with 1 million views, revenue from running ads included.
Who is the highest paid YouTuber?
Mr. Beast, a professional Vlogger, with more than 106 million subscribers, makes around 60 million dollars per year.
How does YouTube make money from our videos?
As we explained earlier in the article, YouTube earns its revenue (and our revenue) through ads running on our videos. Interestingly enough, YouTube pays most of its revenue to content creators.
Why is YouTube the best social media for earning money?
Many of you may have this question in mind, we’ll answer this question in several parts.
The monetization scheme YouTube offers is more profitable than other social platforms like Instagram. Perhaps you think Instagram is a better place to earn money at first sight, but you’re very wrong. Creating and preparing an attractive video, you can make daily earning off your video without offering any other services to your audience. However, in order for you to earn money from Instagram, you have to have daily interactions with your followers.
YouTube is older than other platforms, leading to it being more popular than Instagram, Telegram, etc.
YouTube analytics tool is one of the most accurate analyzers used for this social network. Compared to Instagram’s Insights, YouTube Analytics is much more powerful, giving you detailed and accurate info of your channel.