YouTube is popularly known as a social video app where you can find instructional videos, watch music videos, or waste time. However, YouTube can be a major revenue source for you. For those with full time jobs, making money off YouTube is a very good side gig especially if you produce engaging content that attracts a large audience. Some people such as skit makers actually have it as their major stream of income.
Making money might not be your reason for starting a YouTube channel, but the opportunities to earn are a pleasant surprise once you realize how many of them there are.
Create a YouTube Account
Before you can begin making money via YouTube, you need a YouTube account. Because YouTube is a Google company, it requires a Google email, or Gmail, to register. Once registration is complete and the YouTube account is active, it’s time to populate your account, also known as a channel, with content.
Start to Make Videos & Spread the news
After opening your account, you need to build an audience and gain views, YouTube content creators must consistently develop content that followers enjoy watching. Therefore, the next step is to create videos. There is no universal model for what works and what doesn’t work on YouTube. Some of the most popular content include professionally produced music videos and impromptu family videos recorded with a smartphone.
Just have your contents and locate an audience that will resonate with your contents. Make sure you configure your videos with SEO because YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, and good search engine optimization (SEO) can make a good difference for you.
Share your video on social networks, blogs, forums, message boards, and anywhere else you can online. You can embed your video on other sites or link to the video so viewers can watch it on YouTube.
This doesn’t mean you automatically start earning money from YouTube, you must follow some procedures which also serve as effective ways you can begin to get money from YouTube.
Reach 1K subscribers and apply for the YouTube Partner Program
The biggest hurdle to joining the YouTube Partner Program is surpassing the 1,000-subscriber threshold. Once you do, it opens the door to earning advertising revenue.
A few additional requirements apply before you can become a partner:
• Your videos must abide by the site’s advertising guidelines and have more than 4,000 valid public watch hours within the last 12 months.
• You must live in an eligible area – thankfully, Nigeria is one of the eligible areas.
• You need to link a Google AdSense account.
Once you meet the requirements, you can apply by clicking into your profile and navigating to the “monetization” section.
Subscribers don’t play a role in how much you make on YouTube — meaning that a channel with 1000 subscribers that gets 1M views on each of their videos makes more money than a channel that has 1Million subscribers but only gets 10,000 views on each of their videos.
How many views on YouTube does it take to make money?
You don’t get paid per video view. Rather, you’re paid for the times when someone watches your video or clicks on an ad shown on your video.
According to a variety of sources, YouTubers can make anywhere between $0.01 to $0.03 per view with AdSense. This is an average of $0.18 per views translating to $18 per 1,000 ad views, which comes out to $3 to $5 per 1,000 video views.
So when do you start making money on YouTube?
You’ll be paid once your balance reaches $100. Say it takes approximately 1,000 video views to earn $4 from those viewers who saw ads. You would need 25,000 video views to make $100 through those ads.
If you have a small channel, you might get paid only every few months. You’ll also want to be familiar with how Google, which issues AdSense payments, handles taxes.
Sponsored content through brand deals
Brands often look for influencers to promote their products and services. With the massive number of users YouTube attracts, its platform is great for advertising. Companies interested in your channel’s audience might sponsor your videos or offer you product placement deals in exchange for a shout-out. As your channel grows, you can contact the brands you’d like to work with directly, or use resources like affiliate marketing sites to find corporate partners that complement your style of content.
The operative word here is “audience,” which means these types of deals are more likely to present themselves when you develop lots of followers (viewers).
With brand deals, you can receive lump sum payments, earn commission on a per-sale basis or get the product or service for free.
Always remember: If you do have an endorsement or use product placement in a video, you must notify YouTube by ticking a box in the advanced settings tab of your video manager to indicate your video contains paid promotion.
Create and sell your own product or merchandise
If you have merchandise or offer a service that’s relevant to your audience, let them know about it and provide links in your videos. The link should direct your buyers to a landing page or a web page where they can easily buy. Make sure you have a secure payment system in place before you advertise your goods.
If your product is music, you can make loads of money without even being among the top rated artists in the country.
How Do You Make Money With Music on YouTube?
To earn money on YouTube, account holders who upload or stream their music must become members of the YouTube Partner Program. Once admitted, earnings are generated from views, subscriptions, and ads. Musicians can also earn money when others upload their music to YouTube. YouTube assigns a unique identifier, which identifies the artist’s original work each time it’s uploaded by others. Money cannot be earned on music that the account holder has no copyright for.
Making Money on YouTube requires Hard work!
YouTube offers opportunities for people to make money but it is not a get-rich-quick platform. However, through quality and engaging contents, time, and consistent effort, one can meet his or her set objective. As long as you can find ways to hit the 1,000-subscriber threshold, you can begin enjoying making money.
You make money off of views, not subscriptions
Remember on your video channel, the amount of money YouTube will pay depends on a variety of factors, such as:
• The number of views your video receives
• The number of clicks an ad receives
• Ad quality
• Ad Blockers
• Video length