How To Earn Cash From YouTube in Kenya in 2024

If you are wondering how to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya, look no further than this article.

In today’s post, I will walk you through 6 proven strategies used by thousands of YouTubers to generate income consistently.

Moreover, these are the exact ideas that I use to generate passive income from my YouTube channel every day. Subscribe to my channel here.

If you don’t subscribe, then at least pay attention to this guide to learn how you can make money with your channel.

Why you should pay attention.

Moving on, you may be wondering why YouTube is in Kenya!

I mean, aren’t there any other ways to make money online?

Trust me, there are hundreds of thousands of ways to earn income online in Kenya. I have covered almost all of them within this site.

In case you missed any, bookmark this link to read them later when you are done with this.

Except that people can make money on YouTube, what else do you know about this video platform?

• You can watch videos for free.
• Create a channel and upload any type of content as long it is legal.

But here is what you don’t know about YouTube:

• Over 2 billion people log in to the site every month. If you can access even 0.01% of that, you can make a lot of money on the platform.
• People upload over 500 hours of video content every minute. That is one stiff competition, which calls for strategies to be unique.
• Every user spends at least 11 minutes and 24 seconds every day on average on the platform. And goes through at least 6 pages. That is a lot of engagement going around.
• Almost 70 percent of what people watch on YouTube comes from algorithm recommendations. As such, make sure you tag your videos with popular and related keywords to increase your visibility
• Over 70 percent of users on YouTube use mobile. Keep that in mind whenever you are uploading video content. They should display well on all devices, especially mobile.

Well, to sum it all up, YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, of course after Google. And surprisingly, Google owns both, talk of domination.

What you need to start earning cash from YouTube in Kenya

 According to my experience and those of others who have done it, you need only two things to start a successful YouTube channel in Kenya that will eventually make you money:

1. Choose a topic

Here is the thing:

People go to YouTube looking for something specific. And that explains my earlier point on how YouTube is the second-largest search engine.

Users search for stuff on YouTube.

As such, you need a topic that people would be interested in exploring more. And to get that, you don’t have to rock your head so much trying to figure out what!

First, look at your interests.

What are the things that you already enjoy doing that can be turned into YouTube content?

For example:

If you enjoy dancing, you can easily start a YouTube channel to show your latest dancing moves. At the same time, if you enjoy a topic, consider teaching others through YouTube.

This is the most popular way to start a YouTube channel in Kenya.

Alternatively, if you already own and run a business, you can ramp things up to YouTube.

For example:

If you are a social media marketing agency, you can start posting video content about your industry.

2. You need an audience

You don’t have a channel if it is a ghost town. You need people watching and engaging with your content to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya.

See, to build a loyal audience on YouTube, you need to nail the first point we discussed above; 

If you pick something no one is interested in, you will struggle to build an audience on YouTube.

To make it even stiffer, YouTube updated its T&S recently.

And now, you cannot join their advertising program unless you have at least 1K subscribers and over 4K watch hours on your content.

With this mounting pressure to stand out, your only way is to spend enough time deciding on the topics. But hey, this is not a ticket to be a tire-kicker and not move anywhere.

For inspiration, look at what everyone else is doing. Use that content for inspiration.

Now, once you have a thriving channel, it is time to make some money. Use the following strategies to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya.

How to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya

• Sell your merchandise

I bet you have seen some YouTubers selling things like t-shirts, either branded (with their logos) or customized to your needs.

It works like a charm, and considering the expenses of starting such a venture, you are assured of at least 70 percent profit margins.

All you have to do is get a printing machine or supplier. You need plain t-shirts, mags, or anything you wish to sell. Get it wholesale.

Once you have the product, add value by printing them. And then ramp up the prices. With a finished product, it is time to market like crazy.

Consider all the platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. But more importantly, make sure you are using it in your YouTube videos.

You may be wondering if this works.

Well, selling merch on YouTube was a lousy idea, would you think celebrities like Drake would be doing it?

All I can say is that there is a reason why everyone is doing it. And if you are that skeptical, who said you have to buy a whole factory of merchandise?

• Start with ten T-shirts
• Do minimal promotion efforts
• If they sell, go in with everything you have got.

I’d recommend you implement this strategy during your earlier days of starting the channel to build loyalty.

• Join the YouTube partner program

The YouTube Partner Program allows regular content creators like you and me to access a special feature on the site.

As a partner, there are two ways to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya:

• Through subscriptions. Here, you get a cut every time a premium user watches your content.
• Through the AdSense program – here, you are allowing YouTube to display ads on your videos. And in return, you split the ad revenue.

The latter is the most popular way how to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya.

To be allowed into the advertising program, you don’t have to be a partner.

All you need is to meet the initial requirements: at least 1000 subscribers and over 4000 watch hours in the last 12 months.

Once you hit the threshold, you can turn on the monetization of your YouTube channel.

Ideally, YouTube will be showing ads before, in between, or after your videos. And depending on your topics, you can earn a lot through YouTube ads.

For example:

Someone creating kids’ content will earn less than a channel with an audience comprising adults.

Additionally, topics like finance and credit cards attract huge payout, thanks to high cost per click (CPC), a metric used in advertising to determine how much a business pays every time someone clicks on their ads.

It is this CPC that you share with YouTube. As such, if it is high, you make a lot, and vice versa is true.

• Create sponsored content

Who said you have to be on Instagram to be an influencer?

You can earn cash from YouTube in Kenya by creating sponsored content. What is that and how do you go about it?

Well, in a nutshell, sponsored content is when a business or a brand pays you to create content about them.

For example:

If you have a channel for online trading, a company like Olymp Trade can approach you to create content on why people should use the broker. In return, they pay you for that.

This is lucrative in two ways:

• You do not share the earnings with YouTube unlike you would if you were to use their advertising program
• It is your chance to earn premium cash. If brands start approaching you, they must have seen something unique about your channel. Take that opportunity by the horns and ask for huge cash. Be careful though, do not ask for outrageous prices, be realistic

I know this may sound like the ‘holy grail’ of how to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya, after all, they are coming to you and not the other way around.

Not so fast cowboy.

To reach that stage of brands beating pathways to your doorstep, you have to first show your worth.

• Build a loyal following
• Your channel must be receiving better-than-average engagements. This means you need to invest in your channel
• You need to be professional. Nobody wants to work with unprofessional creators. I bet you have seen how brands cancel sponsorship deals when athletes or celebs are caught in compromising situations. This works even for your content. YouTube will revoke your monetization rights if you are posting content that goes against community guidelines.

Accept donations

Yes, you can earn cash from YouTube in Kenya by allowing your fans to pay you directly.

If you have built a channel with raving fans, they will gladly dip into their own pockets to show their appreciation and love. But pay attention to what I just said; raving fans.

See, it is a little bit hard to give your money to someone you just met, even if the amount in question is as little as $1.

If you are considering this strategy, you have to make it easy for your fans to show their appreciation with their MPESA.

There are several ways to do that:

• Using the Super Chat feature – this is a special feature only available to YouTube Partner Program members. Ideally, people can pay to get your attention while on YouTube Live streaming. As such, consider holding more live streams
• Your fans can become channel members. Turns out, you can not only subscribe to a channel but also be a member. How? By paying obviously. In return, they get customized emojis, special badges, and exclusive access to members-only content like live chats with you
• Encourage your fans to be YouTube Premium subscribers – as we mentioned earlier, whenever a YouTube Premium member watches your content, you share the subscription revenue with YouTube.

Review products

You can make easy cash on YouTube by buying and reviewing products or services.

And then put affiliate links on the description, such that whenever someone clicks and buys something, you earn a commission.

For example:

You can start a YouTube channel to discuss anything to do with laptops in Kenya.

Every time you review a laptop, include a link where your viewers can go buy the product. Remember to encourage your viewers to use your link, otherwise, you won’t earn anything.

• Crowdfunding campaigns

Here, you are sourcing donations from your viewers in support of your project or channel-related ventures.

First, you need to set up a crowdfunding account.

Luckily, YouTube has a list of trustworthy platforms offering such services.

Go through the list and pick, among the popular are Patreon, GoFundMe, and Kickstarter.

With the account up, move to promote the campaign in your YouTube videos. Talk about your mission and encourage your viewers to lend a hand.

Additionally, do not restrict yourself to YouTube. Leverage other platforms like Facebook and Twitter to amplify your message.

What to do next

Now that you know how to earn cash from YouTube in Kenya, it is up to you to implement these strategies.

Remember, the topic is what brings the audience. And then the money will follow. Good luck.