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Interested in learning how to make money through YouTube videos?

Then you are in the right place.

In this post, I will not only show you tools to use on YouTube, but I will also show you the best strategies used by others like you to make money faster.

If you don’t know already, YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, after Google.

It gets over 2 billion users per month. That puts its daily user base at about 30 million.

But is it possible to earn a living earning through YouTube?

Well, look at these statistics, then we will talk:

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• The highest-paid YouTubers earned a total of $127 million in 2017
• Every year, there is an increase of 40% in channels earning six figures
• A YouTube influencer with between 500 to 5K subscribers charges at least $315 per video on average

Yikes!

As they say, numbers don’t lie. 

See for yourself, people are making a killing through YouTube, so why not you?

Back to our question

Can you make money uploading videos on YouTube?

This is the question newbie content creators struggle with a lot.

Most viewers see channel views and think… OMG! This guy must be making a lot of money with these views.

What you don’t know is that you don’t just get paid to upload videos on YouTube.

Also, video monetization is not by default.

This means that for you to make money through YouTube videos, you must enable monetization on your channel account settings.

Then from there, you can explore available opportunities to generate income as a content creator.

In this guide on how to make money through YouTube Videos, I will teach you how: – 

1. Join the YouTube Partner program
2. Create sponsored content
3. Sell merchandise
4. Get paid directly
5. License fees

And now, let’s look at each of these steps on how to make money through YouTube videos.

How to make money through YouTube videos

Join the YouTube Partner Program

Think of the YouTube partner program as a special way for Google (owners of YouTube) to say thank you to creators on this platform.

I say ‘special’ because not everyone who opens a channel onsite is eligible for this program.

To join, you need to apply.

The whole selection is an intense review process, which explains why only a few creators get to this elite level.

To increase your chances of being accepted, your channel has to meet the following requirements:

• Make sure your channel adheres to YouTube’s policies and guidelines. Falling short here will automatically kick your application out
• Have 2FA (two-step verification) enabled for your Google account. What does this have to do with making money through YouTube videos? Well, it turns out, that having another layer of security (second device) for your Google account increases your chances of being accepted into the program.
• Your channel should have clocked at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours (over the past 12 months) by the time you submit your application. This helps YouTube better place your channel in terms of context and whether you meet their policies and guidelines
• Have 1 AdSense account
• Sign YPP terms

As a YouTube partner, you have access to several income streams, besides ads of course. You can:

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• Make money from YouTube premium subscription fees
• Leverage Super Chat to make money directly from your audience
• Sell own merchandise
• Enable channel membership

To get started with all these, follow these procedures:

1. Start a YouTube channel

Pick a topic you understand well, choose a name, and cover art for your channel.

1. Make sure your channel meets YouTube’s partner program guidelines.

To do this, make your channel successful by getting more subscribers and valid video views.

In short, build an audience.

This is simple if your channel is solving a problem a lot of people encounter, say offering tutorials on certain tasks.

1. Create an AdSense account

This is the only way to get paid. Make sure you have followed YouTube’s guide on creating AdSense accounts.

1. Go through available monetization options

Each of these unlocked income streams comes with its requirements. For example:

• Ad revenue – you must be at least 18 years old and create content that meets YouTube policies and guidelines. Ideally, the less controversial your content, the better
• YouTube premium income – you get a cut of subscription fees every time a premium member watches your content
• Channel membership – should be at least 18 years and over 30,000 subscribers. After that, you can sell memberships to your fans
• Sell merchandise – at least 18 years of age and over 10K subscribers. Gives you access to YouTube’s merchandise shelf
• Super Chat revenue – be at least 18 and a resident of a country this feature is enabled. Here, you get your fans to pay to get priority when messaging your channel.

1. Submit to constant reviews

Your channel will be in constant review by YouTube. Stay on the right side of copyright law and you should be okay.

Is there another way how to make money through YouTube videos?

#2. Creating sponsored content

If you think only Insta-famous people tend to make money through influencer marketing, you should think again.

As a YouTube content creator, you can make money through sponsorships from brands.

In most cases, these are companies that are attracted to your audience and would love to reach them.

And the only way they’d do that is to sponsor your content.

Why is creating sponsored content so great?

Simple.

Unlike other income streams, says YouTube’s partner program, you do not share your earnings with YouTube.

SponCon (as better known) is a deal between you and the brand, normally outside of YouTube.

This explains why this is the most popular way of making money through YouTube videos.

What do you need to get started?

It is just a matter of reaching out to brands.

• Have a large and engaged audience
• Your content should be relevant to your target brand’s market

In most cases, if you meet the above criteria, they will contact you themselves.

Once you have made a deal with a brand to promote their products or services on your channel, be transparent.

Your audience deserves to know that you are advertising to them (sponsored content = advertising). This not only takes care of your legal health, but it also keeps the trust of the audience intact.

Another strategy how to make money through YouTube videos

#3. Create and sell your merchandise

You know Drake, right?

He sells T-shirts through his YouTube channel.

The best way to replicate this is two-fold:

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1. Create content first and then entrepreneur second. Here, you first build an audience through your content, just like Drake does with his music. Then monetize it by selling your merchandise.
2. Entrepreneur first and content creator second. If you already have a product to sell, you can consider YouTube in your marketing strategy.

Whichever route you take, selling merchandise is the perfect way to generate income on YouTube.

Follow these steps to get started:

• Have ideas on what would get on well with your audience. Remember, any product you sell through your channel should feed into the connection the fans and you have. Look for inspiration from those who are already doing it.
• Build or get a source for your product – either a manufacturer or a wholesaler to deliver the merchandise.
• Design a shop and landing page. You need a central place where your audience can place orders. Consider having a website or using YouTube’s list of approved merchandise platforms
• If you are a YouTube partner, turn on the merchandise shelf
• Promote your products in your content. Constantly be seen wearing your merch in your videos. This increases awareness and arouses demand.

Additionally, consider featuring those who have bought your products.

This is a social-proof technique meant to make others feel left out.

Also, remember to always say thank you. It is polite and an excuse to remind your audience how popular your merch is one more time.

Encourage your fans to pay you directly

You can make a lot of money through YouTube videos by making it easy for your fans to pay you directly.

Here are some proven strategies to get this done:

• Regularly host live chats where attendees can use the Super Chat feature. Here, your viewers pay a small fee to get their messages visible from the rest.
• Encourage your audience to consider taking your channel’s membership. In return, they get special access to members-only content like live chats with you, badges, and custom emojis among other stuff. Like the Live Chat feature, this one too is only available to YouTube Partner Program
• Ask your fans to be YouTube premium subscribers. This benefits you indirectly. When a YouTube premium watches your content, you get a cut from their subscription fee.

That is how to make money through YouTube videos. Continue reading for more strategies.

#4. License fees

You must have seen this; when a video goes viral, every media house out there rushes in to get a hold of a copy so they can replay it to their audience.

Fortunately, most of these established media outlets recognize that they need to part with a small fee to use such content.

And that is how you can make money on YouTube, by licensing your content to media outlets.

You don’t have to do anything special, just make sure you are easy to find.

• On your About page, make it easy for people to reach you by providing up-to-date contact information. Even if you don’t have a business manager, have a special email address where business inquiries can be directed
• Consider joining the video rights marketplace. Jukin Media is a perfect place to start. You don’t need a viral video to get attention. All you need is access to exclusive footage that is ‘newsworthy.’

#5. Crowdfunding.

Asking for donations online today is very common.

If you are working on a channel-related project or just looking to generate a consistent pool of income, crowdfunding through YouTube isn’t such a bad idea.

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It is being used by several other YouTubers to make money, why not you?

• Set up a crowdfunding account. Use YouTube’s list of trusted crowdfunding platforms such as Patreon, GoFundMe, and Kickstarter. Use such to get a new mic, laptop, or anything
• Promote your project in your videos by highlighting your goals and why they matter to you. Also, consider throwing in incentives to encourage your fans to donate
• Do cross-platform posting. Do not limit yourself to only YouTube. Consider sharing your message on other platforms like Facebook groups, and Instagram stories among others.

Now that you know how to make money through YouTube videos, go ahead, and implement them.

But wait, any of what you just read isn’t going to work if you don’t have an audience?

If you didn’t notice, everything here revolves around having enough people watch your content.

How to build a loyal subscriber base on YouTube

This begs the question, do you have enough numbers to make money on YouTube?

Are you looking for ways to build a raving fanbase on YouTube? Use the following tips to get you on the right track.

• Create meaningful content that captures their attention. If you haven’t realized, your audience is fickle, they are one click away from ditching you for another ‘interesting’ video. Make their stay worthwhile. Either be so educative or entertaining. Better yet, be both.
• Get your viewers to come back for more by building a brand connection. Having a viral video is good, but is short-lived. Give people a reason to come back for more
• Remember YouTube is not a TV. Most people log in to have conversations, so give them that by engaging with them in the comments
• Leverage YouTube SEO. This way, your videos get found on search. Remember that YouTube is the second largest search engine today. Use keywords on your video titles to have a descriptive description with keywords. Also, use related tags
• Have an email list. This way you have a ready audience to get you the first patch of views whenever you upload new content

Wrapping up

Making money through YouTube videos is not a challenge, building an audience is.

Use these strategies to get yourself a seat on the high table and make a living through your work.

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