How much do YouTubers make? (With tips and guidelines)

Updated 24 May 2023

Making home videos and posting them on YouTube can be more than just a hobby, as it can be an interesting way to earn money. YouTube is now the second-biggest search engine and the third most visited website in the world. Learning how much a YouTuber can earn and finding out about the specific ways to earn money on YouTube can help you boost your earnings and add to your skill set. In this article, we answer the question 'How much do YouTubers make?' and discuss how to make money on the platform.

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How much do YouTubers make?

To answer the question 'How much do YouTubers make?', there are several factors to consider. An average YouTuber's salary is around £31,595 per year. Most YouTubers make their money from advertising, and the first step is monetising the video channel. Most YouTubers sign up with AdSense and attach advertisements to their videos, receiving a percentage of advertiser payouts when viewers watch the ads.

A YouTuber's video earns money according to the number of video views they get, but the rate fluctuates depending on how many ad views a video receives. Some YouTubers opt for cost-per-click ads, though the earnings depend on viewers clicking on the ads. To generate advertising revenue, YouTubers build up an audience and drive traffic to their site.

How to make money from a YouTube channel

A YouTuber can make money on YouTube in a variety of ways. When you're getting started, it's a good idea to focus on getting known on the platform and establishing a reputation. Read the ideas below to find a way that best meets your goals for the product or service you offer:

1. Advertising

Monetising your channel is an essential choice and helps bring in some income. Once you've built up some revenue, you might also consider paying YouTube to run video ads for your channel to reach your target audience. There are different types of ads you can opt for depending on what best fits your service or product.

2. Include affiliate links

Affiliate networks can be a great way of earning a passive income on YouTube. If you create product reviews or how-to videos, it's easy to link to another company's products. If a company makes a sale through a link you shared, you get a percentage of the sale.

3. Join the YouTube Partner program

Joining the YouTube partner program is an excellent way of increasing your earnings as a YouTuber. Meeting certain criteria is essential to becoming a partner such as:

follow YouTube advertising regulations
have more than 1,000 subscribers
have a minimum of 4,000 watch hours per year
live in an eligible region
have an AdSense account

If you meet the criteria, applying to be a partner is easy. You simply find the monetisation section in your profile and click on it. As a partner, you get access to additional revenue features, which significantly boost your earnings. These features include:

earning money through advertisements from other users
percentages of subscription fees from YouTube premium members
merchandise shelves (for 10,000 subscribers plus)
paid memberships (once you have 30,000 subscribers)
Super Chat features

The best way of meeting the requirements to become a YouTube partner is by producing quality videos. Make sure the content of your videos is original and entertaining enough to build a loyal audience. Getting more likes and favourites for your video content can raise your profile on YouTube.

4. Start selling merchandise

Selling your merchandise increases exposure to your brand and offers great earning potential. It gives you the chance to tap into your creativity and create products that sell well. The steps below might help you get started:

Create ideas for products. Mugs, t-shirts and bags are easy to manage and simple to customise to represent your brand. As sales increase, you may decide to offer a bigger range of products.
Set up a website for your shop. Once you have set up an online shop let viewers know about your products. Look for a manufacturer to supply and deliver your goods or consider drop-shipping options.
Develop your shop. The next step is to design an attractive landing page for your online shop. If you are a member of the YouTube partnership program you can provide links to your shop in your videos.
Market your merchandise. Link to your shop in your video description and wear your merchandise in your videos.

5. Company sponsorship

Once you've established a sizeable audience, you can start reaching out to companies and offering to feature their brands and goods for payment. Creating a persuasive pitch for your brand is important, so it's worthwhile spending time on this. Do some research and expect to negotiate a rate with companies that show interest in your channel.

6. Crowdfund

If you have a really interesting idea for your next project, crowdfunding is one way of making it happen. You might decide to invest in better equipment or pay performance artists, so convincing your audience that your next idea is worth their investment is an essential move. Explain what you're doing or make a small trailer of your project to show your fan base and always be upfront about how you plan on spending the money.

7. Look into fan funding possibilities

Super Chat lets you use a tipping jar for viewers to contribute to your live streams. Channel memberships are also available through Super Chat, which means viewers can pay monthly to access members-only material. Patreon and Tipeee are platforms that enable fans to contribute small amounts of money for rewards.

8. License your content

If you're lucky enough to create an original video that goes viral, think about licensing it out. Online news sites and morning shows pay good fees for appealing content. Think about listing your videos in a marketplace where buyers may find them.

9. Promote

Always include a call to action in your videos to encourage fans to like or comment. You might add pop-up YouTube cards to your videos to promote your goods. Add links to your YouTube channel on all your social media pages to increase its visibility.

You can monitor the success and progress of your videos and channel easily by using YouTube analytics. This is an excellent way of making improvements and tailoring your content to your audience. Producing quality content regularly is essential. Following trends and dedicating time to your channel is a good way of staying ahead of the competition.

What are the other factors in making money on YouTube?

The amount of money a YouTuber makes depends on several variables. Read the factors below that often determine YouTuber earnings:

The popularity of the channel: Video views themselves don't pay, it's the ad views that generate income. A large number of viewers mean more people are likely to view the ads.
Location: The amount a YouTuber earns per ad view varies depending on location.
How much time they dedicate to the channel: YouTube is a competitive platform, so taking time to optimise the channel and following strategies to boost earnings is a key factor.

8 steps to create a YouTube channel

The good news is that anyone can start a YouTube channel and start producing videos. If you have a business or blog already, a YouTube channel is not only a potential source of revenue but great for improving your visibility and increasing traffic. Follow the 8 steps below to get started:

Log in to your account or create a new account. Your username is the name of your YouTube channel, so choose a name that your audience can identify with your business.
Upload a photo to your account profile. This helps raise awareness of your brand and helps your audience identify you.
Verify your email address for your account. Once you create an account, you receive an email with easy steps to do this.
Go to the YouTube website and sign in. Make sure you sign in with your account.
Create your video channel. Simply click on your profile photo and 'My channel' This gives you the option of creating and editing your YouTube channel.
Customise your channel. Tick the activities you wish your viewers to access, such as comment, like, favourite or subscribe.
Follow the simple steps to finish your YouTube channel and upload your videos. Just give your videos a final check to ensure that they're ready to publish.
Make sure viewers can find you. YouTube has features to help you do this. Insert keywords in your video title, tags and description.

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