Be your own boss with Printify
With an active user base of over 2.5 billion people, YouTube is one of the best platforms for generating income. But how do you make money on YouTube without millions of subscribers and an inbox full of brand deals?
This article covers how to make money on YouTube regardless of your viewer count or target audience. Start monetizing your content – with or without filming videos.
Key takeaways
- Join the YouTube Partner Program: Earn through ads from YouTube views and YouTube Premium revenue.
- Design and sell custom products: Create and sell your own print-on-demand merchandise and earn money. Choose Printify for no upfront costs, no inventory, and no risk.
- Become an Affiliate Marketer: Partner with companies to promote their products and earn commissions from sales generated by your links.
- Offer channel memberships: If your channel has 30,000 subscribers (1,000 for gaming channels) and is part of the YouTube Partner Program, offer exclusive content to members for a monthly fee.
- Create sponsored content: Collaborate with brands to make sponsored content. Earn through direct payments, free products, or commissions.
1. Design and sell custom products
If you’ve got a knack for business, selling products is one of the most profitable ways to make money off YouTube. It’s a great option if you don’t have a huge following.
Design your own clothing line or custom merchandise and earn money by organically showcasing your brand and designs in your video content.
Selling quality merchandise helps you build a loyal following, connect with fans, and establish a trustworthy brand. Subscribers love to show their support with one-of-a-kind merch.
To stand out among other top-paid YouTubers, consider these strategies:
- Unboxing videos: Display your merch’s quality and unique features with a genuine first-look experience.
- Behind-the-scenes: Show your audience how your products are made and bring them along for the journey.
- Collaborations: Partner with other YouTubers to expand your reach and introduce your merchandise to a broader audience, increasing sales and brand visibility.
- Live streams: Engage with your audience in real time. Announce new product launches, offer exclusive live stream discounts, and answer fan questions directly.
- Video descriptions: Add promo codes and links to your online store. This call-to-action makes it easy for viewers to find and buy your merch – and it’s even better when fans shop directly through YouTube’s integrated shopping features.
Sell custom products with Printify
The easiest and best way to sell custom products is by partnering with print-on-demand companies like Printify.
Our platform is perfect for busy YouTubers who want to earn money with their own merchandise while focusing on content creation. Plus, you only pay after you sell – no upfront costs, no stress.
Here’s how to cash in on this low-cost, high-profit business idea:
- Register: Sign up for a free Printify account.
- Create: Pick from over 1,300 products and add your custom designs.
- Sell: Publish products to a storefront and promote them to your fans.
- Profit: Let our Print Providers handle printing, packaging, and shipping.
Check out our article on YouTuber merch for insights into the most popular products, colors, and designs among other YouTubers and their audience.
You can never go wrong with simple black or white t-shirts rocking your logo or channel name.
Earn revenue on YouTube by selling merch with Printify
2. Join the YouTube Partner Program
The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is one of the top ways to learn how to make money on YouTube. It lets you earn through YouTube ads and other built-in monetization features.
Joining the YouTube Partner Program is a key step in turning your videos into income.
- Log in to your YouTube account.
- Click on YouTube Studio under your profile picture.
- Hit Earn and select Apply to get started.
- Click Start to review and accept the terms and conditions.
- Set up or link your Google AdSense account.
And that’s it! YouTube will review your application within a month.
Once you’re part of the YouTube Partner Program, enable monetization through YouTube Studio. Choose your monetization preferences and explore the options, such as ads on short-form or long-form videos and revenue from YouTube Premium subscribers.
Here are some other monetization options:
- Watch Page Ads
- Shorts Feed Ads
- Supers
- Memberships
- Shopping
These monetization options work on a revenue-sharing basis, meaning you earn a portion of the money YouTube makes from ads and other viewer activity on your content.
The average YouTube channel earns $0.018 per ad view. So, if you already have an established following, generating ad revenue with your videos is an easy way to start making money.
Click Analytics and scroll down to the Revenue tab to see your Monthly Estimated Revenue – use it to plan and analyze your YouTube earnings.
Eligibility requirements for the YouTube Partner Program
Eligibility criteria for joining the YPP are straightforward. You’ll need to hit specific milestones, such as watch time and subscriber requirements.
When do you start making money on YouTube? Once you have at least 1,000 subscribers, and either:
- Watch Time: 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months.
or
- Shorts Views: 10 million valid public short-form video views in the last 90 days.
You also need to:
- Comply with all of YouTube’s monetization policies
- Have an active AdSense account
- Live in a country where the YouTube Partner Program is available
YouTube may regularly review your channel to ensure it remains in good standing and continues to meet its monetization guidelines.
Remember: Extra thresholds apply for specific features like channel memberships or Shopping integrations.
3. Become an affiliate marketer
Start affiliate marketing and become a pro at promoting goods or services on YouTube. Partner with affiliate media companies or connect directly through an affiliate eCommerce site.
Affiliate marketing pairs businesses wanting to promote products with creators looking to earn commissions. You can also explore the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program, which lets you tag products in your videos and earn from qualifying purchases.
It’s a fantastic monetization strategy for anyone wondering how to get paid on YouTube through marketing alone.
Here’s a breakdown of the process:
- Sign up: Apply to join an affiliate program.
- Get your link: Once approved, you’ll receive a unique affiliate link.
- Create content: Make engaging YouTube videos promoting the affiliate link.
- Disclose links: Always mention affiliate links in your content, description, and info cards.
- Earn commissions: When viewers click and buy through your link, you earn a percentage of the sale.
Most affiliate programs are free to join, so you can start making money without spending. Just be sure to research the products you promote to ensure they’re high-quality and trustworthy.
Join the Printify Affiliate Program
Looking for an affiliate program that’s perfect for your audience of budding business owners and entrepreneurs? Sign up for the Printify Affiliate Program and earn a 5% commission on each sale your links generate from YouTube traffic.
Benefits of joining the Printify Affiliate Program include:
- Free sign-up
- No earning limitations
- 90-day cookie life
- Convenient monthly payouts
4. Offer channel memberships
If you’re over 18 and your YouTube channel has 30,000 subscribers (or just 1,000 for gaming channels), you may be eligible to access channel memberships – also known as fan funding.
Memberships are a fantastic way to monetize content by offering exclusive benefits, such as members-only videos and features, to viewers willing to support your channel for a monthly fee.
Members can access perks in exchange for recurring monthly payments, including:
Members can access perks like:
- Members-only streams
- Exclusive Community Tab content
- Members-only super chat
- Exclusive emojis
- Members-only video content
- Early-access videos
- Highlighted comments
To enable memberships, your channel must be part of the YouTube Partner Program. This feature is only available in eligible regions, so double-check your country’s availability.
Elevate your YouTube channel membership with quality custom merchandise
5. Create sponsored content
Sponsored content or brand deals are collaborations in which both parties benefit – companies gain exposure to your audience while you receive sponsorship revenue.
Many creators also work with other brands across different niches to increase reach and diversify income.
Sponsorships come in many forms, such as:
- Direct payment for advertising products
- Free brand products or services
- Commissions from affiliate sales
The best part? You don’t have to share your earnings with YouTube. Negotiate the deal with the brand, and they pay you directly.
Legalities and transparency: If you engage in brand deals, you must disclose sponsorships or paid product placements to both YouTube and your followers.
- For YouTube: It’s a simple check box in your video details.
- For your audience: YouTube automatically displays a disclosure message highlighted in the first ten seconds of your video. You should also include verbal announcements and on-screen disclosures to adhere to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) laws.
6. Collect donations via Super Chat and Super Stickers
Live streams and premieres are great revenue sources on YouTube. With Super Chat and Super Stickers, fans can donate anywhere from $1 to $500, getting their messages pinned or highlighted with fun animations during the stream.
It’s a great way to earn extra money without video ads and encourages viewer engagement. They can ask questions, express their opinions, or simply support their favorite creators.
Super Chats and Stickers are especially valuable if you’re active on multiple platforms like YouTube and Twitch. By repurposing content – for example, uploading Twitch VODs to YouTube – you can reach more viewers and monetize the same content across different channels.Don’t forget to read the Super Chat during live chat streams to shout out your supporters and thank them for their donations. This shows appreciation and encourages others to donate, generating more money.
To set up Super Chat and Stickers, go to YouTube Studio → Earn → Supers, and toggle the switch to turn on the feature.
7. Try crowdfunding
Crowdfunding is another great way to generate revenue with YouTube content. Unlike direct donations, crowdfunding focuses on gathering funds for a specific project or purpose.
Whether you need new gaming equipment to improve your streams, want to hire an exciting guest for an upcoming video, or are gathering funds for a fun YouTube project, consider asking your audience to pitch in via crowdfunding – or sponsorships, as YouTube calls it.YouTube has a Sponsor button. Add it to your videos to let people contribute directly. Additionally, host your crowdfunding on a different platform:
- Create a crowdfunding account: Use popular sites like Patreon or Kickstarter to set up your account.
- Create your project page: Your pitch should be exciting, reasonable, and compelling, regardless of the project’s size.
- Promote your project on YouTube: Upload engaging videos explaining the perks of sponsoring your channel and include a link to your crowdfunding page.
8. License your content to others
Licensing your videos to other YouTube channels, social media platforms, and news outlets is a smart way to diversify your income streams.
Many YouTube creators have earned significant money from just one viral video. While that video might earn ad revenue, licensing it can bring in even more cash.
Sites like Jukin Media are great places to submit videos based on categories, such as newsworthy content. If you have a video that might interest reporters, like natural disasters, community news, or other relevant content – upload it and earn a commission.
Tips to make the most of your YouTube channel
To earn more money, video creators should prioritize quality content, good editing, and relevance.
Let’s look at some tips to make the most of your YouTube channel.
Longer videos equal higher revenue
If ad clicks and view ratio are your primary source of income, consider filming longer videos. Content over ten minutes tends to have higher watch time, which generates more ad revenue.
Including too many ads in a short video can annoy viewers and drive them away. Longer videos space out ads more naturally, creating a smoother viewing experience that’s better for monetization.
Plus, videos with higher watch time also rank better in YouTube searches. Aim for videos over ten minutes – or go big with an hour-long video essay to maximize your earnings.
High-quality content for the win
As you learn how to make money with YouTube, you need to post quality content, build a loyal audience, and develop a trustworthy image as a content creator.
Invest in quality equipment and editing software, make well-produced and compelling videos, and, most importantly, post honest content that resonates with audiences. Don’t forget to use thumbnails that comply with platform guidelines.
Descriptions matter
Channel and video descriptions are some of your YouTube channel’s most important assets. They serve many purposes, from follower engagement to storytelling, search engine optimization (SEO), and promotions.
Write compelling descriptions, video titles, affiliate disclosures, detailed instructions, and enticing promotions for your products, fundraisers, or other social media channels. Don’t forget to use this space for relevant tags and keywords to secure your spot in search results.
You can also use YouTube Analytics to track engagement metrics and optimize future content based on performance data.
Interact with your audience
Always interact with your followers during streams or in the comments, including the Short’s comments section, to increase engagement across all content types. Fans love communicating with their favorite creators, and your engagement will encourage others to join.
Showing appreciation for your YouTube audience means more views, longer watch times, higher engagement, and more money.
Is it possible to make money on YouTube without making videos?
Yes! There are plenty of ways you can make money on YouTube without filming videos.
- Focus on audio: Create guided meditations, sound effects, songs, autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) videos, and more.
- Live stream: From engaging podcasts to video games, live streams are a way to avoid pre-filming and editing. It also gives you a chance to cash in on profitable podcast merch ideas once you establish a following.
- Educate with voiceovers: Recording educational content is relatively straightforward. Use voiceovers for guided tutorials, online courses, and other materials.
- Freelance: From scriptwriting and content planning to thumbnails and descriptions, offer your YouTube services to other creators.
- Use the Creative Commons License: YouTubers can mark their content with a CC-BY license, letting other creators repurpose and edit their videos for highlights, compilations, or commentary with proper credit and policy adherence.
FAQ
How much YouTubers earn varies widely based on their revenue streams. For example, creators with around one million subscribers typically make between $15,000 and $55,000 per month from views alone. Meanwhile, dedicated channels can earn up to $11,000 a month just from YouTube ads.
How many views does it take to get paid on YouTube? Or how many subscribers are needed to monetize YouTube? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. You first need 1,000 subscribers to monetize your content. Additionally, you need 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months or have ten million Shorts views in the last 90 days.
At least 1,000. That’s the minimum amount YouTube requires to monetize your channel and earn directly on the platform.
Affiliate marketing is a smart first step for beginners learning how to start making money on YouTube. If you don’t have a dedicated following yet, promote other companies’ products or services. Establish yourself as a trustworthy content creator to grow your channel and expand your revenue streams from there.
The rates differ for each country and category you’re in. On average, a YouTuber can earn $2-$12 per 1,000 views through ads shown during videos. There’s potential to earn more if you make content in categories that are competitive among advertisers.
How to get paid on YouTube without making videos? Produce audio content, like ASMR or guided meditation videos, post songs or educational voiceovers, repurpose other creators’ content under fair use, or offer freelancing services to other YouTubers.
To make $2,000 a month from YouTube ad revenue, your videos typically need between 170,000 to one million monthly views, depending on your niche, audience location, and content quality. YouTube Partner Program members earn through a mix of video ads and YouTube Premium revenue, with average earnings ranging from $2 to $12 per 1,000 views.
Channels with high watch time and engaged viewers often earn more, especially if they combine ad revenue with channel memberships, super chat donations, or brand deals to diversify income streams and make money more consistently.
Conclusion
Depending on your content, revenue stream, and time investment, the potential to earn from YouTube videos is endless. There are many ways to make money, from ads and sponsorships to fan donations and selling merchandise.
If you don’t yet meet the requirements for ad monetization, we recommend starting with affiliate marketing and your own line of merch. Sell products like custom t-shirts using a POD platform like Printify.
So get inspired, get creative, and start making money on YouTube one idea at a time – and watch as your channel grows with every step.
