YouTube has become a go-to platform for many of us today, and it's not hard to see why. The app boasts billions of monthly users who are able to upload videos at will, allowing them to share their hobbies, interests, or anything else they want the world to know about.
It is also possible to use this same platform to create passive streams of revenue; however, there is no concrete answer as to how long one would need to wait before being eligible to receive any kind of financial reward from YouTube itself.
But what if you're someone who doesn't have thousands upon thousands of followers yet but still wants to tap into the potential of using video content to generate an additional stream of income? How does that work exactly? Let's take a look.
The short answer is yes, but only in certain circumstances. There are people out there earning hundreds of dollars per month through their channels, which means anyone can earn extra cash without necessarily needing millions of views or tens of thousand of followers. However, it'll require some careful planning and strategy.
Let's say that you've got over 500,000 subscribers watching all of your videos, and now you decide to move away from just posting original content and instead begin uploading pre-recorded clips. This could help increase your visibility across multiple platforms while simultaneously giving you more free time to pursue other projects.
Now let's break down these scenarios further by breaking down the process step by step so that you fully understand what needs to happen when you hit each milestone. Here goes...
1) You reach 1 million subscribers. Now that you have reached such a huge audience, it makes sense to try offering paid subscriptions (subs). Subscribing to your own channel gives viewers access to premium content, including behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, and exclusive live broadcasts.
2) Once you gain a subscriber base above 3 million, you may consider becoming verified on YouTube. It takes around three months for YouTube to verify account holders. Doing so allows you to add "verified" next to your username, which shows up under the user icon in search results.
3) After gaining 5 million subscribers, you should aim to grow your subscriber count to 20 million. This number is important because once you get past this point, you cannot simply rely solely on ads to fund yourself anymore. At this stage, you should really focus on building your brand by creating high quality content that your fans love.
4) When you reach 10 million subscribers, you might think twice about whether you actually want to keep growing. If you haven't already decided on monetizing your channel, then perhaps it's best to pause growth until you have secured enough funds elsewhere.
5) Once you hit 30 million subscribers, you should feel comfortable continuing to grow. By this point, you should probably have established a strong following and have accumulated a decent amount of ad revenue, along with having built credibility within your niche/industry.
6) As soon as you hit 100 million subscribers, you should aim to hit 200 million subscribers. Not only is it likely that you would have gained enough trust and notoriety to attract investors interested in partnering with you, but it is also crucial to develop a sustainable business model based off of consistent profits rather than relying purely on advertisements alone.
7) Finally reaching 300 million subscribers marks the beginning of true independence. For example, you can now build teams dedicated to managing your social media accounts, marketing efforts, product launches, etc., freeing you up entirely to pursue other opportunities.
8) In theory, the sky is truly the limit here. With YouTube's algorithms changing every day, you should never stop innovating new ways to engage audiences and improve productivity.
This is especially true with those lucky few who manage to cross the elusive mark of hitting 400 million subscribers. While most don't even come close to this figure, you should always strive to stay relevant and competitive regardless of where your journey ends up taking you.
9) Ultimately, getting to 1 billion subscribers is extremely difficult—but absolutely worth trying! Getting to this figure usually requires lots of luck, dedication, and perseverance.
If you play your cards right and continue experimenting with different types of content, your chances of attracting advertisers and partners willing to invest in your future success increases significantly.
10) Reaching 2 billion subscribers is another landmark achievement. But again, unless you've been blessed with talent, luck, and timing, you won't reach this level overnight.
However, if you stick with it and never give up, eventually you will find yourself sitting pretty with a massive bank balance thanks to your creative genius and endless ambition.
11) To round things off, finally hitting 3 billion subscribers is incredibly rare. According to data collected by SocialBlade, less than 50 creators managed to claim this title in 2018.
In 2019, the record was broken by PewDiePie, whose channel currently hosts over 6.47 billion subs. His popularity came from his ability to speak directly to his audience and connect with them emotionally via his personality and humor.
Pewds' rise to fame wasn't easy either –he had to overcome a lot of challenges and hardships to achieve this goal. He didn't start racking up views early on like most others, he started working full time at 15 years old, and his family suffered financially due to him pursuing his dreams.
All in all, achieving milestones on YouTube is definitely something to celebrate, but remember that everything comes with its upsides and downsides. No matter what you end up doing, running a successful online presence isn't going to be simple.
You'll have to learn how to navigate the ever evolving landscape of digital advertising, as well as identify viable options that align with your goals and values.
Once you've passed the first major hurdle towards generating income from your videos, you'll need to set your sights on putting together a solid plan to capitalize on your newfound status. Remember, you aren't looking for quick riches here. Rather, you want to establish a steady foundation that will allow you to gradually expand your empire.
To accomplish this, you must carefully evaluate your current situation and determine whether you'd benefit more from focusing on organic traffic or sponsored posts. These two methods differ substantially in terms of effectiveness, longevity, profitability, and return on investment.
For starters, organic engagement tends to be much faster since visitors tend to view several pages before leaving the site, whereas sponsored promotions often appear lower down on the page rank compared to regular blog articles. On average, sponsored posts yield a conversion rate between 0% and 8%, depending on your industry.
When it comes to driving traffic to your website, organic SEO techniques include optimizing your main keywords for both Google Search Engine Optimization (SEO), as well as Bing Webmaster Tools. Your objective shouldn't be limited to merely increasing rankings, though. Instead, you should also utilize smart keyword research tools that analyze your competitors' backlinks and monitor your performance.
On top of that, you should also consider implementing various forms of link acquisition strategies. They involve linking your profile to websites related to your field, submitting your article to blogs, and encouraging other producers in your genre to feature your work on their sites.
Finally, you should also integrate targeted email campaigns into your overall marketing strategy. Building relationships with potential clients through emails helps strengthen ties and encourage repeat purchases.
At the same time, sponsored promotion involves displaying promoted links alongside your existing editorial content, requiring little effort on your part aside from adding a disclaimer that reads "Sponsored Content." Depending on the type of campaign, you can choose to display promotional links anywhere from five seconds to the bottom of the post.
While organic promotion offers better returns, it takes longer to produce results. And remember, you don't want to spam people with tons of irrelevant messages. Therefore, you should strategically target your audience by determining their age group, gender, location, etc.
Another great method to supplement your earnings is affiliate marketing. Through this tactic, you promote products or services owned by third parties and receive compensation whenever someone clicks on a particular link and ultimately buys said item.
There are tons of companies that offer affiliate programs, and you can easily sign up for one from places like Amazon, eBay, ClickBank, ShareASale, Commission Junction, LinkShare, Rakuten Marketplace, ShopStyle Collective, BigCommerce, and many others.
Additionally, you can also sell items through popular marketplaces like Facebook, Etsy, Fiverr, Gumroad, Instagram, Pinterest, Reddit, StumbleUpon, Tastemade, Teespring, Vimeo, Weebly, and Twitch.
Lastly, you can also opt to join networks like Patreon, Discord, and PayPal. Each network provides unique benefits beyond monetary rewards, including community support, perks, and discounts.
As mentioned earlier, the ultimate question revolves around whether or not you can turn your channel into a profitable venture. Unfortunately, unlike Netflix or Spotify, YouTube doesn't provide direct payment for content creators. That's why you need to strategically implement plans to maximize your output.
With that being said, YouTube does have a program called Creator Academy designed specifically for independent artists and publishers. It features tutorials, guides, and eBooks that teach aspiring creatives how to effectively optimize their profiles.
If you're trying to make a career out of online video, it's important that you understand how the platform works and what kind of revenue streams are available for content creators who hit certain milestones.
The biggest question I hear from new YouTubers is whether or not they'll receive any compensation when their channel hits 1,000 subscribers. The short answer is yes -- but only in some cases.
Let's take a look at all the different ways that your videos could generate revenue once you've reached this milestone.
In order to earn money via YouTube, there are two main things you need to know about monetization: how ad revenues work (more specifically, how many views does each individual video get?) as well as how subscriber counts affect earnings.
Most people think that having more than 1,000 subscribers means they will automatically qualify for advertising revenue because they reach enough "views." This isn't entirely true. While every single one of those 1,000 viewers may watch an average of 100 minutes per day of your content, not everyone watches exactly the same amount. Some users might watch just five seconds while others watch upwards of 30 minutes.
So even though you may have 1,000 subscribers, you don't necessarily have 1,000 daily active users. As such, you won't see ads unless you actually use them. To find out which ones you should expect to run by default, check out our guide on selecting relevant YouTube ads.
To figure out how much money you'll make off of these views, let's assume that you want to create original content instead of repurposing someone else's material. We'll also focus solely on non-exclusive channels here since exclusive deals aren't worth getting too excited over anyway.
According to Google AdSense, a typical video view gets around 40 cents. If you have 10 videos running at once, this adds up to $4 per thousand views. With a higher number of videos running simultaneously, your earning potential grows exponentially. Let's say you had 50 videos running at once -- now your earnings jump to roughly $100 per thousand views. That's less than half of what you'd earn from regular uploads, but still pretty impressive!
It's important to note that this doesn't include other forms of monetized content like sponsorships, merchandise sales, subscription fees, etc., so keep that in mind before diving into creating content exclusively aimed towards generating this type of income.
For reference, YouTuber Miranda Sings has 1,500 subscribers, makes an estimated $3,200 per month based on her current rate structure, and averages 2 million monthly impressions.
These numbers apply to high-quality, brandable content where you're able to attract advertisers that pay top dollar for highly targeted traffic. For example, if you were to post memes instead of serious clips that appeal mostly to millennials, then chances are you wouldn't be seeing ads.
Even without reaching 1,000 subscribers yet, YouTubers like PewDiePie routinely pull down six figures annually from their platforms alone. So keep in mind that success stories like his aren't guaranteed -- especially if you're uploading low quality content that no one wants to watch.
However, he did achieve this level of popularity relatively quickly thanks to his willingness to experiment with unconventional types of humor. He was smart enough to realize early on that most people would rather laugh through uncomfortable jokes than feel awkward watching him try to nail elaborate skits.
With the exception of rare exceptions, the best way to increase your earnings significantly above the bare minimum threshold is to build your own audience. When that happens, you can choose to either continue posting regularly under your existing account or open another free account.
Once you have more than 500 subscribers, you're eligible to join the Partner Program which gives you access to better tools and analytics along with increased payments. It costs nothing to become part of this program, but partners must meet specific requirements including being live in the US and Canada.
As soon as you gain access to the Partner Program, you can begin setting custom goals within the Creator Studio dashboard. In addition to viewing metrics associated with your total channel performance, you can set yourself financial targets for achieving particular milestones related to subscriber count, engagement levels, revenue generated, social media shares, etc.
If you stick to your plan and manage your expectations accordingly, you shouldn't ever fall behind on your goals. Once you cross the 1,000 mark, however, you can elect to leave the Partner Program entirely to pursue further growth.
Keep in mind that your payout increases incrementally depending on the size of your base. A channel with 5,000 subscribers pays $60 per week compared to one with 20,000 paying $120 per week. Of course, you can change this ratio whenever you wish provided both accounts remain active.
There are several reasons why you might decide to grow beyond 1,000 subscribers, but none of them involve directly receiving more money. Here are three common examples of when growing past this limit becomes worthwhile:
Your viewership starts trending upward. Instead of remaining flat or decreasing slightly, your overall viewer count begins to gradually climb due to word of mouth marketing efforts, viral sharing, or similar factors.
You want to diversify your content offerings. If you're primarily producing entertainment videos, adding educational tutorials, infographics, product reviews, etc. may help you expand your audience.
You want to move away from self-hosted videos and rely on third party services. There are plenty of great options that allow you to streamline your workflow and offer greater flexibility regarding the style of content you produce. One popular option is Patreon.com. By using this service, you can connect with fans and supporters interested in helping fund future projects.
After you pass the 1,000 subscriber mark, YouTube will send you a message informing you about your eligibility for monetization. Depending on your country of residence, you may or may not be offered direct access to advanced features. However, regardless of where you reside, you'll eventually be given the opportunity to upgrade to premium status.
This usually involves upgrading your hosting package so that you can host larger files and/or enabling HTML5 player support. But you can skip this step altogether by opting to go with a cheaper shared server. Doing so allows you to save hundreds of dollars per year and avoid annoying technical issues.
If you opt to stay on standard plans, you can always ask us to switch you to a dedicated IP address. This extra perk comes with a price tag of approximately $20 per month, but it's definitely worth considering if you frequently experience problems streaming across networks. Otherwise, you can simply wait until your next billing cycle rolls around and we'll handle everything for you.
When you sign up for premium, you'll notice that your payment history shows up differently on its profile page. And when you log in, you'll see that your payment method appears blue instead of red.
By doing this, you signify your intent to receive recurring payments. After reviewing the terms and conditions, you can opt to turn this feature on indefinitely. Or you can pause it temporarily during periods when you don't require access to additional perks.
Yes, you absolutely do. Whether you decided to stick with the Partner Program or elected to move onto bigger and better things, you should never face a situation where you miss out on direct monetary rewards.
YouTube provides various methods to compensate members of your team. If you happen to have employees working for you, consider sending periodic checks to your entire staff. They'll appreciate the gesture, and you'll end up giving bonuses occasionally for outstanding performances.
But if you prefer to treat your friends and family first, you can also give them equity in exchange for their continued loyalty. Just remember to draw up proper contracts beforehand so that neither side ends up feeling taken advantage of.
And lastly...if you haven't gotten started already, here's how to launch your YouTube channel.
If you're a regular YouTuber, then there are probably many questions running through your head at this point about how much revenue you could potentially make if only you had more viewers... or even what it would take for YOU to earn some extra cash from the platform.
The truth of the matter is that while being part of an active online community and building up a loyal audience definitely helps in terms of boosting viewership numbers, having 1,000+ subscribers isn't always necessary to get noticed by advertisers -- nor does it guarantee you'll actually make any money off of them!
But before we go into detail, let's quickly break down exactly what "monetizing" means here:
YouTube ads appear alongside videos you watch as they play so long as you stay logged in. If you have over 10,000 views (or over 100k subs), you may see these ads every time you open your YouTube app after watching one of those uploaded videos. The goal is simple but not easy: Get enough people to view your content so that brands will pay you to advertise directly on your channel.
So now that we've got our terminology out-of-the-way, below I'm going to explain whether you CAN generate ad revenues using just ONE THOUSAND SUBSCRIBERS.
Note: These guidelines were written based on information available at the time of writing, which was January 2021. Things change often on YouTube, especially since Google introduced its new Creator Studio feature in 2020, which allows creators to run their own self-serve advertising program called Manage My Content & Learn More. But most importantly, remember that YouTube policies do vary depending on where you live. For example, Germany has different rules than the United States regarding the number of subscribers required to be eligible for earning from sponsored posts. So check your country's specific laws before uploading anything. Also note that these guidelines are meant to serve as general advice.
Yes, absolutely. It depends on where you live, though. In order to determine eligibility for getting sponsored promotions, you must first meet certain requirements set forth by Google itself. This includes having at least 1,000 subscribers AND 4,095 hours watched within 12 months prior to applying.
Unfortunately, because of various regional differences, I cannot provide exact details on whether or not you'd qualify under each individual country's policy. However, following is a breakdown of the basic steps involved to figure out your answer.
Here's what you should know:
You MUST reside in either North America or Europe/Central Asia. Countries like South Africa and Australia don't allow users who aren't located in said regions to apply for promoted post placements.
Your account needs to be older than 6 months. Accounts created during COVID-19 restrictions won't work unless the creator made sure to enable auto-renewal beforehand.
As mentioned earlier, German law dictates that you must have at LEAST 5,000 video views per month OR 2,000 subscribers.
In addition, you also need to satisfy other criteria established by the brand whose product you wish to promote. Brands decide what constitutes acceptable promotion activity themselves, but generally speaking, it might include things such as submitting clips for review purposes, sharing links to your social media accounts, commenting on another user's video, etc.
Once you've passed all of these tests, it doesn't necessarily mean you'll automatically receive sponsored placement offers. Depending on your location, age, gender, and personal preferences, you may still need to wait for potential brands to reach out to you via email. Some big names like Microsoft and Nike already offer early access opportunities to popular channels with between 500-999 subscribers.
And yes, you DO get paid once you hit 1K subscribers. Here's why:
When you sign up to become a subscriber to someone else's channel, you agree to host advertisements on your profile page (so long as your privacy settings permit). As hosts, we consider ourselves responsible for ensuring compliance with local laws and regulations. We use third party tools to monitor hosting agreements and ensure adherence to legal limits. Once you exceed 1,000 subscribers on your channel, you are considered a Premium Host and thus, you are entitled to additional compensation. This amount varies according to region, but typically ranges anywhere from $0-$100 per thousand impressions served. See https://www.youtube.com/tribepilot_support_terms#hosts for further explanation. Please note that you will continue to receive payments until you stop providing us with service (e.g., unsubscribing) or until you leave the platform entirely.
On top of this, premium hosts enjoy special privileges such as increased storage space on our servers, priority support, higher payout rates, and more. And you DON'T have to worry about getting screwed out of commissions -- Tribelogic takes care of everything.
This brings me to my next topic: What happens if you want to get paid when you hit 1000 subscribers instead of monthly recurring payments? Well, you can opt to participate in quarterly rewards programs offered by major companies like Samsung, Sony, Philips, Red Bull, Kia Motors, LG Electronics, Panasonic, Toto Water Purifiers, and others.
For example, Samsung Rewards gives users direct deposit checks twice yearly, while Red Bull Gives You Wings lets you choose between two options: Monthly Direct Deposit or Quarterly Payments. With both methods, you are guaranteed to get a paycheck no matter what, although bigger earners tend to get rewarded quicker.
What kind of income can you expect to make if you join the ranks of the highest earners on YouTube? According to Tubefilter [Broken URL Removed], the average annual salary earned by someone working full time as a Youtubers is around $16,942. That's pretty good considering how competitive the field is nowadays.
However, keep in mind that factors such as content creation strategy, viewer engagement rate, audience demographics, and overall popularity affect earnings greatly. Plus, there's plenty of room for growth once you learn to market yourself properly.
Most successful YouTubers today started somewhere small, perhaps with fewer than 500 subscribers. They learned valuable lessons along the way, growing their channels organically until they eventually became household names. Others went viral right away, becoming overnight sensations thanks to huge fanbases and millions of followers. Still others took a more calculated approach, slowly climbing up the leaderboards by posting consistently engaging content.
Whatever path you choose to follow, remember that the key is consistency. Stay true to your style while offering quality entertainment, and soon enough, you'll find success knocking at YOUR door. Hopefully this article helped clear up some confusion! Happy streaming, friends :)
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