YouTube has become a staple of online entertainment, with some users watching videos for hours every day. But there are also plenty who use the platform as an income source by creating and uploading their own content.
If you're one of those creators looking for ways to earn money from your content, you should know that YouTube offers paid options that can help you turn your passion into profit. Here's everything you need to know about making money through YouTube.
The easiest way to start earning revenue from your videos is via Google AdSense ads. These appear alongside or below your video when they get enough views, which means more people see them.
To access these settings, open up any clip on your channel and click Edit " Video Manager " Monetize. This will bring up a new window where you'll be able to set rates, ad placements, and other details related to this particular video. The page looks like this:
Click Get Started under Start Earning if you haven't already done so. You'll then have to add your account info, including payment method and billing address (if different than your current location). Once you hit Continue, you'll be prompted to log in using your Google credentials. After logging in, you'll receive an email asking whether you want to allow third-party cookies, which control tracking information used to serve ads. If you don't mind being tracked, select Yes here. Otherwise, skip over this step.
After signing in, you'll now enter your YouTube analytics ID. To find yours, go to youtube studio main menu " Settings & Privacy " Analytics " Tracking Code. Copy down this code and paste it into the box on the next screen.
Once you input all this data, you'll finally be ready to begin setting up your first campaign! Click Create Campaign to proceed. Your campaigns' names won't affect your earnings, but we recommend keeping things simple. There's no point in naming something complicated because you might forget it later.
In addition to adding specific titles and descriptions, you may wish to change your privacy preferences within the same menu. For example, you could choose only show your uploads to viewers without subscriptions. Or maybe you'd rather keep certain types of clips private until after they reach 100k views. Whatever works best for your audience, feel free to adjust accordingly.
At last, you'll arrive at the final stage. Select Add Content and select either All Videos, Live Events, or Edited Photos. Choose whichever suits you best and remember to copy and paste the appropriate URL. Next, follow Upload Schedule and fill out the date range you want to run the campaign. Finally, confirm your budget before moving onto the next phase. You can always edit your schedule if necessary.
Your finished campaign will look similar to this:
Now that you've created a campaign, your video(s) will automatically display monetized banners once enough people view them. So long as you have adequate views during peak times, your audience members shouldn't notice anything amiss.
Note that many channels prefer not to include advertisements while editing, especially since YouTube tries its hardest to hide them whenever possible. In such cases, you'll still need to wait three days before claiming your payouts to ensure that there aren't accidental errors.
While most creators just head straight to the monetizing section when starting their journey, others may want to take advantage of features offered elsewhere. Below is a list of additional places where you can find monetization tools for your channel. Note that each of these requires you to create a separate campaign.
1. Creator Academy
Creator Academy provides training materials designed specifically for people interested in learning how to build profitable YouTube channels. Its library includes guides covering topics ranging from building a subscriber base to increasing engagement levels. It also hosts community forums where you can ask questions or share ideas about various aspects of running a business on YouTube.
2. SocialBlade
Social Blade lets anyone track metrics associated with social media accounts across platforms. Specifically, it focuses on providing insight into your viewer numbers, follower growth, comments, likes, shares, and watch time. By utilizing the site's dashboard, you can monitor multiple profiles simultaneously and easily compare stats between them.
3. Channel Master Toolkit
Channel Master Toolkit allows you to manage your entire team, allowing everyone involved to collaborate and communicate effectively. Amongst the services available are scheduling, live streaming, analytics, translation, subtitles, captions, and much more.
4. YPPO
YPPO helps streamers optimize their performance, improve profitability, maximize productivity, and avoid pitfalls along the way. Its extensive database of helpful resources covers topics ranging from managing your subscribers to improving traffic flow throughout your profile.
5. TubeBuddy
TubeBuddy promotes itself as the world's leading destination for discovering high quality YouTube channels. As part of its service, it compiles lists of trending and recommended content from both generalist and specialized audiences. Users can browse channels based upon categories, popularity, top commenters, languages spoken, and more.
6. Vidyard
Vidyard specializes in helping streamers grow their viewership even further. Unlike competitors, however, the tool does so by offering professional consultation from industry pros instead of merely publishing generic advice found elsewhere. Streamers gain insights regarding popular keywords, formats, brand management, hashtags, and more.
7. Vimeo Staff Account Management System
This website makes it easy to maintain a staff roster for videographers, animators, editors, compositors, colorists, artists, writers, and other professionals. It functions similarly to LinkedIn, letting users search for jobs and companies seeking freelancers. However, unlike LinkedIn, it doesn't require users to sign up in order to apply.
8. Payoneer
Payoneer is known as the premier international payment processor for digital products worldwide. Since launching in 2006, it has helped millions of customers process payments for goods, services, royalties, taxes, and donations. Currently, it supports dozens of currencies, and boasts partnerships with major banks and financial institutions around the globe.
9. Patreon
Patreon serves as an alternative subscription model for creative individuals who would otherwise depend solely on advertising revenues. Creators post exclusive updates and projects exclusively for paying patrons, and can accept tips directly into their bank accounts.
10. Revver
Revver aims to provide creators with an innovative system capable of distributing content quickly and efficiently. The company claims that its software simplifies distribution for independent producers, while also giving fans direct interaction with their favorite stars.
11. PayPal
Of course, we couldn't leave off our old friends, PayPal and Amazon Payments. Both sites offer integration options that let you link your accounts together. Doing so allows you to send funds to another user's PayPal balance instantly, bypassing the typical processing period.
12. Facebook Audience Insights
Facebook Audience Insights lets anyone analyze their fan pages and understand which demographics dominate their following. Through the site's interface, creators can see detailed statistics, trends, demographic breakdowns, geographic locations, and more.
13. Instagram Sponsored Posts
Instagram lets advertisers promote posts via self-proclaimed "Sponsored Stories" feature. When someone opens up an image from a sponsored story, they may stumble upon a text advertisement hidden within it. While it isn't quite as intrusive as traditional banner ads, it still gives brands an opportunity to connect with consumers.
14. Twitch Partner Program
Twitch's Partner Program enables streamers to generate extra streams per month. Not only does it increase exposure, but it also generates passive incomes thanks to increased chat tipping and subscriber fees.
15. eBay Marketplace
eBay's marketplace consists of a series of websites dedicated to facilitating transactions between buyers and sellers. On such marketplaces, you can sell anything imaginable -- from electronics, clothing, and household items to cars, antiques, and collectibles.
16. Stitcher Premium
Stitcher brings podcasts to listeners everywhere. With its premium service, you can download shows offline and listen anywhere you please. Additionally, the app integrates seamlessly with smart speakers, enabling you to play episodes using voice commands.
17. Discord Nitro Subscription
Discord is a messaging application often compared to Skype due to its cross-platform compatibility. Because of this, many gamers opt to join servers hosted on the network. Unfortunately, some users tend to abuse the privilege, spamming messages and flooding chats. Discord uses a form of verification to prevent malicious behavior.
18. Twitter Ads Manager
Twitter's Advertising manager program lets publishers and influencers advertise their content on the social networking giant. Companies can target followers by age group, gender, interests, and more. They can also customize promotions according to individual goals.
19. Medium Discount Codes
Medium is a blogging platform aimed mainly at millennials. Like WordPress, it lets authors publish articles and stories, though it emphasizes simplicity and ease of reading. Because of this, many creatives utilize it as a medium to showcase their work to potential clients.
20. TikTok Promo Codes
YouTube has become a popular platform for both amateur and professional creators of all kinds, from musicians to comedians, as well as vloggers, journalists, artists, actors, scientists, etc. There are many ways that users can watch content being produced by these people, but perhaps one of the most common methods is through regular YouTube viewing sessions. But how does this work? How exactly is someone making money off their videos when they upload them directly onto YouTube's own site?
The short answer is that there isn't really an official way to turn your YouTube video into something where viewers can pay for access or view more than once without paying extra fees. However, if you want to sell advertising space within your clips, then YouTube Partner Program (formerly known as Google Adsense) may be able to help you out with that. But first...
Before we get started talking about any specific solutions to enabling monetization on YouTube, let us take some time to talk about why such an option doesn't already exist in YouTube itself. The reason behind this is simple -- YouTube wants to keep its ad-supported model intact for as long as possible. This means that while certain channels might have a large enough viewer base to make monetizing worthwhile, others will probably never see such success. In other words, YouTube simply cannot afford to offer every creator the same level of flexibility as far as making money goes.
So now that we understand why this hasn't happened yet, let's move forward discussing various alternative methods you could use to generate revenue from your videos.
If you're looking to start generating additional income from your videos after uploading them to YouTube, you'll need to consider using third party services like Patreon. With Patreon, you can set up subscriptions which allow fans to support you financially, either monthly or annually. In exchange, patrons receive perks based on the amount paid per month, including exclusive early releases, merchandise, tickets to events, etc.
While this method works great for smaller audiences who only expect small donations, larger donation amounts require higher tiers. For example, $50 per month would translate into around $600 per year, whereas $500 per month translates into just over $2000 per year. So if you think that your audience members may be interested in donating towards your future endeavors, go ahead and check out our guide detailing how to create a successful crowdfunding campaign.
Another solution is to host live streams on platforms like Twitch. These types of broadcasts usually require payment, so you'd likely still end up splitting the profits 50/50 between yourself and whoever is hosting the stream. You also wouldn't be able to record those streams unless you had multiple cameras available for streaming purposes. If you don't mind going down this route, then you should definitely read up on how to start earning money on Twitch.
Also note that none of these options are actually technically "on YouTube", since everything happens outside of the actual website. That said, if you wanted to try and launch your own subscription service similar to Patreon, you could always sign up for Amazon Subscribe & Save, which allows customers to add items to their digital shopping carts each week. Then, whenever they decide to buy an item, Amazon takes care of sending it straight to their doorsteps.
Now that we know how to find the monetization feature inside Creator Studio, here's how to locate it inside YouTube Studio itself. Once again, we must mention that this process won't work for everyone because it requires a fair bit of technical knowledge.
To begin, open up YouTube Studio and click on Create. On the left menu bar, scroll down until you spot Content Settings. Clicking on this section will bring up three different tabs: Video Manager, Channel Preferences, and Advanced Tools. Scroll down until you see Monetization, shown under Content Types. Clicking on this link will reveal two new sections: Manage Ads and Edit Advertising Opportunities.
What this essentially means is that you'll need to contact YouTube directly and request access to these pages. Since this step involves contacting a human rather than clicking on links found online, there's not much else we can tell you regarding this particular issue. We recommend reaching out to customer support via email to discuss whether or not you qualify for this kind of functionality.
As mentioned previously, the exact location of the monetization feature differs slightly depending on the type of account you currently have. Here's how to find the right place if you happen to subscribe to Creator Studio instead.
Once you log into Creator Studio, head back to your profile page, located in the top navigation bar. After opening up your settings, look for the dropdown menu next to your picture. From there, select View Profile. Inside your settings panel, you should see a box labelled Basic Information which contains several pieces of information relating to your channel. One of these boxes should contain a button called Account Details. Clicking on this button will provide you with a popup window containing a list of things related to your channel. Amongst these areas of interest is a tab labeled Revenue Sources.
This area shows a breakdown of your current earnings, broken down into categories like Subscriptions, Live Stream, Merchandise Sales, Sponsorships, Donations, and Other Income. Depending on the number of views received over the past seven days, you'll also notice a pie chart displaying your total viewership history. To change the date range used in this graph, just hover over the slider icon underneath the text field titled Start Date. By default it uses data from last week.
At the very bottom of this screen, you should see another label reading Earnings Per Month. Simply click on this line and a pop-up window will appear showing your cumulative revenues generated over the previous 90 days. Beneath this figure, you'll see a blue button labeled Generate Report. When clicked upon, this button generates a PDF document that lists your latest earnings along with details pertaining to your overall subscriber numbers.
Beneath this window, you'll discover a table listing your earnings across nine separate columns. Each column breaks down the following figures: Subscribers, Views, Impressions, Average Duration, Total Time Watched, Number Of Videos Played, Donation Amount, Sponsor Payouts, and Referral Payments. Be sure to save this report before closing out of the browser window. Later, you'll come back to this file to compare against older reports to determine how your performance changes overtime.
Have you ever tried adding ads to your YouTube videos? What did you experience during the process? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
YouTube has over 2 billion monthly users and more than 1 million hours of video uploaded each day, so there's a lot of competition out there for content creators looking to get paid. With that many people watching their content, they need to think about ways to generate revenue from those viewers -- otherwise, if no one sees or listens to them, all those years spent building up an audience will have gone down the drain.
One way to earn some extra cash with your channels is by adding Google Adsense ads (also known as "Google Ads") directly within your own YouTube Studio app. This allows you to keep 100% of any ad revenues generated through your content. You can also use this feature to promote other products or services.
In this article we'll show you everything you need to know about making these changes. We're going to walk you through exactly where to find the option to turn on monetization in YouTube Studio itself...
As mentioned above, there are several things stopping you from turning on monetization in your account settings. Below is a list of common mistakes made when trying to set-up monetization on YouTube. If you fall into any of these categories, contact us immediately so our team can help get your business back on track!
The first thing most newbies want to do is change their monetization options straight away. Unfortunately, while you may not see any immediate results, once you submit your request to Google it should go live shortly after. Keep checking until you see your desired outcome.
1. Your channel contains adult material.
If your content includes nudity, sex scenes, swearing, graphic violence, etc., then you won't be able to access monetization features. As such, before even applying to start using YouTube Studio, check whether or not the user policies have changed around adult material.
2. You haven't reached 10k subs yet.
It takes approximately four months for a creator to reach 10,000 subscribers. However, since your main goal is to grow longterm, reaching this milestone too early could cause you unnecessary stress. In fact, according to statistics, 90% of channels don't hit 10k subbed till 3+ years into their existence.
3. You aren't located in Europe/Australia/New Zealand.
Due to data protection laws, anyone outside of European Union member states like Germany, France, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Luxembourg and Ireland can only receive information via the country-specific version of YouTube Studio.
4. You haven't completed your profile setup.
When setting up your profile, you must complete the following steps:
5. You didn't specify your preferred payout currency.
This is vital because if you don't enter the correct currency code, you'll likely miss out on certain countries' payment methods. To avoid this problem, ensure you select the right currency and region beforehand. For example, if you're based in Australia, choose AUD, but if you live in Indonesia, pick IDR instead.
6. You entered incorrect phone number details.
Some advertisers require a mobile number linked to the credit card used during checkout. Entering inaccurate numbers here might result in denied transactions.
7. You submitted incomplete demographics info.
Demographics include gender, age ranges, occupation, education level, marital status, children, income bracket, household size, religion, ethnicity, and language preferences. These bits of personal data allow advertisers target specific audiences effectively, which helps improve clickthrough rates. Make sure to fill in every single field correctly otherwise you risk being rejected.
8. You forgot to tick 'Allow non-UK residents.'
Non-UK residents often face issues getting payments due to strict UK banking regulations. By ticking this box under Country & Region Settings, you give yourself permission to process international orders without restriction.
9. You did not provide appropriate website address.
Advertisers look for websites containing links to support pages, product descriptions, FAQ sections, blog posts, etc. It does not work well if you just put generic URLs. Instead, try inserting relevant keywords relating to your niche into the URL bar.
10. You didn't upload high quality assets.
Your video should ideally consist of two types of media: footage shot specifically for your project and original music tracks. The former should always be top notch whereas the latter shouldn't sound like a second rate amateur recording. Also, images and audio clips should meet industry standard sizes and resolutions.
11. You failed to verify your email address.
To protect your privacy, YouTube requires that all signups come from verified emails. Therefore, if someone tries to hack it, they won't be able to create multiple accounts.
12. You missed out uploading captions.
Captions convert silent videos into ones with text overlays, thus attracting attention from search engines and increasing watch duration. They also tell viewers something important about the clip, usually its genre, runtime, speaker names, location, etc. Ensure you insert captions accordingly.
13. You left out callouts.
Callouts are annotations placed onto your screen that highlight salient points of particular interest. They typically contain hyperlinks leading to additional information. Callouts are useful tools for drawing attention to special moments or key messages within a video. Include them in your projects wherever possible.
14. You didn't link social media profiles.
Linked social networks let potential customers share your content with friends who would eventually become interested in your brand. So, make sure to connect Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Snapchat, Reddit, LinkedIn, Vimeo, Flickr, Blogger, WordPress, Disqus, VKontakte, StumbleUpon, Digg, Yahoo Answers, Mixi, MeetUp, Ebay, Etsy, Fiverr, and others.
15. You didn't place the monetization button next to your title.
Placing the monetization icon alongside your video description ensures that visitors can easily understand its purpose. Plus, it gives you greater control over what you wish to display on different platforms.
16. You added irrelevant tags.
Tags act as filters that narrow down your audience base. But please remember that relevant tags lead to higher visibility, whereas distracting ones get ignored completely. Ideally, you'd want both sets of tags to perform equally well.
17. You inserted inappropriate keywords.
Keyword stuffing is a big no-no whenever advertising anything online. Doing so makes you look desperate and lowquality. On the contrary, inserting targeted keywords that relate closely to your niche produces better ROI.
18. You didn't take advantage of suggested terms.
Suggested terms are similar titles that appear automatically beneath popular searches. Since YouTube doesn't offer enough inventory space to host all of them, users tend to overlook them. Try including recommended words throughout your video and on related articles so viewers can discover them later.
19. You skipped step #2 in creating templates.
Templates are preconfigured layouts that save you time and effort. Although you can skip this part if you already had a template ready, it's still necessary to follow this guide to ensure your design appears uniform across various devices.
20. You opted out of YouTube Partner Program.
By opting out of YouTube Partner program, you remove the possibility of receiving direct compensation for views. Thus, if you're planning to monetise your channel soon, you should consider joining the program now.
21. You didn't activate your PayPal account.
PayPal is a widely accepted method of sending payments worldwide. While it provides numerous benefits, it also comes with risks. One such issue relates to fraudsters impersonating buyers, requesting funds ahead of delivery. Avoid falling victim by activating your PayPal account prior to submitting requests for payment.
22. You chose wrong category.
Make sure that your selected category best reflects your content. Otherwise, you'll end up losing precious impressions.
23. You removed AdSense widget.
Removing the AdSense widget means missing out on the opportunity to earn royalties for everyone viewing the video. Removing it temporarily wouldn't hurt much, however. Just tap the wrench icon located beside your video player and choose either Play Without Ads or Remove From Video.
24. You didn't apply for review mode.
Review Mode lets you test a piece of content without publishing it publicly. Applying for it enables you to experiment freely without worrying about negative feedback.
25. You forgot to switch off autoplay.
Autoplay prevents viewers from pausing videos halfway through. When autoplay kicks in, users tend to lose focus and zone out. Turning it off forces them to pay closer attention.
26. You turned off comments.
Comments serve as a valuable source of engagement, helping viewers feel involved and express themselves openly. They further boost the appeal of your content. Turn on commenting functionality to encourage interaction between you and fans.
27. You deleted previous versions.
Deleting previously published videos will reduce the likelihood of earning commissions from subsequent sales. Unless you plan on releasing a series of episodes, delete old copies rather than leaving them untouched.
28. You didn't adjust default playback speed.
Most people prefer slower speeds when consuming video content. Tweaking the default playback speed lowers the amount of clicks needed to advance ten seconds forward.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.