The internet has a lot of myths and misconceptions about the way it works -- one of them being that getting thousands of people's attention in an instant will earn you millions of dollars overnight. That may have been true back when videos were uploaded directly through video sharing sites like Vimeo or Veoh, but now everyone wants their content up on the world's largest streaming platform, YouTube.
YouTube is home to billions of users, making it the second most popular website after Google (the first place). And with every new upload comes another opportunity for viewers to watch your vlogs, memes, short films, etc., as well as comment on what they liked and share it across social media platforms.
But here's the thing, while there are some channels which can be made successful by just uploading a few videos, others require consistent work hours, effort, marketing strategies, and plenty of other factors before seeing any profits at all. If you want to know how to get started monetizing your channel on YouTube, we've got you covered below!
Before we go into details about how you'll actually start earning money from YouTube, let us take a moment to understand how YouTube itself makes money. As mentioned earlier, YouTube is owned by Google, so part of its revenue comes from advertising space. The rest of the company's income comes from subscription fees paid by content creators who use the site.
So if you're wondering how long it takes to see some cash coming into your account, the answer lies in the amount of views each video gets.
When YouTube was launched in 2005, it didn't allow anyone to post videos. At the time, this wasn't because it wanted to keep competitors away, but rather due to technical limitations. However, once those restrictions were lifted, the number of registered accounts shot up dramatically. That means more users meant more advertisers vying for ad placements. So even though YouTube doesn't disclose exact numbers, it's safe to say that the total number of views per day is somewhere around 2 billion.
Now, since the average minute spent watching a clip online clocks in at 20 minutes, that would mean that roughly 10% of these users are tuning in to your original footage. But that's not where the math stops. Most services don't count repeat views, meaning if someone watched your video yesterday, today, and tomorrow, only the two latter counts towards your earnings.
With all said and done, if you manage to draw enough eyeballs to your clips over several days, then yes, you could potentially make a living off of YouTube. Some creators managed to achieve this feat early on by creating viral hits, such as Psy and Logan Paul, both of whom earned millions within months of posting. However, it isn't as easy as it sounds. In fact, it took years of hard work for Chriselle Lim, whose success story inspired countless aspiring YouTuber, to finally break free from her 9-to-5 job to become a full-time creator.
In 2016, she told Forbes that she had generated revenues worth between $1-$3 million during 2015 alone. She also added that "a thousand views" might bring in "$20-$50," depending on the type of video. And according to Tubefilter, PewDiePie, considered among the highest earners on YouTube, pulls down nearly $7 million annually thanks to his efforts.
While most people won’t ever reach “millionaire status” via YouTube, it definitely is possible to generate passive incomes without having to spend too much time doing so. Just remember, it takes a LOT of dedication, consistency, and skill to build a solid fanbase on the platform.
As stated above, figuring out exactly how much you'd earn from a single view is pretty difficult. Since YouTube provides no specific data regarding this topic, you'll probably find different estimates from various sources. For example, TubeFilms claims that you'll receive approximately $0.001/view based on their own research. On the other hand, SocialBlade states that the rate ranges anywhere from 0.0004 cents to 0.0011 cents/view.
There's also the matter of whether you should consider non-original content. As previously discussed, original producers usually enjoy better returns than those who simply repost existing footage elsewhere. One exception to this rule seems to be TikTok, as many creators there report receiving payments as high as $2.85/video. This might seem outrageous until you realize that each TikTok user watches an average of 4.6 videos per month — compared to the aforementioned statistic of 20 minutes per viewing session.
Of course, if you decide to focus solely on originals, there are still numerous ways to increase your chances of garnering good viewership. Here are a couple things to try next time you create a new video:
Use hashtags relevant to your niche. When searching for trending topics, Twitter tends to favor posts that include certain keywords. Similarly, using popular tags on Instagram helps boost engagement. By tagging your videos accordingly, you give your audience something fresh to look forward to.
Give your followers incentive to engage. Many creators offer exclusive behind-the-scenes glimpses inside their production process, giveaways, discounts, and similar perks to sweeten the deal. Think of creative incentives that appeal to your target audience. A simple shoutout to your loyal fans could go a long way.
Consider putting ads in your videos. While it's common knowledge that advertisements suck traffic away from websites, YouTube offers a solution for businesses looking to market products or brands. Companies can either purchase dedicated spots in users' feeds, add text overlays, or insert preroll commercials. There are pros and cons involved with each option, however, so check out our guide on inserting ads in videos to learn everything you need to know.
Try submitting to affiliate programs. Affiliate links are often placed near product descriptions. Once clicked, you earn commission whenever customers buy the advertised item. Although this approach requires additional promotion, it pays big dividends. According to Wpromote, top influencers are able to pull in commissions ranging from $10 to $40+ per sale.
These tips aren't going to guarantee you huge sums of money straightaway, but they will help improve your odds of generating buzz. After all, the best way to succeed is persistence.
If you're determined to turn your passion project into a real business, then you might want to check out Patreon. It allows regular patrons to donate funds monthly toward supporting artists. Creators can set their own price points, determine their royalty rates, and choose who receives royalties. Donations come with benefits like personalized interaction, access to patron-only streams, and special updates. Even if you never intend to charge anything upfront, you can always ask supporters to contribute to future projects.
Getting a whole lotta views for your latest creation doesn't necessarily translate to cold, hard cash. Besides, while it's great to rack up views, it's important to note that quality beats quantity. To put it bluntly, if you plan on building a sustainable career out of YouTube, you must produce engaging content. Here's what John Rampton says in his book How to Sell Your Ideas to Capitalists:
People tend to think that ideas are worthless commodities. They aren't. People are willing to pay for ideas. They can be valuable assets. All ideas are equal in terms of value. What determines their value is the person bringing them forth. Great ideas belong to whoever brings them forth. Bad ideas live in the minds of their originators.
To illustrate his point, he notes that the very same idea can be conceived differently by two separate individuals. Thus, it becomes easier to identify the source of a bad idea than a mediocre one. He adds that the difference between the former and later lies in the execution.
This explains why some creators struggle to establish themselves despite producing excellent material. Their lacklustre content fails to captivate audiences. Conversely, those who invest considerable resources into their creations typically reap positive results. With that in mind, we recommend trying out some of these approaches:
Create compelling headlines. Headlines sell. Whether you write them yourself or hire a professional copywriter, crafting catchy titles goes a long way. Try experimenting with variations, testing out slightly longer ones versus shorter ones. Also, avoid generic phrases like "new video." Instead, describe the main takeaway of your clip in the title.
Make your thumbnail stand out. Thumbnails play a crucial role in attracting eyes. Create intriguing thumbnails that showcase your unique style or personality. Avoid overcrowded images that feature multiple elements crammed together.
Don't forget to optimize. Ensure that your description contains pertinent information that potential watchers will care about. Including hyperlinks to related videos or articles can encourage clicks. Consider placing calls to action buttons wherever applicable. Lastly, ensure that subtitles match the tone and flow of your audio track.
Engage your audience. Give them reasons to stay engaged throughout your content. Remember to capitalize upon opportunities to interact with commenters. Respond to queries, address concerns, and thank people for staying interested.
It’s not unusual for creators who have been working consistently and steadily over the years to reach their dreams of making it big in Hollywood after all these years. While success stories are always inspiring, it can be easy to lose sight of what actually drives revenue growth — the number of people that view your content or watch your videos — especially if you're new.
So let's look at some basic numbers about how many views you need to earn money as an online creator. The information here will help you understand why monetizing your channel makes sense when compared to other options. We'll also talk about whether certain channels are better than others for generating income. Let's start with a quick overview of what makes up "views" on YouTube (and elsewhere).
For this article, we used data from analytics platform Parabola.com, which monitors millions of video sites across the web including Facebook Live, TikTok, Twitter Moments, Instagram Stories, Reddit, and Snapchat Discover.
Here's how long each type of view lasts:
A standard view duration on most platforms is one minute. In comparison, a social media post might last anywhere between 15 seconds and 2 minutes depending on where it falls within its respective newsfeed. A viral tweet may go live for around 5-10 minutes but the real peak time is usually between 30 to 60 minutes later. And an original clip uploaded via Vine typically stays active for 10 minutes before being removed by the user.
Viewing on mobile devices tends to shorten viewing times because users tend to browse them while doing something else like scrolling through messages or browsing photos. Viewing on desktop computers doesn't seem to affect viewing durations significantly since viewers are likely to click on links or play embedded video clips regardless of device usage.
With all this in mind, it should come as no surprise that different types of creators require varying amounts of views to generate significant revenues. For example, according to Parabola, the top earning streamer on Twitch has racked up nearly 4 million total hours watched during 2019 thus far. Meanwhile, the average subscriber count for every single channel on Disney+ currently sits at just under 500K. Clearly there are major differences in audience size and engagement levels across various streaming services.
To put things into perspective, here's a breakdown of popular YouTuber earnings per view using Parabola data. As you can see, the amount they receive per view varies widely based on viewer demographics and geographic location. Keep reading to find out exactly how many views you need to earn $500 on YouTube.
If you plan to use YouTube to grow your brand and attract followers, then it only makes sense to know how to create engaging content that generates high volumes of traffic. But if you want to turn your channel into an actual source of passive income, consider learning how to leverage tools such as Google Analytics to track your viewership trends so you can improve upon your efforts moving forward.
The best way to determine what kind of views you need to achieve financial goals is to consult statistics specific to your niche. According to our research, a typical vlogger needs approximately 150 unique visitors daily to bring home roughly $250 per month from advertising alone. However, this figure does vary wildly based on factors such as demographic targeting, ad placement strategy, etc., which is why you should consult industry experts to learn about monetization strategies that work best for your particular situation.
In addition to building a sustainable business, another important aspect of growing any company is finding ways to scale without spending too much money. To illustrate this point further, consider the following examples: If a vlogger wants to earn $1,000 monthly from his channel, he would need to drive approximately 20,000 total views daily to hit this goal. On the other hand, someone hoping to break even on his channel would need just 50,000 views daily to pull off that feat.
As you can tell, the difference between driving 20k vs 50k views daily is pretty drastic. So if you're trying to maximize profit potential, it's probably worth your while to focus on maximizing your visibility rather than focusing solely on increasing your follower counts. Once you've got a sizable audience subscribing to your channel however, don't forget to keep promoting your brand regularly to ensure higher retention rates. Otherwise, you could end up losing those precious subscribers!
Let's say you were wondering how many views it takes to become financially independent thanks to your own personal brand on YouTube. Here's what you'd discover if you decided to measure yourself against the biggest earners on the network: When looking at YouTube overall, the average annual subscription rate was $6.69/month among creators with more than 100k subscribers. That means that a vlogger with 100k subscribers generated enough page impressions to support himself or herself for less than two weeks.
However, when breaking down the results by country, the U.S. came out on top with an impressive $13.97/year average monthly income. Creators in North America made almost double the average global salary annually.
This trend isn't surprising considering the fact that Americans spend twice as much time watching TV as opposed to other countries. It stands to reason that they consume more internet content overall, leading to higher consumption of digital entertainment. Additionally, several studies show that Americans spend more time researching products online than anyone else. All told, this translates to longer exposure to ads, ultimately resulting in higher payouts.
On the flipside, creators whose audiences primarily reside outside the U.S. earned slightly less per year ($5.06) globally on average. These figures aren't representative of a person's lifetime earnings potential. Rather, they simply reflect what percentage of individuals worldwide earned enough revenue to sustain themselves on their channels for a given period of time (i.e. 12 months).
Overall, the highest paying region in terms of YouTube subscriptions was South Korea, followed closely by Japan. Interestingly, China ranked near the bottom of the list despite having the largest population in the world. Perhaps local culture plays a role in limiting consumerism and inhibiting spending habits.
According to Parabola, the average individual views 648 videos per day on YouTube, which works out to about 22 videos per week. At this pace, it would take a vlogger more than five full years to upload 52 new videos specifically optimized to rack up 1000 views. Of course, this assumes that said vlogger continues uploading fresh content on a weekly basis throughout those five years.
More realistically speaking, it would take a dedicated creator somewhere between four to six months to accumulate 1000 views on a consistent basis. However, to give you a rough estimate, a vlogger with fewer than 100k subscribers who averages 2.2 million views per episode would take more than three years to meet this milestone.
Of course, the above calculation is contingent on your ability to convert eyeballs into dollars. After all, if you had half a billion views instead of half a million views, that would change everything.
When comparing your performance to established influencers in your field, it helps to remember that they started producing content earlier than you did. They spent more time perfecting their craft, establishing strong ties with fans, and honing their marketing skills. Since starting their journey, they've built loyal followings and turned their hobbies into successful careers.
While you shouldn't underestimate the value of hard work and persistence, it's critical to acknowledge that the odds are stacked heavily against you until you've already proven your mettle on multiple fronts. No matter how promising your ideas may sound, nothing beats putting in the necessary legwork required to produce quality content consistently over time. If you haven't done so yet, you must first master your craft before pursuing additional opportunities.
One thing to note is that it's possible to earn substantial profits from streams on other platforms besides YouTube. Consider creating your own podcast, publishing exclusive interviews, selling merch, licensing your photography or artwork, hosting events, launching merchandise lines, etc. There are plenty of creative ways to capitalize on your talent beyond traditional advertising campaigns.
Looking for more insight on how to build your YouTube empire? Check out our guide detailing how to approach monetization. Then, sign up for our free newsletter below to stay updated on the latest trends in the ever-changing online video space. Finally, feel free to share your thoughts and feedback in the comments section below.
If you've ever wondered whether it's worth paying for a few thousand YouTube views or if the free option will suffice, we're here to clear up some of your questions and teach you everything you need to know about making money with YouTube.
So what exactly does one million views mean in terms of revenue generation for content creators like YouTubers? How long would it take to hit that milestone based on current rates? And are there any other numbers you should be aware of when deciding between paying for a service like Viewbix or just getting your views through organic means? Let's find out together!
The short answer is no. But don't fret too badly because this isn't as bad as it sounds. Why not think of it this way — instead of viewing each view as an individual transaction, let's consider them as subscriptions. So rather than earning money every time someone watches something, you'll earn a monthly fee every month they watch. That makes sense right?!
Now with that said, even though these fees aren't going directly into their bank accounts, many popular YouTuber channels have enough fans who pay attention to their videos regularly that they can actually support themselves off of advertising alone. It might sound impossible but I assure you, once your channel gains traction and popularity you'll see yourself reaching over one billion views within years.
But before we move onto those figures, keep in mind that there are two types of income streams: passive and active. Passive refers to recurring payments whereas active refers to one-time transactions. For example, if you were to buy a car today, you'd probably call it "active" since you only own that vehicle until you sell/trade/destroy it. However, if you bought a house last year, then that purchase could fall under the category of "passive." Now that being said, most successful YouTubers tend to focus entirely on passive income streams (e.g. sponsorships) while others choose to mix both methods depending on their preferences. Regardless, all earnings come after expenses such as hosting costs, equipment purchases, etc.
As mentioned previously, it varies by creator but generally speaking, most YouTubers make around $0.0005–$1 per video viewed (and sometimes less). The average amount earned per view depends largely upon factors such as audience size, subscriber count, ad performance, engagement rate, etc. Some top earners pull down well over ten times that number, however. In fact, according to Tubefilter, Logan Paul was able to bring home nearly half a million dollars in 2018 simply by posting his now infamous suicide forest clip.
Keep in mind that the higher your viewership is relative to your competition, the better chance you have at earning big bucks. Just remember to factor in production cost, overhead, marketing efforts, and other variables so you can accurately gauge your potential earnings. If you want to learn more about this topic specifically, check out our article explaining why YouTubers make almost zero cents per view.
To give you an idea of where things stand currently, here are some stats that show how much people usually make from their vlogs and instructional series:
In 2016, Pew Research Center reported that the median annual household income among U.S. internet users aged 18 to 29 was roughly between $20,000-$30,000. According to another report released earlier this year, more than 75 percent of Americans own smartphones. We use phones everyday, which means that anyone with decent smartphone reception has access to high quality online streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, HBO Max, CBS All Access, NBC Sports Gold, Sling TV, etc. With that being said, it's safe to say that the majority of U.S. households spend somewhere between 2 hours–3 hours daily watching various kinds of media. Even with low viewer counts, these platforms still generate billions of dollars annually.
According to Forbes, the highest grossing celebrity of 2020 was Jake Gyllenhaal whose net worth reached approximately $320 million thanks mostly to ticket sales for his movies Nightcrawler ($73M), Don’t Breathe ($28M), Okja ($23M), Mel Gibson’s Passion Of Christ ($21M), Holmes & Watson ($19M), and Enemy ($18M). While he wasn't the highest earner overall, Tom Holland's Spiderman: Far From Home made close to $100 million worldwide during its first weekend despite having relatively small viewership numbers.
For 2021, data shows that Bill Gates' net worth rose by 6% to $106B. He continued to hold the title of world’s richest person throughout the entire year. To put things into perspective, Gates' wealth doubled in 2019 compared to 2018. Much of his rise came from Microsoft stock, which increased by 47% to reach $107 billion. His total assets also jumped up by 13%. On the flip side, Jeff Bezos saw his fortune decrease slightly by 0.2%, likely due to losses in investments related to COVID-19 pandemic. His net worth stood at approximately $110 billion.
This question typically comes up whenever someone wants to know how much money they can expect to earn given a certain number of subscribers. Unfortunately, there's no straight answer to this query because it differs greatly from creator to creator. There are many reasons behind this including genre preference, style of content, type of platform, etc.
Let me break down my thoughts on this matter. First, keep in mind that the goal is to maximize profits, not necessarily monetize views. As stated above, viewers may tune in for entertainment purposes or to help solve problems. Either way, the end result is still the same. Second, consider how valuable your content is. Is it informational, educational, entertaining, emotional, spiritual, humorous, etc.? Also, understand that it takes more than just views to create great content. You need to develop original ideas, plan ahead strategically, execute flawlessly, etc. Lastly, always look at the big picture. What kind of future plans are you pursuing? Are you looking to produce more work in general or are you aiming to build a brand? Do you intend to become a business owner eventually? Once you figure out what direction you want to go in, start thinking of ways to increase your viewership.
Here are some rough estimates provided by Tubefilter that illustrate the value of gaining 100k followers on YouTube:
A new study conducted by eMarketer states that 53 percent of millennials prefer using YouTube over other social media sites. Another survey showed that 45 percent of teens ages 12 to 17 watch YouTube clips on a regular basis. These statistics are especially significant considering that the older generations aren't quite as fond of the format yet.
These findings suggest that marketers should prioritize building relationships with younger audiences on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and Pinterest. One thing to note is that while most companies continue to invest heavily in traditional television ads, digital spending continues to grow exponentially. A recent Wall Street Journal report found that brands spent twice as much on digital marketing in Q4 2020 versus Q4 2019. Furthermore, studies indicate that consumers increasingly rely on mobile devices for research, shopping, decision-making, and education, therefore creating opportunities for influencers to play key roles in driving conversions.
With all that being said, if you're planning to establish yourself as a full-blown personality, you'll definitely want to aim to gain upwards of 200k subscribers. At least 500k followers will allow you to appear alongside bigger names on trending lists and help boost your credibility. Here's a breakdown of how much you'll need to achieve different goals on YouTube:
To reach 10k subs: 3 months x $0.000025 = $75
To reach 50k subs: 5 months x $0.000008 = $50
To reach 100k subs: 8 months x $0.00007 = $63
To reach 150k subs: 14 months x $0.000134 = $85
To reach 200k subs: 21 months x $0.001379 = $305
To reach 250k subs: 28 months x $0.004263 = $931
To reach 300k subs: 35 months x $0.006802 = $1412
To reach 350k subs: 43 months x $0.010349 = $1799
To reach 400k subs: 52 months x $0.014680 = $2457
To reach 450k subs: 63 months x $0.018983 = $2996
To reach 500k subs: 78 months x $0.024862 = $3888
To reach 550k subs: 85 months x $0.031682 = $4895
To reach 600k subs: 102 months x $0.041549 = $6289
To reach 700k subs: 120 months x $0.052660 = $7273
To reach 800k subs: 144 months x $0.069036 = $9432
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.