If you’re interested in learning how to make money on YouTube, you’ll have an audience of more than 1 billion users. Personal brands and businesses alike use the powerful YouTube monetization tools.

However, it should not serve as your brand’s main website. Instead, a skilled San Diego website designer can build you a professional website to host your videos. Then, you share your content on YouTube. This will expand your reach in addition to helping you make money on YouTube from fans.

This article is a quick start guide about how to make money on YouTube.

How YouTube Monetization Tools Works

Before we jump into best ways to make money on YouTube, we want to quickly discuss how YouTube works. So, the first thing to do is create a YouTube channel where you’ll host your videos. But just merely uploading your video content will not automatically start making you money. So, ensure that you enable the ‘monetization’ feature during your account setup. This option gives you the possibility of making money from YouTube videos in the future. At that point, you can choose which monetization type you want to use.

Also, you don’t have to have millions of subscribers to make money from YouTube. But you will need to understand your audience to effectively provide them relevant content. For example, who are the people who would buy your products or services? What are the demographics?

After you have an understanding of your target audience, your next objective is engagement. Carefully consider the type of content they would be interested in. And how would you get them to click, subscribe or comment. All of this should be worked out prior to creating videos for one of the following monetization methods.

How To Make Money On YouTube

01. Become a YouTube Partner

After you create your YouTube channel, you can join the YouTube Partner Program. This gives you access to monetization tools such as display merchandise. You will also have the ability to serve ads and more.

Although joining is optional, doing so gives you access to more YouTube monetization tools. These include a merchandise shelf and premium subscription fees. Here’s how to become a YouTube partner:

Meet the YouTube Partner Program Requirements

Before you can join the program, you must already be a successful YouTuber. The criteria for joining are that your channel has 4,000 watch hours and 1,000 subscribers within the past 12 months. In short, you cannot become a YouTube Partner until you’ve met or surpassed these numbers.

Apply to join YouTube Partner Program
Provided you meet the necessary requirements, you can submit an application to join the program following these steps:

• Go to the top right of the YouTube home page. Click your account icon and select Creator Studio.
• On the left-hand side, click Channel. Then, select Status and Features.
• Under the box that says Monetization, click Enable.
• Agree to the YouTube Partner Program Terms.

Stay compliant with the policies
When you first apply, YouTube reviews your channel for compliance. Therefore, it’s wise to become acquainted with the platform’s monetization policies. Plus, each time you upload a video it must be in compliant with the rules.

Obviously, your content will be under continual review. And this includes as your channel grows and generates revenue. Also, as an accepted Partner, you will need to stay updated on the latest policies.

Set up AdSense & Review
AdSense allows you to earn money from your videos and get paid. Therefore, during the application process, set up an AdSense account. And don’t forget to associate it with your profile. You will only need one AdSense account because multiple channels can be linked to it.

Now that you’ve applied to be a YouTube Partner and created an AdSense account, your channel will be reviewed. At this point, Google will check your channel for full compliance with their policies.

Use YouTube Monetization Tools

If you’re accepted by YouTube Partner Program, congratulations! Now, you should set up your ad preferences and enable monetization. There’s a variety of YouTube monetization tools and options. However, they each have their own eligibility requirements, but all include minimum age of 18:

Channel memberships – Give special offers to channel members who make recurring monthly payments. This requires that have more than 30,000 subscribers.

Advertising revenue – Earn money by including video ads, display or overlay ads next to your content. To do this, a legal guardian must handle your payments if you’re not at least 18 years old.

Merchandise shelf – Display official branded merchandise on your watch pages for your followers to browse and buy. For this option, a minimum of 10,000 subscribers is required.

YouTube Premium Revenue – Get part of a YouTube Premium subscriber’s membership fee when they watch your videos.

Super Stickers and Super Chat – Earn money from fans who pay to get their messages highlighted in chat streams. Of course, you’ll need to live in a country where Super Chat is available.
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02. Sell Merchandise

Another way to make money on YouTube is by selling merchandise. You have a few options here. Offer products you already sell on other platforms. Or, create unique products based on your channel’s content. Either way, ensure that your channel has lots of subscribers before you start creating products. Ultimately, you’re far more likely to make sales if you already have fans.

And if you don’t have beautiful images of your products, get some! Our graphic designers can design beautiful packaging for your products. You can also check with the professional graphic designers at Vizons Design.

03. License To The Media

As most of us marketers know, usually content doesn’t go viral. But when it does, many sites, including news outlets will pay to replay your content. In this case, you can earn money by licensing it to the media. So, charge them a license fee for permission to use it.

If you expect your video may go viral, make sure your contact information is front and center. This makes it easier for media and other sites to get in touch to license it. Also, you can add your content to a video rights marketplace. This will make it easily accessible to organizations who decide to license its use.

04. Create Sponsored Content

Becoming an influencer is every marketer’s dream. If you’ve reached that level, you can make money on YouTube with sponsored content. With a large and engaged following, you may have the opportunity to profit by endorsing branded products.

Do your research – In the event that this happens, you should first find a brand to sponsor. But they may also reach out to you for a collaboration. Unless you already use their products or service, do your research before promoting them. And a good rule of thumb is to endorse products that you genuinely believe in. Otherwise, endorsing them just for the money without research is doing your fans a great disservice. And don’t forget that while some companies will gift free products in exchange for sponsorship, others require payment.

Create branded content – There are several ways to promote a brand on your channel to generate revenue. For instance, include their products in your video. Or you can create videos specifically focused on a particular brand. Since beauty products is a booming industry, including them as part of a makeup tutorial is ideal.

05. Become An Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketing is a way to sponsor brands and products. As such, they will provide a specific link to a brand’s website that tracks back to your page. Then, when people click the link and buy, you get a small commission from the sale.

When you make a sale, the brand pays you rather than just recommending their brand. Therefore, having a large fanbase is not necessary to get started. Here’s how to get started:

1. The first thing to do is join an affiliate program. There are many to choose from including Amazon Associates. Amazon is a good place to start because they offer commission up to 10%. Other popular brands include Constant Contact, Target, TripAdvisor, and more.
2. In addition to joining an affiliate program, you can reach out to them directly. Choose companies that you’re interested in promoting their products. But above all, make sure the products or services are valuable to your audience. When you contact them, explain how explain how they will benefit from the collaboration. And also how your audience ties in with their brand.
3. After obtaining an affiliate link, place it in the description of relevant videos. Also link it to appropriate content on your website. And don’t forget to incorporate their products into your videos.

Wrapping It Up

How to make money on YouTube depends on the YouTube monetization tools you choose in addition to your marketing efforts. Of course, the number of followers your channel has is also a key factor. As with most things in life, it will require hard work, experience and dedication. You could start off just making a few dollars, but with persistence, make a comfortable living out of it. With this in mind, we recommend experimenting with different monetization tools. This will help you find the option that ultimately works best for you. And hopefully, make you the most money.

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