If you have a YouTube channel, then you need to learn how to make money on YouTube. There are about 2 billion active monthly users on YouTube, which is no doubt a big audience.
Also, the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) formed to enable creators to monetize their content on the platform boasts over a million creators meaning lots of users are already cashing out from YouTube.
That said, if you are interested in making money online via YouTube, then you are in the right place. In this post, we will be discussing some smart ways you can monetize your YouTube channel in 2020 either as a creator or without shooting videos.
How To Make Money On YouTube As A Creator
It’s quite possible to make a killing on YouTube but creating high-quality video content that goes viral can be difficult, hence YouTube is not the easiest way to make money online as a content creator.
Here are some actionable strategies you can use to jump-start your earnings on YouTube.
1. Drive Traffic To Your Website
YouTube can help you drive traffic to your website. Video content is one of the most popular types of content among internet users today as people typically find videos more interesting and engaging than text and image content.
So how can this drive traffic to your blog?. Re-purpose the content on your website into videos and create new videos related to your business or community in general, publish these videos on your YouTube channel and add a link to your website in the video descriptions.
The more views your videos garner, the more the number of people who are likely to check out your website/blog, thus effectively driving traffic to your page.
2. Sign Up To The YouTube Partner Program
The YouTube Partner Program allows creators on the platform to monetize appropriate content. When you join the program, YouTube will pay you for ads placed on your videos as well as views on your videos.
To be eligible to join the YPP, your channel needs to have at least 1000 subscribers and not less than 4,000 watch hours in the past 1 year.
Once your channel has been approved for monetization, remember to comply with YouTube’s advertiser-friendly policies to monetize your uploads.
3. Start A Web Series
If you have fun and quirky ideas for TV shows, you can use YouTube to kick-start your screenwriting/producer/director career.
Whether it is a talk show where you discuss trending and controversial topics or a TV series, there is really no limitation to the ideas you can turn into videos, provided they are in compliance with YouTube’s video policies.
People like Issa Rae started out on YouTube with her Awkward Black Girl series and today she’s a Hollywood actress and producer.
Now, while there’s no assurance you will make it to the big screen with your TV series, this is a proven way on how to make money on YouTube.
4. Make Reviews/ Tutorial Videos
If you are knowledgeable enough on any subject, then you can share that knowledge with your followers via reviews and tutorials and make money.
As a matter of fact, one of the highest-paid YouTubers, Ryan ToysReview tests and reviews toys on his channel.
Ryan, who by the way is a 7year old boy has millions of views on his videos and has made $22 million so far from his YouTube channel.
So find a topic you love, create content around it and you might just be on your way to becoming a YouTube made millionaire.
5. Sell Merchandise
Selling your own merchandise is another way to make money on YouTube.
You can use your videos to promote your product – create content using the product, feature people who have bought it, and so on.
Remember to add a call to action in your videos to persuade your viewers to buy the products. It is also important that you add your store’s link in the video description to direct users to where they can purchase the product.
If you haven’t set up a website to handle your purchases, you can enable the shelf feature on the YouTube Partners Program to enable you to sell your products.
6. Make Use Of Keywords
On YouTube, every minute, over 300 hours of video are uploaded and on a daily basis, people watch about 5 billion videos on the platform.
Essentially, there is no shortage of videos on YouTube and the competition is fierce.
To stand out in your niche, you must ensure that your videos are optimized for search by making use of keywords in your metadata – video’s description, tags, and title. Find the relevant keywords in your niche and use them well to maximize the presence of your videos.
7. Become An Affiliate Marketer
If you are looking for how to make money on YouTube, then you should consider affiliate marketing.
You can sign up for influencer marketplaces and Youbute affiliate programs.
You can also get in contact with brands in your niche with a proposal about the services you can offer to them. Companies typically partner with creators who have many subscribers and whose content aligns with their target market.
So it is important to build a large and loyal subscriber base that brings a lot of engagement before you try out affiliate marketing.
The best thing about this type of affiliate marketing on YouTube is that you don’t have to share a percentage of your fee with YouTube as the brand negotiates directly with you and pays you directly as well.
Videos are more expensive and difficult to produce, which makes YouTube the highest-paid platform for influencer marketing and brand partnerships. This can be one of your biggest revenue streams on YouTube.
8. Make Your Fans Pay You
If you have built a large fan base on your YouTube channel, then you can make extra income by getting them to pay you directly.
The first way is via Super Chat. Here, fans pay for your live chat stream and whenever you go live, their comments are pinned and highlighted to make them more visible to you.
Your subscribers can also pay to become channel members and in return, YouTube gives them badges, custom emojis, and exclusive access to members only Live Chat sessions.
Your fans can pay to be premium subscribers on YouTube and you get a share of their subscription fee whenever they watch your videos.
However, most subscribers won’t just sign up for these features so it is your part to convince them to put in money and become members.
9. Use Crowdfunding
If you need money, whether for personal reasons or capital for a YouTube-related project, you can solicit for funds from your subscribers.
It’s called crowdfunding and it’s a popular way of how to make money on YouTube. You can set up an account for your crowdfunding cause on platforms like GoFundMe, Patreon, or Kickstarter.
Promote your crowdfunding campaign and try to get your audience excited about your idea or project. You can do this with a video explaining the project in detail as well as the perks of contributing to your campaign.
10. License Your Content To The Media
Another smart way to make money on YouTube is to license your content to the media.
If you have a viral video on your channel, chances are, many news outlets will want to feature it on their channels and before they can use your videos, they have to get your permission.
To give these parties the right to use your videos, you have to license your videos to the media. Basically, you give them permission to play your videos in exchange for money.
Alternatively, instead of waiting for any media outlet to reach out to you, you can list your viral videos on a site like Jukin Media to make it easier for potential buyers to find you and buy the right to use your video.
How To Make Money On YouTube Without Shooting Videos.
YouTube like a ton of online platforms, has changed lives and made dreams come through.
Since you have read this post up to this point, it appears that you wish to learn how to make money on YouTube without filming or going in front of the camera.
Now, just like you, a ton of people do want to earn a living on YouTube, and just like you, they have the same problem.
Being on camera!
Like with acting, only a hand full of people can truly kick it on camera as great, as they do off-camera.
You could be the most eloquent, confident, and self-assured person alive, but when it comes to staring at the blinking light and acting natural? everything goes to hell.
You could have the best ideas, and are able to provide great value daily that could change so many lives, if you could just get in front of the camera. but when you do, it feels like you just had a lobotomy!
Like most people also, you have asked the “is this it for me?” question. Just because I’m terrible in front of the camera, does this really mean that I should erase earning a living on YouTube from my bucket list/dream board?
Well, it isn’t the end my friend. Apart from earning a living on YouTube by means of a James dean/Marylin Monroe act, below highlights one other way you can earn a living on YouTube without having to get in front of the camera!
Step 1. Pick a niche
When it comes to YouTube videos, people love to know that hey, if I go to blah blah blah’s channel, I can find a ton of videos of funny cats.
People who use YouTube like to know that there is a specific channel they can go to at any time to get their fill of something they enjoy.
Armed with this knowledge, you are one step closer to kicking off your YouTube career.
Before you launch your channel, you have to pick a niche.
Let’s say for instance that you help people get fit, instead of saying that you work in fitness, you could say that you are a fitness trainer who helps men perform in Olympic lifting, and helps them with quick paleo diet recipes for strength.
With the example above, you can quickly and easily connect with people who are looking for your exact kind of fitness service in the fitness industry.
Fitness is the industry; helping men perform in Olympic lifting, and helping them with quick paleo diet recipes for strength, is your niche.
So, for your YouTube channel, choose an industry, and a niche within the industry to work with.
It’s usually best to choose something you enjoy because hey, when you enjoy your job, it stops feeling like a chore.
Step 2. Craft a video
Now that you have chosen a niche, the next step would be to craft your first video that would push you one step further in the direction that rakes the $’s in.
Since you would not be getting in front of the camera or shooting your own videos, the only thing left to do, would be to use other people’s videos.
I bet you know that you can’t just lift a person’s video and repost on your own channel to make money off of it. YouTube is very strict in that regard.
Now that YouTube doesn’t just allow you to lift and repost videos, what do you do?
The answer would be to find royalty-free videos on YouTube, and then make them yours.
How do you know which of these videos are royalty-free, and how to make them yours? I bet you are wondering.
The creative commons section on YouTube is where you can find these videos that you can use without getting the stink eye from the YouTube bots.
Let’s say I plan on delving into a dog training niche. I would go to the creative commons section, and download two or three videos on how to manage your more aggressive dog pets.
Next, I would mash them up, by cutting up bits of the videos and putting them together to create a new video. Using free tools like iMovie, and other free video editing software, Is the way to go.
The next thing I would do would be to make my channel and videos more professional.
This way, after growing this channel to become an excellent money-making machine, I can actually sell it off to other brands or individuals that would pay top dollar for it (another great way to rake in the $)
One way would be to get a professionally done intro and outro. Both intro and outro helps to tie all the videos on your channel together nicely with the channel’s theme.
Getting this professional intro and outro done doesn’t have to be mighty expensive, and can be done by employing the services of a professional on Fiverr or Upwork.
To get a better understanding of what an intro looks like, and why it is important, this link has all the answers (add YouTube video link)
Step 3. Optimization
Now, before you go to upload your first YouTube video, think about the tons of channels and videos that talk about exactly the same thing your channel and videos would be entered on.
How do you get visibility/reach your target audience, and not get overshadowed by these already successful channels with a ton of videos with millions of views?
Metadata! that’s your answer!
What is metadata exactly? metadata are keywords/tags that are relevant to your channel and its videos that help you gain visibility.
They help your videos and channel stay afloat and relevant/rank when your prospective audience and viewers search for videos and channels like yours.
It’s one thing to find the relevant keywords/tags, and it’s another to properly use them.
By inserting these keywords/tags into your video titles, descriptions, and video tags, is how to make the most of your metadata.
One easy way to find these keywords and tags to use in your metadata, would be to search for top videos that are like the one you are planning to upload on your channel.
When you find videos that have views in hundreds of thousands and millions, copy out the repeated keywords they use in their titles, descriptions, and in the tag section directly under the video in question.
There are software that can help you copy the tags of a high ranking video, and use it in yours. Tubebuddy and videoIQ are excellent.
With metadata, you keep yourself from sinking to the bottom of the dark, and never to be heard from again side of YouTube.
Step 4. Monetization (my favorite part!)
The whole point of this section is to help you earn a living on YouTube without having to pick up the camera. Earnings that could go from $100 to $1000 a day, and I’m glad that you stuck around to this high point.
There are a ton of ways you can make money on YouTube with your created channel, and the first way is to help someone sell their product.
There are affiliate programs all over the world that are just looking for people like you to help promote their products.
Now, let’s say that your channel is based on dog training, all you need to do is find affiliate programs that carry products that cater to your channel’s niche, and help promote their products to your teeming viewers.
When your viewers buy like say a dog training product like a course or tool, you get a commission. You can find an in-depth explanation on how to grow your YouTube channel here.
The second way would be to create your own product.
Let’s say once again that your channel is centered on dog training. you can create similar dog training products like the ones you promote as an affiliate, to your audience.
You can get on Udemy, get some of their very affordable dog training courses, learn from them, and piece together your very own superior quality dog training course.
The third way to monetize your YouTube channel would be to partner with the YouTube google AdSense program.
When you hit the 1 thousand subscriber mark and get four thousand views on your channel, you can apply and get accepted into the YouTube partnership program.
Here, YouTube places relevant ads in your videos, and each time a person watches an ad/clicks through, you get a commission that then gets paid to you on a set day every month.
With a channel like the one about dog training, you can ultimately up your content range as the channel grows to include funny videos, or whatever is hot in the dog world at the moment.
The possibilities are endless!
How Much Do YouTubers Make?
For sponsored ads, influencers usually charge per subscribers as brands are often more interested in reaching a wider audience.
Moderately successful influencers can charge an average of $20 per 1000 subscribers for sponsored content.
For regular YouTube ads placed in the videos of creators on YouTube’s Partner Program, advertisers on YouTube typically pay an average of $0.10 to $0.30 per view.
However, the amount of money YouTube pays creators is dependent on a variety of factors such as audience size, demographics, quality of your content, engagement, and your relevance in your niche.
Your CPM (cost per 1000 views) rate can also vary based on the type of advertisers who want to work with you and the location of the viewers the content is targeted at.
Generally, no creator had the same CPM rate consistently.
Conclusion
There you have it, I hope this blog has provided you with great insight, and value in regards to the next step to take on your YouTube career journey. It is not recommended that you take your YouTube channel to be your sole source of income, especially when you are just starting out.
It is pertinent to understand that making money on YouTube is not a walk in the park as it can be quite challenging when you are getting started.
Nonetheless, if you are consistent and keep at it, your chances of managing a lucrative YouTube channel are higher.
