Making money on YouTube isn’t just for mega-stars anymore. In 2024, over 3 million creators earned money through YouTube’s Partner Program, with thousands making six figures or more annually.
However, here’s what most guides won’t tell you – the path to YouTube income isn’t about going viral or having millions of subscribers.
The real key? Building sustainable revenue streams through smart content strategy and efficient production.
Whether you’re a tech reviewer, lifestyle vlogger, or educational content creator, there are now more ways than ever to earn from your videos.
This guide breaks down exactly how to start making money on YouTube, from meeting basic monetization requirements to scaling multiple revenue streams.
We’ll cover proven strategies that work for channels of all sizes, plus common pitfalls to avoid.
Note: This guide focuses on practical steps and current best practices. While anyone can technically start a YouTube channel, consistent income requires dedication, quality content, and smart strategy – all of which we’ll cover in detail.
Want to take your videos to the next level?
Ways To Make Money on YouTube
There are so many ways to make money as a YouTuber and we’ll be highlighting them in this section. Some require certain thresholds to be met before earning while you can get started with others no matter your channel’s level or subscribers.
1. Join The YouTube Partner Program
The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) lets you earn money directly from your videos through ads. To qualify, you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid watch hours in the last 12 months.
Once you meet these requirements, you can enable ads on your videos and start earning revenue from them.
YouTube will display different types of ads on your content – like skippable ads, non-skippable ads, and overlay ads.
You’ll earn money based on factors like ad engagement, video length, and your audience’s location. The earnings vary widely, but most creators make between $3 to $5 per 1,000 video views.
The key to maximizing your earnings through YPP is creating content that keeps viewers watching longer, as this leads to more ad views and higher revenue.
2. Join Affiliate Programs
Want to make money while recommending products you actually use? Affiliate programs are perfect for this.
Here’s how it works: You talk about products in your videos, drop special links in your description, and earn money when your viewers buy those items. It’s as straightforward as that!
Start by joining programs like Amazon Associates (they have pretty much everything) or specific brands in your niche.
Let’s say you make gaming videos – you could link to the games, controllers, or headsets you use and earn anywhere from 4-10% when someone buys them.
The best part? Many YouTubers make $500-$2,000 monthly just from affiliate links. Just remember to be upfront with your viewers about using affiliate links – they’ll appreciate your honesty, and honest creators tend to make more sales anyway.
3. Sell Products and Merch
Got loyal fans? Turn them into customers by selling your own stuff! Most successful YouTubers start with simple merch like t-shirts, hoodies, or phone cases with their catchphrases or channel logo.
You don’t need to handle the messy parts like printing or shipping – platforms like Printful or Spring (formerly Teespring) do all that for you.
Beyond merch, think about what else you could sell. If you’re a fitness YouTuber, you might create workout plans. Teaching guitar? Sell sheet music or lesson packages.
Digital products like ebooks or courses work great too because you make them once and sell them forever.
The best part? Unlike ads or affiliate links, you keep most of the profit. Many creators earn $1,000-$5,000 monthly from product sales, and some make way more.
Just make sure you’re selling stuff your audience actually wants – ask them what they’d like to buy from you!
4. Offer Channel Membership and Subscription
Think of channel memberships as a VIP club for your biggest fans. Once you hit 1,000 subscribers, you can let viewers pay a monthly fee to get special perks.
These could be exclusive videos, custom emojis for live chats, members-only live streams, or behind-the-scenes content.
The cool thing is you set different membership tiers – maybe $4.99 for basic perks and $9.99 for premium stuff. Many creators make around $500-$3,000 monthly from memberships alone, depending on their fan base.
You’ll need to keep your members happy with regular exclusive content, but it’s worth it for the steady monthly income.
Plus, members tend to be your most engaged viewers and biggest supporters. Just remember to make the perks worth the price – if fans feel they’re getting good value, they’ll stick around longer.
5. Create Sponsored Content
Getting paid to feature products in your videos? That’s what sponsored content is all about. Once you build a decent following (usually 5,000+ subscribers), brands might reach out to pay you for mentioning their products.
Or better yet, you can contact brands yourself – many creators start at $200-$500 per mention for smaller channels, while bigger ones can earn $2,000+ per video.
The key is working with brands that fit your channel. If you make cooking videos, partnering with a cookware company makes sense. But pushing random products will turn viewers away fast.
Always be clear about sponsorships (it’s actually required by law), and only promote stuff you’d actually use.
Quality matters more than quantity here – one authentic sponsored video per month is better than weekly forced promotions that annoy your audience.
6. Enable YouTube Super Chat and Stickers
Want to make money while chatting live with your fans? That’s where Super Chat and Super Stickers come in.
During your live streams, viewers can pay to have their messages stand out in the chat or send fun animated stickers.
The cool part? The more they pay, the longer their message stays pinned at the top of the chat. Most Super Chats range from $2 to $50, though some super-fans might drop even more.
Lots of creators make $200-$1,000 per live stream this way, especially if they stream regularly. To unlock this feature, you need 1,000 subscribers and to be in the YouTube Partner Program.
The trick is making your live streams engaging – try Q&A sessions, live reactions, or gaming streams. And always thank your Super Chat supporters by name – it encourages others to join in too!
Common Pitfalls to Avoid That Can Affect Your Earnings
While there are a host of different ways to make a lot of money on YouTube, only a small percentage of creators are making a decent living from the platform.
Why’s that so? Because a lot of YouTubers are making the same mistakes — mistakes that are harming their earnings. If you avoid these pitfalls, you can boost your income from YouTube.
You may be forgiven for starting your YouTube channel using videos with poor quality. But continuing to do that as you begin to grow will hurt you.
The competition is stiff and you must stand out with quality video to gain the attention of your target audience. Quality videos will grow your channel faster.
Improve the quality of videos you produce, employ the services of professional YouTube video editors if you can afford it. This can greatly boost the quality of your videos and grow your channel.
What’s the fastest way to lose your income on YouTube? Breaking YouTube rules will probably get you there faster than any other means.
The platform is usually brutal on rule breakers, banning their accounts and sometimes prohibiting them from opening any other accounts on the platform.
Study YouTube’s guidelines and make adjustments to avoid falling foul of any rule. Some of the most commonly broken guidelines include copyrighted music, posting spam content, or making misleading thumbnails.
The saying that people buy from who they trust has never been truer. Your viewers must trust you to use your affiliate links or buy your merch. And promoting defective products that you’ve not tried before is one of the fastest ways to lose their trust.
To build trust, start by testing all the products you want to advertise and only promoting the genuine ones.
Your viewers must see you as somebody looking to help them and not just trying to cash out.
In the urge to increase their income from YouTube, most creators start promoting in every video. Sponsored posts, affiliate links, merch links, and sponsored ads everywhere.
Space them out so you don’t overwhelm your viewers. A good rule of thumb is no more than one sponsored segment per video and avoid placing more than 2-3 mid-roll ads.
YouTube favors channels that have a consistent posting schedule over those that post randomly and inconsistently. Your audience will also connect better if they know when you upload your videos.
Adopt a posting schedule and build consistently so you can grow your channel faster and boost your income.
Final Thoughts
Making money on YouTube is no myth, big channels like MrBeast and Jake Paul have proven you can make a lot of money from the platform.
With this guide showing the different ways to make this dream a reality. From YouTube’s Partner Program where you get a share of the ad revenue to brand deals where you can negotiate your income. It has never been easier!
However, this is only possible if you avoid some common pitfalls like making poor quality videos and breaking YouTube’s guidelines. Getting a professional video editing service like Your Video Editor can help you increase your earnings.
