12 Ways To Make Money on YouTube

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Over 2 million creators are making money on YouTube, and you can earn on YouTube, too. Even if you are a complete beginner or a seasoned creator, we have covered the best ways to monetize your YouTube content. 

From licensing your video content with media houses to earning from the YouTube Partner Program,  explore all the methods to generate revenue from your YouTube content.

Let’s get started!

12 Ways To Make Money On YouTube 

Here are the most popular ways to make money on YouTube. Use the following methods to monetize your YouTube content and start earning through YouTube.

1. Create a Channel and Post High-Quality Content

To make money on YouTube, you need a YouTube channel. Before posting content on YouTube, define a niche for your YouTube channel. A niche is a specific topic or interest area. Posting content related to specific topics attracts the right audience and monetizes your content. After you have defined a niche, create a YouTube channel and start posting high-quality content to earn money on YouTube. 

Thus, make sure you follow these tips to create unique content. 

• Tip 1: Plan your script and key points after a thorough research.

• Tip 2: Garner the attention of your audience

• Tip 3: Create a posting schedule and share engaging videos regularly. 

Let’s learn how to set up your YouTube Channel now: 

# How to Set up a YouTube channel 

Setting up a YouTube channel is very easy. Follow these steps to create your first YouTube channel. 

1. Step 1: Sign in to YouTube with your Google Account

2. Step 2: Click on your profile picture in the top right corner

3. Step 3: Click on "Create a channel."

Once you have set up your account, you can use it to monetize your YouTube content. While posting your YouTube videos, use relevant keywords to improve your content's visibility in search results and reach a wider audience. 

You can also add your keywords in your video title, description, and tags to attract more eyeballs to your content.  

2. Join the YouTube Partner Program

Once you have gained an audience with your content, you can earn money with the YouTube Partner Program. This program allows content creators to monetize their content and earn through YouTube videos. To be eligible for this program, you must meet certain eligibility criteria. 

# Eligibility criteria for the YouTube Partner Program:

• Have more than 1,000 subscribers on your channel for long- content 

• Gain 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months in your YouTube videos

• 10M valid public views in your YouTube shorts in the last 90 days

• Must follow YouTube's policies and guidelines

• Be a resident of a country where the program is available

• Enable 2-step verification, with this two steps will be required for signing in- a username and password followed by a code that Google will send you via text or voice message

• Have access to advanced features on YouTube

# How to join the YouTube Partner Program

Once your channel meets the watch time and views criteria, you can join the YouTube Partner Program.

To join the YouTube Partner Program, follow these steps:

1. Step 1: Open the YouTube Studio App

2. Step 2: Tap on the 'Earn' option in the menu bar

3. Step 3: Click on Apply to get started

4. Step 4:  Select the Start option

5. Step 5: Set up an Adsense account

Joining the YouTube Partner Program is the primary way to earn on YouTube. All creators start their earnings through this program. Once you become eligible for the program, you will earn based on the watch time of your videos. 

3. Earn Through Google Adsense

As a member of the YouTube Partner Program, you can also earn with Google Adsense. Adsense is a service provided by Google that allows creators to generate income by displaying ads on video content. 

When you sign up for Google AdSense and link it to your YouTube account, you can enable ads on your videos. Google AdSense then displays relevant ads to your audience based on factors like viewer demographics, interests, and content relevance.

# Learn to Set Up an AdSense Account 

To set up an AdSense account, follow these steps.

1. Step 1: Sign in with YouTube Studio and select the earn option

2. Step 2: Tap on START on the Sign-Up for Google Adsense card

3. Step 3: Enter your YouTube Password and submit your application

Once your application is approved, you will receive an email from Adsense. Upon approval, you will also receive a confirmation within YouTube Studio on the Sign Up for Google Adsense Card, indicating that your Adsense account has been approved and is active.  

# Enable Ads on Your Channel

After setting up an Adsense account, enable ads for your YouTube videos. To enable ads on your videos, consider the following steps: 

1. Step 1: Click on YouTube Studio and tap on Content

2. Step 2: Select the videos you want to monetize

3. Step 3: Click on checkboxes next to videos

4. Step 4: Select Monetization and Tap 'ON' 

Now check your Video Manager to track the videos that have started earning money. Such videos will have a green dollar sign next to them. 

4. Join the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program

You can also earn on YouTube by featuring products in your videos and earning commission on product sales. The YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program lets you tag products in your YouTube content and earn a commission when your audience buys a product featured in your videos. 

When you tag a product in your video, a shopping button will be displayed in your content. If the audience visits the product link and makes a purchase, you, as a program member, will earn a commission on the viewers’ entire purchase. 

# Eligibility Criteria for the Program

To be eligible for the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program must meet the following requirements: 

• Be a member of the YouTube Partner Program

• Have more than 20k subscribers

• To be a resident of the United States

• To not have any active strikes on the channel

• To not have a channel made exclusively for Kids

• To not have a channel associated with Music labels

# How to join the YouTube Shopping Affiliate program

Once you meet the above requirements, follow these steps to join the YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program: 

1. Step 1: Sign in to YouTube Studio and tap on ‘Earn’

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2. Step 2: Click on the Get Started section

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3. Step 3: Review and accept the terms of service

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After you join the program, start tagging products in your videos to earn commission on product sales. You can also tag products in previously published content on your channel. To track your revenue, visit the Revenue section in the YouTube Studio Analytics.

5. Earn With YouTube Channel Memberships

YouTube also allows you to earn by enabling channel memberships. Channel memberships is a YouTube service where Viewers pay a monthly fee to become channel members of their favourite creators. 

Channel memberships allow you to create a paid community. Members join such channels in exchange for perks like exclusive badges, emojis, and special access to members-only content.  As a creator, you can set the subscription fee for your channel and earn through your audience. 

# Eligibility Requirements for Channel Memberships

To enable channel memberships, you should fulfill some minimum requirements. The eligibility criteria for creators to join the channel memberships include the following:

• To be a member of the YouTube Partner Program

• To be at least 18 years old

• To be a resident of locations where channel memberships are available

• To adhere to YouTube's guidelines and policies

• To not have any active channel strikes

# How to activate channel memberships

To activate channel memberships, follow these steps: 

1. Step 1: Access YouTube Studio

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2. Step 2: Select Earn in the menu

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3. Step 3: Tap on memberships

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4. Step 4: Click on Get Started

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To earn money through channel memberships, provide your audience with exclusive, high-quality content. Engage with your audience, create custom badges, and host special live streams to interact with your audience. 

Also, actively promote your channel memberships in your videos to encourage your audience to subscribe to your channel.  

6. Create and Sell YouTube Merch

Have you always wished to create and market your own merchandise? You can generate income from your channel by creating and selling YouTube merch to your audience. To earn with merchandise on YouTube, identify the interests and preferences of your target audience and create unique products for them. 

# What To Sell As a Creator

If you are confused about what to sell as a YouTube creator, use these merch ideas to design your own products. 

• Traditional fan merchandise like T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, or tote bags

• Physical products, including art prints, handmade crafts or accessories. 

• Digital Products like notion templates, digital wallpapers, printable art, etc. 

# How to promote your merch 

You must develop a content strategy to promote your merchandise with video content. To market products as a beginner, use these four simple tips:

• Create a product that can be of use to your target audience

• Incorporate these products into your videos naturally

• Utilize YouTube's features like Merch Shelf to promote your products

Selling your own merch can help you maintain a new revenue stream. To earn money with YouTube merch, design a product line and create a landing page to sell your products directly to customers without any third-party involvement. 

7. Earn On Live Streams With Super Chats and Super Stickers

You can also make money during YouTube livestreams. YouTube's Super Chat feature allows creators to earn money directly from their viewers. Viewers purchase highlighted messages to stand out in the live streams of their favorite creators.

When super chats are turned on in a live stream, viewers can contribute monetary support as per their choice. 

Similarly, Super Stickers allow viewers to support content creators during live streams or Premieres by purchasing animated stickers. These stickers can be purchased with real money and sent in the chat during a live stream or Premiere. 

You can also make money by enabling super chats.

# How to enable Super Chats: 

You can enable super chats with these steps: 

1. Step 1: Go to your YouTube Studio.

2. Step 2: In the left menu, click on "Monetization."

3. Step 3: Under "Supers," find Super Chat

4. Step 4: Follow the on-screen instructions to enable Super Chats

# Using Super Stickers in Live Streams

Follow the steps to use Super Stickers in a Live stream: 

1. Step 1: Set Up a Live Stream

2. Step 2: Enable super stickers in your live stream with the same steps as super chats

3. Step 3: Start your live stream and engage with your audience

Earning through Super Chats and Super Stickers on YouTube has become a popular and engaging way for content creators to monetize their channels. With these YouTube features, you can build an additional income stream and earn even during live streams. 

8. Create or sell a YouTube Course

If you create YouTube tutorials on specific topics, you can combine your tutorials to create and sell a YouTube course. To earn money with online courses, promote your course in your YouTube videos and encourage your audience to access it. 

# How to Create a YouTube Course

To create a YouTube course, consider the following steps:  

1. Step 1: Decide a course topic

2. Step 2: Plan out the course content according to tutorials

3. Step 3: Set a price and create a landing page for the course

4. Step 4: Start promoting your course in YouTube videos. 

# Strategies to Promote Your Course

Once you have created a course, use these strategies to promote your course in your YouTube videos actively:  

• Offer a free trial

• Post Testimonials from your students

• Create exciting offers and offer special discounts to channel members

Once you have created a course, update your channel descriptions and add links to your course in your YouTube videos. Actively promote your courses in your videos to spread the word. 

9. License your videos with Media houses

If you are a creator who often catches unusual shots in your videos or have made some newsworthy content on your YouTube channel, you can earn a royalty for that content. Many media houses are always on a hunt to find viral videos. 

You can sell the right of your video content to media outlets in exchange for money. The compensation can be a one-time payment or a consistent revenue stream based on the agreement. 

# How to License Your YouTube Videos: 

 You can use the following methods to license your videos with media houses.

• Approach media houses directly to offer rights to your content.

• List your videos in a video rights marketplace like Jukin Media

• License your content with popular agencies like Storyful

# Negotiating the terms of licensing: 

Before licensing your video content to media houses, negotiate the licensing terms carefully. 

• Discuss the payment structure, whether it's a one-time fee or recurring payments, and specify the royalty amount.

• Clearly outline how, where, and for how long the content will be used.

• Seek legal advice to ensure the agreement aligns with your interests and protects your rights.

Licensing your video rights can be a great way to generate extra income from your creative work. However, it is essential to carefully consider all the licensing terms beforehand to ensure you receive fair compensation for your content. 

10. Earn with YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium is a service offered by YouTube to subscribers for an ad-free experience. If your channel earns significant watch time from premium subscribers, you can earn money with YouTube Premium. 

# How to Enable YouTube Premium Revenue

To enable YouTube Premium Revenue, follow these steps:

1. Step 1: Go to YouTube Studio

2. Step 2: Agree to the Watch Page Monetization Module 

3. Step 3: Enable Watch Page ads for long videos

4. Step 4: Accept the Shorts Feed Monetization Module for YouTube Shorts

# Earning with YouTube Premium

Although you can't directly control Premium revenue, creating compelling content can enhance your chances of attracting and retaining an engaged audience, increasing your share of YouTube Premium earnings.

• Enable YouTube Premium Revenue in YouTube Studio 

• Create quality content for premium subscribers 

• Track your premium revenue in YouTube analytics

This method offers creators a secondary revenue stream in addition to earning through YouTube Ads. YouTube Premium revenue is allocated among creators based on watch time from Premium subscribers across the platform. 

11. Activate Super Thanks on Your Channel

To earn from your YouTube fans, activate Super Thanks on Your channel. Super Thanks is a YouTube feature that allows fans to contribute financially to their favorite creators. All the eligible creators of the Partner Program can make money with Super Thanks. 

# How to turn on Super Thanks

Follow these steps to enable the Super Thanks feature: 

1. Step 1: Go To YouTube Studio and select Monetization

2. Step 2: Click on the Super Tabs

3. Step 3: Follow the on-screen instructions 

4. Step 4: Activate Super Thanks 

# Tracking Super Thanks Revenue

If you want to track revenue from Super Thanks, consider following these steps: 

1. Step 1: Go to YouTube Analytics and tap on Revenue.

2. Step 2: Find the option of Transaction Revenue

3. Step 3: Select a video to check earnings per video

Enable the Super Thanks feature on your YouTube channel and let your fans support you to generate extra revenue. 

12. Launch a crowdfunding campaign

After gaining a loyal audience on your YouTube Channel you can earn money with a crowdfunding campaign. Crowdfunding is a popular method creators use to fund their creative projects and receive support from their fans. 

# How to crowdfund your next project: 

To earn money with Crowdfunding, use these steps: 

1. Step 1: Make an account on a site like Patreon, GoFundMe, or Kickstarter

2. Step 2: Actively Promote your campaign in your YouTube videos

3. Step 3: Accept donations from your fans and fund your project. 

# Strategies for a Successful Crowdfunding Campaign 

Running a successful crowdfunding campaign on YouTube involves strategic planning, engaging content creation, and effective promotion. Use these strategies for a successful crowdfunding campaign on YouTube:

• Develop an engaging campaign video clearly explaining your project

• Explain the journey, challenges, and successes you anticipate. 

• Share regular updates with your YouTube audience. 

Be transparent on how to use those funds to build trust with your audience. Clearly outline how the funds will be used and the impact contributors will have on your project.

How To Earn Money With YouTube Shorts?

Along with traditional long-form content, you can now earn with YouTube shorts as well. According to an analysis by Insider Intelligence, 75% of adults watch short videos for at least 2 hours daily. With the growing popularity of short-form video content, you can make money with YouTube shorts. 

To earn with YouTube shorts, you must be a YouTube program member. Follow these steps to start earning with YouTube Shorts:

# Step 1: Create engaging content

YouTube shorts are 60 seconds or less. Therefore, create an engaging hook to capture the audience's attention in the first few seconds. Create compelling videos that can quickly capture viewers' attention. 

# Step 2: Use Relevant Keywords

Along with creating engaging content, optimize these short videos for better discoverability. Use relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags. This will help your videos appear in search results and reach a wider audience.

# Step 3: Build a solid audience base.

Post valuable content regularly and encourage viewers to subscribe to your channel. Respond to all comments to build a connection with the audience. Build a solid audience base to monetize your short videos. 

# Step 4: Create Sponsored Content

After you have built an audience, start collaborating with brands and create sponsored content to earn money with YouTube Shorts. Keep sharing valuable content to gain more views and subscribers. 

Understanding YouTube Monetization Policies

To make money on YouTube, you must understand YouTube Monetization Policies. These policies govern the monetization of YouTube channels. Adhere to the following policies to make money on YouTube.

#1 YouTube's Community Guidelines

Community guidelines for content creators aim to provide a positive and secure environment for creators, users, and advertisers. The key aspects of YouTube's community guidelines include: 

• To not produce harmful content that could hurt the sentiments of others

• To not deceive people and only share the correct information

• To not engage in offensive language

• To not produce related to drugs, weapons, self-harm, or other potentially risky behavior

#2 Copyright Compliance

You must own the rights to all the content you upload to be eligible for YouTube's monetization program. This includes any music, images, and video clips used in your videos. The key aspects of copyright compliance include the following:

•  Do not use music or images that belong to others without permission

• To be original and create unique content

• To use licensed or royalty-free content

• Do not reupload videos or content from other creators without permission

5 Expert Tips To Make Money From Your YouTube Channel In 2023

These are some proven tips by top creators on how to monetize your YouTube channel easily. Follow these best practices to make more money with YouTube. 

#1 Collaborate with fellow creators 

Collaborating with other creators on YouTube can contribute to your channel’s growth and increase monetization opportunities. Partner with influencers in your niche to tap into their existing audience and expose your content to a broader audience. This shared audience will increase monetization opportunities. 

#2 Do YouTube SEO

Use SEO best practices to optimize video metadata, including titles, descriptions, and tags. This will improve the visibility of your videos in YouTube search results. Use relevant keywords, compelling thumbnails, and engaging video titles to improve your content's discoverability. 

#3 Encourage Subscriptions

A loyal and engaged audience is more likely to support your channel with options like super chats. Encourage viewers to subscribe, like, and share your videos. Create content as per the needs of your target audience to build authority. Respond to comments, ask for feedback, and create a community with your content. 

#4 Diversify income sources

While ad revenue is a primary source of income for many YouTubers, consider diversifying your revenue streams. Explore other monetization options, such as channel memberships, merchandise sales, Super Chat during live streams, and affiliate marketing. This will help you reduce your reliance on a single income source and generate consistent revenue from your YouTube content. 

#5 Promote on other social media platforms

Leverage social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, or TikTok to promote your YouTube channel. Share snippets and behind-the-scenes content on these platforms to drive traffic to your YouTube videos and earn through ads. 

Final Thoughts:

Monetizing a YouTube channel can take time, but it is possible. Use the best practices and combine these 12 methods to make money on YouTube and monetize your YouTube content today!