How to make money from YouTube

YouTube is an online video uploading site that, since its launch in 2005, has emerged as a platform where creators share their videos initially for entertainment but now increasingly to make money. YouTube is now so popular that some of these creators have celebrity status. In this article, I will try to explain the basics of YouTube, like what type of channels can be created, how you can create one, and finally, how to make money from YouTube.

Create a Channel

Here’s how to create a YouTube channel:

Sign in to YouTube on its desktop site or the mobile app.
After signing up, you will find a user icon on the top right side of your screen, click on that.
Go to the settings column, and you will find a tab that says create a new channel.
You will then find a tab that will ask you to enter your business name; this will be your channel name.
Once you add the name, click on the button that says create. You have successfully created a YouTube channel.
After you finish creating the channel, you will find a column that asks you to fill the description and profile details. Here you can fill the details about your channel like what type of videos you will upload; you can also add your social media handles in the description so your viewers can connect with you.

Channel Types

You can create a YouTube channel about pretty much anything that interests you. Below are some of the different types of channels that are available on YouTube.

Product Reviews: Whenever a new product is entering a market, people become excited about whether they should buy it. A lot of people choose YouTube to learn more about its details. Product review channels step in at this point. Several review channels deal with tech reviews (smartphones, laptops, etc.), auto review channels, etc.
Vlogging: Many YouTubers make video blogs or vlogs and post it on YouTube. These vlogs can be about their day to day life or could be based entirely on a subject like travelling, health or fashion. You can also find motor vlogs where the presenter is often travelling by his/her motorbike and vlogging while doing so.
Compilation videos: YouTube has also given rise to a trend known as compilation videos. In these videos, the creator prepares a video compiling clips from different videos. These videos can contain, for instance, the best football moments, funny dog videos, fails, etc. to name a few.
Health-related videos: Many people get a benefit from watching health videos on YouTube. There are several workout videos or videos that focus on diet and lifestyle available on YouTube. Some health YouTube creators are also certified professionals like dietitians or fitness instructors.
How To videos: Who hasn’t searched YouTube for a video on how to perform a particular task and more often than not you will find plenty of examples.
Gaming: Reviewing, playing or talking about the latest games is a very popular niche.
Tag or Challenge videos: People are encouraged to video themselves completing a task or challenge. One of the most famous being the ice bucket challenge.

How to Monetise

(or monetize as YouTube spell it)

The most obvious way you can monetise your channel is by showing ads. In order for your channel to able to show ads it must meet the following criteria:

Your YouTube channel must have at least 1,000 subscribers.
The videos that you upload have generated a total watch time of 4,000 hours in the last 12 months.
You are following all the guidelines and policies of YouTube.

You should then be able to show AdSense ads before and during your videos. This is the primary source of income on YouTube that most people think of when trying to make money. Assuming you didn’t film the video yourself then you need to make sure you aren’t violating the copyright of anyone else either with the video or music you upload.

If your video features music from another creator or contains a video clip that you do not possess, then you are violating the copyright guidelines. Therefore, that video would be ineligible for making money. In fact you may well find you receive a copyright violation notification and you will need to take down the video.

If you continue to upload copyrighted material resulting in more notifications you will lose the ability to monetise your channel. You cannot control what ad features on your videos, but you can block specific ads through your AdSense account.

Other ways to Monetise

When you are starting out 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time can seem a long way away. You still have other options to earn money for your efforts though. You can also make money by promoting a product on your channel. For example you might start a channel on meditation and relaxation. In your description section for your videos you could offer links to affiliate products related to your videos.

Some brands choose prominent YouTubers to endorse their products. These YouTubers have a fan following, and their subscribers often purchase that product, which was promoted by their favourite YouTuber. Some YouTubers have also launched their merchandise collection, which is another form of generating revenue.

Now that you know the basics of how to make money from YouTube, let’s look at how you can promote your channel.

Promotion

In order to monetise using AdSense a YouTube channel needs a specific amount of subscribers and watch hours. It would help if you promoted your channel so that your videos get maximum views and achieve more subscribers. Making attractive and interesting thumbnails is one method of promotion.

While surfing YouTube, people often get attracted to thumbnails that describe the contents of the video. It can be a snapshot of your video with a quick description of a few highlights.

Also, your channel’s description box must be attractive. With every video, you should include a different description. Viewers will find the description box below every video that you upload. Provide a brief about the video, add timestamps if the video is long, use proper keywords, include a call to action option where you can link your social media handles.

You can also add a default description with every video that contains few words about your channel, so a new viewer gets an idea of what your channel is about and therefore, that new viewer can make his/her mind whether to subscribe to your channel or not.

Social media plays a vital role in promoting your channel. Make sure that you are active on social media, and always make sure to announce a new video on as many social media platforms as you can.

Beware though. Make sure you are active in that channel before trying to promote your own content. Eg. don’t join a Facebook group and immediately start posting links to your channel. Provide a bit of value first by posting other useful content.

Collaboration can be an effective strategy. See if other YouTube channels will cross promote with you. A case of you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.

Use the tools that YouTube provides to promote your channel to viewers you already have. Eg. pin playlists of other videos in your comments section. Actively push videos in other videos, make sure that you have some form of recognisable branding on your thumbnails.

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is one of the best ways to bring people to your channel (or indeed a niche website). Go to the YouTube search and type in some words of phrases that relate to your niche.

YouTube will make suggestions using those words. Now go off and make some videos about those topics and then make sure you setup the titles and descriptions of your videos to use those key words or phrases.

Leave comments on other YouTube videos but don’t just spam links to your channel. If you leave interesting comments then people are likely to click on your name and that will lead them to your channel.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the question of how to make money from YouTube is simple, but it is not that easy. Maintaining a YouTube channel requires hard work and consistency. It is hectic, but the results are fantastic if you are good at it.

Famous YouTubers like PewDiePie and Casey Neistat are such examples of YouTube success. Famous creators have always said that making money is not an overnight process, but you need to put your best and original content forward.

So what’s stopping you – Get to it!

James

Related: Expired Domains, Instagram, Fiverr