Ways to Make Money on YouTube: Ads, Subscriptions, & More

Do you want to make money from YouTube videos? While earning thousands of dollars off the bat probably isn't realistic for most people, you can start getting paid quickly, especially if you have a strong subscriber base. Once you've created your channel and built your audience, you can create an AdSense account and monetize your videos in your YouTube Studio dashboard. This wikiHow will show you how to get started making money off YouTube with expert tips from social media marketing expert Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones and professional musician and YouTuber Timothy Linetsky.

Ways to Make Money on YouTube

If you qualify, you can turn on Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks on in the Supers menu in YouTube Studio. You can also sell products on YouTube.
Creating Membership levels allows you to offer exclusive perks to those who are willing to pay for a subscription.
If you have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the last 365 days (or 10M shorts views), you can monetize your videos in YouTube Studio to earn money from ad revenue and YouTube Premium.

Section 1 of 12:

Meet the Requirements

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Meet the requirements for monetization. There are a variety of ways to make money on YouTube. Each has their own minimum requirements you need to meet before your channel is eligible. You must be 18 or older and live in a country where the feature is available. You must also have a valid Paypal or Bank Account. The eligibility requirements are as follows:^{[1]
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- Channel Memberships, Shopping (your products), Super Chats, Super Stickers, & Super Thanks:
  - 500 subscribers
  - 3 public uploads in the last 90 days.
  - 3000 public long-form watch hours in the last 365 days or 3 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.
- Ad Revenue & YouTube Premium Revenue
  - 1000 subscribers.
  - 4000 public long-form watch hours in the last 365 days or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.
- Shopping (other brands):
  - 10,000 subscribers.
  - 4000 public long-form watch hours in the last 365 days or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Section 2 of 12:

Set Up Your Channel

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Set up and build your YouTube channel. Your channel is your personal presence on YouTube.^{[2]
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Research source} Each YouTube account has one channel attached to it. A YouTube account is the same as a Google account, and creating a YouTube account will grant you access to other Google products, such as Gmail and Drive.
- Create your account or use your existing one. Add keywords to help people find your channel, which is key to making money on YouTube. You can add keywords by navigating to the Advanced section of your Channel Settings. Make sure that your keywords are relevant to your content.
- According to Le Gilimore-Jones, you should pick a username that will work for you in the long term. Something that is semi-professional that can be formed into something else if your interests change. You can also try picking a name that’s based on a niche. Use that to build a brand identity.^{[3]
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  Expert Source
  
  Anyah Le Gilmore-Jones
  Social Media Marketing Expert
  
  Expert Interview}

Section 3 of 12:

Add Great Content

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Upload videos and shorts. Make sure your content is high quality. It’s a good idea to upload a combination of long-form content and YouTube Shorts. The more engaging your content, the better your chances of earning money on YouTube.^{[4]
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- Even if your content isn't great at first, keep at it. Practice makes perfect. Try to make each video better than the last. You will often learn as you go.
- Improve your content by either using a better camera or trying better editing software, or better techniques. Also, try to improve the way things are filmed. Use a tripod, have a friend help you. Make sure you use good lighting. It all helps for a better end product, which in turn helps you get a better audience. You can use a ring light or natural sunlight.
- By uploading content regularly, you can help hold an audience, which can help you earn money. People are more likely to subscribe if you add content regularly.
- Make sure to tag your videos with keywords that describe the content, as well as an eye-catching description. These will help drive people to your video from YouTube searches.

Section 4 of 12:

Gain an Audience

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Gain a large audience. Building an audience is key to making money on YouTube. You need people to watch your ads in order to make any money off of them. There is no one secret to getting more subscribers, just make the best content that you can and they will come to you.
- Sometimes there will be haters. You just have to ignore them. If you want to thrive, you have to be confident.
- Try to get your YouTube channel out there. Use methods such as press releases to help your channel gain notoriety. With press releases, for example, you can get an article about your YouTube channel published on hundreds of news sites with thousands if not millions of readers. This can drive traffic to your channel and possibly help you get verified as well.
- Keep uploading content and try to get people hooked. Send your video out on social media. Share it with people. Distribute it elsewhere on the internet. Subscribers are essential to becoming a partner.
- Interact with your viewers by responding to comments and making occasional videos directly related to viewer comments and questions. Connecting with your community will bring more members into that community. One good way to do that is pretty simple, shout outs.

Section 5 of 12:

Set Up Google AdSense

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Set up Google AdSense. You can set up Google AdSense for free at the AdSense website. Click the Sign Up Now button to begin creating your account. You must be 18 years or older to create your own account. If you are younger than that, you will need an adult to help you.^{[5]
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- You need either a PayPal or a bank account and a valid mailing address, as well as other information so AdSense can verify who you are and whom to send the money. You only gain money per ad click and a smaller amount per view, but it adds up over time. This is why having an audience is key.

Section 6 of 12:

Monetize Your Videos

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Add ad breaks to your videos. According to Linetsky, you can earn money from ad revenue on YouTube, though it may not be a whole lot.^{[6]
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Expert Source

Timothy Linetsky
Music Producer & Instructor

Expert Interview} In order to start earning money on your videos, you'll need to enable monetization. This means you are allowing YouTube to place ads in your video. This also means that you acknowledge that there is no copyright material in your video and your content must meet the advertiser-friendly guidelines. Use the following steps to monetize your videos: ^{[7]
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- Open YouTube Studio in a web browser.
- Click Content in the sidebar to the left.
- Click the checkbox next to the videos you want to monetize.
- Click Edit in the menu bar at the top.
- Click Ad Settings (if you don’t see this option, you’re probably not eligible for monetization).
- Click the checkbox next to “Place ads during video (mid-roll).”
- Decide if you want to place automatic ads in videos without ad breaks or all videos.
- Click Update videos.
- Click the checkbox next to “I understand the implications of this action.”
- Click Update videos.
EXPERT TIP

Timothy Linetsky
Music Producer & Instructor
Timothy Linetsky is a DJ, producer, YouTuber, and music educator based in San Francisco, California. He has been making music for over 15 years, and is known for his YouTube channel You Suck at Producing, in which he does music production tutorials for over 330,000 YouTube subscribers. In addition to teaching music production, he releases his own music as Underbelly. He has taught at schools such as Beat Lab Academy and Pyramind. He is also an Ableton Certified Trainer, and has worked closely with the company to produce tutorial videos and educational content. His original productions have garnered millions of plays on Spotify, and in 2020, he released his debut album Machine Yearning as Underbelly to critical acclaim.

Timothy Linetsky
Music Producer & Instructor

There are many ways to make money on YouTube. I turned my YouTube channel into a business through offering private lessons, which has been my main source of income. I also used my channel to get a job at the school I now work at because they saw I have a presence on YouTube and that I can teach. There are other ways, too, like ad revenue or sponsorship opportunities, which are both helpful.

Section 7 of 12:

Become a YouTube Partner

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Sign up for the YouTube Partners Program. YouTube Partners are YouTube members who have monetized videos with a large number of viewers. Partners gain access to more content creation tools. They can also win prizes for the number of viewers they have. Partners also get access to much more community support and tips. To sign up, you must meet the requirements for ad revenue and have no community guideline strikes against your channel, and your content must meet the advertiser-friendly community guidelines. Use the following steps to sign up for the YouTube Partners Program:^{[8]
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- Open YouTube Studio in a web browser.
- Click Earn in the menu to the left.
- Click Apply Now.
- Click Start to get started.
- Accept the base terms.
- Link your AdSense account if you haven’t already.

Section 8 of 12:

Enable Memberships

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Enable channel memberships. Channel memberships can give your viewers special member-only perks. By joining your channel through recurring monthly payments, viewers can earn exclusive emojis, badges, perks, live chats, live streams, exclusive videos, shorts and more.. This allows your viewers to support you in more ways than ad revenue from your videos. After enabling a membership, you will need to select up to 5 perks that you can offer your members. Make you are able to deliver on these perks. Use the following steps to enable memberships:^{[9]
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- Open YouTube Studio in a web browser.
- Click Earn in the menu to the left.
- Click the Memberships tab.
- Click Get Started.
- Follow the on-screen instructions to sign the Commerce Product Module (CPM).
- Follow the on-screen instructions to add membership levels and perks.
- Click Publish.

Section 9 of 12:

Turn on Super Chat/Stickers

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Allow Super Chat and Super Stickers. Super Chat and Super Stickers can be used during live chats. When viewers use a Super Chat or Super Sticker, their message will stand out in live chat during live streams and Premieres. These messages will be pinned to the top of the chat for a set period of time. The bigger the purchase the amount, the longer the message will be pinned to the chat. Use the following steps to enable Super Chat and Super Sticker:^{[10]
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- Open YouTube Studio in a web browser.
- Click Earn in the menu to the left.
- Click Supers
- Click Get Started.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
- Click the toggle switch next to Super Chat.
- Click the toggle switch next to Super Sticker.

Section 10 of 12:

Let Viewers Give Super Thanks

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Let your viewers give you Super Thanks. Super Thanks allows you to earn revenue from viewers who want to show extra thanks. This feature was formerly known as "Viewer applause". Viewers can set their own price point for their Super Thanks. After buying a Super Thanks, a colorful animation with play over the video for the viewer. They'll also get to post a distinct, customizable comment in the video's comment section. Use the following steps to enable Super Thanks:^{[11]
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- Open YouTube Studio in a web browser.
- Click Earn in the menu to the left.
- Click Supers
- Click Get Started.
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
- Click the toggle switch next to Super Thanks.

Section 11 of 12:

Check Your Analytics

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Check your analytics. Once you have some videos online, monetized, and being viewed, you can check out the analytics on them to see how they are performing.^{[12]
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Research source} Here you can view estimated earnings, ad performance, video views, demographics and more. Use these tools to see how your content is resonating with your audience. You can change your content or your marketing if you're finding that you aren't attracting the users that you want to.^{[13]
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Section 12 of 12:

Market Your Videos

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Market your videos elsewhere. Don't just post on YouTube! Start a blog, make a website, or post them on other video or social media sites. The more views it gets, the better. By sharing the link or embedding the video on the internet, you are increasing the chance of it getting noticed.
- Curious if you're making the most out of YouTube? Check out what other wikiHow users recommend on the wikiHow forum post, "How do people actually make money on Youtube?"

Join the Discussion...

How do people actually make money on Youtube?

WikiWombatChaser358

Hey ya’ll! I’m curious about how people actually make money on YouTube. I’ve been thinking about starting a channel myself to try and earn some side gig money, but I don’t actually know the mechanics behind how that works. Is it like a views thing where videos make money at a certain threshold? Or is it a subscribers thing? Basically, how would I go about making money on YouTube?

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Is it very difficult to make a good YouTube channel with many subscribers?

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It takes a long time to build up a large subscriber count. Just keep posting, and try to make very good content.

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Is it easy to earn money in just a month or so?

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Generally, no. You will need time to build your YouTube channel before you will see any profit.

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Why are likes important on a video?

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Likes are important because they provide quick feedback to the content creator. If a video gets a lot of likes, it suggests that the channel's viewers will enjoy more videos of a similar kind.

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Always check if the content you upload is copyrighted before posting a video.

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Be consistent in your channel and try to avoid toxic words and respect your YouTube family.

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Do not copy others; create your own niche.

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Warnings

Copyrighted content can get your videos taken down, and possibly banned. This includes images, videos, movie clips, etc. If you are found to be reusing copyrighted content without owner's permission, your account will be demonetized. Be sure to consider what is fair use and what is not.

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Earning money will depend on many factors, including the target audience, channel type, audience engagement, and views.

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The average cost per thousand views is generally between $0.25-$4 USD.

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Partnerships with YouTube for most people do not earn very much. Don’t quit your day job until you gain enough success to earn a living.

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