YouTube is the world’s centralized location for all things video. Do you want to see a cat chasing a bull around an arena? You can find it on YouTube. Trying to decide if you should purchase the latest trending headphones? YouTube will have a review waiting for you.
It is no secret that YouTube has become the video content hub and that the video-sharing website only continues to expand its footprint on the internet. But one of the best components of the online video platform is the fact that, with a bit of time and effort, you can monetize YouTube channels and create substantial passive income. Although the primary way to monetize YouTube channels is through their YouTube Partner Program (YPP), you can also make money in other ways that don’t require your channel to have tens of thousands of followers.
Using the YouTube Partner Program to monetize YouTube channels
Before you can start making money on YouTube, you need to make sure that you are creating content that is driving significant traffic to your channel. Once you have this covered, you can apply to YPP, which allows users to monetize YouTube channels. Although the YPP isn’t the only way to guarantee monetization on your channel, it is one of the most streamlined ways to make money once you’ve been approved.
How to qualify
To apply for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), you must meet the following criteria:
- Have more than 4,000 watch hours in the LTM,
- Have 1,000+ subscribers, and
- Have a linked AdSense account.
How to apply
If your channel meets the above requirements, you can now apply for the YouTube Partner Program. According to the YouTube Partner Program overview, “When you apply, you’ll go through a standard review process to check whether your channel meets our policies and guidelines. Channels that meet our policies and guidelines will be accepted into the program. We also constantly check channels in the program to make sure they continue to meet our policies and guidelines.” The following is a condensed list of what will be required of you when you apply, but you will want to pay close attention to the details in every step.
- Your channel must follow the YPP’s policies and guidelines
- You must enable your Google Account’s 2-step verification
- Must meet the criteria of 1,000+ subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours
- Sign and agree to the YPP terms and conditions
- You can only have 1 AdSense account linked
- Go through the strenuous review process
Verification stage
Once you meet all the requirements for your application, you will be put in the verification stage. An actual person will review your channel and assess whether the account meets the YPP policies and standards for monetization. Sometimes the wait can be up to a month, especially during months with a high volume of applications. You will not be able to start monetizing your YouTube channel until you have been approved for the program.
YouTube’s five monetization features
According to YouTube’s help center, these are the following ways you can make money on YouTube with their Partner Program and the various rules that apply:
Advertising revenue
Google AdSense will be connected to your YouTube account for you to get paid from ad revenue. Angie Nelson, a well-known YouTuber and home business blogger n them by getting your AdSense set up once you hit 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within 12 months on your Channel. (You can while you wait to reach those metrics.) This is done within your YouTube account. You may also want to read up on what sorts of videos will qualify for Adsense revenue.”get your channel prepared while you wait to reach those metrics.) This is done within your YouTube account. You may also want to read up on what sorts of videos will qualify for Adsense revenue.”
Paid advertising strategies can complement your organic efforts by increasing reach. You can reach new, targeted audiences via paid ads. All social media ad platforms let you target by demographics and devices, but YouTube specifically is capable of targeting user interests, retargeting, topics and search terms.
When a company pays to have ads on your YouTube video, you make a percentage of profit every time a video is played. The amount you make here depends on how many people are viewing your videos and the amount of competition you have in this space. Although this is the number one way to monetize YouTube channels through the YPP, there are a few other options that can bring in extra cash flow to your channel.
You must be at least 18 years old or have a legal guardian that will handle your payments through AdSense. Your content must meet YouTube’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
Channel memberships
Fans can become members of your channel and pay a special fee to gain access to special content, or exclusive offers that a non-member would not have access to. You must be at least 18 years old and have more than 1,000 subscribers to be eligible for channel memberships.
Merch shelf
If you or your company has merchandise for sale, you can link it directly to your YouTube video so your audience can purchase directly from your channel. You must be at least 18 years old and have more than 10,000 subscribers to be eligible for the merch shelf.
Super Chat and Super Stickers
According to YouTube, “these features let users stand out in your chat by letting them purchase highlighted chats and animated images.” These messages get pinned to the top and the more a user pays for the Super Chat or Super Sticker, the more they stand out. Although this isn’t a common way to bring in revenue, it is one way to monetize YouTube channels. Especially if you have a niche audience that would be interested. You must be at least 18 years old and live in a country or region where Super Chat is available.
YouTube Premium revenue
You make money when someone that is a YouTube Premium subscriber watches your video. This can be a secondary revenue stream for you on top of what you are already getting paid through ads.
Three ways to make money on YouTube without the YouTube Partner Program
The YouTube Partner Program isn’t the only way to make money on YouTube. Below are three other ways you can monetize YouTube channels without jumping through the YPP hoops.
Sponsorship
Sponsorship is a great way to monetize YouTube channels. David Morgan from Cyberlink says, “A great example of how this works is with professional athletes and shoe companies. Lebron James is sponsored by Nike and gets paid just to wear their shoes. As you can guess, this works out great for Nike because people will buy the shoes they see Lebron wearing. YouTubers are just like Lebron in that they are influencers. While they might not have the same amount of broad influence as Lebron, but some YouTubers are hugely influential within the micro-niches that they create.”
Not everyone will have as much influence as Lebron, but YouTube viral videos can cause someone to become influential overnight. Although you do need a significant following and content engagement, you can be sure that sponsorship will bring in extra revenue when executed correctly.
Keep in mind that you can get sponsors if you are a small channel, but you will want to make sure you narrow in on what they are looking for. They will often look for an established brand persona, a similar target audience and content that is quality.
Lead generation and utilizing affiliate links
You can monetize YouTube channels easily through lead generation. Rather than needing a strong following before being able to rake in money, lead generation can be done simply by directing your viewers to your email list. Over time this can lead to more subscribers and more information on your audience to narrow in on what type of content they are interested in.
Affiliate marketing is a great tool to capitalize on when creating YouTube videos. According to entrepreneur and YouTuber Alex Azoury, “When creating “how to” video content, add an ‘affiliate link shopping list’ to the video description, linking to recommended tools and ingredients required to follow along. Earnings won’t amount to much in the beginning, but over time as you create more videos and your channel gains traction the compounding affiliate commissions add up to a nice revenue stream with absolutely zero maintenance.”
Make sure you are targeting relevant keywords and using them to optimize your YouTube channel. Once you have done this, you have set the stage for generating leads. You will need to add call to actions to your videos and website links in the video description.
FE International CEO Thomas Smale explains how to use a website like YouTube to utilize affiliate links and optimize revenue, “For example, you could produce a short product review or ‘how to’ video on your YouTube channel. If your video titles are keyword optimized well, you can normally get these videos ranking well in Google. The first line of your video description should always be a link back to your website which has an in-depth review with affiliate links. Simply put, rather than relying solely on your own website’s search rankings, you can piggyback off a website that will naturally rank well and you can build links to your YouTube videos more aggressively with little to no risk.”
E-commerce
Even if you are not eligible for the merch shelf on the YouTube Partner Program, you can still direct traffic to your e-commerce website as a free advertising channel for your business. You will be able to make money if you are able to create engaging content on your channel while also convincing your audience they need what you sell. Be strategic here, though: you do not want to come across as too salesy. Building trust with your audience through producing quality content will automatically help them trust that your product will add value to their life.
Good things come to those who create
The YouTube Partner Program is a sure way to monetize YouTube channels by displaying ads within your videos. If you do not meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for the YPP, sponsorship, lead generation or directing your audience to your e-commerce store are all great alternatives when wanting to increase your revenue. Regardless of how you decide to monetize your YouTube channel, there is one thing you will need to always keep in mind: create content that adds value to your audience. If you are not creating captivating content, the chances of you optimizing the revenue coming in from your channels are slim to none.