Do you already have a YouTube channel that you want to monetize? Do you want to start a new one instead, but not just for the love of art, but also as an income-generating activity? Well, I have good news: YouTube is a great option for starting an online business and making money. I will explain the essentials to you in the rest of this article.
This is the most used route, but also one of the least profitable. However, this option has the great advantage of simplicity. Signing up is a few minutes process and the rest is pretty much automatic. If you get a channel with many visits, you can earn some money.
However, there is a catch: YouTube requires a minimum of 4,000 watch hours in the last 12 months and a total of 1,000 subscribers to earn easy money. Therefore, until you exceed these thresholds, you will not be able to benefit from this monetization formula.
Affiliate marketing is a formula in which you can make money on the sales you generate through your YouTube videos. Everything revolves around the affiliate links and personalized promotional codes that the brand makes available to the affiliate. The idea is that this system allows a brand to know the affiliate website from which the user who made a purchase came.
If the user buys within a defined maximum period (which generally varies between 1 and 30 days), the affiliate will be able to be paid for the sale. On YouTube, the affiliate links and promotional code are in the description of the videos. It is very common that they come from Amazon or AliExpress, since both online stores offer affiliate programs.
On YouTube, direct collaboration with brands or “influencer marketing” is very typical. YouTube is the medium that allows you the most to connect with your audience. It also allows you to increase your audience’s trust in you, which is precisely the great thing about influencers over brands.
On YouTube, it is very common for a brand to pay a YouTuber to show their products (how-to tutorial, product analysis, etc.). You can also generate leads for third parties. For example, you can create a channel about auto mechanics that directs customers to auto mechanic shops.
Sponsorship is one of the “classic” formulas for making money in the business world, which existed long before the invention of the Internet. This formula has simply been adapted for YouTube channels. Obviously, here the quantity and quality of sponsors that you will find, as well as your income, will depend a lot on the strength of your brand.
In any case, the numbers are not the only factor. If you want to attract sponsors, you must also take care of the quality of your website. This means taking care of things like the quality of your content, your channel design, and your level of social media activity and visibility. On the other hand, keep in mind that collaborations won’t come alone (unless you’re a major influencer). To earn a living, you have to actively seek them out.