How to Make Money on YouTube

If you asked kids in the not-so-distant past what they wanted to be when they grew up, you might have gotten an answer like a ballerina, an astronaut, or a firefighter. Nowadays, more children want to be YouTubers. Today, YouTube is a viable source of income or even a career.

It seems like being a YouTuber would be both fun and lucrative. But creating a successful channel isn't as easy as it looks. You will need to work hard and put in the time to succeed.

Creating a YouTube channel doesn't require large investments except for your time. In the beginning, you can grow your channel completely free. Unless you are planning to create animations, you will need a camera to make your videos, but any modern smartphone has a decent camera built-in and will be sufficient for most beginners. You will also need editing software for editing your videos, and there many free options. We will discuss free editing software later.

How Do YouTubers Make Money?

YouTubers can make money in multiple ways. For example, through advertisements on their videos placed by Google, selling their own products or services, or promoting businesses or other people's products and services (through affiliate marketing). YouTubers can also make money from channel memberships by making premium content or other special perks available only to paid subscribers. Some YouTubers will make money through all of these methods.

Do YouTubers Make a Lot of Money?

It's difficult to answer how much an average YouTuber makes in a year. Running a YouTube channel is not a salaried position, and how much money YouTubers earn depends on the amount and quality of the content they upload, the topic of the videos, and the monetization channels they use.

A few YouTubers become quite wealthy a few years after starting their YouTube channels, others make a decent living year after year, some make pocket money, and it's only a hobby for most. However, based on the available information about AdSense earnings, it's possible to estimate how much creators make from running ads on their videos. YouTubers make between $3 and $5 per 1,000 video views through AdSense on average.

How Can I Start a YouTube Channel?

To create a YouTube channel, you will need a Google account. If you use Gmail, you already have a Google account and can create a channel by signing in with your email. Creating a YouTube account is easy as creating an account on any social media platform.

Then you will need to set up your channel - pick a name, add a description, upload the channel art image, and you will be ready for the exciting part - creating and uploading your videos.

Select a Niche for Your YouTube Channel

You may have noticed that most channels publish videos on a particular topic. The topic of a channel is called a niche. You will also need to figure out what kind of video content you will produce. You don't have to settle on a topic right away. Start with creating a few videos on any topic to learn the process. Eventually, you will need to decide on a theme.

Choosing a niche for your YouTube channel will help you build a loyal following, produce consistently good content that matches the expectations of your audience, and make your audience look forward to your new videos.

When choosing a niche for your YouTube channel, consider areas you understand well and topics you are genuinely passionate about. The more you are passionate about the topic, the more likely you will keep your focus on creating videos and will be able to sustain your interest.

If you are unsure what kind of niche to choose for your YouTube channel, start with the things you are most interested in or something that you are good at. Liking what you do will make the whole process of creating and developing a YouTube channel much easier.

For instance, if you have a knack for cooking, you can start a channel where you share your recipes. If you are interested in beauty, make-up, or fashion, it would make sense to create a YouTube channel on make-up tutorials or fashion trends.

The topics can be broad and include music, sports, food, travel, DIY, photography, parenting, video games, or anything else. Don't worry about being too specific. You can narrow down your topic or change direction when you learn more about the process and what works best.

If you plan to turn your channel into a business, you may want to research the most profitable niches. But if you aren't passionate about the topic, there is a high chance you will not sustain your interest and abandon your channel.

How Can I Make Money on YouTube?

Before you can start making money from ads that Google will run on your videos, you will need to set up an AdSense account and apply for a YouTube Partner Program (YPP). To get approved for the YouTube Partner Program, you will need to gain at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours of your videos.

YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is a program run by Google that allows creators to monetize their YouTube channels. The program allows making money on YouTube by placing ads on videos uploaded by creators.

It will be a while before you can earn money by promoting businesses, from your channel memberships and sales of your own products or services. You will need to build a solid viewership first.

Tools You Will Need For Your YouTube Chanel

You can start creating YouTube videos without any tools. You can use your phone to record and edit your videos. But eventually, you will have to learn a lot more than just how to use a camera if you want to create a successful YouTube channel. You will need software for editing videos, sound, and graphics for your videos. Luckily, you can find all software you need for making quality videos for free. Here are some suggestions.

Editing Software

Shotcut is a free video editing software available for both Windows and Mac. It is easy to use, has a simple interface, and has many features.

DaVinci Resolve is software for color grading, editing, and post-production. It may be too advanced for beginners, but although it's professional-grade software, it is offered for free, which doesn't happen often. There are many tutorials online to help you get started when you are ready to take the production quality of your videos to the next level.

Graphics Software

You will need image editing software to create video thumbnails and other graphics for your videos. Here are some free options.

GIMP is a free software for creating and editing digital images.

Canva is a free design tool that you can use to create thumbnails for tour YouTube videos as well as other graphics.

Audio Editors

Audacity is a free and open-source audio editor. It allows you to record, edit, and mix your audio files. You may not need it right away, but it may come in handy in the future.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Old YouTube Videos Still Make Money?

Videos make money as long as people watch them. Some channels choose to create evergreen content that always stays relevant and makes money. Evergreen content is any content that is relevant for a long time. An example of evergreen content is a video about how to make a wooden sword. This video will not be outdated as, for example, a piece of tech news.