Sitting at home, alone, on a school night can feel a little bit dull. Maybe you’ve got your head stuck in a textbook and don’t want to spoil the fun by turning on your TV. Maybe you’ve just found a YouTube video you enjoy and want to keep up with what’s happening on there. Whatever it may be, you’re finding yourself wishing for a change of pace. Enter: making money online with YouTube channels!
If you’re looking for ways to make money from home, you’ve probably considered exploring the lucrative world of YouTube channels. Launching a YouTube channel can be a profitable venture, but carving out a sustainable audience and then monetizing that audience can be challenging. However, with just a little bit of planning and strategizing, you can create a YouTube channel that will bring in money more consistently than you ever thought possible!
In this article, we will discuss the best ways to make money online with a YouTube channel, regardless of the size of your audience. We’ll cover everything from how to build a following on YouTube to how to make money off of your videos. So, read on and get inspired to create your own YouTube channel!
The Power of YouTube’s Growth Engine
If you’ve been following YouTube for any length of time, you know that the platform is constantly changing in attempt to stay fresh and innovative. One of the biggest changes that YouTube has recently rolled out involves the redesigned viewer. While the platform’s interface may look similar, the new design encourages viewers to subscribe to your channel and engage more with your content.
Even if you have a small audience (and we know you don’t), you can still benefit from this newfound attention. When you subscribe to a channel, you’ll see a glowing orange icon appear next to the playlist icon. Clicking on this icon will take you to your channel’s subscriber page, where you can monitor your stats, view videos from various content creators, and set reminders to check back often.
When a viewer clicks on the Subscribe button or a link to a playlist, they’re effectively becoming a part of your audience. The more you interact with your audience, the more they’ll engage with your content. This is important because it means you can build a community around your channel and rely on them to spread the word about your brand. When you have a growing audience, you can also be certain that you’ll gain an interest in monetizing your content.
Monetizing Your YouTube Channel
Creating a YouTube channel does not automatically make you money. In fact, the opposite is usually true. Channels that are focused on gaming usually struggle in the face of intense competition. Creators of content geared toward older demographics struggle to drive revenue. Even creators with large followings frequently post videos for free in the hopes of growing their audience and then monetizing that audience down the line.
To turn a profit, you’ll need a plan. Before you put a single video on your channel, you should have a clear idea of how you intend to monetize it. There are a variety of ways in which you can make money from a YouTube channel, but you’ll need to follow the proper procedures to make sure that you’re fully exploiting every opportunity. Below, you’ll find a short list of suggestions that you can implement today to begin seeing results:
1. Create compelling content.
If you want to make money online, you need to develop content that will attract an audience. When it comes to YouTube, this usually translates to creating entertaining or insightful videos around a particular theme or topic. For example, if you have a photography channel, you could conceivably create an instructive video on how to best light a scene for a particular shot.
2. Build a community.
Once you’ve established your channel with a decent amount of content, you can begin to think about expanding your reach. One of the simplest ways to generate revenue on YouTube is to engage with your audience. In addition to building a community around your channel, you can also use the platform’s many tools to interact with your viewers. From engaging with them on social media to inviting their friends to join the conversation to showing your support when they’re having a bad day to boosting their engagement when they’ve gotten a lot of views, you can use the platform’s myriad of features to create a better experience for your audience.
3. Use adverts.
There are two types of ads you can use on YouTube: brand ads and product ads. Brand ads, as their name would suggest, are designed to brand a product or service. For example, a video reviewing a travel agent’s services may contain a brand ad for American Express. Product ads, on the other hand, can be used to promote a product or service directly without having to disclose the brand’s name.
Since brand ads will always remain a source of revenue for the platform, YouTube creators frequently turn to using them to fund their channels. Having a brand name can also help you to attract prospective sponsors for your channel. If you’re looking for a way to make money from a YouTube channel, consider using product ads to fund your channel.
4. Test out different marketing strategies.
As a first-time content creator, you have a lot to learn. When you’re just starting out, it’s a good idea to try out different marketing strategies and learn from the results. One of the best things about YouTube is that it provides you with an abundance of data about your audience’s behavior. This gives you the opportunity to track the effectiveness of different marketing techniques and then select the ones that work best for you.
5. Start a clothing line.
If you’ve got an eye for fashion and a love for clothes, why not pursue the lucrative world of fashion blogging. There are plenty of highly successful fashion YouTubers whose income streams include expensive-looking clothes. Whether you start by documenting the design process or opt for a more traditional style video, blogging about clothes is a legitimate way to make money online.
6. Start an athleisurewear line.
Speaking of traditional, you can also create a YouTube channel around the theme of daily living and make money off selling clothes and accessories inspired by your favorite TV shows, celebrities, or historic events. For example, a YouTuber named Liz MacLeman documents the fashion and lifestyle of popular Netflix character, “Suicide Squad,” creating a following of more than 500,000 subscribers and earning a stunning $17 million per year from adverts and sponsored videos on the subject.
7. Create an affiliate marketing program.
The chances are high that you’ll eventually want to grow your audience beyond the confines of YouTube. Once you’ve established yourself as an authoritative voice in your niche, you can create an affiliate marketing program where you’ll promote and connect others with products that you believe in.
This is a win-win for both you and your followers. When people click on your affiliate links and make purchases, you’ll earn a commission. Your audience will also benefit from the exposure to relevant products that might be of interest to them.
8. Monetize your channel via affiliate marketing.
No matter which method you choose to monetize your channel, you’ll eventually want to look into alternative ways of generating revenue. One of the simplest and most effective ways to do this is via affiliate marketing. When you use affiliate marketing to monetize your channel, you’ll be placing advertisements for products and services that you’re passionate about in order to generate income. The best part? You won’t need to run ads on your channel. Your followers will generate the revenue for you.
This is one of the best ways to make money online with a YouTube channel. When viewers click on affiliate links and purchase a product or service that you’ve promoted, you’ll earn a commission.
The Downsides
Just because there are plenty of ways to make money online with a YouTube channel doesn’t mean that it’s all sunshine and rainbows. Like any other venture, creating a channel and then trying to monetize it comes with its share of challenges. Below, we’ll discuss a few of the things you should be aware of before pursuing this lucrative venture.
Competition.
Just as there are millions of websites and blogs for tourists to peruse, so too are there millions of channels on YouTube covering all sorts of topics. This can make it quite the crowded marketplace. You’ll need to prove to potential advertisers and sponsors that your channel is worth their time and investment.