“YouTubers” have been multiplying year after year, for many years. It seems as if these days every other person is a vlogger or a beauty specialist!
To put it simply – a YouTuber is a catch-all term that refers to any person that uses and uploads videos to the video-sharing site YouTube. These users seek to monetize their content.
Some users have amassed an enormous following, doing so to the extent where many are able to make a career out of YouTube; some make an entire living off of it.
But many people wonder how some people can make a living from YouTube. In this article, we take a look at five different ways that a YouTuber can make money.
Start of Video Advertising
The majority of revenue for YouTuber’s will come from start of video advertising. This refers to the adverts that will play to visitors watching the YouTuber’s video. Before accessing the video, they sit through an advert. A recent trend has also seen mid-video adverts too.
These adverts can normally be skipped, but any impressions will yield income. The longer a viewer engages with an advert, the higher the income will be.
As YouTube is owned by Google, the adverts run through the popular AdSense program. Google do however keep a third of the revenue that comes from the videos.
The exact amount that a YouTuber earns per thousand views will depend on a range of variables. This includes the demographic of the user, the type of advertiser and location among other areas.
Brand Advertising
Using brands is an excellent way of making money for YouTubers. As YouTubers typically have a devoted fanbase, they will also have detailed information on then, such as age, interests and demographics, courtesy of Google Analytics.
As a result, brands become interested in putting their products out. This means that the YouTuber can use certain products in videos. This is particularly common for beauty-based products.
What then happens is a win-win situation. The brand is happy as their products are being seen by a large amount of people, while the YouTuber is happy with the income, and their fanbase become aware of tailored products.
Affiliate links
Following on from the point above – a YouTuber will frequently list in the video description area any product that has featured in the video.
Often, links to specific products will be there, or perhaps just a website. By doing this, the YouTuber is becoming an affiliate of any brands featured in their description.
Whenever a follower or viewer of a video clicks on the link and completes a purchase – the YouTuber will earn a small commission on it. If the YouTuber has many followers, the commission can quickly rise.
A YouTuber may also have their own special discount code that they can share with their followers. Similar to our point on branding, this creates a situation where there are winners all around.
Merchandise
The first three areas outlined are all basic ways of making money for practically any YouTuber. But some forms of monetization require a bigger audience. For those with large numbers of subscribers, merchandise is possible.
YouTubers are able to release their own brand of clothing, phone cases or wristbands. Many end up releasing clothing like T-shirts and hoodies. The YouTuber can tailor their merchandise to their fanbase.
This has the potential to be a lucrative source of income. This has proved to be particularly effective in the past in cases where a YouTuber has a set catchphrase or unique look.
Additional/Exclusive content
YouTubers also have the potential to utilise their popularity on other services. They can offer their fans “extra” or “exclusive” content on other websites.
This runs as a subscription, where viewers pay a fee each month to access the exclusive content. They will receive content that isn’t released to the general public.
This content can range from behind-the-scenes videos, video diaries, exclusive interviews, or in some cases, explicit/adult content.
Sites like Patreon and OnlyFans have become very popular in this respect. YouTubers do have to give a share of their income to these websites, but the majority of income they get stays with them.
The Takeaway
These five revenue streams, when combined, provide a healthy revenue. The amount of income a user receives is dependent on a range of factors. But mastering the above steps can be very helpful.
As long as YouTubers have followers, there will always be ways for them to monetize their content. One day, this could be to the extent where they can have YouTubing as a job.
