Creating content on YouTube is now more common than ever, but that doesn’t mean that YOU can’t earn a slice of the pie too.
(this article was originally published on Medium)
15 years ago, the thought of uploading regular content to YouTube was not only uncommon, but also downright embarrassing in the eyes of many. Flash forward to the chaotic year of 2021, and people all over the world are trying their hand at becoming YouTubers. For the creativity, for the fame, for the money.
However, just as many can quickly become discouraged. Climbing the heights on a platform like YouTube isn’t as simple as publishing a video and waiting for thousands of fans to appear overnight. Earning a steady income from it is even more challenging.
Can small YouTubers make money? Or are the financial gains of sharing one’s thoughts, knowledge or lifestyle online reserved for those with a vast following? The old disappointing phrase “don’t quit the day job” springs to mind…but earning money on YouTube is very much still viable for smaller creators.
At the moment I have ~6,500 subscribers on YouTube. I still very much consider creating video content a side hustle. However, it’s still helping to move those little numbers in the bank account in the direction I prefer them to move.
With the wee bit of experience I have so far, I want to share four ways in which you can earn money as a smaller creator.
YouTube Ads
The first, and perhaps most obvious, route to building an income through YouTube is with adverts.
YouTube will begin to allow monetisation of your channel through its membership programme once you reach two specific milestones:
- 1,000 subscribers
- 4,000 hours of watch time in the past 12 months
Both can seem incredibly daunting when you first set up that channel, but through consistent and good quality work, nothing is stopping you from getting there. Once you’ve been approved for monetisation, those pennies and pounds (or cents and dollars, or cents and Euros etc) will start stacking up.
You’ll find that different videos will perform better than others in terms of revenue. This can be down to a number of factors, such as
You can track your earnings through the revenue analytics section of YouTube Studio.
It’s worth mentioning that the money you actually earn through this advertising revenue can vary greatly. The amount you earn per 1,000 views can be subject to factors such as:
- The time of upload. Certain months of the year can be much more lucrative than others. The screenshot above shows you some estimated earnings for January of 2021, which is >40% lower than income for the same amount of views as in December 2020. This can be frustrating as it is usually out of the creator’s control, but worth bearing in mind when choosing to start or upload to your channel!
- Your language. If you can speak a widely used language, you will not only be likely to receive more video views, but more bids for adverts on your channel. Advertisers bid more for videos that will garner them more advert views. If you can film while speaking a common language like English or Spanish, you’ll likely see that increase in revenue through your videos too.
- Your viewers’ location. For a number of reasons, if your viewers are in wealthier countries, you’ll often see an upward correlation in your ad revenue. Similar to the point above, advertisers want people to see and to buy their products or services, which is more likely in more developed nations.
- Your niche. Some branches of YouTube just seem to rake in more cash than others. Gaming and finance videos can be incredibly lucrative, while video creators who cover more controversial topics will often see a much lower level of earnings. Some topics can even be blocked from advertising completely if YouTube deem it to be unsuitable.
Ad revenue can fluctuate and is not the most reliable source of small YouTubers’ income, but can definitely be a nice stream of income in the right circumstances.
Patreon
Another source of income for small YouTubers can come through Patrons.
Patreon is a website in which people can donate or subscribe to their favourite creators through monthly payments. Creators can charge as little as $1 or as much as $1,000 to subscribe. Obviously smaller creators are much more likely to rake in subscriptions at lower price tiers, but those subscriptions can begin to accumulate into decent regular earnings.
This platform can be used simply as a way of allowing your fans and subscribers to donate to you. This is almost like a “thank you” for creating the content they enjoy, or a way to help you fund the videos you’re making.
Or, as many creators do, it can be used as a way of providing extra content for fans and subscribers. For example, anyone who decides to become a Patron of my Patreon feed will gain access to exclusive recipes and videos that aren’t posted anywhere else. This can prove to be a bit of extra work, but equally functions as an incentive to attract people to become Patrons in the first place.
It may take a while for small creators to see a significant income through Patreon, but if you provide people with useful or high quality content, you might just start to see that money trickle in.
Affiliate links
A term you may see thrown around a lot is that of “affiliate marketing”.
Some people manage to make a few extra pounds and pennies through affiliate links each month, while others build their entire lifestyle around it.
Amazon Affiliates is one of the most popular ways of earning a bit of extra income. You could be occasionally linking your favourite products in your YouTube description box, or running full-blown reviews of products and urging people to buy them. Either way, you can earn some money from Amazon if people decide to purchase products through your shared link.
Currently I am an Amazon Affiliate, linking my favourite products on my YouTube videos, and on here on my blog. Admittedly, this is one of my smallest revenue streams, but can mean big bucks for certain creators.
You can even open your own Amazon storefront!
While I, in the food niche, often link products that are every day items and very affordable, other niches could see fat earnings from their links. If you’re a gaming creator, dropping links to the latest games, PCs, or streaming gear could bring in much more value. Similarly, if you review gadgets on your tech channel, links to cameras, microphones, and other equipment can be really lucrative.
Of course, Amazon Affiliates is not the only option. Other big companies, and even some small companies, will often be happy to collaborate via affiliate marketing.
- You give your subscribers a discount code for a company’s products;
- your subscribers buy the products;
- the company earns money; and then
- you earn a percentage of that money.
Freelance work
Finally, and less obviously, freelance video creation is something you can consider as a small YouTuber.
While you may not have all the skills and confidence of more popular creators (yet), that doesn’t mean you can’t put what you do have to good use. Freelancing websites such as Upwork and Fiverr often see people listing jobs for videographers, video editors and more.
Taking on work through these websites, or directly through companies you work with, can be a nice stable way to earn money from your knowledge and techniques. It can also be a great way to create relationships with clients on short or long term contracts. Not only that, in working for others you’ll likely gain experience in creating content you wouldn’t normally make yourself.
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Ultimately, making money on any platform requires hard work and consistency. Equally, it will always be easier when you have a larger following.
This shouldn’t discourage you though. Everyone has to start somewhere, and millions upon millions of people still flock to YouTube every day to consume content. Every day is an opportunity for you to monetise your skills, knowledge, and hobbies – if you want to!
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