You’ve probably heard stories about regular people earning
money on YouTube and thought, “Hey, I can do this too!”.
Have you ever wondered why famous YouTube personalities
treat their channels as a full-time job? Well, the answer is simple! It’s
because they earn a handsome amount of money from their YouTube Channels.
If you have produced videos and not earned from them on
youtube then probably someone is earning on your behalf if those videos are
already on YouTube. Never let your producer earn your money. Create a YouTube
Channel for free to market your work and in the process earn good money.
While earning thousands of shillings probably isn’t
realistic, you can start earning money quickly, especially if you have a strong
subscriber base. Follow this guide to get your videos monetized and start
earning revenue off of those YouTube ads.
Set up and build your YouTube channel. It
is free! Your channel is your personal presence on YouTube. Each YouTube
account has one channel attached to it. A YouTube account is the same as a
Google account, and creating
a YouTube account will grant you access to other Google products, such
as Gmail and Drive.
- Create
your account or use your existing one. Add keywords to help people find
your channel. You can add keywords by navigating to the Advanced section
of your Channel Settings. Make sure that your keywords are relevant to
your content.
- Your
user name can also work for or against you. If it’s short, easy to
remember, and original, people will be more apt to remember you. However, if you are using an existing account, you can always change your username
by editing it on your Google+ account.
Add Content
Try to upload original content that is high quality, and
isn’t super long. (This option can vary depending on what type of content you
decide to upload) Also, try to upload regularly and stay consistent with your
uploads.
- Even
if your content isn’t great at first, keep at it. Practice makes perfect.
Try to make each video better than the last. You will often learn as you
go.
- Improve
your content by either using a better camera or trying better editing
software or techniques. Also, try to improve the way things are filmed. Use
a tripod, have a friend help you, or light your scenes better. It all helps
for a better end product which in turn helps you get a better audience.
- By
uploading regularly you can help hold an audience. People are more likely to
subscribe if you add content on a regular schedule, and maintain that
schedule as much as possible.
- Make
sure to tag your videos with keywords that describe the content, as well
as an eye-catching description. These will help drive people to your video
from YouTube searches.
Build or gain an Audience
Building an audience is key to increasing your monetization.
You need people to watch your ads in order to make any money off of them. There
is no one secret to getting more subscribers, just make the best content that
you can and they will come to you.
- Keep
uploading content and try to get people hooked. Send your video out on
Twitter and Facebook. Share it with people. Distribute it elsewhere on the
internet. Subscribers are essential to becoming a partner.
- Interact
with your viewers by responding to comments and making occasional videos
directly related to viewer comments and questions. Connecting with your
community will bring more members into that community.
Monetize your videos. In order to start earning
money on your videos, you’ll need to enable monetization. This means you are
allowing YouTube to place ads in your video. This also means that you
acknowledge that there is no copyrighted material in your video.
- Go
to www.youtube.com and
click “My Channel” on the webpage.
- Click
the link called “Video Manager” on the top bar.
- Click
channel and Enable monetization.
Get at least ten thousand total views to start earning
money.
- You
can monetize a video as it uploads by clicking the Monetization tab and
checking the “Monetize with Ads” box.
- To
monetize a video after it has been uploaded, open your Video Manager and
click the “$” sign next to the video that you want to monetize. Check the
“Monetize with Ads” box.
Set up Google AdSense
You can set up Google AdSense for free at the AdSense
website. Click the Sign Up Now button to begin creating your account. You must
be 18 years or older to create your own account. If you are younger than that,
you will need an adult to help you.
- You
need a valid mailing address as well as other information requested so
AdSense can verify who you are and who to send the money to. You only gain
money per ad click and a smaller amount per view but it adds up over time.
This is why having an audience is key.
Market your videos via Social media or on blogs
Uploading videos on YouTube is not enough. Let your fans on
Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, WhatsApp, or any other social media platform know.
Share youtube video links on these platforms and you will be amazed at how many
views you receive.
Start a blog, make a website or post them on other video or
social media sites. The more views it gets, the better. By sharing the link or
embedding the video on the internet, you are increasing the chance of it
getting noticed.
That way you earn more.
Check your analytics. Once you have some videos
online, monetized, and being viewed, you can check out the analytics on them to
see how they are performing. Click the Analytics option in your Channel menu.
Here you can view estimated earnings, ad performance, video views, demographics, and more.
- Use
these tools to see how your content is resonating with your audience. You
can change your content or your marketing if you’re finding that you
aren’t attracting the users that you want to.
Become a YouTube partner
YouTube Partners are YouTube members who have monetized
videos with a large number of viewers. Partners gain access to more content
creation tools, and can win prizes for the number of viewers they have.
Partners also get access to much more community support and tips.
- You can
apply for a YouTube partnership at any time through the YouTube Partner
page. In order to gain access to the most powerful Partner programs, you
need to have 15,000 cumulative watch hours for your channel over the last
90 days.
FAQs
Q&A
- How
often will I get paid?
Before you can start getting paid, you’ll need to reach the
payment threshold. This varies depending on your currency. In Kenya, you will
need to reach US$70 to receive your money. If you’ve hit your payment
threshold, you’ll be paid around the 21st of every month. If you didn’t meet
the threshold, that money will be rolled over into next month’s amount. This
information is on Adsense
- Does
it cost any money to upload videos to YouTube and earn money from them?
No, uploading and monetizing your videos is completely free.
YouTube will take a cut of your ad earnings as compensation, but you won’t ever
have to pay anything.
- Is
it very difficult to make a good YouTube channel with many subscribers?
It takes a long time to build up a large subscriber count.
Just keep posting, and try to make very good content.
- How
can I receive my payments?
The payment methods available will vary depending on your
location. Open the “Payment settings” page for your AdSense account and use the
“Form of payment” section to choose how you would like to receive your
payments. You may be able to receive a check, get a wire transfer or electronic
transfer directly to your bank, or use Western Union.
- Can
someone else make money from videos I create myself without my permission?
If somebody tries to do this without your permission, they
are breaching your copyright. If this happens or is happening now, contact
Google and let them know that someone is stealing your videos and monetizing
them. This is not only a legal breach, but it’s quite a mean thing to do and
their reputation will be impacted when it comes to light.
- How
can I increase my audience and subscribers?
YouTube is all about constant content. You’ll want to focus
on creating videos that serve your audience’s needs, as well as creating
content at a regular pace to keep them coming back. As long as you are
uploading regularly, you should see your numbers increase.
- How
much money is needed to create an account?
Creating an account on YouTube is free.
- Do
you need your own website or blog to make money on YouTube?
No, you can earn money purely through YouTube and your
YouTube channel. Having your own website isn’t necessary, but it can help you
increase your visibility and draw a larger audience.
- How
about ads that don’t have the ‘skip ad’ option? Can I use those and will
it make me more money?
It says ‘per advert click’, so viewers will have to click
that advert for you to make extra income from it.
Tips
- Use
keywords so people see your video.
- Have
a distinctive tune played at the beginning of all your videos.
- Upload
content regularly.
- Make
videos with good content as well as quality.
- Put
time and effort into editing your videos.
- Create
social networking site accounts (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and advertise
for yourself!
- Make
sure you add tags when uploading videos.
- Make
videos based on what’s popular on the Internet.
- Share
your video on social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.
- Gaming
and comedy are the most popular genres.
Warnings
- Some
people may leave mean comments to bring you down. Don’t let them
discourage you.
- If
any of your videos contain copyrighted content (i.e – music that you
didn’t make, content from movies, etc) you have less of a chance of
getting into the partner program.
- Copyrighted
content can get your videos taken down, and possibly banned.
- Partnerships
with YouTube for most people do not earn very much. Unless you have a huge
success, don’t plan on a job-free life.