YouTube originated as a platform where people could upload cat videos, rants on a webcam, and videos chatting with friends. While that is still a thing on the platform, it’s also where entrepreneurs build a brand and make a living. Let’s look at YouTube as a career.

The Dream Job for Many

Gone are the days when kids wanted to be rock stars as their career of choice. Now, as many as 30% of children wish to be YouTubers. YouTube is a platform that has given rise to a new generation of celebrities, and the idea of broadcasting yourself to the world and making a living off it is tempting for many, not just kids.

Anyone can create a YouTube account and upload videos. However, it takes a unique talent to make a living off it. Here’s how you can monetize yourself on YouTube.

YouTube’s Monetization Tools

You must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months to become monetizable. In addition, your videos must follow advertiser guidelines.

Once monetized, you can gain around a penny per view. If your video goes viral and gets millions of views, you can get much cash! However, not everyone can reach millions of views per video. Because of this, smaller channels that have a dedicated following may still struggle to gain enough money to make a living.

Monetizing a channel can be a great way to make a living, but it has drawbacks. For example, the advertiser guidelines can be vague and are constantly changing. On a platform that encourages users to be themselves, many YouTubers criticize YouTube’s monetization policies for being too censorious. To be advertiser-friendly, you should avoid profanity, not talk about serious topics, and follow other rules. However, there are different ways that you can monetize yourself on YouTube. Here are some ways.

Crowdfunding

Some people use websites such as Patreon to gain extra money. With Patreon, YouTubers can have paid tiers where their fans pay a certain amount of cash monthly. These tiers usually come with perks, such as premium content.

YouTube saw this and has its version called Channel Memberships. It’s pretty similar, with fans paying a monthly premium to access exclusive emojis and other bonus content. Some invest in YouTube, spending money to buy Short views and advertise their channel too, which can increase channel memberships.

Crowdfunding is a great way to build a career by making the channel grassroots. However, it does have drawbacks. The amount of money you can gain may fluctuate depending on how many patrons you receive. Also, you must create a lot of extra content, which can be problematic if you have little time.

In-Video Sponsorships

This is similar to YouTube’s monetization, where ads appear before the video. However, these ads are usually random. In-video sponsorships are when a company reaches out to a YouTuber to promote their products. Usually, this is through an advertisement at the beginning or middle of the video.

If you’ve watched a bigger YouTuber, you’ve probably seen them promote mobile games, razors, and other products. While most fans understand that the YouTuber must do this to make a living, it can ruin a video’s immersion. Plus, if the product they’re promoting later gets exposed as a scam, it can hurt the YouTuber’s reputation. If you go this route, always choose your sponsors carefully. Also, be sure that your ads are engaging.

Affiliate

Another way a channel can grow is through an affiliate marketing program. You post a link in the description, and if your fans buy the product, you gain money. You don’t earn as much cash as you would through a sponsorship, but affiliate marketing is much easier to join. Most sponsors won’t reach out unless you have many subscribers.

Merch

Another route YouTubers take to make money is merch. This method may involve creating t-shirts, plushies, and other tangible products a fan can purchase to show their support. If you have a dedicated fanbase, your fans may want to wear a shirt with your logo or a meme that your channel created. Plus, it makes for good advertising.

While merch can be an excellent way to make money, it involves setting up a store, getting a graphic designer to create eye-catching products, and other hurdles. However, if you can get a merch store up and running, you can make some cash.

Superchips

YouTubers who livestream content primarily use this way of making money. A super chat is a message highlighted so the streamer can quickly notice it. This makes the streamer more likely to read and acknowledge the message. If you’re a big streamer, you can gain hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars per stream.

How you handle super chats is up to you. Some YouTubers will read them as they come along. Others will read all the superchats at the end of the stream or during the middle. However, no matter how you decide, be sure to acknowledge them. Many YouTubers will stop donating if you don’t read them. However, you can set a minimum donation to avoid reading $1 superchats. This will prompt your fans to send more money, and thus, you can make a more significant profit.

The Good and the Bad

Making YouTube your career has many benefits. You have much more freedom than a traditional job, and you can have many revenue streams.

However, YouTube does require much work, and it’s often a side hustle for a very long time. With YouTube’s constantly changing policies, you’ll also have to create advertiser-friendly content, which can annoy some people.

Another downside is that you’re an Internet celebrity. This means you’re up to scrutiny, and if you get into some drama, your fans will know.

Also, YouTube doesn’t last forever. While many channels can still be relevant a decade later, many YouTubers have their 15 minutes of fame and then are no longer relevant. Reinventing yourself, keeping up with trends, and learning the algorithm changes are ways to stay on top.