12 Ways to Make Money on YouTube: Ads, Subscriptions, & More

Get started making money on YouTube with this beginner-friendly guide

Co-authored by Timothy Linetsky and Rain Kengly

Last Updated: April 8, 2024 Fact Checked

Do you want to make money from YouTube videos? While earning thousands of dollars off the bat probably isn't realistic for most people, you can start getting paid quickly, especially if you have a strong subscriber base. Once you've created your channel and built your audience, you can monetize your videos in your YouTube Studio dashboard. Additionally, you can use Google AdSense to provide additional income from your videos. This wikiHow will show you how to get started making money off YouTube regardless of where you're starting.

Things You Should Know

Create your channel, upload videos, and gain an audience to monetize your videos.
Set up Google AdSense to make money per click from your videos and market them in places other than YouTube.
If you have at least 4,000 watch hours in the previous year, over 1,000 subscribers, and a linked AdSense, you can join the YouTube Partner Program.
YouTubers make money through advertisements. It does not matter how many videos your video itself has or how many subscribers you have.
You will not receive money from viewers who have the AdBlock extension because it stops ads from playing. You will receive money from those who have YouTube premium, however.
Age-restricted videos are not eligible for monetization. This is why YouTubers tend to filter out profanity or mature content to prevent their video from becoming age-restricted.
YouTube is very strict about copyright. Since you are generating revenue, "fair use" does not apply so you must have permission from the copyright holder to use their content.

Section 1 of 12:

Set Up Your Channel

Set up and build your YouTube channel. 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, which is key to making money on YouTube. 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 username 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. Keep in mind, you can only change your user name 3 times at maximum before you have to wait 90 days to change it again.

Section 2 of 12:

Add Great Content

Add content. Try to upload content that is high quality and isn't super long. This option can vary depending on what type of content you decide to upload. The more engaging your content, the better your chances at earning money on YouTube.
- 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. If you don't want to buy bright white lights, you can sit near a sunny window, or do it outside.
- By uploading content regularly, you can help hold an audience, which can help you earn money. People are more likely to subscribe if you add content regularly.
- 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.

Section 3 of 12:

Meet the Requirements

Meet the requirements for monetization. You need at least 4,000 watch hours in the previous 12 months and 1000 subscribers to start earning money on YouTube.
- 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.

Section 4 of 12:

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 on monetization.
EXPERT TIP

Timothy Linetsky
Music Producer & Instructor
Timothy Linetsky is a DJ, producer, YouTuber, and music educator based in San Francisco, California. He has been making music for over 15 years, and is known for his YouTube channel You Suck at Producing, in which he does music production tutorials for over 330,000 YouTube subscribers. In addition to teaching music production, he releases his own music as Underbelly. He has taught at schools such as Beat Lab Academy and Pyramind. He is also an Ableton Certified Trainer, and has worked closely with the company to produce tutorial videos and educational content. His original productions have garnered millions of plays on Spotify, and in 2020, he released his debut album Machine Yearning as Underbelly to critical acclaim.

Timothy Linetsky
Music Producer & Instructor

Our Expert's Story: "I turned my YouTube channel into a business through offering private lessons, which has been my main source of income. I also used my channel to get a job at the school I now work at because they saw I have a presence on YouTube and that I can teach. There are other ways, too, like ad revenue or sponsorship opportunities, which are both helpful."

Section 5 of 12:

Set Up Google AdSense

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.^{[1]
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- You need either PayPal or a bank account and a valid mailing address as well as other information 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.

Section 6 of 12:

Gain an Audience

Gain a large audience. Building an audience is key to making money on YouTube. 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.
- Sometimes there will be haters, so you just have to ignore them. If you want to thrive, you have to be confident.
- Try to get your YouTube channel out there. Use methods such as press releases to help your channel gain notoriety. With press releases, for example, you can get an article about your YouTube channel published on hundreds of news sites with thousands if not millions of readers. This can drive traffic to your channel and possibly help you get verified as well.
- 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. One good way to do that is pretty simple, shout outs.

Section 7 of 12:

Become a YouTube Partner

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 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.

Section 8 of 12:

Enable Channel Memberships

Enable channel memberships. Channel memberships can give your viewers special member-only perks. By joining your channel through recurring monthly payments, viewers can earn exclusive emojis, badges, perks, live chats, and more. This allows your viewers to support you in more ways than ad revenue from your videos.^{[2]
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- To enable channel memberships, you must meet the minimum requirements. You must have more than 1,000 subscribers, be a YouTube Partner, be over 18 years old, have a Community tab, and your channel cannot be set as "made for kids".
- As this is a relatively new feature, meeting the requirements doesn't necessarily mean you'll automatically get channel membership access.
- If you have access, you'll see the option to begin channel memberships on the Memberships page.

Section 9 of 12:

Turn on Super Chat and Super Stickers

Allow Super Chat and Super Stickers. Super Chat and Super Stickers can be used during live chats. When viewers use a Super Chat or Super Sticker, their message will stand out in live chat during live streams and Premieres. These messages will be pinned to the top of the chat for a set period of time.^{[3]
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- This gives incentive to viewers who want a greater chance of their message being read to everyone watching. The bigger the purchase the amount, the longer the message will be pinned to the chat.
- You can moderate all Super Chats and Super Stickers. You'll be able to add a list of blocked words to avoid abuse. You can also remove them at any time while keeping your earnings.
- To use Super Chat and Super Stickers, your channel must be monetized, and you must be in an eligible __cpLocation.

Section 10 of 12:

Let Viewers Give Super Thanks

Let your viewers give you Super Thanks. Super Thanks allows you to earn revenue from viewers who want to show extra thanks. This feature was formerly known as "Viewer applause". Viewers can set their own price point for their Super Thanks.^{[4]
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- After buying a Super Thanks, a colorful animation with play over the video for the viewer. They'll also get to post a distinct, customizable comment in the video's comment section.
- This lets your viewers stand out over other viewers while giving you extra support.

Section 11 of 12:

Check Your Analytics

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.

Section 12 of 12:

Market Your Videos

Market your videos elsewhere. Don't put your videos just on YouTube! 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.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it very difficult to make a good YouTube channel with many subscribers?

Community Answer

It takes a long time to build up a large subscriber count. Just keep posting, and try to make very good content.
Question

Is it easy to earn money in just a month or so?

Community Answer

Generally, no. You will need time to build your YouTube channel before you will see any profit.
Question

Why are likes important on a video?

Community Answer

Likes are important because they provide quick feedback to the content creator. If a video gets a lot of likes, it suggests that the channel's viewers will enjoy more videos of a similar kind.

See more answers

Video

Tips

Always check if the content you upload is copyrighted before posting a video.
Be consistent in your channel and try to avoid toxic words and respect your YouTube family.
Have a distinctive tune play at the beginning of all your videos.

Warnings

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.
The average cost per thousand views is generally between $0.25-4.00 USD.
Copyrighted content can get your videos taken down, and possibly banned. This includes images, videos, movie clips, etc. If you are found to be reusing copyrighted content without owner's permission, your account will be demonetized. Be sure to consider what is fair use and what is not.
Earning money will depend on many factors, including the target audience, channel type, audience engagement, and views.

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