Marcus Marion, CMA™ Are you interested in learning how to make money online as a teen or how to make money in one hour? Look no further than YouTube – the world’s leading video-sharing platform. Successful YouTubers generate an average of $1,154 weekly or $4,616 monthly.
Based on the latest data, YouTube has over 2.51 billion monthly active users, and 122 million log onto the website daily. Every minute of every day, a staggering 500 hours of videos are uploaded to the site, providing a massive audience for content creators.
Not only does YouTube provide web users with 24/7 entertainment, but it also gives everyday people an opportunity to earn income. Learning how to make money on YouTube without making videos takes just a few minutes, but the results can set you up for a lifetime of royalties.
What are the Requirements for Making Money on YouTube?
You don’t even have to show your face to generate income on this popular website, with many famous YouTubers like SwaggerSouls capitalizing on the platform’s features without filming themselves on camera. It’s an added bonus if you know how to make YouTube videos using your phone!
You can join the YouTube Partner program once you meet the eligibility criteria for monetizing an automated YouTube channel. This program grants access to monetization features, including advertising, follower funding, and product/service sales.
How Many Subscribers Do You Need on YouTube to Make Money?
The first step to earning money via YouTube is to open an account before uploading content (whether it features you, someone else, or is simply an edited tutorial featuring words compiled together using editing software) and presenting the content to an audience.
How many followers on YouTube to make money? People who like your content and want to stay updated each time you upload something will click the ‘subscribe’ button. You’ll receive an invite to the YouTube Partner program if you reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within a year.
Can you make money off YouTube shorts, you ask? The answer is yes. If you attract 1,000 subscribers and 10 million legitimate public ‘Shorts’ views — ‘Shorts’ are short-form 60-second clips that mimic the TikTok style video format — within 90 days, you can join the YouTube Partner Program.
The greater your online following, the higher the chances of more people clicking on your ads. People with impressive subscriber counts achieve more widespread brand awareness and may even attract brand sponsorship opportunities.
How Many Views Do You Need to Make Money on YouTube?
As mentioned above, the required view count for making money as a YouTube varies depending on how many subscribers you have. The average YouTuber earns approximately $0.018 per view, which is $18 per 1,000 views.
The YouTuber receives around 68% of the earnings per view ($0.012), meaning that every 1,000 views generate $122. Not bad! Plus, if you master how to live stream on YouTube without 1,000 subscribers, you can easily attract more views.
Gain Inspiration from YouTube Success Stories
YouTube is the second top-ranking website in the U.S. traffic wise, providing ample opportunity to attract an audience. Traffic is the number of web visitors you attract using SEO keywords, paid advertising, social media sharing, and more.
Income success depends on commitment and monetization strategy (or strategies if you opt for multiple streams of income.) Author Cinquanta Cox-Smith earns $120,000 annually by posting various video tutorials, making her a true inspiration for others hoping to follow in her footsteps.
Some other inspirational YouTube success stories include Ask Holly Hall, who makes $72,000 annually by posting intuitive life and business advice, Delray Watch Supply ($3.84 million annually), Annmarie ($12 million annually), and Mrs. Daaku Studio ($60,000 annually).
Monetizing YouTube Without Creating Video Footage
How to stand out in a sea of 51 million YouTube channels? You will find plenty of ways to attract viewers regularly, which translates to regular income via Google Ads or another monetization tool. You can select your monetization preferences by accessing the ‘monetization’ drop-down on the left-hand menu of the YouTube Studio.
Of course, creating video content is one of the most popular techniques, but if you don’t have video software or want to cut corners to earn maximum income with minimum output, try the following YouTube monetization methods:
1. Upload Royalty-Free Music to the Audio Library
When YouTubers upload videos, they will usually choose a song to accompany the visuals. It’s possible to go viral by selecting a popular or trending theme. Why not be the audio artist?
If you have recording software, you can create royalty-free music or sound effects and publish it publicly in YouTube’s Audio Library. Creators are often willing to splash out for high-quality audio.
This technique will likely appeal to you if you want to learn how to make YouTube videos using your phone because all you need is a voice recorder app, an Internet connection, and access to YouTube.
2. Sell Online Consultation Services
Ask yourself, “What am I an expert in?” We all have something we’re good at, whether talking to people, selling services, or teaching yoga from our bedroom. Consider your expertise and use it to create an online consultation business.
Organize consultation sessions via Skype or Zoom and promote them on YouTube. High-ticket life coaching is a prime example of a side gig you can do from home without writing any website code.
Add the link for your online consultations to your YouTube bio, video descriptions, and via commenting on other users’ videos.
3. Narration or Voice-Over Services
Some people use YouTube to watch documentaries, listen to audiobooks, meditate, and learn something new with educational scripts. With this type of content, there is no need to sit in front of a camera and record a video.
Using a free app like Audacity, you can reuse existing media on your phone and apply a voice recording over the top – a skill known as ‘narration’ or ‘voice-over.’
4. Produce Visual Art and Customized Thumbnails for Vloggers
Thumbnails are some of the most integral elements of YouTube videos. It will only grasp attention if it is interesting. Viewers will probably look elsewhere if a video cover image looks dull or boring.
Thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), even the most inexperienced digital artists can learn how to transform their hobbies into money-making machines. Recommended AI apps for visual art creation include Starryai, Dream By WOMBO, and Wonder AI Art Generator.
5. Post Work From Other Content Creators
This is tricky because YouTube strictly prohibits copyright infringement. Nonetheless, there are ways to reuse other people’s content without getting penalized.
Outside of YouTube, you can repost other videos with a shareable link on your blog, website, or social media sites. Be sure to contact the original video owner and producer beforehand.
Gaining their permission is vital to avoid privacy breaches and copyright infringement. Sidestep potential penalties by searching for videos with a Creative Commons license since these are open for public sharing.
6. Sign Up for a Nielsen Account
Can you spend hours scrolling through YouTube without getting bored? If so, this money-making idea suits you down to the ground. Don’t expect to get rich, however. This is merely an option for people who want a little extra pocket money, but it’s worth it.
Nielsen describes itself as “a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, shaping the future of media.” All you need to do is download the application on your smartphone, choose a username and password, and watch whatever you desire.
The company pays $50 annually. While it might not seem like a lot, you could be one of 400 winners who share a monthly $10,000 sweepstakes.
7. Promote a Crowdfunding Link
Some of the world’s most successful musicians, filmmakers, and artists kickstarted their careers by raising capital via crowdfunding. If you already have a loyal following supporting your online endeavors, sign up for Patreon.
This donation-based service streamlines the connection between content creators and their supporters/fans. Donators send $6 on average; a 5-12% cut of each donation goes to Patreon. Some of the top Patreon creators are pulling in over $200,000 annually.
Bonus Tip
Consider multiple monetization options, such as affiliate marketing, donations, crowdfunding, and e-commerce. Aim to gather as many relevant email addresses for lead generation purposes as possible.
Once you build an email list, it’s wise to send 1-3 emails weekly encouraging readers to visit your YouTube channel, business website, affiliate link, and e-commerce store (or whatever you use to generate an income). Remember to educate and entertain in the emails, too.
If you know how to make money on Amazon, you can even insert your Amazon affiliate links in the email body. Some other ideas for earning money with YouTube include adding affiliate marketing, sponsorships, video editing, and production.
Summary
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket; make a plan first, stay committed, monitor your progress, readjust your strategy quarterly, and tweak it whenever there’s a slump in views. Failures aren’t the end – they are teaching you to be better. Each time you encounter a setback, identify where you went wrong and tweak your strategy for improvement.
Always remain authentic in your YouTube missions and avoid making unsubstantiated claims when promoting products/services, especially if the goods are medically focused.
