How To Monetise My YouTube Channel In 2024
YouTube Partner Program
YouTube has its own Partner Program, allowing you to monetise your videos. In order to become a YouTube partner you must apply using the Creator Studio subsection of your YouTube account found under “Channel” then “Monetisation”.
In order to be eligible you need a minimum of 10,000 total views and require a Google Adsense account for payment.
Adsense is an advertising platform run by Google that allows publishers to place their ads on websites such as YouTube. When a user clicks one of these ads the advertiser is charged a fee. Adsense takes a cut of this fee and pays the rest to the person’s whose content the ads are run on.
Using ad sense you will be paid through something called CPM (Cost Per Mille – Mille is the latin word for thousands). So for every 1,000 views you can expect anywhere from $1-3 on average. For example if your monetized video got 10,000 views, you would see somewhere in the region of $10-30 in ad revenue.
Starting at $4.99 per month, your most loyal fans can Sponsor your channel. This will give them a little badge that appears next to their name in the comment section of your videos and live streams. You can also give them special perks such as sponsor only content and have multiple tiers of sponsorship level unlocking further exclusive content. You receive 70% of the revenue after local sales tax is deducted from these sponsor subscriptions.
To see if you are eligible to set this up for your channel browse to Channel > Status and Features > Sponsorships.
YouTube Merchandise
Another great channel for income is through selling merchandise. Remember that your channel is a brand and that there will be some people that are willing to pay to show support for their favourite YouTuber. Of course this requires a bit of investment into getting the designs done if you are not doing them yourself but depending on your subscriber count this could be a very lucrative revenue stream.
Affiliate Marketing
The most common as well as effective way of generating passive income through YouTube is by utilising affiliate marketing. The process is simple, you get commission for referring people to a business’ website.
This is by far the easiest to set up as all it requires is a link in the description of a video. There is no initial cost to set up or shipping logistics to worry about making it the most popular form of monetisation beyond Google Adsense.
To browse the best affiliate programmes by category see these pages:
Alternatively, if you operate in an industry not listed above Google search for your industry + “affiliate programme” / “how to become an affiliate” / “affiliate network” or similar such terms.
Most affiliate programs require you to submit some details and your channel link for review. Once accepted you can start promoting your personal affiliate link or discount code in your videos.
When using an affiliate link it is recommended to use a url shortening service such as Bit.ly that provides tracking that way you can track the number of people clicking through on the link if the affiliate dashboard doesn’t provide such information.
Amazon Influencer
Amazon recently released their Influencer program allowing social media influencers to earn commission of Amazon recommendations. Once approved, you will be able to create an Amazon page with all the products you recommend. Then you are able to share the link in your YouTube video descriptions. When someone clicks through your link and purchases something you will earn a commission (amount varies depending on product category). This is a more featured version of Amazon’s Associates programme so should your application be declined you still have the ability to use Amazon Associates until you have built a large enough following.
A note on affiliate links:
Just link all affiliates you need to disclose in your YouTube videos and descriptions when you are promoting sponsored or affiliate-related products or services. Depending on your region, not doing so may violate local laws but it certainly does violate YouTube’s platform rules. Read more about YouTube’s disclosure policy regarding product placements, sponsorships & endorsements here.
For more tips, visit our homepage and compare hundreds of affiliate programs and see which affiliate program fits you best.
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