Editor’s note: This article was first published in May 2013, and its earnings for Natalie Tran ($120,000) and Shane Dawson ($300,000) are 2013 figures. Its monetisation steps describe the YouTube Partner Program as it worked then; eligibility now depends on subscriber and watch-time thresholds, and the process has changed.
Making money on YouTube is not easy at all; otherwise everyone would be doing it. It is possible, of course, as we showed with 5 people who earn more than $100,000 on YouTube. So if you want to be the next Natalie Tran ($120,000) or the next Shane Dawson ($300,000), you need to prepare before you set off down this road, and know exactly what you should and shouldn’t do, what is allowed and what isn’t.
Once you have that, of course, you will need patience, time and some luck. Yes, I said luck. I know luck doesn’t exist in business, but when it comes to a viral video you are going to need it, because you can film yourself making an incredible video only to find that, that very day, the most viral video, with millions of views, is a sleeping cat. Let’s move on to some tips for making money with YouTube.
1. Before you start, you should know that YouTube won’t let you upload videos that…
- Contain material you did not create and/or do not have the creator’s permission to use.
- Show people who did not give you permission to film them or put them online: In other words, your video could be taken down if, while filming, you caught a number plate or a passer-by in the street and didn’t blur their face.
- Are not suitable for all audiences: Racy or violent content is not allowed. Although YouTube is becoming more permissive with some kinds of videos, I doubt they will let you run ads on them. At least, that is what the policies say.
2. Singing other people’s songs
However well you sing, if you didn’t write the song you could be sued, because you don’t hold the rights needed to make money from it. In other words, Justin Bieber cannot make money on YouTube from the early videos that launched him to “stardom”, because the songs were by other artists. Pablo Alborán (a Spanish singer-songwriter), on the other hand, can perfectly well make money from his videos, since the songs are his own.
3. Make sure the picture quality is good
Try to get a good camera, and good sound and lighting. That will increase your chances of making a viral video. In fact, if you look at the people who make a lot of money on YouTube, they all have impressive picture quality. Once you have the camera, find two cats, film them, and maybe you’ll have the viral video you were looking for :).
4. The video title
You know how this works. Someone tells you: “Look on YouTube for that video of a kid biting his brother’s finger“. What should that video be called so it’s easy to find? “Charly biting his brother’s finger”. A YouTube title should be descriptive, simple and easy to find.
5. What we need to make money on YouTube
Clearly, to make money and make our videos truly profitable, we need lots of views. You need to be able to get millions of views for every video you upload. It isn’t easy at all, but some people have more of a knack than others for getting their videos in front of a wider audience.
Once all that is done, how do I make money?
-
If a video gets millions of views, YouTube itself will send an email to your Gmail account inviting you to become a partner, so it can place ads and share the revenue with you.
-
You can also ask YouTube (Google) to sign you up for this partner programme, for which you need to open an AdSense account. Google will review your channel. This can take weeks, and then it will either accept you or reject you for breaching some of its policies.
-
If your application is approved, congratulations. Upload videos and start earning. The minimum you have to reach before you can get paid is €70 or $100 (depending on the country).
-
If YouTube turns down your application, you will have to be patient for another 2 months, which is how long you must wait before applying again. In the meantime, look at the reasons you were rejected and keep improving so your videos have a better chance of going viral.
And remember that the most successful channels usually rely on humour and originality, without becoming tiresome. Their videos tend to be very short.
So good luck. Maybe you’ll be the next YouTube star to earn more than 100,000 euros, although I warn you it is far from easy.
Further reading
- 2 websites for making money from your trade or know-how
- Ideas for making money from home or with your home
- Profitable businesses around the world: 5 ideas
Featured image: Eva Rinaldi, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
