Introduction
In recent years, there has been an incredible surge of people wanting to become YouTubers. The allure of being able to make a living from simply creating content and uploading it to the internet is incredibly strong, and for many, it proves too hard to resist. But just how much money can you actually make as a YouTuber?
Well, the answer to that question isn’t straightforward. It depends on a variety of factors, including the size of your audience, the type of content you create, and how effectively you monetize your channel. However, according to data from SocialBlade , the majority of successful YouTubers make anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 per month.
Of course, there are a select few YouTubers who make far more than that. For example, PewDiePie – the most popular YouTuber in the world – reportedly earns around $15 million per year. But those kinds of earnings are the exception rather than the rule.
So, if you’re thinking about starting a YouTube channel, don’t expect to get rich overnight. But if you’re willing to put in the hard work and build up a following over time, you could eventually make a decent living from your videos.
So lets now answer the question how much money do YouTubers make?
How Do People Earn Money from YouTube?
There are many different ways that YouTubers can earn money, and it’s important to understand all the options available before you start out.
The main way YouTubers make money is through advertising. Every time someone watches one of your videos, YouTube places an ad at the beginning or end of it. As a result, whenever someone clicks on your video (or skips the ad), YouTube earns a small amount of money from advertisers. Google then takes that money and pays you a cut for any ads that were viewed in your videos. The exact amount varies depending on factors such as the type of advertiser, how many views each video got, and whether viewers watched any ads or skipped them entirely. But, according to the YouTube Creator Playbook, most creators make around $1 per 1,000 ad views.
Another way that many YouTubers generate income is through paid channel memberships. It’s a bit like Netflix. When people subscribe to your channel, they pay a monthly fee so they can view all of your exclusive content and support your channel in the process. This option is particularly beneficial for those who run educational channels with lots of great valuable content, as it allows viewers who aren’t able to afford the full price of the product or course on offer to still gain access by subscribing at a discounted rate. Fun fact: PewDiePie makes around $7 million a year just from his paid subscribers.
Other Ways YouTubers Make Money
Apart from the main two, there are a few other ways that some YouTubers make money. These include merchandising, crowdfunding, and live streaming. However, these revenue streams only work if you already have a large audience – they aren’t useful for those who are starting out or still relatively unknown. In addition to this, it’s important to note that many of the methods listed above actually require quite a bit of time and effort – which is something you might not be willing to invest if your main goal is simply to make as much money as possible.
Some of the Top 5 YouTube Earners in the World
1. PewDiePie
PewDiePie is the biggest YouTuber in the world with over 57 million subscribers , and he makes an estimated $15 million per year. He primarily uploads videos of himself playing video games, but his channel also includes vlogs about topics such as his daily life, pranks, challenges, and collaborations with other YouTubers. His most popular video (with over 222 million views) is titled ‘I bet I can get more thumbs down than up’ – something which proves just how many millions of people are watching him on a regular basis.
2. Ryan ToysReview
Ryan’s channel centers around unboxing different toys that his parents buy for him. He’s only 6 years old, but he already has over 10 million subscribers and makes an estimated $11 million per year. His most viewed video (which is of him playing with a giant egg surprise toy) has over 800 million views on it.
3. Daniel Middleton
Daniel calls himself the ‘Diamond Minecart’, and he specialises in Minecraft gameplay videos that are aimed at young kids. At just 30 years old, he already has over 25 million subscribers on his channel, making him one of the biggest YouTubers in the world. According to Forbes magazine, Daniel makes around $16 million per year off YouTube advertising alone . However, because he also produces sponsored content for companies such as Samsung and Microsoft, it’s thought that his total yearly income is much higher.
4. Dude Perfect
Dude Perfect is a channel made up of 5 friends who are all ex-athletes from Texas A&M University. They make funny trick shot videos that involve lots of stunts and challenges, and their channel has over 56 million subscribers . Together, the guys are thought to make over $10 million per year from YouTube advertising revenue.
5. Lilly Singh
Lilly Singh is a Canadian YouTuber who goes by the name Superwoman. Her channel has over 14 million subscribers, and she specialises in comedic videos about her everyday life experiences (mainly involving her parents). Lilly is estimated to make around $7.5 million per year from YouTube advertising alone. She’s also worked with major brands such as Coca-Cola and has appeared in TV shows like The Tonight Show, and her book titled How to be a Bawse: A Guide to Conquering Life was published in 2017 and hit the New York Times bestsellers list.
5 Steps to Make Money from YouTube
If you’re serious about making money from YouTube, there are a few essential steps that you need to take:
1. Choose your niche
Before you start creating content, you first need to decide what topic you want to focus on. This can be anything from gaming, to beauty and fashion, to cooking and DIY. However, it’s important to choose a niche that you’re passionate about – because this will make it easier to produce interesting and engaging videos.
2. Set up your channel correctly
Once you’ve decided on your niche, the next step is to create a channel and design a profile that represents your brand well . This includes filling out all of the necessary information, including your biography, website URL, and about section. You also need to include some high quality photos of yourself that are relevant to the topic you’re discussing on your channel (for example, if you’re a beauty guru , you might use one photo of yourself getting ready for a night out, and another photo of yourself wearing makeup). It’s also important to select an appropriate profile picture that looks professional.
3. Choose an appropriate thumbnail
The thumbnail is the still image that appears when someone is scrolling through videos on YouTube or Google video . This means it needs to be attention-grabbing so that people will stop and watch your video. The best thumbnails use bright colours in order to stand out from the rest of the images on the page. They also need to be relevant, and ideally include a visual representation of whatever is in your video (for example, if you’re doing a tutorial about how to apply eye-liner , it might be appropriate to use an image that shows someone applying eye-liner).
4. Optimize your videos for search engines
Your YouTube channel comes with it’s own built-in search engine optimization (SEO) settings . This means that as each video gets more views and comments, it improves in Google search results . So the more popular your content becomes, the higher it will appear in internet searches. You can also manually optimize your videos for SEO by adding targeted keywords to the title, description, and tags of your video.
5. Monetize your channel
Once you have a few videos uploaded, it’s time to start monetizing your channel. This can be done by signing up for the YouTube Partner Program . Once you’re accepted into the program, you will be able to start displaying advertising on your videos and earning money from the revenue that these ads generate.
How Much Money Do YouTubers Make: Conclusion
So there you have it making money from YouTube is very much possible. It’s definitely not easy, but it is possible if you put in the hard work and stay focused on creating high-quality content that engages your viewers. Keep in mind that it takes time to build a successful channel, so don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately. good luck!
