How to Make Money on YouTube in 2024: 5 Ways to Get Paid
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The growing creator economy has turned up some diverse ways to make money on YouTube. And while some methods offer a lower barrier to entry than earning through ads, there’s no substitute for quality content and an engaged audience.
If you can tap into your creative side, and are willing to put in a lot of effort, you might be able to make money on YouTube, too. Here are a few monetization methods to explore.
How to get paid on YouTube
- LOOKING TO SAVE ON INTEREST?
- How to maximize your rewards
- 1. Earn with ads as a YouTube Partner Program member
- 1. Delay your application
- TAP Air Portugal carry-on allowance
- Enter your information
- Are 401(k) contributions tax-deductible?
- 1. Decide what kind of laundry business you want to start
- How does my credit score impact personal loan offers?
- 1. Pick up freelance work online
- 1. Ibotta
- 1. Open an investment account
- Investment-based passive income ideas
- 1. Figure out if you are eligible
- Online
- 1. Accounting and bookkeeping
- 1. Food trucks
- 1. Keep your charges on each card to a minimum
- NVIDIA Corp (NVDA)
- How do I see my credit score for free?
- 1. Roll your debts onto a balance transfer credit card
- 1. Turo
- Upfront costs
- What else should I know about traditional 401(k) contributions?
- Monthly after-tax income
- Average cost of car insurance for different driver profiles
- 1. Dividend stocks
- Step 1: Enter your personal information
- 2. Work longer
- 2. Business consulting
- Step 1: Choose the type of wedding business you want to start and a name
- Amica: Best for customer service
- Cheap auto insurance from large companies
- NY state income tax: Single and married filing separately
- 50% of your income: needs
- The Platinum Card® from American Express
- Symbotic Inc. (SYM)
- 2. Pick stock funds instead of individual stocks
- 2. Decide what type of investor you are
- By phone
- 2. Car wash services
- Fueling/charging costs
- How are 401(k) withdrawals taxed?
- NY state income tax: Married filing jointly or qualifying widow(er)
- 2. Ask for higher credit limits
- Step 2: Account for multiple jobs
- Upstart Holdings Inc. (UPST)
- 3. Marketing services
- 2. Rakuten
- 2. Choose a business name
- 3. Earn more
- CD rate trends
- Will pre-qualifying affect my credit score?
- 2. Test websites and apps
- By email
- NY state income tax: Head of household
- Credit requirements
- 30% of your income: wants
- Resident status rules
- TAP Air Portugal checked bag allowance
- 4. Real estate business
- 2. Apply for a credit card consolidation loan
- Cheap car insurance from midsize companies
- 2. Dividend index funds and exchange-traded funds
- 1. Consider replacing pros
- 3. Auto repair
- What do I need to pre-qualify for a personal loan?
- Maintenance and repair costs
- Step 3: Claim dependents, including children
- Data missing below?
- Country Financial: Best for using an agent
- What if you withdraw from your 401(k) early?
- 3. Choose how much you want to invest
- 2. Look into suburban venues
- 20% of your income: savings and debt
- 3. Choose a business entity
- 5. Event planning
- Pros of virtual reality stocks
- 3. Stay invested with the "buy and hold" strategy
- Earn by flying
- Annual whole life insurance rates for nonsmokers
- DTI for VA loan
- 1. Multiply your income by 10
- 3. Set up balance alerts to stay on top of spending
- Start with a budget
- Step 4: Refine your withholdings
- 4. Consider your spouse
- Best insurance company overall: Travelers
- 3. Learn to use AI tools
- 3. Trim the guest list
- Part-year resident status rules
- The Business Platinum Card® from American Express
- 2. Take a cut with affiliate marketing
- 6. Video production
- Cons of virtual reality stocks
- 3. Swagbucks
- Learn more about Zelle
- Annual whole life insurance rates for smokers
- 4. Personal trainers
- Step 5: Sign and date your W-4
- How long will it take to pre-qualify?
- 2. Getaround
- 4. Select a provider to open your Roth IRA
- 2. Buy 10 times your income, plus $100,000 per child for college expenses
- 4. Seek an off-peak season
- 4. Write a business plan
- Track your spending
- 7. Podcasting
- Cheap car insurance after a speeding ticket
- 3. Bonds and bond index funds
- 4. Pay your bill before your issuer reports to the credit bureaus
- Tax credits
- Dun & Bradstreet business credit scores
- 3. Use the DIME formula
- 5. Move the special day
- Nonresident status rules
- Find ways to save
- 5. Investigate divorced spouse benefits
- Individual virtual reality stocks
- Erie: Best in the Mid-Atlantic and Midwest
- 1. Find a dividend-paying stock
- 8. IT consulting
- 4. Check out dividend-paying stocks
- Home equity loans and lines of credit
- 5. Newborn and post-pregnancy services
- 3. Tap your home equity for a loan or line of credit
- Step 2: Choose a business entity
- 4. Fiverr
- 5. Register your business and get an EIN
- 3. Land a brand deal and make sponsored content
- 9. Catering
- 4. Take surveys for money
- 4. Real estate investment trusts (REITs)
- What else should I know about Roth 401(k) taxes?
- Equifax business credit scores
- 4. Replace your income, plus add a cushion
- 5. Monitor your total credit utilization
- 6. Add your minor child
- 3. Car Shair
- Cheap auto insurance after an accident
- Earn by spending on credit cards
- Choose the amount of coverage you need
- Use designated accounts for spending and savings
- 2. Evaluate the stock
- 10. Social media management
- Best insurance company for affordability: NJM
- Step 3: Write a detailed business plan
- Cash-out refinance
- 5. Explore new industries
- Emissions and efficiency
- 5. Gather your paperwork
- 6. Enrichment activities for children
- Virtual reality ETFs
- Break down your results
- Examine riders
- Disability housing grants
- Make a plan to pay off debt
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card
- Make Money
- USAA: Best for military and veterans
- Experian business credit scores
- 6. Get the proper permits and licenses
- 4. Sell some merch
- 7. Suspend your benefit
- 3. Decide how much stock you want to buy
- What do I need for my loan application?
- 11. Business planning service
- Cash-out refinance
- Travel
- 5. Make money from your blog with affiliate links
- Home equity sharing agreement
- 5. Upwork
- 5. Money market funds
- Look at the rate of return on cash value
- Native American Direct Loan
- 7. Mobile apps and entertainment for children
- 12. Tax consulting
- 4. Borrow from your 401(k)
- Eureka
- Step 4: Get an EIN
- 6. Pick your investments
- Develop good credit habits
- Cheapest car insurance after a DUI
- 1. 'I’ll wait until the stock market is safe to invest.'
- Convert other programs’ points to Mileage Bank miles
- Credit cards
- 7. Find a location
- 5. Offer memberships
- 8. Use a do-over
- Average annual car insurance costs from large companies
- 1. Avoid filing your tax return on paper
- Personal loan
- 8. Shared accessories and attire
- 1. Automate transfers
- InboxDollars Surveys
- Step 5: Get a business bank account and business credit card
- Charging/filling up
- 13. PR agency
- 2. Get direct deposit
- 6. Sell your wares on Etsy
- 2. 'I’ll buy back in next week when it’s lower.'
- Be aware of surrender charges
- Invest in your financial future
- How to have more taxes taken out of your paycheck
- 4. Zipcar
- Convert other points to miles through a 2-step transfer
- Appendix: How the math works in our examples
- Google Opinion Rewards
- 3. Stay on top of things
- Best insurance company for accident forgiveness: Geico
- Step 6: Get any funding you need
- 6. OfferUp
- 6. High-yield savings accounts
- Resident status rules
- Government assistance
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card
- 2. Count your coins and bills
- 14. Professional organizing
- American Family
- 3. 'I’m bored of this stock, so I’m selling.'
- Understand the different approval processes
- How to have less taxes taken out of your paycheck
- 5. Enter a debt management plan
- Learn more about SBA loans:
- Cheapest auto insurance for poor credit
- 9. Shared home improvement equipment
- 8. Get the proper equipment
- 15. Photography
- Swagbucks
- 4. One more thing to know about your tax refund
- 7. Self-publish an e-book
- Step 7: Market your services and start doing business
- Towing
- For JAL flights
- 3. Prep for grocery shopping
- How to use a W-4 to owe nothing on a tax return
- How much is auto insurance after an at-fault accident?
- 7. CDs
- For flights on partner airlines
- 16. Event space
- 7. Poshmark
- Part-year resident status rules
- Save
- Compare whole life insurance quotes
- 10. Vacation rentals
- 17. Interior decorating
- 8. Get advertising revenue from your blog or YouTube channel
- Auto Club Group
- Availability
- Property-based passive income ideas
- Check the insurer’s financial strength
- 9. Open a business bank account
- 4. Minimize restaurant spending
- 18. Woodworking or furniture building
- Best insurance company for having few customer complaints: American Family
- Other ways to redeem Mileage Bank miles
- Nonresident status rules
- 11. Electronics repair
- Invest
- 8. Buy a rental property
- 19. Graphic design
- Cheapest car insurance for young drivers
- Research the insurer’s reputation for customer service
- 5. Get discounts on entertainment
- 9. Become an Instagram influencer
- 9. Rent out your own house
- 10. Market your laundromat
- Pay off debt
- 20. Clothing boutique
- Auto-Owners
- Fly On elite status
- 1. Has the W-4 form changed?
- Average car insurance costs after a speeding ticket
- 12. Academics courses
- 6. Map out major purchases
- 21. Bed and breakfast
- 10. Get a roommate
- Repeat
- 2. What does it mean to be exempt from taxes?
- 22. Food truck
- 10. Monetize your Twitch channel
- Alternative investment passive income ideas
- Best insurance company for financial strength: Auto-Owners
- Cheapest auto insurance for senior drivers
- NYC tax rate schedule
- 13. Language courses
- 7. Restrict online shopping
- Average car insurance costs after a DUI
- 23. Restaurant or cafe
- Farmers
- 11. Peer-to-peer lending
- 3. When should I review my W-4?
- 24. Craft brewery
- 8. Delay purchases with the 30-day rule
- 11. Sell your photography
- How to reach the different status levels
- 14. Business or marketing courses
- 12. Private equity
- 4. Can I adjust my W-4 multiple times throughout the year?
- 25. Ice cream shop
- 9. Get creative with gifts
- 26. Personal chef
- The Hanover
- 15. Personal wellness
- Best insurance company for discounts: Amica
- 27. Landscape services
- 13. Crypto staking
- 10. Lower your car costs
- 28. Pet grooming
- 12. Become a dog walker with Rover or Wag
- 16. Courses in hobbies or interests
- 11. Reduce your gas usage
- 29. Florist
- Average annual car insurance costs for drivers with good vs. poor credit
- Nationwide
- Global Club elite status
- Product creation passive income ideas
- 30. Massage therapist
- 13. Sell unused gift cards
- 17. Bookkeeping and accounting
- 12. Bundle cable and internet
- 14. Write content
- 13. Switch your cell phone plan
- 31. Nutritionist
- Best insurance company for customer satisfaction: State Farm
- Up to 3 stopovers on a Japan Mileage Bank partner airline award ticket
- 18. Consulting
- 14. List your spare bedroom on Airbnb
- State Farm
- 32. Personal trainer or fitness instructor
- Up to 7 stopovers on Oneworld award tickets
- 14. Reduce your electric bill
- How much is auto insurance for young drivers?
- 33. Beauty services
- 15. Publish a digital course
- 19. IT support
- 15. Lower your student loan payments
- 34. Life coach
- Travelers
- Car-related passive income ideas
- Best insurance company for military members: USAA
- 15. Sell your gently used clothes
- 16. Cancel unnecessary subscriptions
- 20. Graphic design
- 35. Tutor
- 16. Wrap your car with ads
- 17. Refinance your mortgage
- 36. Daycare provider
- Average annual car insurance costs for young drivers by company
- 17. Rent out a parking space
- 16. Trade in old phones, electronics for cash
- 21. Social media management
- 18. Set savings goals
- 37. Senior care provider
- How to compare renters insurance
- 38. Interpreter or translator
- 39. Housecleaning
- 17. Get a babysitting gig
- 22. Marketing copywriter
- 19. Track spending
- 40. Automotive repair
- 23. Virtual assistant services
- 20. Pay off high-interest debt
- 41. Handyman services
- 18. Rent out your car
- You have a roommate
- 21. Keep savings in a high-yield savings account
- 42. Dry cleaners
- 22. Create a 50/30/20 budget
- 43. Hardware store
- You’re on a tight budget
- 1. Do your research
- 19. Sign up for TaskRabbit
- 44. Self-storage business
- 2. Get organized and make it official
- You would want new items if your belongings were destroyed
- 45. Freelance copywriting and content creation
- 23. Shop consignment and thrift stores
- 46. Rideshare driver
- 20. Become a private tutor
- You own expensive jewelry or electronics
- 3. Find the right financing
- 47. Website development and design
- 48. Sell clothes online
- You have a dog
- 24. Join initiatives to get free items
- 21. Drive for Uber, Lyft
- 49. SEO consultant
- 50. App development
- 25. Use car sharing services
- 22. Make deliveries for Amazon, Uber Eats
- 26. Stock up on household supplies when they’re cheap
- 23. Find work as a housesitter
- 27. Enjoy community events
- 24. Sign up to be a mystery shopper
- 28. Cash in on your birthday
- 25. Put your drone to work
1. Earn with ads as a YouTube Partner Program member
Let’s get this one out of the way first. You must join the YouTube Partner Program to earn money from advertisements. And you can’t become a YouTube partner who includes ads on your channel until it surpasses the 1,000-subscriber threshold. You’ll also need a collective 4,000 hours of watch time on long-form videos within the past 12 months or 10 million Shorts views within the past 90 days. (See No. 5 for how to join the Partner Program with reduced eligibility requirements.) Check those big boxes and it opens the door to ad revenue.
A few additional requirements apply before you can become a partner:
Your videos must abide by YouTube’s monetization policies.
You must live in an eligible area.
You need to link a Google AdSense account.
Click the “earn” section in YouTube Studio to apply. YouTube says it typically gets back to you within one month of reviewing your application to let you know if you’re approved or not.
As a YouTube partner, you can earn money through ads, chat features and from YouTube Premium subscribers who watch your content. The platform also allows YouTube partners to earn ad revenue on Shorts, which are YouTube’s version of short-form TikTok-like videos.
How many views on YouTube does it take to make money?
You don’t get paid per video view. Rather, you’re paid for the times when someone watches or clicks on an ad shown on your video.
Influencer Marketing Hub says that while payment varies, the average YouTube channel can expect to make about $18 per 1,000 ad views. That translates to $3 to $5 per 1,000 video views when you factor in the rate of ads actually viewed. The site has a YouTube calculator to gauge how much revenue you might make.
So when do you start making money on YouTube?
You'll be paid once your balance reaches $100. Say it takes approximately 1,000 video views to earn $4 from those viewers who saw ads. You would need 25,000 video views to make $100 through those ads.
If you have a small channel, you might get paid only every few months. You'll also want to be familiar with how Google, which issues AdSense payments, handles taxes.
Sound like a long road ahead?
Below are alternative ways to earn before you hit 1,000 subscribers.
2. Take a cut with affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing might be the most beginner-friendly way to monetize your YouTube traffic, especially if you plan to make product review videos. It works like this:
You find a company or seller with an affiliate program, such as Amazon Associates, and apply to join.
Once accepted, you’ll use their process to create custom links to products you plan to feature in your videos.
Demo, review or make reference to the products in your YouTube videos, and paste your custom affiliate marketing link(s) in the description field when you upload.
As an affiliate of a brand, you’ll earn a commission when a viewer clicks your custom link and purchases the product.
While Amazon Associates is a great way to make money on Amazon, endless other opportunities exist. Search on affiliate marketing sites such as ShareASale and ClickBank for possible corporate partners and products to feature. You can also search your favorite brands’ websites for information on how to become an affiliate.
If your channel eventually reaches more than 15,000 subscribers and you meet other eligibility requirements, you can explore the YouTube Shopping Affiliate program as a way to boost your earnings.
Don’t forget to properly notify your viewers about your affiliation with the brand or brands featured, and be sure to point them to the “link in description” when you shoot your video.
3. Land a brand deal and make sponsored content
Companies interested in your channel’s audience might sponsor your videos or offer you product placement deals in exchange for a shoutout, called brand deals in the biz.
The operative word here is “audience,” which means these types of deals are more likely to present themselves when you develop a following. As your channel grows, you can contact the brands you’d like to work with directly, or use resources like the aforementioned affiliate marketing sites to find corporate partners that complement your style of content.
With brand deals, you can receive lump sum payments, earn commission on a per-sale basis or get the product or service for free.
Keep in mind: If you do have an endorsement or use product placement in a video, you must notify YouTube by ticking a box in your video details.
4. Sell some merch
If you have merchandise or offer a service that’s relevant to your audience, let them know about it and provide links in your videos. For example, creator Marques Brownlee, of popular tech review channel MKBHD, leaves a link to his own line of T-shirts and accessories in every video he posts.
Selling a physical product might require you to buy materials or find a manufacturer, but you can also sell downloadables such as e-books, art prints or virtual classes. Have a secure payment system in place before you advertise your goods.
Incentive to sell: While creating your own products can be a lot harder than pitching those of other companies, you could stand to make more money this way, since you’ll keep the bulk of your proceeds as the product owner.
5. Offer memberships
A membership model is another way to monetize viewership. With this method, fans of the channel pay a small subscription fee for perks and/or an exclusive tier of access.
Patreon is a popular third-party membership platform. YouTube has been rolling out its own channel memberships feature, but you need to be part of the YouTube Partner Program to be eligible.
For channel memberships, you can join the Partner Program with 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 public watch hours on long-form video in the last 365 days or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. That’s as opposed to the higher Partner Program eligibility requirements if you want to earn revenue through ads on your channel.
As always, more viewers can lead to more revenue. Incentives such as members-only livestreams, chats or other perks may entice viewers to become paying members.
How much money can you make on YouTube?
Breakout YouTube stars with millions of followers stand to make the most money, easily reaching seven figures. But even lesser-known content creators with a modest following can make some solid income on the side, or even full time.
According to Forbes, creator Jimmy Donaldson of the hugely popular channel MrBeast earned $54 million in 2023, in large part from the 237 million subscribers he’s racked up on YouTube. That kind of success is more the exception than the rule.
On the more modest side, Cinquanta Cox-Smith, a YouTuber focused on print-on-demand content with 11,900 subscribers, brings in about $120,000 in annual revenue, according to Career Ahead, a career-focused educational magazine.
Matt Par, a YouTube sensation who became successful as a teenager with a Top 10 list channel and now runs multiple channels including on how to make money on YouTube, tells viewers that the platform's Partner Program can be a good income-building source. He says he earns $30,000 per month in ad revenue through the program.
Earn an audience, and earn more in the long run
YouTube offers opportunity for all, but it’s not a get-rich-quick platform. It takes time, effort and an engaged audience to make money on YouTube. The good news is, with a little motivation and a lot of practice, you can find ways to earn before the coveted 1,000-subscriber threshold.
Keep these tips in mind as you get started:
The more videos you make and upload, the easier it is to reach the viewing-hours threshold.
The better you target your content to a specific audience or niche (e.g., film photography), the more likely your viewers will be to subscribe for more.
Thoughtful, entertaining videos are more likely to get views, so it pays to put effort into planning and production.
Don’t discount the power of a targeted title and standout thumbnail to attract viewer attention.
Other ways to make money
If making money on YouTube isn’t for you, consider these alternative routes:
Want to try another video platform? Learn how to make money on TikTok or get paid on Instagram.
If you’re crafty, learn how to make money on Etsy.
Looking to clean house? Try to sell stuff online or make money on eBay.