YouTubers’ popularity just keeps on rising. Over the past decade, the industry has developed in such a way that many famous YouTubers have quit their job and now make a living out of creating content for YouTube . It may seem surprising that this activity pays enough to be undertaken full-time. So let’s find out how much money YouTubers actually make.
It’s important to understand that the figures vary, depending on a large number of different factors. The gap between PewDiePie’s and Just Between Us’s paychecks is quite significant, but they both manage to live on their YouTube success. Let’s first take a look at the main ways a YouTuber can make real money.
What do I need to monetise my channel?
How does advertising on YouTube work?
How else can I monetise my YouTube channel?
If you want a more entrepreneurial option for bringing in cash, selling merchandise is the way to go. YouTube can provide an integrated merch shelf on your channel, which means you can can create shirts, mugs or anything else that you desire to kit out viewers with branded items at no upfront cost. You can also alternatively sell merch from a list of approved websites through screen cards in your videos. However, this method does require the investment of purchasing the swag in the first place, and then making a profit on the sales.
Channel memberships are another way of rewarding dedicated fans. Viewers pay a set amount a month to receive extra perks like badges, emojis and other customer things decided by the channel owner. YouTubers can determine how much they want to price memberships at – which means that the channel owner must be able to determine what is the correct price that they think people will pay for exclusive things from creators.
Are there any other ways I can make money?
If you’ve managed to build up a loyal fanbase, then you should look into crowdfunding platforms like Patreon , which is like an external alternative to channel memberships. Viewers can pay a set amount and receive an incentive (such as bonus content) for doing so. Videos can link out to a crowdfunding page via screen cards.
YouTubers can also capitalise on their success to make more money. They monetise Instagram and Facebook posts for products endorsements and market their own products. Zoella , a Lifestyle British Youtuber, used her YouTube fame to release a series of books which have gone on to become New York Times best sellers. PewDiePie also released a mobile game app based on his experience as a YouTuber.
How much do YouTubers earn at the moment?
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
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