Questions of how much does YouTube pay and how much YouTubers earn have probably crossed anyone who has ever been interested in the possibility of becoming a YouTube content creator?
In this article, we’ll answer this question based on the number of video views and all possible factors that determine your earnings from YouTube. We completed the research, and now I’m here to share my findings.
So let’s check them out, shall we?
How Much Does YouTube Pay Per View?
According to a lot of tests, we could agree that YouTubers can make around $0.10 to $0.30 per ad view by using AdSense, with an average of $0.18. As a result, it comes around from $3 to $5 per 1,000 video views.
To enable ads on your YouTube videos, you are required to agree to Google’s ad revenue share, which is a 32/68 split for all YouTube content creators, meaning that for every $100 an advertiser pays, Google keeps $32 and you get the remaining $68.
So there is no such thing as a fixed amount of money that you get for a specific amount of views. As you see, it depends on many factors:
- Video length
- AdBlockers
- Ad Quality
- The number of views your video receives
- The number of clicks that an ad receives
Anyway, you have many alternatives to add to your earnings, such as affiliate marketing or sponsorship deals. We can still try and determine the potential earnings per YouTube view from different sources, as well as discuss some strategies to increase the income.
How to Make Money on YouTube?
Most importantly, we need to understand how earning revenue with YouTube actually works, which is not always as simple as one may think.
There are many factors and platforms that play a part in making money from YouTube videos. At the same time, it opens up various opportunities and ways to bring home the bacon.
Here are the main methods to make money on YouTube, and it’s up to you whether you decide to use them separately or combine them.
AdSense
AdSense is the main advertising engine that Google uses on its own as well as its partner sites, YouTube included.
Firstly, you need to join the YouTube Partner Program and, by doing so, create yourself an AdSense account.
However, there are some qualifications that need to be met to join the Program:
Your YouTube channel should have reached 4,000 watch hours in total and have gained at least 1,000 subscribers (during the past 12 months).
Once you have your AdSense account ready, you should link it to your YouTube account. This will help you to turn on your account monetization.
Here’s the deal:
You should also know that you can directly deposit your earnings only when you have collected more than $100 in your AdSense account.
Secondly, there are two parameters determining your ad revenue on YouTube that you should consider:
- CPC (Cost per Click) – the number of Ad clicks. Approximately generates $2 – $5/1000 views. It means that you get paid every time a viewer clicks on the link to the advertisers’ site or watches the video past the ‘5 seconds skip to video’ time.
- CPM (Cost per Thousand Impressions) – the number of ad views (or views your monetized video gets). Approximately $0.18 per click.
However, the amount you are paid from AdSense is not set. It can vary depending on your region, types of ads, and your YouTube channel’s niche. Both CPS and CPM can decrease or increase as well.
Affiliate Marketing
The idea of affiliate marketing is quite simple – you include affiliate links to products in your YouTube videos or video description boxes.
In other words, you try to sell other people’s products through your content. If you are interested in affiliate marketing, you should first join an affiliate program, which is most related to your YouTube channel content.
Once you join the program, you should start integrating the given links and ads in your video description.
The easiest ways to do so are through reviews, where you try out various products, as well as ‘how-to’ or ‘best of’ videos, in which you suggest what products to use and which ones you find to be the best.
These types of videos have proven to be the most successful in affiliate marketing, but you can definitely find other creative ways to include your affiliate links in your content.
So, how does the payout work?
Basically, once your viewer clicks on your provided affiliate link and makes a purchase on the company’s website, you get paid commissions.
The great thing is that the product purchased doesn’t necessarily have to be the specific one you recommended. It can be anything on the website, as long as the buyer used your link to get there.
Different brands and products have different commission rates. They usually vary from 1% to 10%, so you need to check out the terms and conditions in order to decide whether you’re interested in working with the company or not.
Also, keep in mind that for one deal 1% could be bigger in terms of money than 10% deal.
Sponsorships/Brand Deals
Once your YouTube channel gains a significant amount of subscribers, you can start the lookout for sponsors.
Not to say that it is impossible to get a brand deal when you are a smaller YouTube channel, but it is definitely harder than when you have a considerable amount of subscribers because sponsors are usually looking for a bigger audience.
In order to interest potential sponsors, your brand persona, content, and target audience need to be compatible with theirs.
A sponsor needs to see that your values align with theirs and that your content will be relevant and appealing to their potential clients.
The quality of your YouTube content is also very important because companies do not want to be associated with low standards. Therefore make sure to perform a quality check – reflect on your work or get feedback.
When you do get a brand deal, the ways you promote a certain company or product can be different. First of all, you may announce that a specific brand has sponsored your newest video. Then, you might feature the products in your content and, in some cases, might even structure the whole video around them.
The amount you are paid for a brand deal is negotiated between you and the company you are working with and mostly depends on the number of subscribers you have.
According to some statistics, the average earnings from one sponsorship campaign is around $2000 for every 100,000 subscribers.
Pro Tip:
You can start by including a product/service promotion in one of your videos and then contact the business after.
Email them and say that you have already promoted their product/service because you find it to be great. Business owners love hearing good reviews from their clients, and they love the possibility of those good reviews being spread even more.
The company then may offer to sponsor you in the future. In addition to that, it could increase your chances of getting a deal for paid advertising from other companies (most likely from competitors).
Merchandise
If you have already established a fan base, you can start thinking about selling your own merchandise. You may launch your own online store offering products with personalized designs – featuring slogans, logos, images, etc.
Such products can vary from phone cases or keychains to t-shirts, hoodies, or bags.
Funding From Your Fans
- Patreon is another way to make additional earnings once you have a loyal fan base. This is where you can start a sort of membership campaign for your subscribers, where they can donate in order to become a patron and gain access to additional content.
The sizes of donations can be different and the earnings depend on the number of patrons. For instance, you may get 200 patrons supporting you for $2 a month, so your monthly revenue would be $400.
- Super Chat is also a way to get financial support from your fans. While you are streaming online, your viewers have a chance to purchase a Super Chat message, which gets pinned in the live chat ticker, not getting lost in the vast amount of incoming messages from other people.
The more your viewer donates, the longer the period that the message stays pinned. The prices of Super Chat messages can vary from $1 to $500.
How Much You Could Make From YouTube: Breakdown
Views | Estimated Ads Earnings | Extra Income |
---|---|---|
100 | $0 | $0 |
1000 | $20 - $50 | $30 |
10 000 | $200 - $500 | $300 - $500 |
100 000 | $2000 - $5000 | $3000 - $20 000 |
1 000 000 | $20000 - $50000 | $30 000 - $200 000 |
All these calculations were done using assumed approximate numbers. Therefore the results should be taken with a grain of salt and are meant to help you get a grasp of the possibilities.
The CPC and CPM, the number of viewer clicks, the number of viewers that purchase your merchandise or from affiliate links, the size and amount of sponsorships and donations, etc., can vary individually.
100 Views: Yet remember that having as little as 100 views won’t get you into the YouTube Partner Program. If you decide to start affiliate marketing, your potential earnings could be $3, but, likely, it won’t be effective at all. You won’t be making brand deals just yet.
1000 Views: At this stage, you’re on your way to grow your successful YouTube channel. It is still not likely that you will actually be able to earn the estimated amount of money right away. Anyway, keep in mind, you are getting closer to joining the YouTube Partner Program and monetizing your videos. In case you have started affiliate marketing, your earnings could reach $30. Most likely, you won’t be attracting potential sponsors just yet.
10 000 Views: At this point, you may already monetize your videos and start actually earning money. Affiliate marketing at this point could potentially bring you $300. You can also try reaching out to some brands, they might be interested in promoting their products. If you get lucky, such a deal could earn you $200.
100 000 Views: Your affiliate marketing game might start to get stronger as well, reaching $3000. You might be getting some sponsorship deals and offers from various companies that want you to promote their products to your YouTube audience. One of such deals could earn you $2000.
Do you already have a strong fan base? Consider releasing your own merchandise. If 1000 of your fans (1%) buy a $20 item each, this could earn you $20,000. Your loyal fans might support you financially on Patreon and Super Chat as well. Let’s assume you get 200 patrons, they would bring you $400 in total. Now let’s say the same amount of people paid for a Super Chat message. This would bring you another $400.
1 000 000 Views: With this amount of views, you are significantly increasing your earnings from your monetized videos. Affiliate marketing, at this point, can earn you around $30,000.
You should be receiving sponsorship offers more often and from a wider amount of companies. One sponsorship deal can earn you $20,000. Your fan base is growing stronger than ever. If 100,000 of your fans (1%) purchase your $20 merchandise, you could earn $200,000. Let’s say that now you have 500 patrons and the same amount of Super Chat donations. This would bring you $2000 in total.
Factors that Could Increase Your Earnings on YouTube
Here are some additional factors that could significantly affect your earnings on YouTube. It’s worth keeping them in mind while pursuing a career on YouTube:
It is the main factor for increasing the number of followers on your YouTube channel. Try to engage your viewers by creating exciting and relevant videos.
If you don’t have any video ideas, you could always do some challenges for your viewers. Most importantly, be excited about what you do and have fun! Your viewers then surely will, too.
In addition to that, companies are looking for interesting and established personalities to offer their brand deals to.
This is a no-brainer, as everyone prefers spending their time watching good quality content. Also, it is a factor that attracts the attention of potential sponsors, especially if your YouTube channel topics are interesting for massive audiences.
Dude Perfect earns a lot of money from their YouTube channel just because of amazing and unique content. The growing number of views brings ad revenue from Google’s direct advertising – ads. More views, higher income.
There have been some research done on how the length of the video affects the earnings, and the results confirmed that videos over 10 minutes long will most likely earn you more money.
If your content is longer and more informative, people will have more time to click on the ads.
It’s important, because of the differences in market and customer behavior. The amount of money that businesses tend to invest in YouTube ads and influencer marketing also depends on your location.
Highest YouTube CPM Rate Countries:
- Norway
- Germany
- Moldova
- Algeria
- South Korea
- Sweden
- Finland
- United Kingdom
- Canada
- United States
In the early stages, it is recommended to upload at least once a week. Frequent uploads will, over time, increase the number of followers.
For the YouTube community, it is also an indication that you are an active and promising content creator.
It is an important factor if you want to increase your YouTube traffic. Try using important keywords in your video titles, optimizing YouTube video descriptions, and categorizing your content. These steps should increase your views as well as income from YouTube videos.
Summing-up
As you know, all YouTubers earn a different amount of money from their YouTube videos because there isn’t such a thing as a fixed YouTuber salary.
- One part of the earnings is generated based on the approximate number of people that watched your monetized videos and checked out the included advertisements.
- Another part comes from affiliate marketing, and the rest could be earned through brand deals or donations.
You can’t really make a living from 100 or even 1000 views, but we all need to start somewhere, right? Many people are skeptical about earning money from YouTube or giving up early on.
However, I believe they are wrong because your content will constantly keep improving, your video count will continue growing, and your fan base will eventually start to form. Once you hit one million views, you will notice a huge difference in earnings.
So, if you want to start making money on this ever-growing platform, don’t give up that easily and keep advancing. The better quality content you create, the more views and revenue you get.
Besides, create your videos with love for what you do – being excited about your own content is the number one factor that keeps attracting new viewers and don’t forget to follow your YouTube channel stats.