How Do Influencers Make Money on Youtube?

Influencers Make Money on YouTube - FilterGrade

YouTube is a popular video-sharing platform, but it is also the second largest search engine available. It is no wonder that businesses are turning more to this platform to marketing their products and services. This has definitely made it one of the favored platforms for people to make a substantial living as an influencer. Over 500 hours worth of videos uploaded every minute, Becoming a successful YouTube influencer is no easy task, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. There are several ways anyone can earn some extra cash or replace their current income by creating share-worthy video content. In this article, we dive into how influencers make money on YouTube so you get noticed and get paid!


How To Make Money as a YouTube Influencer

Partnership Program

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The first step to earning on YouTube is to become a part of their Partner Program. You get paid from views and advertisements on your page. To qualify you must have at least 1,000 subscribers and at least 4,000 hours of watch time over the past 12 months. The partnership program is the best option for creators who are just starting to see their subscriber list grow. Keep in mind, that just because you qualify doesn’t mean you will get approved. YouTube reviews your content and then determines whether you will be approved or not. 

Once approved, you can begin to earn money via cost per thousand views or cost per click advertisements. For cost per thousand views or CPM option, the viewer must watch the ad for at least 30 seconds. If the ad is short they need to watch for at least half the time. Goggle takes a percent of your earnings, but you can make roughly $10 per thousand views. With the cost per click option, you make a small profit when viewers click on the ads around your videos. 

For this, you will need to set up an AdSense account to get your earnings. You need to hit $100 before you can withdraw your money though. 


Sponsorships

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Sponsorships are not easy to come by and if you get one they mean you have definitely made it as a successful YouTuber. Sponsorship is when a brand approaches you to create a video specifically for them. The content can be around a product launch, event, grand opening, or anything of the like. The brand may also invest in your entire YouTube channel and in return, you will need to promote, recommend, or use their products in every video. There is a significant amount you can make with this option some YouTubers have made up to $50,000 from Sponsorships. This opportunity is not offered to most creators, but it is something you can aim for. Once you have a well-established channel sponsorship are more realistic.


Patreon

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For those who have their sights set on someday reaching Sponsorship-dom, a great starting point is through the crowdfunding source Patreon. This allows you to offer subscribers VIP access or extras when they pay a monthly fee. Many YouTubers provide early access to videos, behind the scene footage, or extra content like; bloopers or extended footage on the content already created and not available to everyone else. The idea behind this is to gain support from subscribers to cover the cost of the video creation process with the hopes that one day big brands will notice you make a deal with you. 


Affiliate Marketing

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This is one of the more favored options for making money on YouTube. With this option, you will work with a brand or business to drive more traffic or increase sales to their website. Most times you will need to have significantly more subscribers—10000. With each additional 10,000 subscribers, your pay rate can increase.

There are a few ways you can utilize affiliate marketing. The most common include unboxings, video reviews, recommendations of a specific product or service, or tutorials and how-to videos showing how to use the product. The video content created through this type of arrangement are some of the most popular videos viewed on YouTube. A link to the website or landing page is added into the description or in your video for viewers to click. You are paid based on click-through rate or how many of your viewers click on the link you supply. You can also earn a small commission if they actually buy the product or service you were discussing. 


Tips to Become Successful on YouTube and Make Money

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1. Consistently Produce Quality Videos

Your content needs to be engaging, interesting, and relatable. You also need to post videos consistently. You are more likely to gain momentum and create a solid following when you post regularly. This doesn’t have to be a video a day, but if you decide to push out two or three videos every week you need to fully commit to that. 

2. Stick to a Niche

You can produce hundreds of various videos in the hopes of gaining viewer’s attention or you can establish yourself as an expert or the go-to channel for something specific viewers are looking for. Choose to create videos around something you are passionate about and know a good amount about. Some of the most viewed videos are tutorials, how-tos, and demonstrations. You can also expand the content you cover as you become more comfortable producing your own videos, but when you are just starting it you will find more success if you narrow down your niche.

3. Use the Right Equipment

While many can get by with using their smartphones to create content at first, you will want to upgrade if you want to continuously grow your subscriber list. Lighting is key for a visually appealing video and is a small investment if you tend to shoot your videos in a room with poor, unflattering lighting. Next, is your audio, a decent microphone can be fairly affordable and can make a huge difference in your content being heard clearly in every video. Finally, don’t neglect your editing software either. Being able to add in effects, text, and other elements can help your videos stand out. 

4. Share Your Videos

Sharing your videos on other platforms can quickly drive more views to your videos. YouTube has a huge user list, but other platforms like Facebook gets your videos shared and viewed by hundreds of people. You can use platforms like Instagram to give a sneak peek of videos, and then direct them to your YouTube channel. 

5. Search Engine Optimize Your Videos

YouTube videos come up in Google searches and if you are taking this into consideration you could be missing out. Incorporate keywords and phrases into the description of your video. This can result in your video being found by people who are searching for something similar to the content you create. 

6. Most Viewed YouTube Videos.

Aim to be the most viewed YouTube videos or, at least review this list regularly to see what types of video and content others are watching. This list can also give you insight into what is trending and can help you create more engaging content.


Now you have several ways to make income-producing video content on YouTube. We also revealed some of the best tips to get you started towards becoming a successful influencer. All you have to do is start creating.


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