How to make money on YouTube: 11 ways to boost your income

Spoiler alert: You don’t need a massive audience to make money on YouTube. But you do need to have a strong POV and provide value if you want to draw in viewers (and revenue).

YouTube users watch 1 billion hours of content every day. You have to give them a reason to watch your videos, engage, and even subscribe to your channel if you want to be able to monetize your content.

Read on, and we’ll lay out 11 ways to earn income from your YouTube channel — whether you’re a brand or creator — complete with expert tips to maximize your revenue.

How to make money on YouTube? 11 ways to cash in

Here are the best ways to make money on YouTube, whether you’re a small business that wants to generate leads, a brand hoping to increase awareness, or a creator who wants to build an audience.

1. Join the YouTube Partner Program

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is the platform’s ultimate monetization solution for creators (brands and businesses are eligible, too). In fact, YouTube has paid out over $70 billion to creators — more than any other platform.

YouTube Partners have access to multiple income streams: not just video ads, but YouTube Premium subscription fees, and features that tap your loyal fans’ wallets directly like Super Chat, channel memberships, and the merchandise shelf (more on these later.)

Here are the eligibility requirements for YouTube’s Partner Program:

• At least 500 subscribers to apply
• 3K public watch hours in the last 12 months, or
• 3M public Shorts views in the last 90 days

Additionally, you can start earning money from ad revenue once you hit 1,000 subscribers.

If you want to accelerate your path to applying for the YouTube Partner Program, focus on increasing your views and reach.

PSA: You don’t need to be a partner to make money on YouTube (just setting up an AdSense account and getting views is enough to handle that), but being a Partner makes it a lot easier.

2. Channel memberships

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

YouTube offers the ability to let your viewers pay you to become members of your channel. Think of it as similar to Patreon.

In exchange for supporting your channel, members get custom emoji, badges, exclusive content, and access to members-only perks like Live Chats with you.

For instance, Wintergatan is a Swedish band that also makes elaborate marble machines and posts videos about it to their YouTube channel. They regularly thank their channel members in their videos.

They also make it clear what the money from memberships supports:

Source: Wintergatan

You’ll need to build out a promotion strategy to convince people to become members, which may or may not include several tiers of membership. Like Super Chat (which we’ll talk about later), this feature is only available to YouTube Partners.

3. Start runnings ads

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

If you want to start making money as soon as possible, then try securing advertising revenue through Google AdSense.

Set up is simple — just follow YouTube’s official guide to AdSense accounts. You can create your AdSense account directly in YouTube Studio.

Note: You can monetize multiple YouTube channels with one AdSense account.

To earn ad revenue, you must be at least 18 years old, and you must create content that is advertiser-friendly.

YouTube has an entire list of topics that aren’t advertiser-friendly, so be sure to review it first. But basically, the less controversial your videos, the more YouTube advertisers will be comfortable running ads on them, and the more money you make.

4. Secure sponsored content

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators

Think you have influence with your subscribers? Consider partnering with brands for sponsored content.

If you can offer brands a large and/or engaged audience — and your content is relevant to their target market — then an influencer marketing strategy could be a great way to monetize your YouTube channel.

The advantage of creating sponsored posts is that you don’t have to give YouTube a cut of your earnings. You negotiate directly with the brand, and they pay you directly.

According to Shopify, YouTube videos are, on average, the most expensive type of sponsored content brands can buy from influencers. Basically, YouTube influencers are able to charge more for their videos than they would for Instagram Stories or TikTok videos, because YouTube videos tend to be longer and retain viewership for an extended period.

While your rate will vary on your audience’s size, engagement and relevance to your potential partner, know your worth before you sign a contract.

5. Jump into affiliate marketing

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators

If your YouTube audience is loyal and engaged, but not quite there, headcount-wise, look for companies that offer affiliate programs.

Affiliate marketing involves partnering with businesses as an affiliate and promoting those businesses to your audience. You can encourage your viewers to visit a brand’s online store or specific product pages using affiliate links that are unique to you. You can then get a percentage of sales made through those links.

In terms of setup and logistics, affiliate partnerships are similar to sponsored content deals, so follow the steps from tip #4 to get started.

6. Generate leads by creating value

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

Another way to monetize your YouTube channel is by using it as a lead generation tool.

Like other social channels, YouTube is a great place to share content with your audience — whether it’s educational, entertaining, or helpful — and encourage them to take another step off the platform. This could be visiting your website, signing up for your email list, or purchasing your digital product (more on that, below).

Now, you may not earn money directly on the platform this way, but it’s a step toward building a relationship with your audience and eventually growing your overall revenue.

To generate leads on YouTube, you need to provide value to your target audience. This could be in the form of tutorials or behind-the-scenes content, for instance.

“Don’t focus on selling,” says YouTube creator Dyllen Nellis. Nellis is also the CEO and college admissions coach at Next Gen Admit and uses YouTube to provide educational content for her audience.

Instead, she suggests: “Provide free resources that invite viewers into your funnel.”

Source: Dyllen at Next Gen Admit

For creators, Nellis also recommends leaning into authenticity to create value for your YouTube channel.

“I’ve been swept up in comparing myself to more ‘professional’ marketers before, but then I realized that what truly attracts my audience is when I am the truest version of myself.”

7. Sell digital or physical products

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

Maybe you identify as a content creator first, and entrepreneur second.

Alternately, you’re a business owner first and video creator second, which means you probably already have your own products, and you’re designing your YouTube marketing strategy to sell it.

Either way, merchandise is a viable way to make money on social media — especially on YouTube. Brand merch can include anything from t-shirts to baseball caps, or even stickers with your logo on display.

You can also sell digital products. This is a great revenue stream for creators who provide educational content for their audiences and want to take it a step further. Digital products include downloadable guides, online courses, coaching programs, or membership communities.

8. Fan funding

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators

Soliciting donations online is now commonplace. Whether you’re looking to build ongoing revenue from a pool of small monthly donations, or looking to fund a personal, channel-related project, crowdfunding is how many YouTubers make money.

While you can set up an external crowdfunding platform like Patreon, Kickstarter, or Buy Me a Coffee, YouTube also makes it easy to crowdfund within the platform.

Through YPP, creators can set up fan funding features like Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks.

With Super Chat and Super Stickers, your fans pay to get their messages or animated images highlighted during live chat streams. You can also set goals for your Super Chat during live streams and Premieres. Goals encourage viewers to engage more to help you reach your goal and get access to exclusive content in return.

Super Thanks allows viewers to pay for a fun animation that is only shown to the buyer during a long-form video or Short.

If you want to earn money from these fan funding features, creators must comply with YouTube’s Community Guidelines and Monetization Policies.

9. YouTube Shopping

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

Do you have your own online store? Promote your products through YouTube Shopping.

YouTube Shopping is a great way to display your branded merch or creator-owned ecommerce business.

Case in point: You may be familiar with Cassey Ho, the creator and fitness instructor behind the popular YouTube channel Blogilates. Well, she also has her own clothing brand called Popflex and uses YouTube Shopping to directly promote the brand’s products on its channel page.

Source: POPFLEX By Blogilates

If you set up YouTube Shopping, viewers can shop from your Shop page, through a shopping button that’s displayed during your videos, Shorts, and live streams, or on a merchandise shelf. The merchandise shelf is displayed below or next to your videos and live streams.

10. Leverage YouTube Shorts

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

If you’re already on YouTube, you’ve likely experimented with Shorts. These short-form videos can be monetized much the same as long-form content.

You can use Shorts to promote your YouTube Shop, promote affiliate links, or direct viewers to your channel. Creator @pbjofficial uses Shorts to encourage viewers to view longer videos on her channel.

Source: pbj

Just keep in mind that the format for Shorts is very different from long-form videos. Shorts can focus on trendy, engaging hooks that grab viewers’ attention and encourage them to check out your channel and long-form videos — where the monetization happens.

11. Optimize your videos

Who can make money from this tactic: Creators, brands, and businesses

Your videos can’t bring in revenue if no one sees them.

The YouTube algorithm recommends videos based on users’ interests, so it’s important to optimize your content to fit your target audiences’ preferences.

To get the most out of your content, make sure your videos are optimized for search. Follow YouTube SEO best practices like using keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and channel bio.

Additionally, prioritize your thumbnail images. They can make or break whether someone even views your video to begin with.

“The titles and covers matter a lot,” says Nellis. “The thumbnail needs to showcase a clear emotion, and the text on the image can riff off of the title as well.”

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3 expert tips to increase your YouTube earnings in 2025

To truly understand how to make money on YouTube, you have to hear it directly from the source. That’s why we asked Nicole Thelin, the Creator behind the YouTube channel, Low Income Relief, for her tips.

Thelin has made over $1 million from her content creator business and has built her channel to 183,000 subscribers — all as a solo creator.

Here’s her advice for getting the most out of YouTube monetization in 2025 and beyond.

1. Choose your niche carefully

If you’re just getting started on YouTube, then listen up — this first tip is for you. Thelin recommends choosing your niche carefully because it will ultimately impact how much revenue you’re able to make on the platform.

“I have a friend with more than 4 million subscribers who doesn’t make nearly as much as I do from YouTube because she’s mostly a Shorts creator in the entertainment niche,” says Thelin.

“Those ads just don’t pay as well, and her opportunities for brand deals are more limited. If monetization is important to you, you need to choose a very advertiser-friendly niche.”

2. Build trust with your audience

While your goal may be to monetize your channel, you can’t do that without an audience that trusts you. The takeaway? Focus on audience-first content before trying to monetize.

Understand what your target audience wants to see, experiment with different content formats, and build community before you bring sponsored content or other revenue streams into the mix.

This tip especially applies to creators. Thelin suggests that choosing a brand deal over your audience could risk destroying your channel’s reputation.

“I turn down 90% of the sponsorship opportunities that I get at Low Income Relief because they don’t align with what my audience wants or needs,” says Thelin.

“In fact, there’s one particular company that keeps trying to sponsor me and every time they reach out, I tell my audience to avoid their company at all costs. Ironically, being honest with my audience about this bad sponsor directly led to some very lucrative deals from other companies who valued my integrity.”

3. Create evergreen content

Finally, focus on evergreen content. If you can create videos around topics that will remain popular for a long time, you’ll make more from that video than if it’s short-lived.

“Trendy content is great,” says Thelin. “But if you want to build a significant passive income stream, you’ll need to build an evergreen strategy that continues to draw views over time.”

Make sure to implement SEO best practices to get more eyes on your content and continue to optimize your videos based on performance.

With Hootsuite, you can easily upload, schedule, and promote your YouTube marketing videos across multiple social media networks from one dashboard. Try it free today.

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