Monetising a YouTube channel remains a lucrative source of income for many, but it’s not as easy to get started as it used to be. The market is very crowded right now, and you need to put a lot of effort into carving out your own niche. That said, there are some ideas that are still reliable for bringing money to the table. No matter if you want to do this as a side gig or a full-time job, there are various options you can try that should all scale nicely.

Sponsored Content

Promoting sponsored products is one of the most popular ways for YouTubers to earn money right now, but it’s not for everyone. It requires an already established viewer base – otherwise you won’t be attractive to companies that want to promote their products. You must also put some effort in yourself, reaching out to companies and proposing sponsorship deals to them. There are agencies which can handle that as a middleman for you, but you can usually go far enough on your own without having to sacrifice a portion of your income to them. If you want to maximise your exposure while keeping your own time investment to a minimum though, this is a good approach.

Sell Your Own Product

Many YouTubers use their channels to promote their own products as well. A popular way to do this is to create targeted, useful content, like tutorial videos, reviews, interviews, and anything else that can bring a unique perspective to the table. Then use that content as a platform to promote your own product or service, using various opportunities throughout the video to point out how people could get better results and/or accelerate their progress by just using your product directly. Be responsive, answer questions, and guide people. This approach requires a good bit of time investment on your part, as you’ll want to provide a lot of information for free to hook people in the first place.

Video Ads

Last, but certainly not least, monetising your videos directly through YouTube ads remains a popular approach that can bring a lot of income when done the right way. It does have certain issues though. While you no longer need to meet a certain minimum length to monetise a video, you can still reap extra benefits from making your videos longer. This can naturally prompt some people to become spammy and repetitive with their content. Viewers have gotten really good at spotting those kinds of videos straight away. One wrong step in this area can drag down your reputation significantly, so be careful.

No matter which approach you choose, persistence will be key to seeing any results. You have to put in regular effort to maintain your momentum. Keeping your viewers consistently interested in your content is a lot harder than it might seem, especially if your topics don’t lend themselves to releasing a lot of content on a regular basis in the first place. Having a solid plan from the start is a must.