How Do I Make Money On YouTube?

We get this question a LOT. How DO MagicLinks superstar YouTubers like Weylie Hoang and the GlamTwinz turn their YouTube hobbies into (really, really) well-paying full-time careers? Read on for our best tips.

Monetizing your channels, whether through affiliate links, banner ads, sponsorships, merch, or whatever, requires an engaged audience. If you don’t have engaged fans who love to hit those like + subscribe + notification buttons, comment, and share your videos… You won’t have fans who will click your links and buy what you recommend.

There’s nothing wrong with trying to monetize your channels right off the bat, but most brands + ad networks won’t drop their money on creators without a proven engagement rate. Focus first on honing your voice and finding your niche within your content vertical, and on building a dedicated audience.

A word of caution: Audiences are also very adept at spotting insincere product recommendations, these days. It’s easy to tell when a YouTuber truly uses and is passionate about a product, vs. just stuffing random links into a video to make an extra buck. Only promote what you genuinely, capital-L, LOVE.

Ad income can be hit and miss, but affiliate links are a much more consistent income stream for creators with an engaged audience. MagicLinks partners with over 2,500 premium online retailers, so that you don’t have to go through the time-consuming affiliate network application process for every retailer you love.

Saturation and alerts are key for affiliate links. What do we mean by that?

Saturation: Post your links everywhere. Posting one link to a pair of shoes on one video won’t get it many clicks & sales. Posting that link on a bunch of videos, along with loads of other links to the products you’re talking about? That will increase your click & conversion rates significantly.

Alerts: Links will just sit in your video description box if you don’t tell your fans they’re there. Add a CTA (Call To Action) to the beginning and end of every video, saying something like, “I’ve linked everything for you in the description box so you can shop straight from your phone. Enjoy!”

You might think you need a minimum of 500k subs to get a sponsorship – not so! Many brands are focusing their attention on smaller YouTube channels with higher engagement rates. It results in a higher ROI (Return On Investment) for the brand, and elevates a channel’s standing as well.

For everything you need to know about sponsored campaigns,
check out our Brand Partnerships page.

Once you have reached 4,000 hours of watchtime within the last 12 months and 1,000 or more subscribers, you can submit an application for the YouTube Partner Program to have your channel monetized with Google AdSense ads.

Check your watch time and subscriber counts in YouTube Analytics, then apply through your account in YouTube Creator Studio. Don’t get frustrated if you don’t receive a response right away: YouTube receives millions of applications, and reviews every one. It also takes time for Adsense income to build up, so don’t freak out if you’re only making a few cents a month at first.

Patreon, GoFundMe, and other crowdfunding sites enable YouTubers to diversify their income streams, and enable fans to show their appreciation for creators directly. Compared to other revenue streams, crowdfunding allows creators to keep a higher share of the money – but you’ve gotta have the devoted audience, first.

*Brand Partnerships image courtesy of Aztec Marketing Solutions
**Crowdfunding image courtesy of Journal of Accountancy
***Find Your Passion image courtesy of Thrively