YouTube is increasingly being used as a money machine, creating self-made millionaires all over the world. You’re probably thinking only of vloggers right now, but there are many more ways to make money with YouTube. Are you curious about this? Then this article is right for you!
Can you make money with youtube?
Yes, you can definitely make money with YouTube! And really not just if you’re a big vlogger like Enzo Knol. Every year, Dutch YouTubers contribute 165 million euros to the Dutch economy.
Just like making money through social media or by blogging, YouTube is mostly about your audience. The more audience you attract, the more you earn. This means that you won’t make tons of money right from the get-go. By properly researching your target audience, and putting a lot of time into your channel, you will slowly build a large community.
There are super many different ways to earn a penny (or even monthly salary+) with YouTube. Since we can’t discuss all the methods, in this blog we will only discuss the following three methods in more detail:
- YouTube channel without a face (Cashcow)
- YouTube shorts
- Affiliate marketing
Do these seem interesting to you? Then be sure to read on!
The YouTube partner program
First of all, it is important to know that if you want to make money from ads on your videos, you will have to deal with the YouTube affiliate program. In this, YouTube rewards you for making awesome videos, in exchange for x amount per 1,000 views.
To apply for the YouTube partner program, you must meet the following requirements:
- At least 1,000 subscribers in the past 12 months;
- At least 4,000 hours of viewing time in the past 12 months;
- the channel must comply with YouTube’s community guidelines.
So to make money at all through ads on your videos, you must first build a large audience. This may sound difficult, but with a good channel and concept, this can go super hard.
Did this work out for you? Then by completing the following steps you can submit your application to the YouTube partner program:
- Log into YouTube with the account you want to monetize.
- Go to YouTube Studio by clicking on your account at the top right.
- In the menu on the left, click generate revenue.
- Agree to the YouTube terms and conditions.
- Create a Google Adsense account (this is required for payouts)
- Select monetization preferences.
Your YouTube channel has now been converted into a monetized channel! You can now view your YouTube revenue in the YouTube Analytics. This says what you will earn per 1,000 views (also called cpm). Please note that this amount will fluctuate during the first period.
From now on, you can place your own x amount of ads on both your new videos, and on your old videos. Try to feel this a bit yourself in terms of number, you do want users to watch your videos as long as possible, and not click away because there are too many ads used.
Making money with YouTube
There are several methods where you can use the YouTube affiliate program, Cashcow channels and YouTube shorts are two ways of them. In the paragraphs below, we discuss this in more detail.
Making money with YouTube without a face
Many people think of YouTube as channels with a face attached. But did you know that there are also plenty of channels that make a good amount of money without showing a face or themselves? This is called Cashcow channels. Some examples of Cashcow videos are channels showing the “top 10 most beautiful houses in the Netherlands,” or “3 methods by which you can burn fat fast.
To set up a Cashcow channel, the first thing you need is a good sub-niche. Write down for yourself a few sub-niches that seem interesting to you and then start researching. For example, ask yourself if the niche is not saturated, and see if any channels have recently been started that are doing well. Is both of these the case? Then you can create a YouTube channel.
You can choose to create the videos yourself at Cashcow videos, or you can outsource this process to an editor on freelance platforms such as Fiverr and UpWork. Since you don’t put your face on the channel, anyone (with a little editing knowledge) can put the video together for you. This is a great advantage of cash cow, you can basically outsource the entire project from text writing to voice-over and editing. This costs between 40 and 80 euros per video, with this amount hopefully tripling back through YouTube ads when you are monetized.
All you have to do yourself is come up with catchy titles, create a description for the text writer and video editor and check the whole thing before uploading it yourself. Ideal for when you are looking for an easy way to make money! Of course, you can also choose to do everything yourself, requiring more time and knowledge, but a lesser investment.
Making money with YouTube shorts
Super good news! Starting Feb. 1, 2023, you can also make money with YouTube shorts through ads. These videos are a lot shorter than normal videos found on YouTube, only 60 seconds at most. In this way, it is a great competitor to TikTok and Instagram Reels.
The advantages of YouTube shorts over normal videos:
- They are much easier to make
- Because they are shorter, you have less edit work on them
- You’ll get more views on your shorts faster
Would you like to make money with YouTube shorts? Then, as with long videos, you must first meet certain conditions. For YouTube shorts, you must achieve 10 million views on your videos and have accumulated 1,000 subscribers in the past 12 months.
Exactly how much you can earn with YouTube shorts depends on the amount YouTube Netherlands releases per month for ad revenue. You share this amount with the other popular short creators. Imagine you have achieved 5% of the total views on your videos in the Netherlands, then you will be charged with 5% of the total amount that YouTube exempts. However, 65% of this amount is deducted for the platform itself, leaving you with 45% of the total.
Affiliate marketing through YouTube
If your channel is not yet monetized (on both your main channel or shorts), there is still a way you can make smart money from YouTube. In affiliate marketing, you earn a fee when a viewer clicks on your posted link, and purchases a product from the brand.
On YouTube, you can easily (and for free) already post links directly to your videos or shorts, without being monetized. These links themselves can be requested from the particular company you like to work with. Some examples of Dutch companies working with affiliate links are Coolblue, Amazon.nl and Bol.com. But there are also plenty of options when you want to make English videos, such as Nike and Adidas.
First decide what niche you want to make videos or shorts within, then look for the most attractive affiliate deals and then make a whole list of good concepts. For example, you can choose to test out certain Amazon products in real life, and in doing so hopefully convince others. But there are also plenty of courses you can recommend, for example, on making money online.
The amount you earn with affiliate marketing through YouTube depends on how many users click on your link and actually make a purchase. You often receive 8% of the purchase price at large online stores. For courses, this can be as high as 30%.
Handy tip from us: did you receive an ugly long link from the company? Then you can always make it a lot shorter via Bit.ly. This not only looks nicer, but also appears more reliable to users. This will get you more clicks on your links.
YouTube make money tax
The income you earn through YouTube will initially fall under the heading “income from other activities” on your annual income tax return. You must file this return yourself, since you don’t have an employer to take care of this for you. Of course, you can hire an accountant to take care of all the tax matters for YouTube or other income sources for you.
When you start earning some higher amounts from your online income, it is likely that you will have to pay a large amount of tax at the end of the year. You can avoid this by applying for a “provisional assessment. In this, you pay a small portion of the tax due each month, so you don’t have to pay it all at once at the end of the year.
All in all, plenty of opportunities to make money with YouTube! Want to know more about this platform? Then also read this blog, where we tell you how to create a YouTube channel.
