How Do Celebrities Make Money on YouTube?

Have you ever wondered- how do celebrities make money on YouTube? After all, more and more Hollywood celebrities are beginning to create content on YouTube. There must be a monetary benefit for them to do so, right? But if so, how do these celebrities make the money?

Celebrities make money on YouTube primarily through Google AdSense, brand deals, merchandise, and sponsorships. Typically, celebrities don't only have 1 form of monetization- they have multiple forms of monetization. This is why in many cases, they will have their merchandise and will work with companies on brand deals at the same time.

It can be interesting to see Hollywood celebrities transition from the movie screen to YouTube. This is happening, however, due to the immense potential for building an audience and making money that YouTube has to offer. It just goes to show that not even Hollywood celebrities are above creating content on YouTube.

How Celebrities Make Money on YouTube

So, how exactly do celebrities make money on YouTube? What exact monetization methods are they using? Well, there are quite a few different ways that celebrities monetize their YouTube videos. As I mentioned above, most celebrities (and creators in general) monetize their videos in more ways than one.

Here's how celebrities make money on YouTube:

Google AdSense

Many YouTube content creators make money through Google AdSense and celebrities are no different. AdSense is one of the most popular monetization options, as it is the easiest to implement. Once a channel becomes a member of the YouTube Partner Program, ads can be placed on its videos. These ads lead to advertising revenue for the creator.

Watch a video on YouTube uploaded by a celebrity and chances are an advertisement will play before the video. This clearly shows when a channel is monetizing their videos with AdSense. Not all celebrity channels use AdSense on their YouTube channel, but most of them do.

Brand Deals

Many celebrities work with brands and companies regularly to promote their products or services. When a celebrity works with a brand and promotes their product or service, they are paid money. Often, celebrities are paid to promote a mobile app, online service, or an event in their videos.

Brand deals are a great way for celebrities to monetize their channel because they are done in traditional media as well. If you watch T.V. you will see commercials that feature celebrities frequently. Due to this, brand deals tend to come naturally to celebrities on YouTube.

Merchandise

Another popular way for celebrities (and non-celebrities) to monetize their YouTube channel is by selling merchandise. Merchandise typically consists of clothing, such as shirts, sweaters, and hats. However, sometimes merchandise consists of physical items such as makeup or even coffee.

Selling merchandise is a great way for celebrities to make money on YouTube. Many monetization methods are difficult to scale, but this isn't the case with merchandise. Ultimately, the easier something is to scale, the easier it is to make money. This is why merchandise can be a great option for celebrities to monetize their content.

Sponsorships

Sponsorships are similar to brand deals. The main difference between the two is how celebrities are paid for sponsorships. With sponsorships, celebrities are usually paid a monthly salary, whereas brand deals are usually one-off payments. This means that income is guaranteed each month.

Typically, each sponsorship comes equipped with an agreed scope of work. For example, a celebrity might need to mention the name of a product or brand in 1 video each week. Or, they might need to dedicate 1 video each month to displaying a product from the sponsor. Essentially, sponsorships are repeated brand deals with more stable payments.

Examples of Celebrities Making Money on YouTube

There are many examples of celebrities making money on YouTube. Some celebrities that come to mind are Will Smith, Kylie Jenner, Butch Hartman, and Don Cherry. All of these celebrities are very well known for different reasons. As you will see, each of these individuals monetizes their channel differently.

Will Smith

Will Smith makes money on YouTube through Google AdSense, merchandise sales, and more. Having multiple monetization methods present allows Will Smith to make more money than he would with just Google AdSense or just merchandise sales. He is a great example of how monetizing a YouTube channel through multiple different ways at once can work.

Kylie Jenner

Kylie Jenner is a famous celebrity and influencer. She monetizes her YouTube videos through Google AdSense and merchandise sales. More specifically, she leverages her huge audience to pitch her makeup company, Kylie Cosmetics. Kylie Jenner is a fantastic example of a celebrity who monetizes their videos by selling physical merchandise.

If she wanted to, Kylie Jenner would be more than able to work with brands on brand partnerships and one-off brand deals. However, there isn't much of a point in her working with any brands, as she already owns a highly-successful makeup brand of her own called Kylie Cosmetics.

Butch Hartman

Did you watch Nickelodeon on TV growing up? Maybe you still do? If so, there's a good chance you watched one of Butch Hartman's cartoons. Recently, Butch launched his own YouTube channel where he creates videos centered around the various TV shows he worked on during his time at Nickelodeon.

Butch Hartman's YouTube channel is monetized through Google AdSense, brand deals, and commissions, which fall under the category of merchandise. This channel in particular is a great example of how an art-based channel can be monetized. It just goes to show that there is plenty of money to be made for artists on YouTube.

Don Cherry

Don Cherry is one of the most famous Canadians to ever exist. He became famous for being the head coach of the Boston Bruins hockey team, and also for his coverage during the first intermission of televised hockey games every Saturday night on Coaches Corner during Hockey Night in Canada.

Currently, Don Cherry has a podcast with his children where he discusses various stories of his time in the hockey world. He does not currently make any money with his YouTube channel, but his channel would be more than eligible to be monetized with Google AdSense, brand deals, and more.

Conclusion

If you've ever asked yourself: "How do celebrities make money on YouTube?" then your question should now be answered. Celebrities make money on YouTube the same ways that non-celebrities make money. Monetizing videos with Google AdSense, brand deals, merchandise, and sponsorships are things all content creators can do- not just celebrities.