What Are Different Ways to Make Money Using YouTube and Vlogging?
Oct 28, 2020Many content creators make money publishing vlogs to YouTube. But how exactly do these creators make money? What are the different ways to make money using YouTube and vlogging? Does making money by publishing vlogs work the same way as with other types of channels? Or, are there different opportunities to make money specifically for vloggers?
Making money by vlogging can be done through Google AdSense, affiliate marketing, brand deals, and more. Many of the ways other types of channels make money overlaps with vlogging channels. Due to this, the ways that vloggers make money don't differ very much from how other types of channels make money.
While it isn't the easiest thing to do in the world, making money with vlogging is entirely possible. Thousands of content creators have proven that by creating vlogs and building an audience, you can make a significant amount of money. The key, however, is picking the right monetization options, as certain options will lead to more money faster.
Different Ways to Make Money Vlogging
There are many different ways to make money vlogging on YouTube. As I mentioned above, some monetization options will lead to the ability to make money faster. It is important to keep in mind, however, that you will not be rolling in money overnight. You will need to take the time to create good content and build an audience before you can make money.
Here are some different ways to make money using YouTube and vlogging:
Google AdSense
Google AdSense is the most popular monetization option on YouTube. When most creators talk about making money on YouTube, what they're talking about is making money with AdSense. Once a creator becomes a member of the YouTube Partner Program, they can then get ads placed on their videos, leading to revenue.
The main issue with Google AdSense is the fact that revenue can be taken away at any moment. You see, when advertisers cut their advertising budgets, this leads to a decrease in ads that can be placed on YouTube videos. When ads are shown less on the videos a creator publishes, the creator then makes less money.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a monetization option that has been gaining popularity over the past few years. More brands and companies are beginning to create affiliate programs, allowing creators to get paid whenever a user purchases a product using their affiliate links. Popular affiliate programs include Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and more.
Many content creators struggle to implement affiliate marketing into their channels and videos. The reason for this is, selling an affiliate product takes skills. Many creators are equipped to create videos- not sell products. So, while affiliate marketing is a great monetization option, it does possess a barrier to entry.
Brand Deals
Being able to work with brands and make money by reviewing their products is a big goal for many content creators, and with good reason. Brand deals can lead to a big payday and future working relationships with major brands, making them a fantastic monetization option for YouTube content creators.
Making money through brand deals is entirely possible. However, many small channels struggle to find brand deals that pay money. Most brand deals for small channels consist of a product being given to the content creator for free, in exchange for a review video. For some creators, this exchange will be fine, but other creators might prefer to get paid money.
Sponsorships
In certain niches, sponsorships are a popular way to monetize a YouTube channel. As opposed to brand deals, sponsorships can be long-term partnerships between a creator and a brand or company. For some sponsorships, a salary is paid to a content creator monthly in exchange for regular mentions of the company and its products.
Sponsorships are mostly reserved for large channels. Meaning, a content creator with a small audience will have a difficult time getting a legitimate sponsorship that pays an agreed-upon salary. Mostly, sponsorships for small channels consist of a discount code for users to use to save money on a product.
Merchandise
A very popular way to make money as a YouTube vlogger is to sell merchandise. Merchandise is usually sold in the form of clothing and is manufactured and fulfilled by a Print on Demand service. Depending on the size of a creator's audience, selling merchandise can be very lucrative.
While Print on Demand services make selling merchandise easy, creating and marketing merchandise can be a difficult process. Most large content creators hire graphic designers to design their clothes and staff to manage orders. Due to this, smaller creators might have a difficult time designing high-quality merchandise or getting orders.
Services
Depending on the subject matter of a content creator's vlogs, selling services can be a great monetization option. Vlogging channels in creative niches such as graphic design can sell their graphic design services to viewers. This is a great way to build a business while also monetizing an audience.
Of course, to be able to sell a service, a content creator must possess sellable skills. Certain creators will have skills that will allow them to sell a service to their audience, but many vloggers will not. Since this is the case, many vloggers will be unable to make money by selling services, as they will have no services to sell.
Conclusion
It's safe to say that there are plenty of monetization options available for people looking to make money vlogging on YouTube. Ideally, you should employ multiple monetization options at the same time, as this will lead to a more secure income. If you stick to a single monetization option and you run into issues, you run the risk of losing all your money.
As I mentioned above, to make money vlogging, you will need to take the time to create good content and build an audience. After all, if nobody watches your videos, then how can you make money? Making money by publishing vlogs to YouTube is entirely possible, but it cannot be done without an audience.