How To Make Money on YouTube

One of the most-asked questions I get is how I grew my YouTube channel from zero to 1,000 subscribers in three months. 

This milestone was huge for me because it opened the door to passive income through YouTube monetization!

Let's Talk About YouTube Monetization

In order to make money on YouTube, you need two things:

• 1,000 subscribers
• 4,000 hours of watch time

Once you hit these milestones, you can start monetizing your channel with advertisements. 

Advertisers will pay Google to show their ads on your video, then Google shares 55% of that revenue with you while keeping the other 45%. 

It’s important to know that your earnings can vary significantly depending on your niche. For example, personal finance content typically earns more than gaming content because financial advertisers are willing to pay premium rates.

Another tip: YouTube loves content longer than 10 minutes because you can run multiple ads in these videos. More ads lead to more earning potential!

The Truth About Passive Income

If you’re looking for a quick buck, unfortunately, passive income through YouTube will not get you what you want. It requires a lot of work upfront with not much immediate payoff. 

It might take you months or even years to see significant results, but the beautiful thing is once your content is out there, it keeps working for you. 

Videos I posted years ago are still earning money today!

READ MORE: How Much Erika Kullberg Makes on Social Media

Tip 1: Consistency is key

There's no magic formula here — just consistent content creation. 

I committed to making one video per week for an entire year, regardless of subscriber count or comments. That meant writing, filming, editing, and uploading 52 videos in a year, no matter if they flopped and only got 12 views. 

Most people quit when they don't see immediate results, but persistence is crucial! 

Tip 2: Set consistent upload times

Publish your videos at the same time each week so your audience knows when to expect new content from you. 

I chose Tuesday as my upload day and stuck to it. When viewers know they can count on a consistent upload schedule, they're more likely to come back for more.

Tip 3: Focus on value

I’ve preached this before and I’ll keep preaching it — our time is extremely valuable! 

Which means your viewers' time is also precious. Every minute they spend watching your content should be worth their while. 

Before publishing, I always ask myself: “Would I watch this? Is it truly engaging and valuable?”

Tip 4: Create consistent thumbnails and titles

Brand recognition is huge across all platforms, and YouTube is no exception. 

I use the same fonts and color schemes in each of my thumbnails so my audience can recognize my content immediately. 

But remember to craft your titles to be clickworthy, not clickbait!

Tip 5: Write detailed descriptions

Give potential viewers a clear picture of what they'll learn from your video. 

A bonus is that a well-crafted description helps YouTube understand your content better too, making it more likely that your content will get pushed to more of the right viewers.

Tip 6: Master your tags

Along with a detailed description, good tags signal to YouTube what your video is all about. 

I researched the top-performing videos in my niche, looked into the coding to find their keywords, and recycled them for my own content. 

Don't reinvent the wheel — learn from what's already working!

Tip 7: Choose your niche

It's much easier to grow when viewers know what to expect from your channel. So pick something you’re passionate about and stick with it!

Pursue what’s interesting to you and what you love. People will continue to watch your stuff if they can tell you like talking about it. 

Tip 8: Include calls to action

When you address your audience and give them any kind of call to action, you’re giving them an opportunity to participate in your content in meaningful ways. 

You’ll build a loyal audience who likes engaging with you!

Even a simple reminder to viewers to “like and subscribe” can make a big difference in growing your channel.

RELATED: How to Side Hustle Your Way to a Million

Tip 9: Engage with comments

More comments under your videos mean more visibility on YouTube. 

Plus, responding to comments helps you build a supportive community. Those first 10 regular commenters might become your biggest cheerleaders!

Tip 10: Stay Organized

Keep track of your content ideas, filming schedule, and upload timeline. 

Organization makes consistency easier.

Tip 11: Use your network

Make sure you’re telling your friends about your YouTube. They can support you and carry you to your first subscriber milestones.

A strategy I used that worked well was this: Wait until you have two or three videos up, then tell your friends about your channel. This gives them more content to watch, increasing your watch time from the start!

Tip 12: Comment on other channels

When you engage meaningfully with others in your niche, you’re building more connections in the community that can drive more interest to your own content. 

Another bonus is that when you comment, you’re leaving a direct trail for people to follow to your own videos. People will see your comments on content they’re watching and will click on yours to see what you offer!

Thoughtful, thought-provoking, interesting, or funny comments will get you farthest. People will engage with it by liking or responding, and it might make it to the top of others’ videos.

Leave comments that add to the conversation. People will notice your commitment and become interested in you and your content.

Tip 13: Study your analytics

Pay attention to what resonates with your audience. 

On my channel, I learned that topics like student loans, travel tips, and passive income perform best, so I create more content around these main themes.

RELATED: How to Make Money on TikTok

TL;DR: Making Money With YouTube

Remember, everyone starts at zero — even the biggest YouTubers. 

Focus on creating consistent, valuable content, and the growth will follow. It might not happen overnight, but with these strategies and some persistence, you can reach that 1,000 subscriber milestone, too!

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