YouTube has become a household name. Everyone knows what YouTube is, and many people have their channels to share videos that they love or make themselves. So, can you make money on YouTube? The answer is yes! The following questions will be: do you intend to make videos on YouTube to monetize them? Or do you want to make videos on YouTube, and monetization is just a consequence of it? Knowing what your goal is in making videos on YouTube can impact your approach and how you would treat yourself in doing this thing.

What are the requirements to make money on YouTube

YouTube can monetize videos by placing ads before the videos, in the middle of the video, or at the end. The idea is that when people see these ads and click on them, they will have a chance to buy something from the company, so YouTube gets paid some percentage of it for making this happen.

However, not all creators can monetize their content right away. To do this, you need to have some leverage at least. That means you need to have a big enough following with really engaged people in what you do. The more subscribers and views your videos get, the higher the chance it will generate revenue for YouTube and yourself.

It would be best if you also had the proper equipment for creating videos like cameras, a computer, a green screen, a studio, etc. Anything that can help you make your videos look better is a plus.

How exactly does YouTube monetize your content?

For YouTube to monetize your content, you need to have a Google AdSense account and an active YouTube channel. After that, you must join the YouTube partner program and meet all of their requirements. Once that is done, you enable monetization on your videos, and you can start earning AdSense revenue. Keep in mind that it will take some time for the videos on your channel to generate revenue. This process can usually take anywhere from four months to two years since it depends on how popular they get among YouTube users. Of course, the more viewers you have, the more money you can earn.

YouTube partner program

Since we already have mentioned this program, we might as well show the requirements that they have. For you to start monetizing your videos, these are the things you have to follow under the program:

• You must obey all YouTube partner program policies
• The YouTube partner program must be available in the country or region that you live in
• In the past 12 months, you must have more than 4,000 public watch hours
• You must have more than 1,000 subscribers
• You must have a linked Google AdSense account

The best ways to monetize your videos

There are several ways you can monetize your videos. The first and most popular way is through video ads. You can also make money on YouTube by selling products in your videos, or you could have a sponsorship with an advertiser.

For example, let's say you are an influencer who creates content about fashion. It would be great to mention clothing brands that fit the topic of your videos. If you are doing a video game channel, it would be great to say relevant games and live gameplay videos of the most popular ones. As an entertainer, you could mention the music you love or do videos to make people laugh.

Make sure your audience knows and agrees with the terms of sponsorship before they start watching the video. Also, make sure that all disclosures involving subsidies are clear, so people don't feel misled in any way or form.

But what if I want to create videos on YouTube without monetizing them?

Of course, it is okay to make videos on YouTube without expecting to earn anything from it. YouTube is not forcing you to have your videos monetized. It's just that YouTube has become an avenue for making money and not just a website for posting videos. You can use YouTube to act as a journal of your life to post videos about various things you do. Don't expect to rack up views this way, especially if what you post is not what most people would like to watch.

Your mindset plays an important part. Is your goal to make money on YouTube? Then you have to be consistent in uploading videos and be creative with the content you put onto them. Do videos that contain content that most people want to see or know. Don't expect to earn money from the start immediately because it takes time before YouTube decides to monetize your videos or if companies want to place their ads on your videos.

If your goal is to create videos on YouTube like a hobby or share something, it is okay. Having a solid community with your channel can be something that you can do. As a bonus, you can earn money this way if, for example, you decide to advertise and sell your products or services to your community, with YouTube acting like a medium for advertisement instead of earning money directly from the platform.

Conclusion

Making money on YouTube is possible but getting to that point takes time and dedication. If your goal is to pursue this, there are various ways to achieve it. Dedication and consistency are things you need to have.

If you decide to make videos like a pastime, that's okay too. But, whatever you choose to do, a good thing to do is to ensure you're giving some value to other people who watch your videos, be it entertainment, information, or just giving them a good feeling of satisfaction after watching something nice.