In 2020, it is still popular to upload videos to YouTube even though new similar services appear and the guidelines are getting more strict regularly. The platform can be a good source of income if you figure out how to set up monetization on YouTube properly.
What to consider before monetizing YouTube content
In order to start making money, you should be sure your YouTube channel is ready for monetization. It must have at least 4000 hours of views per year and 1000 subscribers, comply with the YouTube policies, and you have to take care of your channel optimization for its better performance. The following ins and outs are important to succeed.
Analytics
It is useful to track your channel activity with the help of YouTube Analytics. This option lets you get information about your channel viewers, learn statistics, evaluate ‘ engagement, and provides other valuable metrics.
Algorithm
YouTube isn’t chaotic – it has a specific algorithm. It includes proper video title and description, relevant tags, and catchy thumbnails with keywords. You may also use a YouTube bot to make your views increase.
SEO
Seems like it’s the same as the algorithm, but apart from relevant titles, descriptions, and tags, YouTube account optimization includes the next points:
- videos length (longer videos increase watch times)
- activity (interaction with audience improves rankings)
- analytics (tracking the keywords that lead viewers to your channel)
Once you make sure your video channel is ready to generate profit, it’s high time to enable the monetization option. Therefore, the only thing you need to do is to join the YouTube Partner Program by clicking the “Start” button in the “Monetization” section of your channel menu. It doesn’t mean you’re going to start making money right now. It may take up to 30 days for YouTube to decide whether you may become a partner or not, so you should continue publishing high-quality content on the regular basis and wait for the approval.
Top methods of monetization in 2020
After you’ve successfully joined the YPP, you may start making money with your video content. There are many ways to get revenue on YouTube but we’d like to share the most popular and the easiest monetization methods of 2020.
Advertising
One of the most straightforward methods of monetizing YouTube videos is advertising, particularly Google AdSense. To get the money you need to create an AdSense account and meet a list of requirements:
- you should be at least 18 years old (in case you are under 18, there should be a tutor at law who will take care of payments within Google AdSense) and comply with every point of monetization policy
- your channel must have at least 1K subscribers and your videos must generate minimum 4K views a year
- Partner Program should be available in your country
Note: not every video is acceptable within the program. You can check the guidelines regarding user-friendly content to make sure your channel may become a YouTube Partner.
Affiliates and Influencers
These methods of YouTube monetization are very much alike and the difference between them is in the compensation details. If you become an affiliate or an influencer, you share links to some products or services in your videos and in the description below your video. The way you earn relies upon the type of campaign.
- The revenue in terms of the affiliate program depends on the conversions. You get money every time the viewers make a purchase/sign up following your link.
- For influencers, there is a fixed price for every sponsored post no matter how it pays off then.
Premium Membership
Viewers purchase Premium membership to watch content with no ads. How can video authors earn money in this case? YouTube shares part of the revenue from paid memberships. The amount you get depends on the time Premium viewers spend watching your content (but YouTube takes 45% of your earnings, as usual).
The Takeaways
YouTube remains an effective platform to get paid for the videos you create. Following its policy and optimization rules along with unique ideas and well-thought-out promotion will help you get significant income.
