How to Make Money on YouTube: 10 Ways to Get Started

Many people believe that making money on YouTube depends only on ads. When they find out ads require a minimum number of subscribers and watch hours, they give up before getting there.

But ads are only part of the story. In this guide, you’ll see the ways to earn income on and off the platform, what usually pays the most and where to start, even with a small channel.

10 ways to make money on YouTube

There are two ways to make money on YouTube: with the platform’s own payment features (ads, channel memberships, Super Chat and YouTube Shopping) and by using your channel as a showcase to sell products and services outside it (digital products, affiliate links, sponsorships and more).

The difference matters. The ways inside YouTube require approval in the YouTube Partner Program. The ways outside it have no minimum subscriber requirement and work from your very first video.

These are the 10 ways to make money with a YouTube channel:

• Ads and YouTube Premium;
• Channel memberships;
• Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks;
• YouTube Shopping;
• Selling digital products;
• Mentoring and consulting;
• Affiliate marketing;
• Sponsorships and brand deals;
• Crowdfunding;
• Services for other creators.

Inside YouTube: features paid by the platform itself

1. Ads and YouTube Premium

This is the main source of income in the Partner Program. The creator receives a share of the revenue from ads shown on their videos and a share of YouTube Premium subscriptions when subscribers watch their content.

According to YouTube, creators keep 55% of net ad revenue on long-form videos and 45% on Shorts.

Minimum requirement: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.

To understand how to enable it and how much the platform pays, see our guide to YouTube monetization.

2. Channel memberships

Channel memberships are a monthly subscription that fans pay in exchange for exclusive perks, such as a badge next to their name, custom emojis and members-only videos.

It’s recurring income that depends less on the algorithm, because it doesn’t change with the month’s view count.

Minimum requirement: 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days and 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days.

3. Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks

These let the audience pay to highlight messages during live streams (Super Chat and Super Stickers) or to say thanks for a published video (Super Thanks).

They work best on channels with an engaged community and frequent live streams. Learn more about how Super Chat works.

Minimum requirement: the same as channel memberships (500-subscriber tier).

4. YouTube Shopping

YouTube Shopping turns your channel into a storefront: products show up in your videos, in your live streams and in a store tab on your channel.

Creators can feature their own products or, in countries where the YouTube Shopping affiliate program is available, tag products from partner stores and earn a commission on sales.

Minimum requirement: be part of the Partner Program and live in a country where the feature is available.

Outside YouTube: using your channel as a showcase

None of the following ways requires approval in the Partner Program, a minimum number of subscribers or watch hours. For most small and mid-sized channels, they earn more than ads.

5. Selling digital products

This is the path with the highest margin, and it has no minimum requirements. If you teach something in your videos, you can package that knowledge into an online course, an ebook or a paid community.

The logic is simple: free videos attract and educate your audience, and the product goes deeper. With ads, YouTube keeps a fixed share and you don’t control the value per view. With your own product, you set the price, and a single sale can equal the ad revenue of thousands of views.

Practical example: a quick-recipes channel publishes everyday dishes and sells an ebook with weekly meal plans and shopping lists. Viewers who enjoy the videos want the full plan, and the link in the description takes them straight to checkout. If that sounds like you, see how to create an ebook.

It’s not passive income: you need to produce the material, organize delivery and support buyers after the purchase. That’s why platforms like Hotmart handle checkout, delivery and payment, so you can focus on your content.

6. Mentoring and consulting

This is the way to make money with YouTube videos for those who want closer contact with clients and a higher ticket. Your channel shows your authority and generates interest in one-on-one or group mentoring.

It’s also the fastest path to your first income, because you don’t need to produce anything beyond what you already know how to do. The limit is just as clear: your income is tied to your available time. That’s why many creators start with one-on-one mentoring and later move to group programs.

Practical example: a channel about tech careers publishes videos about switching fields and offers an 8-week mentoring program for people who want to move into programming, with weekly calls and résumé reviews.

7. Affiliate marketing

In affiliate marketing, you recommend other people’s products with your own link and earn a commission on each sale. There’s no subscriber requirement and it doesn’t go through YouTube: the link goes in the video description or in a pinned comment.

It works well in review, tutorial and comparison videos. You can become a Hotmart affiliate and promote digital products, which usually pay higher commissions than physical products.

The main thing to watch is consistency: your recommendation needs to relate to your channel’s topic to build trust. The link should also be disclosed as an affiliate link.

Practical example: a smartphone photography channel records an editing tutorial and recommends, as an affiliate, a complete course on the subject.

8. Sponsorships and brand deals

In sponsorships, brands pay to appear in your videos through a mention, a review or an integration into the script, a classic form of influencer marketing. The fee is negotiated directly with the brand or through an agency, with no involvement from YouTube.

What usually sets the fee isn’t the size of your channel, but the fit between your niche and the product. A 5,000-subscriber channel on a specific topic can negotiate better than a general channel ten times larger.

Three things help you close deals:

• A clear niche;
• An engaged audience;
• A media kit with your channel’s numbers.

Sponsored content must be disclosed to your audience: mark the video as a paid promotion in YouTube’s settings and make the partnership clear in the content itself.

Practical example: a cycling channel with 8,000 subscribers lands a deal with an accessories brand to test a helmet on a trail ride.

9. Crowdfunding

Platforms like Patreon and Ko-fi let your audience support your channel with monthly contributions in exchange for perks, such as extra content, early access or their name in the credits.

They work much like channel memberships, with two differences: they don’t require 500 subscribers and they don’t share revenue with YouTube. They’re a good fit for niche channels with a loyal audience.

Practical example: a science channel offers a support tier with bonus episodes and a vote on upcoming topics.

10. Services for other creators

If you master production, you can make money from YouTube without relying on your own channel. Video editing, scriptwriting, creating thumbnails and channel management are services in growing demand among creators who don’t have time to do everything themselves.

Your own channel can work as a portfolio: showing your editing behind the scenes or a before-and-after of thumbnails is already a showcase for new clients.

Practical example: an editor who learned to cut videos for their own channel starts working for three regular creators, with a monthly Shorts editing package.

How many subscribers and views do you need to make money on YouTube?

YouTube doesn’t pay per view or per subscriber on their own. To get paid by the platform, your channel needs to join the YouTube Partner Program, which requires a minimum number of subscribers and watch hours or Shorts views.

Today there are two entry tiers:

Your channel must also be based in a country where the program is available, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, have 2-step verification turned on and link a Google AdSense account. The review takes about a month.

Watch out for the 2027 change: YouTube announced that, starting February 1, 2027, new channels will need 8,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days to join the program.

Here’s the key point: income sources outside the platform, such as selling a digital product, affiliate marketing or sponsorships, have no minimum subscriber requirement and can start from your first videos.

What makes the most money on YouTube?

It depends on your channel’s size and profile, but ads alone are rarely the biggest source of income. According to YouTube, more than 50% of Partner Program channels that earned over US$10,000 in 2024 had income sources beyond ads and YouTube Premium (source: YouTube, Creator Economy page).

The table compares the 10 ways:

Combining sources makes your income more stable. Ads vary with the algorithm, your niche and the time of year. A product of your own, on the other hand, depends on your relationship with your audience, which is something you build and control.

Can you make money watching YouTube videos?

No. YouTube doesn’t pay people to watch videos. Apps and websites that promise to pay you to make money watching YouTube videos usually pay pennies, set minimum withdrawal amounts that are hard to reach, or are scams. If you want legitimate options, these websites to make money pay for real work.

Be wary when an offer:

• asks for a payment or “activation fee” to get started;
• asks for bank details, passwords or access to your Google account;
• promises high earnings for little effort;
• requires you to invite other people to unlock withdrawals.

The real ways to make money with YouTube involve creating a channel or working for creators, with editing, scriptwriting, thumbnails or channel management. If you want to take the first step, see how to create a YouTube channel.

How to start making money on YouTube with a digital product

If you want the path with the highest margin, here’s a short step-by-step guide to turning your channel’s knowledge into a digital product:

1. Identify the questions that come up most in your comments. They show what your audience would pay to learn.
2. Choose the product format. Ebook, online course, mentoring or community, depending on how deep the topic goes and how much time you have.
3. Create and host your product on Hotmart. The platform provides a sales page, checkout and automatic delivery.
4. Use your videos as a gateway. Add the link to the description and a pinned comment, and include a call to action at the end of the video.
5. Host launch live streams. Answer questions live and open sales at the same time, as in a product launch.
6. Turn on the affiliate program. Attract affiliates so other creators promote your product and earn a commission on every sale.

Ready to turn your channel into income?

You now know there are ways to make money both on and off YouTube.

Ads, channel memberships and Super Chat have minimum requirements for subscribers and watch hours, and those requirements will get stricter in 2027. Digital products, affiliate marketing, sponsorships and services, on the other hand, can start from your first videos.

Combining sources is what makes your income more stable. Revenue that goes through the platform is subject to rule changes you don’t control. Having at least one income source of your own, where you set the price and keep the relationship with your buyers, reduces that dependence.

If your channel already teaches something, you have the raw material for a digital product. Hotmart handles checkout, delivery and payment, with no monthly fee and no sign-up fee: you only pay when you sell, according to Hotmart pricing. Create your free account.

FAQ about how to make money on YouTube

Still have questions? Below, we answer the most frequently asked questions about how to make money on YouTube.