Many people talk about wanting to become a YouTuber, especially younger people who grow up following the evolution of these digital influencers. After all, the glamour involving people like Sweden’s PewDiePie and Jenna Marbles draw a lot of attention from those who dream of being famous.

But something that is not widely publicized and that most people are unaware of is how much a YouTuber makes.

Have you ever thought that despite all the benefits shown by YouTubers, making a living from YouTube video content creation might not be as profitable as you think?

In today’s post we’ll help you better understand how much do YouTubers make so you can decide if working only on this network is still worth it.

What does being a YouTuber mean?

Before you find out how much do YouTube make, it is important that you clearly know what being a YouTuber means.

Many people believe that only those who have a hit channel on YouTube can be called a YouTuber; regardless of how many followers you have on your channel, if you produce video content on that network, you’re already considered a YouTuber.

It does not matter if you’ve created a channel to advertise your brand, talk about everyday affairs or distribute educational material. The mere fact that you publish your videos on YouTube makes you a YouTuber.

What separates you from people like Ryan Higa (NigaHiga) and channels like Smosh is the number of subscribers and their engagement with these channels, which makes them better known than you.

[Notice the large number of subscribers (followers) of these two channels – Source: Social Blade – a website specialized in YouTuber earnings]

How much do YouTubers make?

Now that you have understood that everyone who has a channel on YouTube and publishes videos on it are YouTubers, all you need to know is how much they earn; after all, this is a very common question for those who are starting out and want to make money with this network.

There are many rumors about exorbitant amounts ​​received by famous YouTubers and those rumors become even more real when we see changes in their lifestyles, how much they begin to travel, their public appearances, designer clothes, etc.

Social Blade is a website that specializes in reporting YouTuber earnings anywhere in the world; it shows really high speculations of amounts ​​received by these producers of video content. Below are a few examples:

Clearly, it is possible to make money with videos on YouTube, but the truth is that this network doesn’t pay as well as we think and it requires a lot of work from its content producers.

Let’s give you some numbers so you can better understand:

There is a YouTube estimate that for every 1,000 views of a video, the YouTuber responsible for the content gets approximately US$ 4.50, in the USA.

But as you can see, this is only an estimate because the YouTube algorithm that defines how much a YouTuber makes changes constantly.

Not to mention that just because 1,000 people watched your video doesn’t necessarily mean you will receive US$ 4.50. You may receive less than that, since it is the platform that establishes the amount you will earn.

And how is this established?

A view, which is the definition of who watches your video, is only counted when a YouTube user clicks on an ad on your video or watches at least 30 seconds of a video ad (those that appear before your content per se).

So even if you have more than 3 million subscribers on your channel, the amount you make on YouTube per month might not exceed US$ 5,000.

Of course if you think about that amount of money, it’s really high, especially for the current Brazilian economic standards. But don’t think that in order to get here you’ll only need to record videos in any manner and with any theme.

It all takes a lot of research and dedication, and believing you will make it as a famous YouTuber overnight is another internet myth.

(To learn more about digital market myths access our post and find out why you shouldn’t believe everything you read on the internet.)

The major problem for those starting out on this network is thinking that only subscribers and likes on your videos will earn a lot of money. However, as you can see, being famous and being well received by your audience is not enough for being a full time YouTuber and this being your only source of income.

You’re probably thinking, “So, should I give up on being a YouTuber?”

That is not what we’re trying to say. So let’s give you a few tips on how you can be a YouTuber and still get paid for it.

How can I make money being a YouTuber?

As you saw in the previous topic, you cannot make money just with your followers’ likes on your videos. However, there are other ways of working as a YouTuber and getting paid for it.

Advertorial

Advertorials are posts you make on your YouTube channel and you get paid for them. Let me expand on this!

Certain companies are interested in partnering up with YouTubers so they can advertise their brands, especially if the channel belongs in the same niche and if the YouTuber has a lot of followers from the company’s target audience.

There is no exact figure for this; it all depends on the agreement between you and the brand that will be promoted on your channel. There are even certain companies that exchange this kind of advertising for products, which are supplied to the YouTuber.

The important thing in this type of strategy is to choose a product or service to promote that is related to the interests of your persona, so that the advertorial doesn’t compromise the user experience on your channel.

Public Appearances

From the moment a YouTuber becomes very famous, he/she is recognized everywhere he/she goes. This is because their followers treat them as celebrities and want to meet them.

So if you have many subscribers and likes on your YouTube channel, even if that doesn’t provide you with a financial return on that network, you can make money from your public appearances at certain events.

Nowadays it is very common to see stores promoting fashion shows and creating promotions with “Internet celebrities”, who are famous because of their channels.

Generally, these brands pay YouTubers to show up at a store opening for example, or even offer products in exchange for such appearances.

In addition, there are also companies that pay YouTubers to give lectures and talk about their careers at events related to the digital market.

Regardless of the type of public appearance, the fact is that if you are famous on YouTube, you can get paid to go somewhere to represent a brand.

Advertising

Another way a YouTuber earns money is by views, which we explained earlier.

Basically, what you need to do is set up your channel to earn with the views of your videos. By doing so, you allow YouTube to show ads from others on your videos either with banners, as well as suggestions on the side and below the videos, i.e. videos with a few seconds before your own content begins.

(To learn more about ads and suggestions related to your content, read our full post on how to use native ads in your promotional strategy.)

The major problem with this kind of earning is that Google has recently changed a few rules and now, in order for a channel to start earning with third-party ads, you need at least 10,000 views. So you need to work on your channel’s promotion strategy, and that is done with content, which is our next topic.

How to increase engagement in your YouTube channel

Regardless of how you choose to make money with YouTube, you should know that you will not be able to earn if your content isn’t interesting and has no quality. That’s why the most important strategy in creating videos lies in knowing how to do so with content that is relevant for your audience.

You still don’t know what it takes to make good videos? Then, pay attention and follow the tips below.

Think about your content

Many people believe that the first step to creating a successful video lies in clearly defining who your target audience will be. However, this doesn’t always work. You might be thinking about reaching a certain audience and after you publish your videos, you end up realizing that the people who watch you are very different from who you had imagined.

Fábio Porchat, one of the co-creators of the famous Brazilian Porta dos Fundos (Back Door) channel, has said that in the beginning, they believed that their videos would watched by younger people and teenagers. But over time and after the videos were posted, they realized that their audience was quite different from what they thought.

That’s why the first item you should think about when creating your videos is content. Once you decide what you will talk about and when you see the reactions of the people in your videos, will you realize who your audience really is.

Define your niche

Still regarding the content of your videos, it is very important that you define your area of ​​action and if possible, choose a micro niche to talk about very specific subjects. This is because the more specific you are, the more likely your material will target a well-engaged audience who really wants to know more about what you have to say.

Make original videos

Have you heard the expression “doing more of the same”?

Well, on the internet (and everywhere else), no one likes to always receive the same content and information. There’s no point in talking about the fitness world just because it’s currently fashionable.

Of course you can innovate in a saturated niche to make videos about what you like best. What you need to do is research the digital market to understand what is still missing and thus, find your uniqueness and then create your own content without copying other channels.

Innovate whenever necessary

Even if you are the most creative person that has ever existed, at one point everyone becomes exhausted artistically. It is at this point that you need to realize what your limits are and think of ways to continue creating video content.

Think of small improvements you can make, for example: hire a copywriter, change the title of your videos, change the editing style you use, change the days you post or even make a completely different video from you usually do.

Of course, changing overnight may shock your followers and even you. However, if you realize that this is a good strategy, think about it and who knows, you might even end up changing your target audience and your niche.

Post periodically

You need to have a frequency of videos; after all, people are following your channel because of your content and they want to access your videos whenever they can. This is why you need to have an editorial calendar and if possible, choose specific days for your posts so your videos are recurring and users know when you’ll post new material.

Be careful not to post one video after the other since this can cause one video to overlap the other. Remember to always leave a gap between your posts so people have time to watch, comment and share your videos.

These are just a few ways to keep your audience always engaged with your content. There are several other tips to help you make good videos and you can read about it in our post on the best techniques for creating videos.

Is being a YouTuber worth it?

Creating video content is very interesting, mainly because people are increasingly consuming audiovisual material, which is easy to assimilate and can be watched from anywhere in the world (in the case of YouTube, as long as you have internet access).

Some people easily convey information, whether with video, a text or other formats. Also, achieving financial independence by working with something that makes us happy is what most people wish for.

Having a YouTube channel is an excellent strategy to increase your audience and get them to engage more with your business. It is always important to educate people about solutions that your products or services can provide.

But if you got this far and know how to record videos but you still don’t know if being a YouTuber is worth it, you should know there are other possibilities to work with videos without necessarily being on YouTube. To better understand this, read our complete post on how to make money with videos online besides YouTube.