YouTube Influencers earn much higher than any other platform. Instagram has earned its reputation as the prime space for influencers. It’s easy to see why. But smart influencers aren’t discounting the importance of YouTube influencers, either.
This social media channel combines the most engaging form of content, video, with one of the most powerful social platforms in the world. Of course, it doesn’t hurt that YouTube is also the second-largest search engine in the world.
If you’re building your presence as an influencer, you’re maybe wondering how much you can make on YouTube. That’s a great question. Keep reading to learn more and to find out how you can get started as a YouTube influencer.
How Influencers Monetize YouTube Views
If you make a video just go viral, won’t you make money? The answer to that is “maybe.” First, you have to know how your videos can be monetized
Make Money from YouTube Views
This is probably the most traditional way of making money on YouTube. Influencers get paid for each video view using Google Ads. The pay can range from .001 to .003 cents per view. That works out to roughly $3 for 1,000 views.
But this money only rolls in if a few things happen. Yes, views are important here, but ad clicks are the things that make a difference. The length of your videos will matter, too.
If you happened to include a product placement or mention, you would possibly make more money. Of course, you need an audience for any of this to happen. That brings us to our next point.
Make Money from YouTube Influencers
YouTube will not pay you according to the number of subscribers you have. However, you need a large, engaged YouTube subscriber list to profit as a YouTube influencer. There are a few reasons for this.
First, brands will research your standing as an influencer. It isn’t enough that you’ve had a video or two just go viral. Brands will want to verify that you have a large, organic following that stays consistent or grows over time.In
Additionally, they’ll look at your engagement metrics. The more followers you have, the larger those metrics tend to be. Finally, subscribers tend to lead to increased video view metrics. In the end, if you have a lot of views and a high engagement rate for each video, you will likely be able to land lucrative deals as a YouTube influencer marketer.
Now, you will be able to combine the power of views with promotions and brand collaborations. A few dollars for a somewhat popular video could turn into hundreds or even thousands of dollars if you do it correctly.
How Do I Get Started Making Money as a YouTube Influencer?’
Now that you know that you have to weave together a strong, engaged following, influencer relationships, and ad revenue to maximize your earning potential, how do you do it? The truth is that it is easier said than done.
Simply put, a person just doesn’t create a YouTube channel to monetize it. You have to join the YouTube Partner Program. To do that, you have to meet the following requirements:
- Agree to the terms and conditions
- Own a valid Google AdSense subscription
- Have more than 1,000 subscribers on YouTube
- Over 4000 hours of your videos viewed in less than 12 months
There’s also an approval process that YouTube goes through. Once you are approved, you can begin to make money from ad revenue.
There are two paths here: Cost per click (CPC) and cost per thousand views (CPM).
Keep in mind that you won’t keep 100% of the revenue you earn. Right now, Google pays out under 70%. Of course, this could change in the future.
This means that you will get less than ¾ of your money via ad revenue. That may not seem like very much, but don’t forget that this is just one income source.
Using Your Position as an Influencer for Additional YouTube Income Streams
Save for a few mega-influencers and celebrities, ads aren’t a significant source of revenue. If you’ve built a following and want to grow your influencer brand, it’s time to focus on more lucrative things. We’ll explore your options in-depth below.
Affiliate Marketing
With affiliate marketing, you connect with a proven affiliate network. You’ll then be given links to place in your videos and descriptions. When viewers click on those links and make a purchase, you earn a bit of money from their investment.
Sponsored Posts
This is when your position as an influencer begins to benefit you. Brands will pay YouTube influencers they connect with on platforms like JustGoViral to feature their products or services. To do this successfully, you will need to have a strong following. However, if you make the right connections, you could earn up to $10,000 for a single video.
What is a sponsored post? It’s any post in which a brand or product is featured — you are paid to do the featuring. This might include:
- Saying a few lines at the beginning of the video and thanking the brand for sponsoring you
- Using a product briefly in the video
- Giving a short testimonial about a product
- Featuring a product in a review or unboxing
Brands generally seek influencer relationships because they want your audience to connect with their product and to believe that your endorsement is sincere. This is why influencer marketing content is so personalize
Final Step: It’s All About Your Influence
You’ve noticed by now that every step toward making money on YouTube marketing involves having a large, loyal, engaged following. Nothing happens until you achieve that. So how do you get it done? The truth is that it is a laborious, constant effort.
Choose the Right Niche
The right niche has the potential for a large following, lets you create a lot of content, and sincerely works with your talent and personality. Stay focused on that niche. This will be your key to building authority. Brands aren’t going to seek out “dabblers.”
Create Plenty of Engagement of YouTube Influencers
Engagement doesn’t just involve comments, likes, and shares. It is an ongoing conversation. The more you respond to the engagement you receive, the more likely people are going to be to stick around and watch your next video.
Use Tools to Help You Succeed
There is a lot of help available to influencers that want to take things to the next level. If you need better production values, learn to use video editing tools. If you need help connecting with growth-focused brands, rely on influencer consulting platforms like JustGoViral to do some of the leg work for you
Post Plenty of Videos by YouTube Influencers
Both quantity and quality count. Your followers will fade away if they realize they can’t count on you for excellent, engaging content at a fast pace.
Finally, use analytics to track engagement and other metrics. This will help you to determine where you are in meeting your goal of becoming a profitable YouTube influencer.
