How to make money on YouTube: the most popular video genres

In 2016, the video-sharing site announced it had more than 1 billion users per month. In response to this growth, many social media influencers began uploading videos to their personal accounts on the platform and increasing their followers. As a result, the potential for earning money through YouTube as a social media influencer has risen substantially in recent years.
However, only a small percentage of these influencers are turning their personal accounts into businesses by uploading video content that appeals to their followers and expands into other platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitch; essentially diversifying their revenue streams beyond just YouTube.
Even if you’re not interested in becoming a full-time vlogger or social media influencer, there are plenty of ways to make money from your YouTube channel. Let’s take a look at some of the most profitable options:

Video advertising

YouTubers can monetize their channels by selling advertising space within their videos. This means that brands can pay YouTubers to promote their products within their videos. YouTubers can decide where to place advertisements within their videos, so you won’t necessarily see pop-ups or unrelated images disrupting your viewing experience.
When partnering with brands, you may be paid to promote their products or services, create sponsored content, or be paid to display their products onscreen.
You can participate in the Video Advertising Network, which connects advertisers with creators for sponsored videos. You can also use Google’s TrueView Video Advertising service, which allows you to place pre-roll advertisements in your videos.

Paid product placement

Paid product placement is a type of video sponsorship where you agree to show and discuss a brand’s product in one or more of your videos.
You can use paid product placement to endorse the products you genuinely use and recommend to your followers — such as laptops, smartphones, and gaming consoles — and gain financial compensation in return.
When you partner with a brand and discuss their product in your videos, you may be required to disclose the fact that you received payment for the product placement. This disclosure is required by the FTC as part of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Influencer marketing

As a video influencer, you can charge brands to promote their products to your followers. This marketing method is often referred to as influencer marketing, and it can be incredibly effective when done right.
As an influencer, you can use your social media accounts to promote products and services to your followers, exposing your audience to products that they may not have previously heard of. In return, you can receive a financial reward based on the sales that are generated from your promotion.

Paid channel membership

A membership program allows viewers to financially support your channel on a recurring basis. Membership programs allow viewers to subscribe to your channel on a recurring basis, receiving special benefits such as exclusive content, rewards, and VIP access to your events or workshops.

When creating a membership program, you should decide how much members will be charged and for what benefits. You can also consider offering your members the option to donate their payments to a charity of their choosing, so they can support causes that they care about. You can use some of your membership revenue to fund your channel and create new content, while saving some to pay for taxes.

Important note: Keep in mind that if you accept payments from viewers, you’ll need to comply with FTC rules and regulations.

Live streaming video

Live streaming is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to make money with your YouTube channel. YouTube Live allows you to broadcast live streams that are viewable by anyone, including people who don’t subscribe to your channel.
Live streaming can be used to create both video and audio content, so you can use live streaming to replay your past video content, create new content, or even host a talk show.
Live streaming can be incredibly profitable, especially if your channel has a large following, but it can also be very demanding and require a significant time investment. Be sure you plan out your live streams in advance to avoid being caught off guard by the responsibilities that come with hosting a live show.

Google Adsense

Advertisers pay you to host their ads on your channel, and you can choose where to display these ads. You can place these ads on your video and channel pages, or you can place some of them within your video content.

When hosting ads on your channel, you should be careful not to disrupt your viewers’ experience or violate any rules published by Adsense. If you receive too many violations, Google will shut down your account and prevent you from sharing your content on any of their properties, including YouTube.

As you can see, there are a variety of ways to make money with your YouTube channel. Whether you’re already an established video creator, or you’re interested in getting started, there’s no better time than now to monetize your channel.
You can start earning money with YouTube by creating an account and begin uploading videos. Once you start generating views and subscribers, you can explore some of the more advanced ways to make money, such as live streaming, paid product placement, and paid channel memberships.

And remember, don’t expect to make money overnight. It takes time and effort to build up your channel. Once you’ve established yourself, you can look forward to a long and fruitful career as a video creator and social media influencer.