With the Ultimate Guide to YouTube Monetization, we are back for the second part of our ultimate guide to becoming a YouTuber. In a previous article, we mentioned the basics of setting up a channel, shooting a YouTube video and some basic details on how to get more engagement and views. This time, we are going to dive into the creator studio, and give you some tips on how to monetize your YouTube videos.
What do you need to monetize your YouTube videos?
As a YouTuber you won’t get to monetize your videos right away. There are two main criteria to live up to if you want to earn money from your content.
- You have to gain 1000 subscribers in the last 12 months.
- Your videos should have more than 4000 public watch hours in the last 12 months.
If you already have an established audience on other social media platforms such as Instagram, TikTok or more, it wouldn’t be that difficult to meet the criteria. However, if you are just starting now on all social media platforms, you will need to act fast as you will need to gather 1000 people to watch your videos for 4000 hours in 12 months. But that doesn’t mean you will lose everything once your 1 year anniversary comes up. In any 12 month period that you pass these thresholds, you will be able to apply to monetize your videos.
Create an Adsense account right at the start
To monetize videos and earn money through YouTube, you will need an Adsense account. On this account, you can track your money progress, add your bank account details, or do changes as needed. To set up an account you will need to give your open address as Google will send you a specific code to validate your Adsense account. Once you receive your code and validate your account, you can start earning money.
We suggest creating your account, and giving your address details when you first start your channel. This way, you will wait shorter for Google to send you your code right when you are eligible as they have it already.
Another thing to keep in mind is that you will need an equivalent amount of $15 earnings from your videos for Google to send you a code. Once you pass $15, you will probably receive your code in 2 to 3 weeks time, depending on where you live.
Monetizing your videos and Rules & Laws
We have mentioned this before in our first article, but to monetize your videos, you have to comply with copyright laws. If your video is violating anyone’s copyright, chances are you will either get a warning, or you won’t be able to monetize your video. In some cases, you can monetize but the revenue from the video will be transferred to the copyright owner.
You will also need to comply with YouTube laws about sharing a public video. If your video contains any violence, harassment, abuse, alcohol, rule-breaking content, you won’t be able to monetize your video. You also have to state that your video contains them, otherwise you will lose your credibility. If you try to deceive YouTube, and you are caught 3 times, you will probably say goodbye to your monetization rights.
Types of YouTube ads to make revenue from
When it comes to ads, YouTube has a lot of options to choose from. There are 4 main ad categories that you can benefit from in your video:
- Skippable video ads: These are the ads that the viewers can skip after 5 seconds. The main revenue comes from this type of ads.
- Non-skippable video ads: These are the ones the viewers have to watch fully to be able to view your video. These can be frustrating for the viewers though, as they can be quite long.
- Bumper ads: These are short 5 to 6 second ads that are not skippable, but short and will take the viewer to the video right away.
- Overlay ads: These are the ones you see on the screen while watching a video. They are usually in the place of subtitles, and don’t take up more than 20% of the screen space.
These ads can appear before, during or after your video. But there are also rules as to when these can be added to your video.
The length of your video affects your ads
Even though you have monetization, you can’t always put ads in the middle of a video. To place an ad during your videos, the video has to be 8 minutes or longer. If your video is shorter, you can still get ads before and after your video. However, you won’t be able to place one within the video.
It is also important to remember that longer videos doesn’t always mean more revenue. You can earn more through a 5 minute video with before and after ads than a 30 minute video with ads in the middle of it. The most common time frame for videos are 13 to 17 minutes. Anything longer than that might be boring for your viewers. And this might result in less watch time, less ads, and in turn less revenue.
This is it from us for the second part of the ultimate guide to becoming a YouTuber. Stay tuned for more tips and tricks on how to make that money off of YouTube!
