How to make a profitable YouTube channel without having millions of subscribers

There is a popular belief that to generate income on YouTube, it is necessary to have millions of views, but this is not true. It is possible to have profitability by reaching thousands of views, as long as we offer fresh, quality content and consistent posting.

Today, a YouTube channel represents much more than a platform for various content videos. Businesses and public figures see it as a way to generate a connection with their audience and a boost to give their brand more fame; and of course, to generate more income.

It is always necessary to have tools to help us keep track of monetization. SendOwl is a platform that helps its customers host, distribute and charge all kinds of digital products (e-books, courses, videos, audio, etc.) and can be used as a payment platform for the services that the customer offers or for physical products.

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How to generate income with YouTube

Beyond the sponsorships that content creators receive, YouTube can generate income through Google Adsense, a tool that chooses advertising that goes hand in hand with the content offered by a social media profile or website to attract its target audience.

To generate content on the video platform, the content creator must reach 1,000 subscribers or accumulate 4,000 hours of playback in a 12-month period. Once these requirements are met, they can request to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which provides creators with greater access to the platform’s monetization resources and functions. By joining the YPP, the content creator can place Google ads on their videos and receive advertising income in exchange under the CPM (Cost Per Thousand) system, referring to receiving payments each time they gather 1,000 views.

There are also other things to consider, such as the number of ads that are shown in a video is usually related to its duration; generally, ads are shown every 10 or 15 minutes. Another aspect is the location of the viewers, as it will depend on the interest they may perceive towards certain ads and content.

Subjects that generate more income

A determining factor for profitability on YouTube is the type of content. It is not the same to make videos focused on technology or the gaming world than to make cooking videos. The type of content will determine whether you manage to generate 1.83 € (2 dollars) for every 1,000 views or up to 11 € (12 dollars) for the same amount of views. According to a survey conducted by Jack Cao, a blogger, YouTuber, and copywriter, these are the 5 categories of themes that present a higher CPM:

1. Making money online: 12.39 € (13.52 dollars).
2. Social media marketing: 11.37 € (12.41 dollars).
3. Finance and investments: 11.23 € (12.25 dollars).
4. Educational videos: 9.06 € (9.89 dollars).
5. Photography and film making: 6.70 € (7.31 dollars).

Keywords help find valuable content with higher competition. One way to know which keywords will help us have a good CPM is to use Google’s Keyword Planner, which shows how much advertisers pay for keywords.

Now, this list does not mean you should change the niche of your YouTube channel. You should simply exploit the area or theme you are dedicated to without leaving the comfort you feel when creating content. In fact, not all your videos should have a high CPM, since there are videos that will serve as a stepping stone to those that have already accumulated a good CPM and continue to generate greater income.

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Photo: Unsplash.