How to earn money from YouTube? If you don’t feel right for an office job, there are many other job options for you, one of which is working as a YouTube content creator. Yes, you can make money from YouTube!
This article will discuss the potential of YouTube as a platform to make money, how to create a YouTube channel, to how to make money from YouTube. Check out the full review below!
5 Reasons to Make Money from YouTube
You may have often seen YouTube content creators milling about on Ada’s YouTube home. From Raditya Dika, Arief Muhammad, Rachel Goddard, Suhay Salim, Ria SW, to Kevin Hendrawan.
Maybe you are curious, it can indeed make money from YouTube. Of course, I can! The content creator above is proof that YouTube has a high potential to earn rupiah. How did it happen? Here are some reasons:
1. Indonesian Online Video Consumption is High
Based on a survey by the Indonesian Internet Service Providers Association (APJII), 69.64 percent of Indonesians use the internet to watch videos. This means that your chances of reaching your audience through video are quite high and you can do that using YouTube.
2. YouTube: Platform Video Utama
YouTube has mastered the market share of video platforms in Indonesia. As many as 92 percent of Indonesian internet users say YouTube is the first platform they use when searching for online video content.
Also read:Â The Complete YouTube Marketing Guide to Growing Your Business
3. YouTube Will Rival TV
The number of Indonesian YouTube viewers is predicted to rival the number of television viewers in the near future. According to Kantar’s 2018 survey , 57 percent of respondents said they watch television every day, while 53 percent of respondents said they watch YouTube every day.
The percentage above shows that watching YouTube has become a habit for Indonesians and can shift the popularity of television. This is likely due to the large selection of content types on YouTube and the freedom of viewing time.
In addition, YouTube also allows its users to watch television shows on its platform. Almost all Indonesian television channels have official channels on YouTube so that viewers can watch programs that are missed on television. Â
4. You don’t have to have millions of subscribers
That’s right, you are not required to have millions of subscribers to make money from YouTube. In Indonesia, there have been many content creators on YouTube with millions of subscribers. Call it Raditya Dika, Arief Muhammad, Kevin Hendrawan, and Rachel Goddard. Many brands work with them because they are considered to be able to reach a wide audience.
Do you also have to have millions of subscribers to make money from YouTube? Ideally, having lots of subscribers does help you to compete in this realm.
Even so, that doesn’t mean you can’t make money with a small number of subscribers. You can still become a YouTube partner if you meet the criteria set.
In addition, you also still have the opportunity to work with brands. Brands don’t only work with macro influencers like Raditya Dika and Rachel Goddard. Companies also need micro influencers whose reach is smaller than macro influencers.  Â
5. Anyone Can Make Money from YouTube
To be able to appear on television shows you need to go through an audition and casting process. With YouTube, you can create your own show without having to audition.
Indeed you have to do everything independently, from shooting to editing. However, you have the freedom to create content.
14+ Ways to Earn Money from YouTube
Already know what kind of content you want to create? If you have, now you can continue to learn about how to create YouTube content. It should be remembered that the way to make money from YouTube always starts with quality content.
So in this chapter you will be guided by creating quality YouTube content until you can make money from YouTube. We’ll walk you through choosing the type of content for YouTube to monetizing YouTube.
1. Riset Keyword
Keyword research is an important step in how to make money from YouTube. The reason is so that you can create content that people are really looking for.
You can do keyword research for YouTube using Google Trends. It’s the same way when you do keyword research for a blog or website. The difference is that you need to change the search category to YouTube Search as below:
Apart from that, you can also take advantage of YouTube search predictions. When you enter keywords in the search field, YouTube will provide various keyword predictions. For example, below I searched for keywords to create a website and YouTube gave predictions from creating a website with WordPress, creating a free website, to creating a website with HTML.
Also read:Â 9 Ways of Accurate Keyword Research for Blogs and Websites
2. Create High Retention Video
Maybe the term high retention video is still quite foreign to most people. What is meant by high retention video is the average percentage of videos watched. For example, let’s say you upload a video that is 10 minutes long and the average person only watches that video for 5 minutes. This means your video retention rate is 50 percent.
YouTube certainly prioritizes high-retention videos because it makes people spend more time on the platform. The higher your video retention average, the more likely it will appear at the top of YouTube search results.
As long as you create videos that are engaging, quality, and relevant to the needs of your audience, your videos have the potential to achieve high retention rates.
3. Learn YouTube Ranking Factors
If in Google search results you compete with thousands of other websites or blogs, on YouTube you will compete with hundreds or even thousands of other channels. The hope of course is that your videos always appear at the top of the search results for related keywords.
Here are some of the factors that determine the ranking of videos on YouTube:
Number of Comments
Backlink.io’s research on 1.3 million YouTube videos shows that videos with more comments tend to rank at the top of search results. Not everyone is willing to leave comments on YouTube videos.
You can get around this by asking viewers to leave questions or ideas for future videos. That way viewers are encouraged to comment on your video.
Number of Subscribers After Watching Videos
Viewers who subscribe immediately after watching your video is a great signal to YouTube. This means that your video is of high quality and interesting according to the viewer. In videos you can also ask viewers to like and subscribe.
The number of video shares also determines your ranking in YouTube search results. People will of course only share videos that they think are good and should be watched by many people.
So quality is the main key to get your video widely shared on social media. Apart from that, you can also remind viewers to share your video.
Click Through Rate (CTR)
I’ve discussed CTR in Google search results in this article and how it works the same way in YouTube search results. In essence, Click Through Rate (CTR) is the ratio of the number of clicks to the number of search result impressions.
For example, when people search for the keyword “create a websiteâ€, your video appears 1000 times in YouTube search results. Appears in any order count as impressions. Let’s say 100 people click on your video. So your CTR figure is 10 percent.
The higher your CTR, the more likely YouTube will place your video at the top of search results.
Video Duration
Just like an article on a website or blog, the length of the YouTube video is also important. The duration of the video is one of the important factors that determine the ranking of YouTube search results. A Backlink.io study shows longer videos tend to top search results.
There have been no specific studies on how long is the most ideal length for YouTube videos. However, try to cover your content as fully as possible. Feel free to make long videos. As long as it’s of good quality and meets the needs of the audience, your videos will still be watched.
4. Title and Description Optimization
First impression matters . First impressions are always important. This also applies to your YouTube videos. In general, creating titles for blog articles and YouTube videos is not much different.
You should summarize the entire video content in just one sentence. The title of your YouTube video must be short, concise, clear, and of course contain the targeted focus keyword.
Just as a blog can use numbers in the title for a listicle (list article), you can apply the same thing to YouTube videos. Also add words that can attract the attention of the audience such as WOW, Powerful, Great, and so on.
Apart from the title, the description of the video is also important. Video descriptions help YouTube and Google understand the context of your video. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating a YouTube video description.
First, create a video description of at least 250 words. Second, enter the focus keyword you are targeting in the first 25 words. Third, at least repeat the focus keyword two to four times.
5. Take advantage of Tags
Just like WordPress, you can also add tags when uploading videos on YouTube. Tags can be added via the field below the video description.
As trivial as they may seem, tags help Google and YouTube to understand the context of your video. So you should still take advantage of this feature. Add keywords related to your video in the tags.
The first and most important thing is to enter the focus keywords that you are targeting. Second, add variations or LSI keywords from these keywords. Third, add other keywords that are still related to the focus keyword.
6. Make a Call to Action in the Video
Maybe you also noticed this while watching videos on YouTube. Content creators usually say things like, “Don’t forget to like and subscribe” or “Link is in the description”.
What the content creator said above is an example of a call to action. They remind viewers to take profitable actions, be it like subscribe, comment, or click a link in the description.
7. Promote Videos on Social Media
In the previous point, I have discussed that the number of shares on social media affects your ranking in YouTube search results. The best-case scenario is that people accidentally find your video, like your video, and then share it on social media.
Unfortunately reality is not that easy. Sometimes or even often you need to pick up the ball first, namely by actively sharing your YouTube videos on social media and online forums.
There are many social media and online forums that you can use, from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, LINE, Kaskus, to Quora. You can also follow groups on Facebook or Kaskus that match the theme of your YouTube channel. That way you can share the video to an already segmented audience.
8. Connect Videos on YouTube with Your Blog
If you have a blog or website, your YouTube video promotion media will increase by one more. You can add embed YouTube videos to your website or blog. That way visitors to your blog or website can watch your videos easily without having to open YouTube.
Not only does it have a positive effect on your YouTube channel, adding a YouTube video embed also has a positive effect on your blog or website. YouTube videos on your blog or website will make blog/website visitors last longer. This is certainly a good signal to Google and will improve the quality of your SEO.
9. Collaborate with the Brand
After creating quality video content and optimizing it, it’s time to make money from YouTube. There are many ways you can make money from YouTube.
The first way is to work with brands or companies in the form of endorsements. The company will provide you with products to review on your YouTube channel. You get the product for free and the company gets a new audience.
The benefits obtained can also vary, from sample products, discount coupons, to cash. It depends on the contract you signed with the company. The more subscribers you have, the higher the endorsement fee is usually.
You can contact the company in advance and apply for cooperation. If you already have a broad and loyal audience base, companies can even contact you first.
You have to build a strong personal brand first so that many companies and brands want to work with you. Building a personal brand online is not enough just to collect subscribers. You also need to create an online portfolio that can be easily accessed by anyone. One of them is to create a special website for personal branding .
10. Become an Affiliate Marketer
The next way to get money from YouTube is to become an Affiliate Marketer. Although both promote products, affiliate marketing is different from endorsement. Affiliate marketing uses a commission scheme for its affiliate marketers. In addition, you need to register as an affiliate marketer to the company you want.
Here’s how affiliate marketing works:
Niagahoster is one of the companies in Indonesia that provides an Affiliate Program . The commission is quite tempting, which is 70 percent of the total purchases from your referral code.
You can use various platforms to promote the referral code of the affiliate program you are participating in. You can earn from the internet through the youtube platform to become an affiliate marketer. One of Niagahoster’s affiliate marketers already uses YouTube to promote Niagahoster.
Also read:Â Complete Guide to Getting Started with Video Marketing
11. Monetization of YouTube Channel
Another way to get money from YouTube that is quite effective is to monetize the channel. By monetizing, video viewers on your YouTube channel will see ads before the video starts. Â
To be able to monetize, you must meet the conditions set by YouTube. Here are some of the YouTube monetization requirements that you must meet:
- Do not show videos about controversial matters, sensitive events, drugs, dangerous acts, hate speech, sexually nuanced behavior, and acts of violence.
- Has more than 4000 hours of public watch time over the last 12 months.
- Have more than 1000 subscribers.
- Have a linked AdSense account.
You can enable ads on your YouTube channel by following this official guide from Google . Make sure you meet all the requirements from YouTube. After registering for monetization, YouTube will conduct a review which will take about a month or so.
Also Read:Â Terms and How to Register for YouTube Adsense (Latest)
12. Sell Your Own Products or Services
Another alternative to making money from YouTube is to sell your product or service. This method is usually applied by YouTube channel owners who already have many subscribers.
You can sell anything through YouTube. Laptops, gadgets, musical instruments, books, furniture items, cooking utensils, beauty products, graphic design services, video editing services, singing services, and so on.
If you sell homemade products or services, you should also have an official website. That way your audience will find it easier to buy the products or services you offer. For example, Pewdiepie also has an official website to sell merchandise.
Also Read:Â How to Create a Website in 7 Steps
13. Add Link in Video Description
Assuming there are a lot of people watching your video on YouTube, it’s certainly a good opportunity to put a link in the video description. Plus the call to action as mentioned in the previous point, you can direct the audience to visit online stores, blogs, social media, affiliates, or websites that you work with.
14. Don’t Focus on Going Viral
“Don’t strive to be famous. Strive to be talented †– Maisie Williams
The words above were expressed by Maisie Williams, who plays Arya Stark in the famous Game of Thrones series. It means don’t strive to be famous, strive to be talented.
I think the above expression is suitable for those of you who want to start a YouTube channel and become a YouTube personality or vlogger . The frequent appearance of viral videos on YouTube makes people also expect the same, namely viral videos to quickly become famous.
There’s nothing wrong with being famous. However, being famous is not enough. Moreover, it is famous only because of viral videos that only last for an instant. The important thing you need to start a career as a content creator is talent.
Talent can be honed by doing a lot of practice. It is talent that will lead you to become the best YouTube content creator.
Types of Content That Can Make Money From YouTube
After creating a YouTube channel, of course, you have to fill it with interesting content. You have to remember that good content is the key to successfully making money from YouTube.
There are various types of content that you can choose from. Of course you have to create content that matches your interests and skills. Here are some of the types of YouTube content you can choose from:
1. Tutorial
It can be said that the majority of users must have searched for video tutorials on YouTube. Whether it’s technology tutorials, cooking, make-up, and so on. Therefore, tutorials can be used as ideas for your channel content.
2. Product Reviews
Before buying something, you must have doubts about its quality and suitability, right? In effect, you will do research on the internet and look for product reviews. Therefore, the potential of this product review content idea can attract a lot of viewers.
3. Collaboration
Not only in business, but collaboration is also common on YouTube. No wonder because this type of content can reach an audience from your partners that was previously untouched. As a result, your audience can be more than usual.
4. Sharing Tips and Knowledge
Are you an expert in a particular field? Or you find tips to use a product that is more leverage? Or do you want to share tips about your own product? If so, you can create content ideas to share tips and knowledge with viewers.
5. Success Story
Who would have thought, it turns out that your consumer success story also has the potential to be used as content, you know. Because success stories can inspire your audience. Especially those who are struggling with the same problem.
Also read: Want to Create Interesting YouTube Content? Try These 7+ Content Ideas!
Additional Tips: How to Make Money from YouTube with Android
Yup, you didn’t misread the title above. You can also make money from YouTube with just a smartphone , you know. How to?
1. Choose the Right Category
First, you have to choose a category that can actually be done from a smartphone only. Like Android hacking tutorials , playing games, short vlogs, or simple mini videos. Just adjust it to your abilities.Â
2. Edit Your Video with a Simple App
Once you’re done recording, it’s time to edit the video before uploading it. There are several video editing apps on Android. It looks and functions simpler than on a computer, but it’s more than enough. You can use VideoPad, Animoto, or Magisto.
Also read:Â 25+ Video Editing Apps to Make Your Business Promotion Easier
3. Monetize Your Channel
In order to earn from YouTube you have to monetize your channel for advertising. The conditions are as we have mentioned. Sounds difficult indeed from a smartphone, but not impossible, really. The key is that you have to upload regularly and have a schedule.
Ready to Make Money from YouTube?
That’s the tutorial to make YouTube and how to get money from YouTube. There is no way to earn money from YouTube lightning. It takes careful planning and persistence so that your YouTube channel has a lot of new impressions and then makes money for you.