In a nutshell
- Creators can earn money without AdSense through sponsored content, affiliate links and merchandise sales.
- Selling personal products like music or books can be a viable income source for creative YouTubers.
- Platforms like Patreon allow creators to receive direct support from their audience in exchange for exclusive perks.
Depending on how fast your internet connection is, it could take 20 minutes or 12 hours to upload a video to YouTube. Depending on your skills, it could take any amount of time to actually produce that video. With all this effort going into sustaining a YouTube channel, it’s no wonder creators want stable revenue sources as compensation and motivation.
Today, becoming a content creator is one of the most popular aspirations for young people, as well as a common dream career path for many. While many dream of making a living solely by uploading videos to YouTube through AdSense, there are many other ways to make money without AdSense. Here are some alternative revenue sources to consider before turning that second bedroom into a functional studio.
Ways to make money without AdSense
Make sponsored content
First up is sponsored content. Sponsored content has made production easier for many YouTubers, but it requires a level of brand awareness and stability that not every creator has when they are just starting out. Sponsored content is when a company reaches out to a creator and pays for specific content to be created, usually with product placement, in exchange for a fee. Depending on how intensive the work is and how large of a following the creator has, this fee could be anywhere from $100 to thousands of dollars.
Use affiliate links
Lower on the scale are affiliate links, commonly used by creators in the tech and beauty genres. The creator will mention a product in the video, with a link to buy the product in the description box. Every time someone clicks this link, a third-party website generates about .01 cents to share between them and the creator, even if the viewer doesn’t actually buy the product. This has much lower risk than sponsored content and is generally more accessible to creators with smaller audiences.
Sell merchandise
The most common merchandise for YouTubers is, of course, the ubiquitous T-shirt. Personally speaking, as the author of this article, I have at least six old, neon articles of clothing with a digital brand plastered across the front that I bought when I was in middle school and now use for apartment cleaning.
When crafting her merchandise, musician Mitski only creates things she can see herself wearing, which is a great rule of thumb for any artist. Be more creative than just putting your face or an inside joke on a shirt.
For the sake of your audience, you should also consider what’s fashionable and what will last longer than the initial desire to purchase it. It’s also easier to begin with a poster; you can reuse the designs for later products. In any case, creators must ask themselves what products best fit their channel and personal brand.
Sell your own products
On the other side of the coin are the products that creators make themselves. YouTubers have always had a certain affinity for music, as YouTube is often welcoming to upcoming musicians. It might be time to take the next step and make those songs available for paid download.
You could also write your own book. Self-publishing is its own bag of worms, but putting out small pamphlets of your personal writing could be a fun way to involve your audience. These are more artsy revenue sources, with respective trials and tribulations, so these methods work best if you had an interest in those areas before trying to settle finances.
Get support from your viewers
The final revenue method is simply asking people for money, and there’s nothing wrong with that. If you are creating things that people enjoy, then you should be supported as you try to make better videos. For specific projects like short films or albums, websites like Kickstarter or GoFundMe can be very useful.
Today, most creators use Patreon to crowdfund. Viewers can pledge a certain dollar amount for each video you upload and receive secret content and special perks in return. This is similar to the Renaissance method of funding, where wealthy patrons gave money to their favorite artists in exchange for personalized pieces.
With a certain budget in mind, you can reach out to people and involve the audience in the creation of the project. It’s worth noting that some websites take a larger percentage of donations than others, so be sure to account for that.
Finding your way to a successful career in content creation
These different sources of revenue work for creators at many stages of their careers. The key to success on YouTube, or any platform, is diversifying income streams and finding what works best for your content and audience. While AdSense may seem like the most straightforward way to make money, relying on it alone can be risky due to algorithm changes and fluctuations in ad rates.
So, before transforming that extra bedroom into a studio, take time to explore these opportunities and build a strong foundation for your future.