After taking all of the right steps in growing your channel and jumping through the hoops of the YouTube algorithm, you may be wondering how to monetize your channel. You want to make money, right? But how do you do it? There are so many questions YouTube creators have in the early days of their channels when it comes to monetization. How much do YouTube ads cost per view? How do I get them on my videos? What steps do I need to take?

Well, we are here to walk you through the necessary steps to climb the ladder to YouTube advertising and monetization.

Starting out with Google AdSense

So, one of the first ways YouTuber’s monetize their channels is through Google AdSense. AdSense allows creators on the platform to make money with their content by allowing ads to run at one or multiple points in their videos.

AdSense pays creators based on various factors, and not all creators are paid equally. There are two significant factors that play into how much a creator earns — the type of content and the length of the content.

Creators get paid per 1,000 views for YouTube ads, which is referred to as CPM, or cost per 1,000 views. The current average is $2 per CPM, but it changes based on content and location.

However, the first step in this process is to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).

What is the YouTube Partner Program?

It’s important to understand that creator’s can’t just jump into using AdSense and start raking in cash right away. AdSense is really the second step in the process of paid advertising on YouTube. The first step is to join the YouTube Partner Program.

There are some requirements a creator must meet to be eligible for the program:

  • The YouTube Partner Program must be available in their country
  • The channel needs to have more than 4,000 public watch hours within the last 12 months
  • The channel must have more than 1,000 subscribers
  • The creator needs to link their channel to their AdSense account

However, meeting all of these requirements doesn’t guarantee YPP success. There is a review process, and not all creators pass the test. Everything comes down to content.

If a creator’s content is not totally original or suited for all audiences, they might be turned down for the program.

Any type of offensive content is likely to result in a rejection, which includes content that contains violence, inappropriate language, adult-related content etc.

It only makes sense, right? Most advertisers and companies don’t want their ads displaying on any kind of inappropriate or offensive content.

What kinds of ads should you include in your content?

So, you are now YPP certified and eligible to run ads on your content. The next step is to decide what kinds of ads you want to run on your videos.

There are a few ways creators on YouTube run ads on their channels. There are skippable and non-skippable video ads. With skippable ads, viewers can skip the ad after watching for 5 seconds. If it’s a non-skippable ad, viewers have to watch all the way through.

Is there a difference in the amount a creator gets paid? The answer is yes. If an ad is 30 seconds, YouTube earns more money when the ad is watched all the way through. This is something worth considering when deciding between those two kinds of ads.

Bumper ads are short videos clips that run up to 6 seconds and are another option. These ads are turned on with skippable and non-skippable ads.

Creators can also opt for overlay ads, which display on the lower portion of a video. However, these kinds of ads are only available to display on computer monitors only, whereas the rest display on computers, TVs, phones and game consoles.

Overlay ads may be worth turning on for creators whose audience spends a lot of time on a physical computer, such as PC gamers.

When should I run my ads?

A very important factor to consider when it comes to ads is deciding when to run them. To play it safe, it’s probably best to run ads at the beginning of a video and at the end. That’s not to say that creators should run ads in the middle of their videos.

It all depends on the content. If you’re running an ASMR channel, it’s probably not the best idea to run an ad in the middle of a video. Running ads in the middle also runs the risk of losing viewers’ focus, which might tempt them to stop watching the video.

It’s all about creating the best possible viewing experience for your audience.

Don’t stop there

Once you’ve monetized your channel through AdSense, don’t stop there. While you can benefit a lot from maximizing your cost per view for the YouTube ads that run on your channel, there are plenty of ways to make money on YouTube. All you need to do is market and put yourself out there.