Have you ever wondered how top YouTube earners make tons of money every year? YouTube legends Mr. Beast, Jake Paul, and Nastya earn between $20 to $80 million annually. That’s because their earnings come from not one but multiple income streams.
In 2025, there’s more than one way to earn money on YouTube. Earlier, most YouTubers made a share of their revenue from YouTube ads and partner programs. While they are still an integral part of getting paid on YouTube, they’re not the only ones.
Want to know how to make money on YouTube? We’ll show you the best and most effective ways to start earning on YouTube in 2025.
The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is your gateway to getting paid on YouTube. It opens up creators to several money-making possibilities—whether you want to make money from addictive YouTube Shorts or informative, long-form videos.
In the past three years alone, YouTube has paid its creators over $70 billion in revenue. You, too, can be one of them. Once you sign up for this program, there are a ton of revenue options to explore, such as:
Apart from the above revenue streams, you can access several creator tools. We’re talking about YouTube’s creator support and Copyright Match tool, which lets you identify copied videos from your channel. This ensures that only you—and no one else—can make money from your content.
Is joining YPP as easy as they say? Well, yes, so long as you meet the eligibility criteria. First up, get ready for some number crunching and see if your channel hits these milestones:
You must also live in an eligible region to qualify for the program.
Does your channel tick all the boxes? Great. Head over to YouTube Studio to apply for the program. This is also where you’ll see all your earnings at a glance. Once you apply, YouTube tells you whether they’ve accepted you into the program within a month.
In the meantime, check if you qualify for YouTube’s other monetization features. Yes, you got that right. Even without hitting the above milestones, you may be able to start earning on YouTube. Its channel memberships, chat, and shopping features are all open, even if you have 500 subscribers.
Additionally, you must have uploaded at least three pieces of content in the last 90 days. You must also have 3,000 watch hours in the last 12 months (or 3 million views on Shorts in the past 90 days). Here’s a table that breaks down all the elements of the YPP:
Still short on watch hours? Consider a practical solution to buy YouTube watch hours and quickly qualify for monetization.
Monetization Path | Subscriber Eligibility | Watch Hour Eligibility | Shorts Views Eligibility | Other Qualifications |
YouTube Partner Program (YPP) | At least 1,000 | 4,000 hours in the last 12 months, OR -> | 10 million views in the last 90 days | Must live in an eligible region/country |
Alternate Monetization Features | At least 500 | 3,000 hours in the last 12 months OR -> | 3 million in the last 90 days | Must live in an eligible region/countryMinimum three uploads in the past 90 days |
So, you’ve been welcomed into YouTube’s Partner Program—excellent! Now, you can start collecting revenue from your channel’s ads. To do this, you need to create a Google AdSense account from within YouTube Studio. Next, link your account to your YouTube channel and wait for AdSense to approve your application.
Once approved, you can turn on ads on YouTube and start running them. For example, when you make a long-form video, YouTube will display a mix of ads to your viewers. While you can’t control the ads you display, you can decide where to place them—at least for videos eight minutes or longer.
The more content you post, the more ads YouTube will display—maximizing your revenue greatly. Some videos may not generate as much revenue as others, but don’t worry. This is your chance to experiment and see what works best with your audience. You can see your share of earnings in your YouTube Studio under the Revenue tab.
If you’re struggling to meet YouTube’s Partner Program criteria quickly, a proven strategy is to buy YouTube views—kickstarting your channel’s growth and increasing your potential earnings faster
In 2022, tech channel Unbox Therapy became the leading collab creator in the U.S. and Canada with 45 brand collabs. So, if you thought brand collaborations were only for TikTokers and Instagram influencers, that’s not true.
A study shows that brands that collaborate with YouTube creators are 4X better at increasing brand familiarity than celeb collabs. And mind you, they pay big—especially when they realize your channel has a growing, niche audience worth tapping into. If you’re a fledgling channel, you may need to pitch brands to gain sponsorships. But once you gain enough traction, brands will come knocking!
As such, companies will sponsor your videos while you promote their products. Or, they may offer barter deals. For example, if you’re a tech channel, you may receive the latest gadget from a brand in exchange for a shoutout in one of your videos. The bottom line is that brand deals can get you anything from per-sale commissions to free products and hefty payouts. Of course, you must notify your audience about brand sponsorships by checking a box in your video caption.
Now is the time to be bold and get that brand sponsorship! If you’re interested in working with a brand, get in touch with their marketing team. Send them a personalized pitch with the following details:
Be ready for a few initial rejections, but don’t take them to heart. Keep working on your content and send those pitches as your audience grows. Remember, the worst they can say is no.
Affiliate marketing is a great way to earn passive income from your channel. If you follow MKBHD on YouTube, you know what we’re talking about. The prominent tech reviewer earns millions yearly, with a substantial portion of his earnings coming from affiliate tech links. The best part is that affiliate marketing benefits all involved—you, your audience, and the brand you’re recommending!
This is how it works—you recommend a product or service you’ve tried or know about. If it interests your viewers, they can buy the product through your affiliate link. As a result, you earn a commission from the sale. All you need to do is sign up for the brand’s affiliate program.
Once you’re accepted, you get a special affiliate link for each product. It’s up to you how you want to promote these products in your video—but include the affiliate link in its caption so your viewers can buy from it.
Here are some things to note about YouTube affiliate marketing:
Your audience follows you for your unique content, but guess what? Some followers may be willing to pay a premium to access more exclusive content. That’s why a membership model is a great opportunity to grow your fan base and make more money while at it.
Fans of your channel can sign up for a monthly subscription—as one does with Netflix. In return, you can offer them a range of members-only perks, including:
This is an indicative list, but you can do much more to build a relationship with your paid subscribers. The great thing is that such subscriptions help you generate a fixed monthly income.
Some YouTubers use third-party platforms like Patreon to garner subscriptions. However, YouTube also has an internal channel subscription model for those parts of its partner program. It also offers fan funding features that can get you tips and bonuses.
For example, when streaming live, your viewers can send you money through Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks. In return, YouTube highlights these viewers’ comments in the chat box.
Besides Patreon and YouTube, you can get tips or donations from your fans through funding platforms such as:
A golden rule of fan funding: don’t ask, don’t get. So, don’t shy away from marketing yourself and explicitly asking for donations from viewers who want to support your content.
Swedish YouTuber PewDiePie makes a lion’s share of his income from selling branded merch. You’re probably thinking: Of course, people buy his merch; he’s a literal legend. Who’s going to buy mine? Well, lots of people, especially your followers.
You can sell merch even if you have a small yet engaged community of followers. Just find a product that resonates with your followers and market it in your videos every chance you get. For instance, if you have a yoga channel, you could promote merch such as:
If selling physical products is not feasible, you can easily sell downloadable merch or services such as:
The sky’s the limit as long as you have the drive to sell.
But before you open up your channel to merch goods, here’s what you need to keep in mind:
Being a YouTuber is now a legit profession—and a lucrative one at that. If you’re seeking more ways to earn money off your YouTube channel, we’ve got you.
It’s not just followers and regular viewers looking for viral YouTube content these days. News channels, online outlets, and even other creators may want to showcase your content, especially if it’s trending. And guess what? If they want to use it, they must legally license it from you in exchange for money.
Stay a step ahead and enlist your videos in licensing marketplaces like these:
Want to make your next viral video but don’t have the capital to fuel it? Crowdfund it! Many YouTubers crowdfund their creative projects, whether to cover production costs or start a YouTube series.
Of course, you must first have a concrete project in mind before you ask your audience to pitch in. Next, explain what you’re building and how you plan to go about it. You’d be surprised at how many viewers show interest and contribute to making it happen. Popular crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo allow you to set up funding options easily.
It’s hard to put a number on YouTube revenue, as the figure varies widely. But some experts estimate that there’s a chance to earn anywhere between $30 to $300 monthly from AdSense.
The real deal? Making money on YouTube boils down to a combination of factors, from engagement to niche—and sheer luck. You may have heard stories of overnight success, but these are rare. One thing is non-negotiable, though—you need to put in the work, make smart moves, and stay consistent. While you may not be able to control your earnings directly, you can influence them. Here’s how.
There’s no better time to start earning on YouTube. The platform rewards nascent creators with high payouts so long as they bring the views and audience. Thanks to YouTube’s versatile payment structure, you can also earn from multiple income streams. The earlier you launch your channel, the sooner you’ll start building a community that rewards your efforts. Become an independent creator and start making money from YouTube today!
If you want to earn from long-form videos on YouTube, you need at least 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months. To earn through Shorts, you need at least 10 million views in the last 90 days.
You must be eligible for its partner program to start making money on YouTube. The program mandates you have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours for long-form videos in the last 12 months. For Shorts, you need 10 million views in the last 90 days.
When you’re eligible for YouTube earnings, you can display ads on your channel and earn from them. You can track your ad revenue on YouTube Studio.
Ad revenue is one of the easiest and most popular ways to earn on YouTube. Once you’re eligible, you can display ads on your videos. The more viewers watch your videos (and the ads), the more money you earn.
Beginner YouTubers who meet the basic requirements of YouTube’s Partner Program can earn at least $50 per month. This amount may be higher depending on your channel’s view count. For example, beginner YouTubers with more views and watch hours can earn up to $300.
The more eagle-eyed Twitch users will have noticed that you can hook your Twitch account up to a YouTube account and allow automatic VOD uploads from Twitch to YouTube. You would think this is a good thing, but it isn’t. When you use that feature, the entirety of the VOD will be uploaded. You know, that multi-hour stream you just recorded? We are sure it is brilliant, but it isn’t quite YouTube material.
You see, YouTube viewers are probably not going to want to watch multi-hour videos. They are going to want to watch quick snippets, probably no more than 20-30 minutes in length. Maybe an hour max, if your content is good. Thankfully, this also works to your advantage. The more videos you have on your YouTube account, the more cash you rake in.
In this blog post, we’re going to walk you through the exact steps for editing and posting your Twitch VODs on YouTube. While we know that there are tools on Twitch that will let you edit your VOD on the website, we’re going to use another method. This is because we want you to have more control over the editing process. This will make for more views on YouTube.
Twitch doesn’t create VODs by default. So, before we can start editing those Twitch VODs for YouTube (or providing more content for your Twitch viewers to see), you’ll need to enable VODs. This is easy:
Fantastic! Now, every single Twitch stream will be stored as a VOD. Don’t worry if you have a stream that’s a little bit terrible. It happens to the best of us. You’re free to delete any VOD that’s created.
Have a VOD that you really want to share on YouTube? Great! Let’s give it a download!
This is how you do it:
Simple!
We recommend that you do this regularly, even if you don’t plan on uploading something to YouTube. Since September 2023, Twitch has put huge limits on how long VODs stay up. So, if you don’t download something, it could disappear from the face of the earth in as little as 7 days.
The reason why we didn’t want you editing your Twitch VODs through the Twitch interface is that it doesn’t give you a ton of control. The ability to create thumbnails is a little bit sporadic too. Only some Twitch users can create custom thumbnails for their VODs. Oh, and we also want you to get used to editing for YouTube. You’re not going to be doing too much major editing here, but if your YouTube popularity starts to ramp up due to your Twitch followers, then you’ll want to get fancier with your editing.
First things first, you’ll need to download some video editing software. There are plenty of options out there, but you won’t need anything too fancy for trimming your 6-hour Twitch epics into more manageable chunks. This means that you can get away with some free software. We recommend one of these:
How you edit your Twitch VOD here will be completely dependent on the software, but things should be fairly self-explanatory. All you need to do is:
If you’re stuck, you’ll find plenty of advice online.
Your goal here is to split your Twitch VOD into smaller chunks. For example, with a 6-hour VOD, you can probably get 6-12 YouTube videos from it.
You don’t need to do any crazy editing here. Just the raw video should be fine. However, as you gain a bit more traction on Twitch and YouTube, we suggest that you cut out the more boring parts of your Twitch VOD uploads (and yes, we all create boring content at times!).
Got your Twitch VODs? Fantastic! There’s one final part of the process. The most important part, really. We’re going to be uploading your Twitch VODs to YouTube.
This is simple, and is really a two-stage process since we’re going to want to create some custom thumbnails here too:
While you can upload multiple videos at once, we suggest that you only do one of your Twitch VOD edits per day. This will keep people’s eyes on your channel. It also makes things a little bit messy. So, if you have trimmed a 6-hour Twitch epic into 6 videos, you have 6 days of content.
Once your video is uploaded, hit the pencil button next to it. This will allow you to edit the details. It is from this page that you can edit the thumbnail. You can use any section of the video for your thumbnail, but we prefer to upload custom thumbnails to help with branding on the channel (all thumbnails should look roughly the same).
Once that’s done, you’re done. Your video will be visible and you can start to rake in those sweet YouTube views!
As you can see, editing and posting Twitch VODs to YouTube isn’t that difficult. Sure, Twitch does make things a little bit easier by having its own built-in editing system. However, we suggest that you avoid that. You should always aim to have as much control over your content as possible (if only to snip out the worst parts of your Twitch VODs) and download directly to your computer for editing instead.
Remember, always try to upload every single VOD like this. The more VODs you have on YouTube, the more money you can make, and the more Twitch followers and views you can gain!