Ways to make money on YouTube beyond ads

Ad revenue is the first thing most people think of, and for many channels it is not the only way to earn. YouTube has several programs, and some of them open earlier than ads. This guide lists the ones YouTube documents, what each needs before you can start, what decides the results and where the risks are. It contains no earnings figures: neither YouTube's pages nor anyone else can tell you what your channel will make.

The map: what exists and what it needs

Ads and YouTube Premium revenue

• What it is. Ads before, during, after and around videos on the watch page, ads viewed between videos in the Shorts feed, and a part of the fee that Premium subscribers pay when they watch your content.
• What you need. The full Partner Program (the numbers are in the monetization requirements guide), content that meets the advertiser-friendly guidelines, and the relevant monetization modules accepted in YouTube Studio.
• What decides results. Mostly views, who watches and what the video is about. According to YouTube, only views of content that follows the advertiser-friendly guidelines are eligible for Shorts revenue sharing.
• Risks. Policy problems can cost a video or a channel its monetization. Mass-produced or repetitive content is the usual trap for automated channels: read the inauthentic content guide.

YouTube's announcement says creators will share in a pool representing 30% of net subscription revenue for Premium views and 60% for Premium Lite. The pages we checked do not give a per-view rate, so treat it as a share of a pool, not as a price.

Fan funding: memberships, Super Chat and Super Thanks

Fan funding lets viewers pay you directly. The features unlock at early access (500 subscribers) and need you to accept the Commerce Product Module.

• What it is. Channel memberships are monthly payments in return for perks such as badges, emoji, members-only posts, videos and live chats. Super Chat and Super Stickers connect fans with creators during live streams and Premieres. Super Thanks lets viewers buy a one-time animation on a video or Short and add a comment.
• What you need. Be at least 18, be in the Partner Program, live where the feature is available and accept the Commerce Product Module. Memberships also require that the channel is not set as made for kids and does not have a significant number of made-for-kids or ineligible videos (videos made for kids, or with music claims).
• What decides results. Whether viewers feel they get something from paying: perks members actually use, live streams or Premieres that people want to be part of, videos worth thanking you for.
• Risks. Membership refunds are deducted from your share. Some videos are excluded: Super Chat is unavailable on age-restricted, unlisted and private videos and on streams with chat or comments off, and Super Thanks is also unavailable on videos with copyright claims. YouTube prohibits some perks, such as downloads of content that is on YouTube, in-person one-to-one meetings and random-selection contests, and says Super Thanks is not a crowdfunding or donation tool.

Shopping and affiliate links

• What it is. YouTube Shopping lets you connect your own store to feature your products, and tag products from other brands in your videos. Through the affiliate program you may earn a commission when a viewer clicks a tagged product and buys on the retailer's site.
• What you need. Partner Program membership and the subscriber threshold. To promote other brands' products you also need to be based in a supported country (the list includes South Korea and Japan), not be a music channel, not be set as made for kids and have no active Community Guidelines strikes.
• What decides results. Whether the product fits the video and the viewer. Each brand sets its own commission rate and attribution window per product. YouTube's tips are to show products up close, explain who they suit and tag them in the order they appear.
• Risks. Commissions can be reversed when purchases are returned or canceled. You have to tell your audience that you earn a commission, and for paid endorsements you select the branded content box. Criteria can also differ for pilot programs.

Affiliate links outside YouTube Shopping

Affiliate programs of shops and services outside YouTube work on their own terms, and the same principle applies: tell viewers about the commercial relationship. YouTube's paid promotion page says creators and their partners are responsible for following the legal requirements that apply to them, and it names regulators such as the FTC in the US and the KFTC in Korea. Read the program's own terms, and do not link to things you would not recommend without the commission.

Brand deals and paid promotion

• What it is. YouTube Creator Partnerships makes eligible Partner Program creators discoverable to brands. A Creator Partnerships tab in the Earn section of YouTube Studio lets you receive brand inquiries, set your rates for long-form and Shorts and add a business contact. If you say you are interested, you negotiate and sign with the brand directly, and the brand pays you. You can also work with brands outside YouTube's tools.
• What you need. Be at least 18, be in the Partner Program, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, be in an available country (South Korea is on the list) and follow the monetization policies. YouTube's Help page does not state a subscriber minimum.
• What decides results. How well your audience fits the brand and how clearly you present your channel. The media kit with audience insights in Creator Partnerships exists for that purpose.
• Risks. Paid videos have to be declared. In YouTube Studio you choose “Yes, my video includes branded content”, and a disclosure label appears at the start of the video. You and the brand are responsible for the law where you live, and YouTube's page says it is not legal advice.

Your own products and services

Courses, coaching, services, merchandise, a paid newsletter or software: for some channels the videos are mainly how people find what they sell. These sit outside YouTube's programs unless you connect a store through Shopping, so the rules that matter are those of your own business and your country.

• What you need. Something people want enough to pay for, and a place to sell it. The channel brings attention; it does not replace the product.
• What decides results. Whether your videos speak to the problem the product solves, and whether viewers can find the next step, such as a link in the description or a pinned comment.
• Risks. It costs real time and money before it earns anything, and your country's tax, consumer-protection and refund rules apply. This guide cannot advise on them.

How to choose where to start

1. 1

   Start with the door that is open

   Fan funding and Shopping open at 500 subscribers, earlier than ad revenue sharing. Brand deals you arrange yourself and your own products have no YouTube threshold at all.

2. 2

   Match the stream to your format

   Live streams and Premieres suit Super Chat, product videos suit Shopping, and a loyal niche audience suits memberships. Pick one stream and do it properly before adding another.

3. 3

   Build the audience first

   Every stream depends on viewers who come back. Work on growing the channel from zero before you design perks or pitch brands.

4. 4

   Keep the channel eligible

   Policies decide whether anything is turned on. If you plan to publish without showing your face, read the faceless channel guide and the policy guide first.