When you build your career on YouTube, one way to earn money is by getting paid per view by the platform.
This system is known as Pay per View, and it can be very useful.
If you’ve been contemplating YouTube and how you would earn money, you’ve come to the right place. I will discuss all the details regarding Pay per View, along with some other options to consider.
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How Does YouTube Pay Per View Work?
While YouTube doesn’t pay you directly for each view a video receives, it compensates you for each ad view.
Depending on various factors, the earnings from your AdSense account can differ.
Typically, the payment ranges from $0.01 to $0.03 for each ad view, which approximately amounts to $18 per 1,000 ad views.
Essentially, with YouTube Pay per View, you earn money on YouTube based on the number of viewers who have watched your ads.
How Much Can You Earn Through Pay Per View?
Depending on various factors, such as your region and whether your channel is family-friendly, you can earn between $0.10 and $0.30, as different advertisers have varying rates.
However, the average rate stands at $0.18.
Therefore, when you calculate it, you will arrive at approximately $18 for every 1,000 ad views.
However, since not everyone will watch every ad for the entire length of the video, this results in approximately $3 to $5 per 1,000 video views.
How much money can you earn from 1,000 views?
For every 1000 views on your YouTube videos, you earn between $3 and $5.
This often depends on the type of content you are creating, your location, and other factors.
For example, certain successful niches are particularly advertiser-friendly and generate higher earnings, such as personal finance channels, resulting in their AdSense revenue being significantly greater than that of many others who may have more subscribers.
Google takes a portion of your ad revenue, meaning you receive only 68% of your earnings.
How much money can you earn from subscribers?
Subscribers are not the direct reason YouTube pays you, but they do indirectly influence your overall earnings.
The more subscribers you have, the more views your videos typically receive, so it is beneficial to have as many as possible.
Another important consideration is that more dedicated subscribers are more likely to engage with your mid-roll ads. They are also more inclined to like and comment, which brings additional traction to your content.
How much money can you earn from a video?
Now that we know you can earn between $3 and $5 per 1,000 views on YouTube, the amount of money you make from a video directly depends on the number of people who watch it.
If you receive 10,000 views on a video and your average pay per view is $3, you will earn approximately $30 from that video.
A positive aspect is that you can earn money from old videos, and depending on the type of content you create, viewers may be inclined to revisit certain pieces.
You will continue to be compensated for this.
How Much Do YouTubers Earn Per Month?
This depends on numerous factors, as earning money on YouTube can come from a diverse range of sources.
There can always be estimates, but whenever a prominent YouTuber addresses this, they firmly state that these estimates are incorrect.
However, since the Pay per View system is not as profitable as other options for earning money on YouTube, most people do not depend on it heavily.
That is why it is so difficult to predict this, and why we will likely never truly understand the details.
Other Ways to Earn Money on YouTube
Few creators depend on the pay-per-view option as their primary source of income.
In fact, most of them view it as merely a small portion of their overall income.
Of course, this is what happens to the average YouTuber; only those with the highest number of subscribers can view this as their legitimate payment.
Even with a good YouTube viewbot, it may still not be sufficient.
Below is a list of all the other payment options available to YouTubers that you should definitely consider if you plan to pursue YouTube as a significant part of your career.
Affiliate marketing
Affiliate marketing is a straightforward option to pursue, and you can begin engaging in it quite early on.
Essentially, affiliate marketing occurs when you share links on your social media. Each time your viewers click on that link and make a purchase from the website, you earn a small commission.
These links primarily direct to online stores such as Amazon or other websites that sell products.
The commission you receive is typically a small percentage, but over time, as more people continue to click it, it can accumulate and become a significant part of your YouTube income.
This type of marketing is particularly effective, especially when your content focuses on product reviews.
Sponsorships
Sponsorships are essentially the primary source of income for YouTube revenue.
When you engage in sponsorship, you collaborate with a company to promote their product or service through your social media and content.
Based on factors such as your follower count, view count, and overall engagement, the brand will suggest a fee to you, which you can negotiate if you feel it is not appropriate.
Various companies offer sponsorship opportunities to creators. Some brands prefer to work with smaller creators, while others focus exclusively on larger ones, and some are less selective.
However, you can definitely find excellent YouTube sponsorships for small channels.
Similarly, some brands are tailored to specific content categories, while others appeal to a broader audience. These latter brands typically represent products that we all use in some form.
After filming the segment you agreed upon with the brand, you will send them your video for approval. Once they approve it, typically after some minor adjustments, you will be able to post your content.
Depending on how things progress, it is likely that the brand will reach out to you again to collaborate on new projects.
Merchandise
Once YouTubers gain traction and establish a successful channel, many of them choose to create merchandise.
Typically, this is due to viewer demand, but it can also serve as a beneficial promotional step and provide an extra source of income.
Depending on the company and the merchandise sites you choose to collaborate with, as well as who creates the designs for the merchandise, you will earn a specific percentage of the sales.
While selling merchandise can be very profitable for larger YouTubers, others may find it to be a good supplementary source of income rather than a primary one.
But above all, it’s a very enjoyable aspect of being a YouTuber—seeing your designs on people who appreciate watching you.
Patreon Memberships
Artists use it to showcase their artwork, increase its visibility, and actually earn something from it.
Content creators with fewer creative endeavors use Patreon to share additional content.
Perhaps an extra video each month or a podcast episode.
Patreon memberships can include tiers, allowing your subscribers to access more content for a higher fee.
As a creator, you will have the opportunity to publicly post content after a certain period, ensuring that people do not feel like outsiders.
This is typically a significant boost to YouTube earnings, so if you want to create more high-quality videos and video content
YouTube Shorts Fund
YouTube Shorts are a type of short-form content that was introduced to YouTube around the same time that Instagram introduced reels, drawing inspiration from the immense success of TikTok.
Although YouTube Shorts are not as popular as TikTok, viewers appear to enjoy watching them, prompting YouTube to establish its own Shorts fund.
The 5 Highest-Paid YouTubers
Among numerous YouTube creators, the following five are currently recognized as the highest-paid YouTube channels.
These YouTubers earn substantial income on YouTube. While their primary earnings may come from people watching their YouTube videos, as YouTube generates significant revenue from Google ads, many of them still pursue various additional methods to make money.
Let’s explore who the highest-paid YouTubers are, how much they earn from their successful video channels, and the types of content they create.
MrBeast
MrBeast has consistently ranked among the highest-paid individuals, with estimated annual earnings of approximately $54 million.
Although his videos are reportedly very expensive to produce, with each costing him around $10,000, he also manages to earn a significant amount.
His videos are quite outrageous, featuring challenges such as “Would you swim with sharks for $100,000?” This is why he easily attracts a large number of views.
In addition to YouTube videos, he generates income from his other major venture, MrBeast Burger, which operates as a ghost kitchen, along with his plant-based chocolate bars.
Markiplier
Markiplier has been among the highest-paid YouTubers for over a decade. Although he may not appear as popular or as flashy as MrBeast, he still earns an estimated $38 million annually.
He typically plays games, often trending YouTube games, and follows them with humorous commentary. However, it is his personality that continues to attract people.
He is also known for donating a significant portion of his earnings to charity, as he believes it is not entirely fair that he earns as much as he does.
Jake Paul
Jake Paul is widely recognized on YouTube for various reasons, primarily revolving around drama.
However, in recent times, his primary income has stemmed from viral boxing matches, and it is estimated that he earned approximately $45 million last year.
This is a significant achievement, considering that after the events of 2017 involving his brother, it seemed impossible for them to return to this kind of path.
Rhett and Link
This duo began with a show titled Good Mythical Morning. However, as their popularity increased, they developed numerous spinoffs and brand extensions.
This ultimately earned them $30 million annually.
They operate a highly successful channel called Mythical Kitchens, which generates significant revenue.
They are also recognized for their Mythical Accelerator fund, which is designed for investing in other YouTubers.
Finally, their most recent significant success comes when, after years of being strictly family-friendly, they released one fully R-rated episode.
Unspeakable
Minecraft has long been a significant part of both the gaming community and YouTube as a whole, so it’s no surprise that one of the most famous gaming YouTubers has made it onto this list.
In addition to playing Minecraft, Unspeakable engages in many fascinating and adrenaline-pumping activities for content, such as filling a room with alligators.
Over the past year, he earned around $28.5 million, making it truly worthwhile to monetize gaming videos.
Conclusion
While you can indeed earn money through YouTube’s Pay per View system, it shouldn’t be your sole source of income when starting your career.
The amount of money you receive from this will increase as your watch time and subscriber count grows. However, as I mentioned, only the most famous gaming Youtubers can depend solely on this as their main source of income—and even they do not do so.
FAQ
How much is the pay for 1 million views on YouTube?
Since you earn between $3 and $5 per 1000 views on YouTube, getting one million views could bring you anywhere between $3000 and $5000 for a video with 1 million views.
Does YouTube pay monthly?
Yes, YouTube content creators have a check paid out monthly, and once you become a partner, you will be paid out monthly no matter what the amount is.
Does YouTube pay for likes?
YouTube doesn’t pay for likes, however, video engagement is a big factor when it comes to how much advertisers pay and how much money on YouTube will you be able to make.
Do YouTubers get paid for old videos?
Yes, if there are still mid-roll ads running on these YouTube videos, the AdSense account will earn money and the YouTube account will get paid for that.