So you want to hit it big on YouTube? Awesome! YouTube is a great platform to share your work or expertise, grow an audience and make money.
But how much money can you earn on YouTube? And how many subscribers do you need? What if you had 1,000 subscribers? What could you expect to bring in from that? What if you had 5,000 subscribers? Or even 10,000?
YouTube is a really good way to make extra money on the side. But how many subscribers do you really need before you can start cashing in?
We’re going to show you everything you need to know to make money from YouTube and how to grow your audience up to 10,000 subscribers.
Let’s dive in!
The Wild World of YouTube
Ever since YouTube launched way back in 2005, it has taken the world by storm. It has now become the go-to place for people to watch videos online—thanks in some ways to it being bought by Google in 2006. YouTube is a fun and interesting platform for billions of everyday people to share their experience, thoughts, music, poetry and other interests.
While YouTube has evolved in many ways over the years, it’s still basically just a platform for video creators to share their work and build an audience.
Maybe you’ve been using YouTube since it came out, but are trying to figure out how to increase your subscribers. Or maybe you’re just getting started, researching how to build a successful YouTube channel to help you achieve your goals in life and business.
Whatever the reason, we’ve got you covered. We’ll show you how to reach 10,000 subscribers with a practical roadmap you can put into practice today.
But before we look at how to achieve 10,000 YouTube subscribers, let’s see why income from YouTube is so powerful.
The Power of Passive Income
One of the best parts about earning money on YouTube is that it isn’t normal money. Yes, you can spend it like you normally would (we’re still talking about U.S. dollars). But it’s not the kind of money you might be used to making. We’ll explain what we mean.
There are really only two kinds of income: active income and passive income. Active income is the kind you have to trade your time to earn. Like that hourly wage you might be getting from your day job. Even people who work for themselves are often still making active income, trading their time for a paycheck. The only time you make money is when you’re actively working.
Passive income doesn’t sound good, but it’s actually way better than active income. Passive income is the kind you make while you’re sleeping. It’s passive because it comes in even when you’re not actively doing anything. And it’s by far the best kind of money you can make.
You can earn passive income from lots of things—real estate investments, stocks, dividends, assets like music, art or books and also from online businesses, including a YouTube channel.
Now, we’re finally ready to dig into how much you can make on YouTube and how to grow your subscriber list up to 10,000.
How Much Does YouTube Pay for 10,000 Subscribers Per Month?
This is the million-dollar question. But the answer isn’t simple. It depends. If you reach 10,000 subscribers, you won’t automatically start making a certain amount of money. This is because the amount of subscribers you have isn’t the only factor in how much you’ll make.
But there is some math we can show you to give you a better idea of what you could make. First, we have to talk about how to unleash the power of YouTube monetization.
How to Monetize Your YouTube Channel
Monetizing your YouTube channel means joining YouTube’s Partner Program. And to do that, you’ll need at least 500 subscribers (well under the 10,000 we’re talking about here). You’ll also need three public uploads within the last 90 days, and either 3,000 total watch hours OR 3 million YouTube “Shorts” views in the last 90 days.
All of this might seem like a lot, but stick with us and we’ll show you how all of this is possible.
The great thing about the partner program is that it allows you to unlock money-making features like channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks and the ability to sell your own products via YouTube Shopping.
Making Money Through Ads
Another big way creators monetize their channel is by selling ads. To join AdSense, you’ll need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within the past year.
Once you reach this goal, you’ll start to get a cut of the ad revenue generated from your videos.
You’ll be paid based on the number of advertising views your video gets. YouTube pays a certain amount for every 1,000 views. Some estimates say that YouTube pays an average of $0.018 per ad view, with a range from $0.10 up to $0.30 per ad view. But the amount you might make is hard to pin down since the rate depends on things like (1) the number of views your video receives, (2) the quality of the ad, (3) ad blockers and (4) the length of the video.
Another factor is the category or niche your video falls into. For instance, gamers posting Call of Duty content will make different amounts per 1,000 views than someone selling an online real estate course.
You will also make money from ads based on the number of times people click on an advertisement from your video. In other words, if someone is watching one of your videos and they see an ad pop up for a Carnival cruise. They click on the ad to learn more since they’ve always wanted to go on a cruise. Boom! You just made money from YouTube because your video brought in an ad click.
It’s all one big advertising and marketing ecosystem and your video content plays a big part in the success of everyone involved. Without video creators like you, YouTube wouldn’t have any content. And without content, YouTube wouldn’t be able to sell advertising “space” online to companies trying to reach more eyeballs. It’s a win-win-win!
So let’s say you have 10,000 subscribers. Every time you post a video, let’s assume each subscriber watches it. That’s 10,000 views, multiplied by $0.018. You would make about $180 on that video. Not too bad!
But how do you get to 10,000 subscribers?
The Journey to 10,000 Subscribers
Besides making more money, there are other benefits to reaching 10,000 subscribers on YouTube. Once you get 10,000 subscribers, you’ll have access to a community tab in your YouTube app that can allow you to more easily post pictures and take quizzes from your audience to stay informed about what they like.
Here are seven strategies to reach 10,000 subscribers.
1) Create the right strategy and find your why. Ask yourself why you want to have a YouTube channel in the first place. Drill down to the specifics. Find your why. What’s driving you to share on YouTube? Is it to promote your business, bring in new customers, build a fanbase, make side money or maybe to help educate people on a certain topic?
Whatever the reason, think about your target audience. Who are you trying to reach? What kinds of things are they interested in? What makes them tick? And what makes them click? Understanding your audience will go a long way in creating content that is engaging and valuable to them. Develop a content strategy that brings your growing audience variety and videos that are interesting, funny, inspirational or educational. You’re only limited by your imagination!
2) Create engaging content. This is a big deal. As each year goes by, it becomes harder to stand out from the crowded Internet. Spend a good amount of time creating content that is unique and engaging for your audience. Find ways to make them laugh or to think about a topic in a fresh, new light. Also consider delegating some aspects of your video production so that you’re making content that is as professional as possible (within your budget of course).
3) Write relevant titles and descriptions. YouTube’s algorithm will have a much harder time finding your video and showing it to the right people if the titles, descriptions and tags are not accurate. Make sure to use relevant keywords in your video titles, descriptions and tags to make your content more discoverable by search engines.
4) Design good thumbnails. Thumbnails are the first thing your viewers will see when your video pops up in their feed. Are your thumbnails enticing? Do they set the right expectations and give them an idea of what kind of video it is after they click? Don’t be afraid to experiment either. Maybe after you’ve posted your first 20 videos, see which ones had the best click-through rates. Study the thumbnails of the top-performing videos and figure out why they did better than the others.
Whatever corners you might cut when it comes to YouTube content creation, don’t cut this corner. Effective thumbnails are a big part of the success of your YouTube channel.
5) Create a professional-looking YouTube channel. Does your channel look like it would have 10,000 subscribers? If not, find small ways you can increase the overall visual appeal of your channel. Maybe upgrade your logo, or come up with a better description on your About section. You should also make sure you’re organizing your content in playlists so people can find video topics they’re interested in.
6) Stay consistent. Upload new content on the same day so subscribers know what to expect. This will keep people engaged and also attract new people. It will also help you stick to a set schedule when creating and posting content.
7) Focus on engagement. Winning on social media means always engaging with your audience. The same is true on YouTube. Reply to comments right away. Find ways to keep the discussion going and encourage users to interact with you. If viewers see that you’re engaged and passionate about the content, they’ll be more likely to come back to your channel, subscribe to it or share it with others. Never forget that the 10,000-subscribers goal is not simply a number. You’re building a community of like-minded people.
And don’t be afraid to share your videos on other social media platforms. Get people talking and don’t just wait for the algorithms to pick up your content. Be proactive in doing your part to get the word out.
One last tip. Some people even recommend liking your own video after you post it. Leaving a comment, too, and pinning it to the top can also be a small way to help your video. Maybe ask viewers in your comment what they liked most about the video or what they thought about it overall. Many creators don’t do this and they miss the opportunity to give their video a boost in ranking.
Level Up Your YouTube Game
Achieving 10,000 subscribers on YouTube is a great goal. But keep in mind that it’s not the only way to make money off your channel. You should also focus on things like:
- How many subscribers are engaging with your content and actually watching your videos
- The right length of your videos and how long they are being watched
- How much are you making per 1,000 views
- Adding other forms of monetization like channel memberships or a Patreon option
- Keeping your cost of living down or your cost of doing business
And finally, if you’re really serious about growing your YouTube channel, reach out and schedule a free consultation with our team. We can meet with you to determine how we could potentially help take some of the burden off your plate with YouTube.
Book a free 1:1 strategy session to learn more!
