If you’re on YouTube, you know the struggle of trying to get those first views and subscribers so that you can finally monetize your channel with ads.
For some, it takes weeks, some months, and some even take years to get there.
And then what?
You sit on the edge of your seat for months (usually) until you get to that first payout threshold so you can get your first official paycheck from YouTube.
The harsh truth is, if you’re relying 100% on monetizing your YouTube with ads, you’re doing it wrong.
(If your goal is to make money efficiently.)
I used to chase views because I thought that ads were the best way to make an income with YouTube. In fact, most people think it’s the only way to make real money as a YouTuber.
I would spend so much time researching what videos I could make within my niche, choosing the ones I thought would get me the most views so I could get a couple of extra dollars a month from it.
But the reality is, you can make a lot of money with a niche channel with just a few thousand subscribers without chasing virality and views on YouTube.
It’s hard to go viral on YouTube. It’s hard to build a huge following.
And that’s what you need to make a full-time living, or anything close to it, via YouTube ad revenue.
What’s way easier? Getting to know your audience and providing them with the tools to solve their problems.
Sure, having 100,000 views on videos looks cool and makes good money, but I’d argue that’s way harder to get that consistently than what I’m about to talk about.
My highest earning video has over 300,000 views and has earned me over $10,100 since I posted it back in early 2020.
But other than that? Out of over 140 videos, only 5 of mine have earned me over $1,000.
After years on YouTube, I’m finally realizing that I don’t need to focus so hard on getting a lot of views and pleasing everyone.
(Spoiler alert: You can’t please everyone and you’ll probably make a few people irrationally mad somehow. It’s just part of putting yourself out there.)
I realized instead of focusing on a lot of views, I just need to focus on getting the right views.
It’s the whole quality over quantity thing.
Why?
A smaller, niche YouTube channel that speaks to a specific audience, and helps them solve problems either through digital products or affiliate links that lead them to products, can make a lot of money.
It’s simple. (But it will still take work.)
- Decide on a niche, topic, or audience and get to know it better than you know yourself.
- Create the type of content they are actively looking for.
- Provide them with solutions to their problems either with digital products you’ve created, or products you can promote as an affiliate.
What do you think? Would you rather be a famous YouTuber or quietly earn an income with a small, niche channel?
