How Much Money Do You Make on YouTube with 1,000 Subscribers?
Two facts of life:
- Everyone starts at square one.
- The beginning is the hardest.
With these facts in mind, can a small YouTube channel with 1000 subscribers really make money?
While I have over 180,000 subscribers on my YouTube channel, I remember the “good old” days.
Things weren’t always easy.
A few times, I considered my YouTube choices – and whether I should focus on something else.
However, I’m glad I stuck it out.
In this article, I’ll share my lessons regarding what you can expect to earn from YouTube when you hit the 1000 subscriber mark
I also give my best tips on monetizing beyond YouTube ads as a way to increase your earnings.
How Much Money Do You Make on YouTube with 1000 Subscribers?
According to Fliki, the average YouTube income for channels with 1000 subscribers is between $50 – $100 monthly.
However, note that this is an estimate. Actual earnings can (and do) vary.
In this video, you can see 3 people earning between $172-$666 when hovering around the 1000 subscriber mark.
There are also lots of factors that influence how much money you make with your YouTube channel.
Factors That Affect Your YouTube Earnings
Here are the top factors to consider when deciding if YouTube earnings are worthwhile.
Your Niche
Some niches pay more than others within the YouTube partner program.
This difference in ad revenue depends on the advertisers’ budget and the demand for the content in your niche.
Watch Time
The longer people watch your content, the more YouTube will pay out.
The best content hooks viewers and makes them curious enough to keep watching
Compare that to content people find uninteresting.
When they hit the back button after just a couple of seconds, the message is clear.
The video just doesn’t cut it – i.e., not the best video to run ads on.
Monetization Strategies
You don’t have to rely solely on YouTube to make money from YouTube channels.
I think you’re leaving money on the table if that’s all you do.
Later in this article, I will cover the monetization strategies that all YouTube channels should strive to have.
You can start working on these strategies whether you have 1,000 subscribers or 1 million.
The earlier you start including these monetization strategies, the better off you’ll be in your video creation journey.
Video Length
When comparing two videos of “equal audience interest”, the longer one will generally have more watch time.
That said, there are a few nuances:
- Drop-off rate: people might leave longer videos before they reach the end. If this drop off rate is much higher than that of the shorter one, watch time might suffer.
- Replays: Shorter videos might get more replays over time. If the content describes a process people have to follow, they might be more inclined to get back to the video.
- Engagement: Different points in a video will have different engagement rates. A shorter video might hold people’s attention for longer periods – relative to the longer video.
With that out of the way, longer videos generally get more watch time.
This also means advertisers pay more for video ads on the “higher watch time” videos.
Audience Location
Some YouTube ads only show to people in specific countries.
There are many reasons for this. Sometimes, the products and services advertised might only be sold in the chosen countries.
In other cases, it might be a language preference or cultural relevance.
Knowing your audience’s primary location might be useful as a video content creator (more so in some niches).
With this knowledge, you can create better content – content that’s just right for your audience’s demographics and preferences.
Monetization Beyond Ads
You might think YouTube ads aren’t for you when you see the earnings figures I mentioned above.
It’s tough to make a lot of money with 1000 subscribers.
However, don’t give up on YouTube, thinking it’s not worth your time.
That’s ONLY true if you JUST use YouTube’s partner program as your income source with this number of subscribers.
There are other ways to make money from your videos.
And these methods don’t require you to have a huge subscriber count to work.
Let’s explore the best of these method/
Affiliate Marketing
Why not promote other people’s products in your videos?
Consider these examples.
Imagine you’re in the finance niche and create videos comparing different insurance brokers.
You can make money when people buy either of the products you’re reviewing.
Another example.
In the home DIY niche, there are countless opportunities to help people make the right choices through your recommendations.
You can make money if they buy garden accessories, kitchen appliances, or home decor.
Here’s how I used affiliate links to add another income source to my business.
Building Your Own Products
Over time you can also build your own products (and/or services) to promote on the YouTube platform.
This is the best way to control your ability to earn money.
Why?
With affiliate marketing, you only get paid a percentage commission of the total sale amount.
Selling your own products and services means you:
- control how much you sell the items for and
- you get to keep 100% of your income.
Before you rush into this, consider that building your products has downsides.
You have to cater to customer service and fulfillment. This is different from affiliate marketing.
In the latter, you just make the recommendation.
In product sales, you’re responsible for every stage of the business.
However, the upsides are also very appealing and in my opinion, balance things out.
Whether you make merchandise sales, sell channel memberships, or offer consulting services, there are plenty of ways to make the most of your own products and services.
Sponsorships
As you advance on your YouTube journey, you can also increase YouTube earnings by getting brands to sponsor your videos.
This involves finding businesses that align with your content and your audience.
Once you do, you can direct people to the brand by mentioning them in your videos.
The more (higher quality) videos you produce, the easier it is to find sponsorship opportunities for your YouTube video channel.
You might have to reach out to potential sponsors at the beginning.
Over time, they’ll be the ones reaching out to you.
It’s all about building momentum and being proactive when getting the ball rolling.
Increasing Earnings on YouTube with 1,000 Subscribers
Here are some of the best tips I’ve found to increase earnings when it comes to channels hovering around the 1000 subscriber mark:
- Create high-quality content. The higher-quality content you create, the more subscribers you’ll get. People won’t waste time on videos that don’t add value to their lives. This concept will force you to create more valuable videos.
- Increase audience engagement: How can you make your audience more active in your videos? Some ideas include creating challenges for them, asking them questions, or encouraging them to like, subscribe and share your videos.
- Find the most profitable sub-niches: Even within a broad niche, some sub-niches are more lucrative than others. For example, sub-niches like luxury or sustainable fashion exist within the fashion niche. These sub-niches come with an audience more likely to spend money compared to the “thrift shopping” audience. Consider these subsets of your audience when creating content.
Conclusion
Even at the beginning stages, there are plenty of ways to earn money on YouTube.
Remember it’s not just about ad revenue.
It’s more about:
- understanding your audience
- creating valuable content and
- exploring different monetization strategies.
If you get these things right, both your YouTube channel and the income you make will grow.
I hope you keep creating content, learn from the feedback and enjoy your YouTube journey!
Further reading on AdamEnfroy.com:
Here’s a deeper dive into the various methods to make money on YouTube.
Curious about potential earnings for top creators?
Take a look at what top YouTubers can earn. This article provides a detailed analysis of how much money YouTubers make on the platform.
You can also read about getting paid as a content creator. In this article, I share my tips on diversifying your income.
Speaking of diversifying, here are ways to make money on Instagram as well as how to make money blogging.
