Written by Dom Savaglio
For better or worse, a sizeable number of children surveyed in the US and UK cited that being a “YouTuber” is their dream job! The ability to have a platform as a form of self-expression is enticing to many in the era of influencers and content creation. It’s no secret that YouTube is a major form of influence on both kids and adults.
In recent years, there has been an increasing number of ways to financially support YouTube creators. “Merch” stores, services like Patreon or Ko-Fi, and a recent “membership” feature on certain YouTube channels allow creators to further monetize their work.
The good news is: there are ways you can support your favorite YouTubers without spending any money. If you’re already spending the time to watch a video, donating just a little more of your time can monetarily support your favorite channels!
Watch the ads
Monetized channels have one or more advertisements that will play throughout the video (normally once in the beginning and another time in the middle). Instead of pressing “skip ad,” let the ad run through for 30 seconds or longer. Watching the ads will increase the ad revenue for the channel creator, and it’s a small way you can use your time to help a channel monetize.
Subscribe, turn on notifications, like, share
Interacting with a video helps trigger the YouTube algorithm (i.e. the way a video appears in recommendations pages and search results). If you like, comment, share, subscribe, or turn on notifications, you are signaling to the algorithm that that channel is worth suggesting to others. This puts that creator’s videos in front of more eyes (more eyes = more revenue). Even if the YouTuber is not yet monetized, these actions will help them reach YouTube’s monetization guidelines.
Affiliate income
Technically this costs money, but many YouTubers are choosing to monetize their content via affiliate links and sponsorships. If you are inclined to buy a product or service sponsored by a YouTuber, they earn a commission on the sale. If you were planning to buy a product anyway, buying it through an affiliate link is a great way to support a creator without paying extra.
If you create content on YouTube for your business, let your viewers know you are trying to grow your channel. YouTube monetization can be a great revenue stream for you or your business and a faithful audience can help you get there. Whether you are a YouTube creator or a consumer — “don’t forget to subscribe and hit that notification bell!”
