So you’re wondering how much do YouTubers make for real?
Well, some YouTubers are making MILLIONS each year by sharing their entertaining content! Influencers have become a huge part of our lives, and their income reflects it.
Hearing that can sound crazy to some, but it’s true. There are beauty gurus, professional video game players, home cooks, and more who make money on YouTube!
A combination of the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube sponsorship deals, ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and products makes this possible for many of them.
Do you want to make thousands from your YouTube channel? In under a year, I now have over 70,000 subscribers and 4 million views.
While the top YouTubers in the game are earning that kind of money, there are still plenty of ways for smaller channels to make decent money on there.
We’re going to look at how much the top YouTubers in the game are worth and then break down how you can make money from starting a YouTube channel.
Want to join the bandwagon and make money on videos but don’t know where to start?
Take the Mastering YouTube course by Erika Kullberg, who has made over $100,000 on her channel in 1 year- and she will teach you how to do the same!
How Much Do YouTubers Make At The Top?
Identifying who is the richest YouTuber isn’t easy because they don’t just make money from video views!
Many of them have complex multi-year deals with brands and various companies.
Many also have their own products with an unknown amount of income as well as undisclosed sponsored deal amounts.
Obviously, the most viewed videos typically earn the most money from YouTube. The amount that they earn through the platform is staggering!
They have massive followings and popular videos – and it goes without saying – they work extremely hard.
Below I’ve shared the highest-paid YouTubers (like Logan and Jake Paul, PewDiePie, and more) and their net worth amounts:
Jeffree Star Net Worth
Everywhere I turn on the internet at the moment, someone is mentioning Jeffree Star and a new makeup palette.
Jeffree Star has been around a long time now, and he didn’t just stop making videos, he has his own makeup brand, which has made him the highest-paid YouTuber
His beauty videos are extremely popular, with 16.2 million subscribers, and that plus his branding skyrocketed his net worth to $200 million. Wow!
Logan Paul Net Worth
Logan Paul is an American YouTuber who posts random videos. He rose to internet fame with his Vine channel which was at 9 million followers at its peak.
His net worth is currently around $150 million.
Jake Paul Net Worth
Jake Paul is the brother of Logan Paul, a former Disney Channel actor, and has recently married fellow YouTuber Tana Mongeau.
His videos are generally prank videos, and he lives in a house with other YouTube content creators called Team 10.
Jake Paul has a net worth of $80 million, which has skyrocketed in the last few years, and he’s got 20.5 million YouTube subscribers.
Jenna Marbles Net Worth
Jenna Marbles is a YouTuber and Twitch streamer, who has been on YouTube now for over a decade.
If you don’t know, gamers live stream their games on Twitch to make money.
Her net worth is an estimated $8 million, but she is currently not making videos anymore despite 20 million subscribers still hanging around and hoping for more.
Roman Atwood Net Worth
Roman Atwood is a YouTube personality whose videos are typically pranks.
Atwood’s net worth is reportedly $14.5 million, with 15.4 million subscribers.
Dude Perfect Net Worth
Dude Perfect is an American sports entertainment group that is made up of twins Cory and Coby Cotton, Cody Jones, and Garrett Hilbert.
Their net worth is an estimated $100 million, with 60 million subscribers to their channel.
Lilly Singh Net Worth
Lilly Singh is a Canadian YouTuber who is also a comedian and actress.
She has a reported net worth of $20 million with 14.4 million subscribers.
Graham Stephan Net Worth
Graham Stephan is a YouTuber that we really like to watch, as he is in the personal finance space too!
He is a real estate agent and investor with 4.59 million subscribers. His net worth is an estimated $23 million.
PewDiePie Net Worth
PewDiePie is a Swedish YouTuber – real name Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg. His channel is the most subscribed to on YouTube, with 111 million subscribers.
His net worth is $45 million, but he started out simply playing video games and has boomed into so much more.
Ninja Net Worth
Tyler “Ninja” Blevins is an American YouTuber and one of the most popular YouTubers if you want to watch someone play video games.
His net worth is approximately $40 million, with 23.9 million subscribers.
Liza Koshy Net Worth
Liza Koshy is an American actress and YouTube personality. She started her channel back in 2015 and quickly gained millions of followers.
She now has 17 million subscribers, and her net worth is an estimated $6 million.
CrazyRussianHacker Net Worth
Taras Vladimirovich Kulakov is a Russian American YouTuber. He is well known for his videos showing scientific experiments.
His net worth is $5 million, with 12M subscribers.
Ryan ToysReview Net Worth
This 9-year-old holds the most profitable YouTube channel in the world!
Ryan asked his parents to set up “Ryan ToysReview” for him after he enjoyed watching other toy videos.
One of his videos went viral, and the channel now has over 31 million subscribers.
He’s got 36.1 million subscribers, and his net worth is $100 million.
Shane Net Worth
Shane Dawson is an American YouTuber who is also known for being a comedian, musician, film director, and screenwriter.
His net worth is $12 million, with 19.1 million subscribers to his channel.
MrBeast Net Worth
Influencer Marketing Hub has MrBeast as the #1 YouTuber earning the big bucks!
MrBeast is best known for his viral philanthropy videos- I just spent a good chunk of time watching one where he donated $1 million!
His net worth is an estimated $500 million with 226 million subscribers- making him the highest-paid YouTuber there is.
How Much Does A YouTuber Make On Average?
How much does a YouTuber make on average? Well, that’s only up to them and their video content!
The amount of money that you can make on YouTube isn’t limited to a certain amount, only by your time and efforts.
An average YouTuber could earn over $68K per year with the right, which is a great earning well over minimum wage!
As tempting as it is to look at the top earners and assume that it won’t be long until you make a million, it will require a bit more effort than that.
Your average YouTuber salary isn’t going to be in the millions right away, but there’s no reason you can’t work your way up to it.
The good thing about YouTube, though? It depends on the video, what YouTube ads/sponsors you have, and if you join the YouTube Partner Program.
One video can go viral and catapult your channel to new subscribers. It’s like any type of business – it depends on the quality of the product (videos), and the marketing behind it.
There is a handy calculator on which you can calculate YouTube earnings.
So, how much does a YouTuber get paid for 1 million video views?
Well, Influencer Marketing Hub says that YouTube pays $0.018 per view, so 1 million views could earn $18,000.
The average views for small YouTubers is typically between 2,000 – 10,000 views, so you’re more likely to earn $36 – $180 per video with a few thousand views.
YouTube Partner Program
The goal of many YouTubers is to join the YouTuber Partner Program and make more money from video content.
YouTube stars all start off small and slowly reach the requirements to make money through the YouTube Partner Program.
There are some requirements of the platform that you need to hit in order on YouTube to get paid through the program:
- Minimum of 1,000 subscribers
- 4000 hours of overall watch time in the last 12 months
Some people take up to a year to get the minimum requirements for the YouTube Partner Program but think of it as a way to test your videos and find your niche.
If you want to get paid for your videos and content, you’re going to have to put some effort into it and think about why people would want to follow you.
YouTube payment method is dependent on your location, but there are options such as checks, electronic funds transfer, bank transfer, etc.
Want to learn how to edit your YouTube videos like a pro, gain subscribers, and get more views? Up your game by taking the Mastering YouTube course and start earning money from your channel!
How Do YouTubers Make Money?
Now that you know how much YouTubers make, I’m sure you want to know how on Earth they rake in the millions!
Although the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about making money on YouTube is ads, there are a few other methods too.
Have you been wondering how much YouTubers make per video? Well, that can depend on views and their monetization methods.
Do you want to make thousands from your YouTube channel? In under a year, I now have over 70,000 subscribers and 4 million views.
Here are the most common ways to make money on your videos:
Ad Revenue
As mentioned, YouTube’s ad revenue tends to be the most common way to make money from videos.
It’s easy on your part because someone just needs to click on the ad to get paid.
Having your channel with a linked Google Adsense account can change how much you earn, without much effort on your part.
You’ll need to meet their minimum requirements for the YouTube Partner Program, as listed above before you are able to turn on ads.
Then you can get video ads set up and start drawing in ad revenue on all your videos.
There is no exact number for how much you earn with each view on a YouTube video.
Influencer Marketing Hub estimated that YouTubers earn about 55% from all ad signups. So for every $100 in ad payments they get, Google pays you $55.
Affiliate Income
YouTubers make money from promoting products and services to their viewers.
Affiliate links are referral links, where you can earn a commission when someone clicks on your link from (your YouTube account or video description) and makes a purchase.
You could mention it within your video as an extra thing for them to look at, or your whole video could be based around the affiliate company if you have been approached by them.
The YouTube earnings from affiliate links vary from company to company, with some paying out very little – but some companies paying out huge amounts.
Donations
This isn’t the top way to get paid as a YouTuber, but if there is a large fan base who want to see the videos keep coming, they may want to donate.
Rather than making money on just a video, YouTube creators will have donation accounts to gain income elsewhere.
You could ask if your subscribers would like to donate via Patreon or PayPal. Make sure it’s through legit channels, and you can make money this way too!
Sponsorships
Sponsorships are a large part of a lot of YouTubers’ income models, as there is the potential to make a lot of money through sponsors.
Sponsorships are where companies approach YouTubers and ask them to promote their company in exchange for sponsorship, e.g., paying for them to make a video.
Merchandise
If you’ve watched any kind of content videos, you’ve probably heard them talk about their “merch.”
YouTubers get paid through many things, including their own sales.
Merchandise is something that you could sell if you have a large following who would be interested. You could sell things such as clothing, mugs etc.
Tips for Your Channel
The biggest mistake that a lot of people make when they want to start something that makes money, is to not treat it as a business.
Recording a YouTube video isn’t the only thing you need to do, there is SO much more to it!
You can bet that the top YouTubers in the game are treating their video channels like a business. They work on it full-time; they will have a business model and a plan.
It is important to view this as a business if you want to make money online from it and potentially turn it into your work-from-home job.
You want to know how to increase your number of subscribers, what merch you could sell down the road, and what affiliates and sponsors you could score.
And all of that takes planning and dedication!
Pick Your Passions
You’re going to be making a lot of videos. It may sound like an obvious piece of advice, but picking something that you are passionate about is going to help you a lot.
Choose a topic that you are happy to talk about over and over again. Not only that, but if you are passionate about it, your viewers will like you.
Make Sure Videos Work For Yoo
Is it the best platform for you to be using in terms of your business?
While it may be tempting to start a YouTube channel after seeing how much some people are making from it, make sure it’s the best medium for you.
There could be other avenues that would be better for you, such as a blog or a podcast.
What Do You Need to Start a YouTube Channel?
Ok, you’ve decided that you want to start a YouTube channel! Now what?
There are a lot of things that you can get to set up your channel, but some things that you will definitely need to look at getting include things like:
- Camera
- Lens
- Tripod
- Lighting
- Microphone
- SD Card
How to Become a YouTuber Without YouTube Videos
If you’re wondering how to make money on YouTube without being in videos per se – the answer is that it’s possible.
An average YouTuber is usually in videos or making videos with a mix of other content.
But how do you become a YouTuber who doesn’t make videos? A few options are available.
You can use Creative Commons to repurpose and recreate existing videos on YouTube into your own.
Another option would include creating channel art for other creators and listing them on sites such as Fiverr or Etsy.
You’re allowed to monetize other people’s content under Creative Commons as long as you’re making it your own.
That could include video overlays, audio dubbing, or splicing multiple clips together with your own style and design.
Final Thoughts
So were you surprised by how much YouTubers make through their videos?
If you’ve been hoping to start a successful YouTube channel, I say to go for it!
It’s important to be realistic about your expectations and not quit your job to go full-time on YouTube yet, but it’s a fun side hustle.
Not everyone will be able to make a lot of money on YouTube, as it is a business idea with many users.
But there is always the chance that one of your videos could go viral and start earning money from views and ad revenue.
You could always try out other ways of making money online, such as survey sites, blogging, or other online jobs.
Do you want to make thousands from your YouTube channel? In under a year, I now have over 70,000 subscribers and 4 million views.
