Think you need a massive following to make money on YouTube? Think again. With just a few thousand loyal subscribers, you can start generating real income through the platform. Learn how mini YouTube stars are monetizing content and pocketing cash with modest but mighty fanbases.
You don’t need hundreds or thousands of subscribers on YouTube to start making money. With only a few thousand loyal fans, many creators are able to generate a steady stream of income through the video platform.
What Subscriber Thresholds Do You Need to Hit?
To be eligible for YouTube’s Partner Program, you need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past year. This allows you to monetize videos through Google AdSense and earn a cut of the ad revenue.
YouTube also shares ad revenue from Shorts videos when creators have at least 10 million Shorts views over 90 days. This means even creators with only a few thousand subscribers can earn money if their Shorts amass millions of views.
How Much Money Can You Make?
Earnings vary substantially based on factors like viewership, video length, audience demographics, and more. But many creators are surprised how even modest view counts can translate into real dollars.
For example, “Jen Lauren had 5,000 subscribers when she earned $349 in a single month”. “Shelby Church said she likes to include 4 ads on videos over 10 minutes, which has resulted in payouts of over $2,000 for videos with 1 million views”.
What About Taxes?
Anyone on YouTube who is making money is required to pay taxes on that money. Earnings from AdSense are subject to taxation as if they were earned through self-employment. According to one content producer, her initial reward was somewhere around $124, which she then proceeded to spend on a brand new ring light.
Even while it takes time and effort, thousands of content creators are proving that you do not have to be a YouTube celebrity in order to start making money off of the platform. You only need a few thousand dedicated followers to start turning your channel into a moneymaker and start monetizing your passion project.
