Let's get real for a second, how many times in a day do you watch YouTube? According to some YouTube stats, an average person spends at least 19 minutes every day on YouTube. Even with the presence of viral interactive apps such as TikTok and Instagram, the heart and mind naturally goes over to YouTube. This is because before any of the social platforms were born, there was only YouTube ruling over the internet since 2005. For the past 2 decades, YouTube has maintained itself as the most popular video platform in the world, adored by millions around the globe, of all ages and of all generations.
YouTube is nothing without YouTubers. They are the blood and soul of this platform, filling it up with videos, and recently, shorts, and attracting masses around the globe. With the help of YouTube, these YouTubers have flipped their lives with a full 180-degree turn and have established themselves as some of the wealthiest people in the world. With every second that you spend on this platform, piles of dollars are heaping up in the bank accounts of YouTubers. These YouTubers have some really inspiring stories of how they were normal individuals, going about their daily lives, and how YouTube has changed the dynamics for them. The famous saying ‘from rags to riches’ gets a positive affirmation with the help of these YouTubers.
YouTube is the home of multiple niches. You can think of literally any wildest niche in existence, and you will find it on YouTube. Each niche is dominated by a relevant YouTuber who has full authority over their niche. Take Nikki Tutorials as an example. When it comes to makeup and glamming, Nikki tops the list! The earnings of these YouTubers also vary depending on the niche they belong to. But here’s the thing about YouTube - nobody can become a 6-figure earner overnight, especially on YouTube. It requires consistent effort and focus to turn things around and become the next YouTube sensation. So don't get discouraged when your bank account doesn't immediately get flooded with cash over a few YouTube videos, but it's not all that bad. It's a steady journey but the results are so worth it!
In this article, we will be taking a close look at how much YouTubers are making in the modern year of 2025. We will be taking an overview of their earnings and will also take into account the valuable contribution of YouTube Shorts. This article aims to motivate you on your YouTube journey by providing you with some aspiring monetary stats. So let’s get started right away!
YouTubers’ Earnings in 2025
The earnings of any YouTuber are dependent on multiple factors. The prime one is the number of subscribers and views a YouTuber has and the secondary one is the niche they belong to. Let’s first talk about the niche. Every niche has its own unique stream of earning. The more unique a niche is, the better chance you have at connecting with your target audience. The more widespread a niche is, the more difficult it would be for you to dominate it and connect with your desired audience. According to YouTube, some of the most lucrative niches are fitness, technology, beauty, travel, cooking, and many more!
The number of subscribers and the number of views a YouTuber has on their YouTube channel acts as the backbone for their earnings. Once a YouTuber has attained the threshold of 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours, they have qualified to secure a seat at the table of the YouTube Partner Program. A general classification of YouTubers on the basis of the views on their channel and videos and the corresponding earnings they make is provided below:
- Earnings per 1000 Views
- Earnings per 10,000 Views
- Earnings per 1 Million Views
Before we get into the details of these categories, let’s first take a look at how to actually make money on YouTube.
How to Make Money on YouTube
The threshold for making money on YouTube is to at least have 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours in the past year. If a YouTuber has both of these attributes, they qualify to earn money on YouTube. The money-making algorithm on YouTube is slightly different as compared to other social media platforms. On YouTube, in order to make money, the YouTuber first has to sign up for the YouTube Partner Program. Once you become a part of this program, then YouTube automatically creates a stream of earnings for you via ads-generated revenue. Advertisements are the primary source through which YouTubers make money. You may come across some really pinching ads on YouTube as you’re watching your daily videos. As much as annoying as they seem, these ads are the sole determinant of a YouTuber’s earnings. The more the viewers watch the entire ad, the greater the earnings for the YouTuber. The revenue that is generated with the help of these ads is then split up between YouTube itself and the YouTubers featuring the ads. But the key is, that the viewer has to see the entire ad in order for the YouTuber to get some cash out of it. YouTube Shorts are a great way for this because the creator can easily squeeze in ads between the Shorts.
Now let’s get back to the classification of a YouTuber’s earnings via the views they get:
1. Earnings per 1000 Views
Up till now, we have established the fact the views you need to make money on YouTube are not in fact on your videos, but rather on the ads! The more views you get on the ads (with no skips!) the better your chances of making more money. Let’s get to the very basic level first. On average, if a YouTuber gets 1000 views on the ads, without any skips, then they can make up to $18. So in order for a YouTuber to make the bare minimum earning, they need to get at least 1000 ad views. These earnings have the potential to escalate depending on the types of products or services that the YouTuber is advertising on their channel. If you throw in affiliate products in the algorithm mix, then the YouTuber has a chance of making $50 to $100 per month.
2. Earnings per 10,000 Views
Let’s kick things up a notch and move to the next category of 10,000 views. If a YouTuber gets around 10,000 ad views in a month, then they have the potential to increase their earnings to a total of $180, excluding affiliate programs. But of course, if the YouTuber invests in some efforts and selectively handpicks the ads they want to feature on their videos, then can even get around 10,000 views from a single video, thus skyrocketing their ads revenue. Moreover, if you count the rough earnings that these YouTubers can get from affiliate programs, then the total per month earnings sum up to be somewhere between $550 to $800. Now we’re talking!
3. Earnings per 1 Million Views
Based on the simple calculation of earning $18 per 1000 views, if a YouTuber gets around one million views on the featured ads, then these YouTubers can earn up to $18,000 solely from the ads revenue. Again, if we consider the contribution of affiliate programs in the earning summary, then the earnings of a YouTuber easily have the potential to enter the 5-figure series, starting from $50,000 and going up to $80,000. This, of course, can only be achieved if the YouTuber is able to direct at least enough traffic on the featured ads that somehow get them the target of 1 million views.
One thing to note about all these earnings in terms of ad views is that traffic doesn't naturally come to the ads, it doesn't work like magic. Take an example of yourself - if you’re scrolling through YouTube and see an ad interrupting your video, there is a high probability that you are going to skip it as soon as the button pops up. The challenge for the YouTuber is to somehow keep the audience engaged through the ads so that they are able to milk some cash out of each view. In order to do so, the YouTuber first needs to establish themselves as reputable creators who know what they are talking about and are well aware of their niche. A YouTuber can only make this happen through content generation. The more engaging their content is, the more traffic they will generate. Automatically, their subscriber count will also start snowballing and once these YouTubers recommend a featured ad on one of their videos, there’s a high chance that the viewer might want to see it, knowing that it's coming from their trustworthy YouTuber pal.
Other Ways to Make Money on YouTube
Revenue via ads is just one of the ways through which you can make money on YouTube. There are multiple other earnings streams as well waiting on this platform for you to explore and start earning! Let’s take a look at some of them:
1. Channel Memberships
If you have maintained yourself as a notable YouTuber and have gained the loyalty of your subscribers, then you can start a series of channel memberships to make some extra cash. Channel memberships are exclusive content that you offer to your subscribers only if they pay to become a member of the channel. You can price these memberships at different rates depending on the type of content you want to share with them. With the paid content, your subscribers can get access to some unique content that is not available for everyone to see!
2. Brand Sponsorships
In the brand sponsorships domain, the brand exclusively sponsors your videos and pays you to promote their product or service, or the brand itself! It kind of works like influencer marketing where a brand or company hires an influencer on board to promote their products. In brand sponsorships, brands reach out to the YouTubers who resonate with their niche and send them out some products for promotion. The YouTuber then creates a video centered on the specific brand and its products and promotes it.
3. Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing is a great way for YouTubers to make money. What happens in this domain is that brands or companies reach out to YouTubers and provide them with a code. These YouTubers then promote the product and offer a special discount to the buyers if they use a discount code. With the help of this discount code, every time a purchase is made, the YouTuber gets a small commission on the sale. Affiliate marketing acts as a great passive earning stream for YouTubers to make some extra cash on the side.
4. Selling Merchandise
YouTubers are the pioneers of customized merchandise. And YouTube is a great platform to promote your merch. What YouTubers do is create a line of merchandise and then sell it. They even ask their loyal subscribers to purchase their exclusive merch and become a part of their clan, showing loyalty and support to their beloved YouTuber. From Mr. Beast to James Charles, every famous YouTuber has their own series of merchandise that they promote and sell. These merch have a wide variety from clothes to cups to even foods and drinks.
5. The Patreon Button
The Patreon is also a great and relatively new feature for YouTubers to make money. What YouTubers do is to get a Patreon badge or button and monetize their content. Their subscribers can then get access to exclusive content or early content and can even make donations to their beloved YouTuber to help them grow!
So that’s all that we have folks! We hope you found this article! Find out more cool YouTube articles on Socialbook.io.
