This transcript was generated from the episode audio and may contain minor errors.
[Music]
Friends, listeners, what's up? Welcome to Cytosol School. My name's Chris Guillebeau. Today we're gonna be joined by Gavin from Bend, Oregon. Gavin is gearing up to start a YouTube channel centered around outdoor adventures.
And obviously he's in the right spot. Lots of good stuff going on in Bend. Lots of hiking, trail running, biking, all kinds of stuff. But before he jumps into the wild world of YouTube, Gavin's got a couple of practical questions about the financial side of content creation. And I know this is gonna be interesting to people.
I just went to Toronto a couple months ago, hung out with a friend, Evan Carmichael, who has built kind of a YouTube empire. He's got millions of subscribers. He's got a Russian language channel, even though he doesn't speak Russian. I think he's got a Spanish language channel as well. And I learned a lot by hanging out with Evan and just seeing some of his side of the operation.
So I thought about him because in this question, we're gonna look at the finances. How much do creators typically earn per video? And which factors might influence those earnings? It's gonna be helpful for Gavin, our listener, and hopefully for somebody else as well. If you wanna start a YouTube channel, or if you just like the idea of knowing more about how it works in terms of how people get paid and how much, that's what we're gonna do in this quick action-packed episode, stay tuned, coming up right after the break.
[Music]
Hey, I'm Gavin from Bend, Oregon, and I'm in the early stages of planning a YouTube channel focused on outdoor adventures. Now, before diving in, I'm kind of curious about the financial aspect of content creation on YouTube. Specifically, how much do content creators typically earn per video, and what sort of factors influence these earnings? Understanding this could really help me in budgeting my time and resources for content production. [Music]
All right, Gavin, I'm excited to hear about this YouTube channel.
Would love to know when it's up so I can check it out. And I think the focus on outdoor adventures is promising. It's also wise to be thinking about finances upfront. When you're a creator, it's most important to be motivated by the act of creation and sharing something with people and building a community. And I think that has to be first and foremost.
People who start projects like this for the sole intention of making money, it doesn't always go so well. You know, you have to have some heart and passion for it. But I think it's also wise to say, okay, I have heart and passion for this topic. I also want it to be sustainable. I would love to be able to monetize it so that way I could do it more, right?
That way I can go further in with this. And something like YouTube has the real potential to scale because you can work for a long time, put a lot of effort into a video. If that video does well, then it can continue to serve people throughout months, years to come, sometimes continuing to earn money for you as well. So here's what you need to know about earnings and the factors that influence them. First of all, earnings per video on YouTube can be highly variable.
So they depend on several factors, including the number of views, but that's not all. It's also the type of content. And if you think about it, the type of content is matched to advertisers. So some YouTubers and some YouTube people speaking on specific content are gonna make more money than others. But on average, YouTubers can earn between $3 to $5 per thousand video views through the partner program.
So just think about that, $3 to $5 per thousand views. And that way, as you start to build out videos, as you start to plan your content, maybe make some forecasts, use that number, and you'll have an idea of what it can look like. If you start getting a lot of views, you're gonna make a lot of money, but you need to get a lot of views for that to happen. Also, different types of ads have different rates, and those can fluctuate based on time of year and the advertiser budget. As mentioned, they're also higher for certain demographics in certain topics or niches.
What else? Well, YouTube's algorithm favors content with higher engagement and watch time. So you wanna keep viewers watching. That actually is a huge tip to be able to make more money. The longer your viewers watch your videos, and it's not just a matter of seeing more ads.
I mean, that is kind of what it comes down to, but also YouTube favors that content. It's gonna show that content to more viewers, and it's just a virtuous cycle that continues, if you get it right. Next, don't rely solely on ad revenue. Consider integrating affiliate marketing or sponsorships or some other revenue model to the channel, okay? So it's not just about the ads.
Outdoor gear companies, for example, might be interested in sponsoring content or offering affiliate deals as you get going. Think about that. Last thing I wanna mention, building a successful YouTube channel takes time and consistent effort. Having a consistent upload schedule just goes a long way. It helps you, and it helps your total earnings over time.
So focus on building that library of content that can continuously generate views and revenue. That is the way to go. That's the only secret, not a big secret. So the good news is anyone can do it. The bad news is it takes work.
Fortunately, it sounds like Gavin is up for the work. Listeners, I know that you're hardworking as well. I respect that. So let's see what we can do to help you make extra money without quitting your job this year, sidehustleschool.com, lots of resources there. You can subscribe, follow wherever you get your podcast.
New episode tomorrow. My name's Chris Guillebeau. You're listening to Side Hustle School. [Music]
From the Onward Project.
