London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

How to make money on YouTube: find a niche, interact with your audience, collaborate with others and more tips

You might not make US$26 million like eight-year-old Ryan Kaji did last year, but you could pull in extra income with a successful YouTube channel. Barbara MacDonald, a product manager at YouTube, helps new and existing video makers grow their channels and find success. Here are her tips

Google recently announced that YouTube had a US$15 billion year in 2019, based on advertising sales, showing the world just how huge a business the video network has become.

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which hold on to the lion’s share of ad revenues and don’t share with the people who upload content, Google takes a different approach in splitting YouTube ad revenues with video creators.

That means millions of people are profiting from their relationship with YouTube by making videos and pulling in either extra income or actually making a living from their YouTube revenues.

According to American business magazine Forbes, eight-year-old Ryan Kaji from toys review channel Ryan’s World earned a cool US$26 million in 2019 from his YouTube ad revenues and sponsorship deals.

The chances of something like that happening for you is rare, but there’s no denying that the opportunity is there.

Maybe you don’t get to tell your boss you quit and turn a new chapter by churning out videos tomorrow, but perhaps you can make a little extra income through your YouTube passion? It’s not too late to get started.

That’s the word from Barbara MacDonald, a product manager at YouTube who serves as one of the co-hosts of its “Creator Insider” video series, which looks to help new and existing video makers grow their channels and find success.

“If you have a subject you’re passionate about, give it a try,” she says.

How can you cash in on YouTube fame? MacDonald has several key points to consider before getting started.


1. Go niche

Follow your passion, and start your channel devoted to your special interest. The topic? Go small, MacDonald says, and you’ll have an easier time finding an audience.

For instance, instead of a channel devoted to food, a pretty broad category, she says some video creators have found great success focusing on one particular genre – like the latest new treats at Disney resorts.

“I don’t necessarily like to go to Disney parks, but I love to eat, so this gets my attention,” she says.


2. Don’t worry about expensive gear

You don’t need a fancy, expensive digital single-lens reflex camera, MacDonald says. Many YouTube creators make their videos on smartphones.

MacDonald shoots on a lower-priced Canon EOS M camera, which sells for under US$500, and Tom Leung, who also hosts the Creator Insider video series, shoots on a Google Pixel 4 smartphone.

“It’s all about the content, not the gear,” MacDonald says. “Don’t let your equipment be a barrier.”


3. Build a following

You’ll need to attract subscribers to your channel if you want YouTube to share ad revenues as part of its Partner Programme. Requirements: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time during a 12-month period.

How do you get subscribers when you’re just starting out? “Start with family and friends, and go from there,” MacDonald says.


4. Interact with your audience

YouTube wants to see that the community is responding to your videos. “Interact” with your new viewers in the comments section, and send out polls and photos on the community page of your channel “to start a dialogue”.


5. Be consistent

“Have a consistent upload schedule, so the audience knows when to come back to see new videos,” MacDonald says.

This doesn’t have to be a daily upload or even a weekly upload. But if you say new videos every Tuesday, or on the first day of each month, “stick to it”.


6. Label YouTube videos accurately

YouTube likes videos with good, interesting titles and descriptions. They need to “accurately reflect the content of video”, and tell viewers what to expect.

Thumbnails, the little visual you see pop up on the YouTube homepage, are usually bright, with pictures of people in them because people are drawn in by seeing the eyes, MacDonald says.


7. Collaborate with other YouTubers

Once you get going, start making videos with other YouTubers to expand your audience and get your work seen in front of theirs.

The Creator Insider video series posts new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Other places on YouTube to learn about successful best practices include the YouTube Creators (formerly known as Creators Academy) and Team YouTube channels.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
After 200,000 Orders in 2 Minutes: Xiaomi Accelerates Marketing in Europe
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
×