This YouTube revenue calculator offers content creators a convenient and easy way to determine how much money they can make from their YouTube videos. After all, YouTube isn’t just one of the world’s most popular search engines and video sharing sites. It’s also an excellent platform for creators looking to monetize educational, entertaining, and informative content.
Today, YouTube boasts more than 2.1 billion monthly users worldwide, and hosts around 122 million individual viewers each day. For content creators, the platform’s wide range of monetization options make it a fantastic tool for generating revenue. The only trouble is it can be difficult to determine exactly how much you’re set to earn from each video you post.
Use our YouTube revenue calculator below for a quick insight into your earning potential, or read on for a behind-the-scenes insight into the monetization potential of YouTube.
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What is YouTube?
Today, YouTube is one of the biggest sites in the world. Defined as the second most popular platform globally (just behind Facebook), YouTube has become an internet sensation. Focused on the online video landscape. YouTube is a video-sharing platform where all kinds of creators, from everyday influencers to business leaders can produce and monetize content.
The channel was founded in 2005 by three employees, and acquired in 2006 by Google, as part of a billion-dollar deal. The platform allows users to upload videos in a range of formats, supporting resolutions all the way up to 4k. Alongside video hosting capabilities, YouTube also supports community features, offering live-streaming sessions for brands, and comment sections.
YouTube also offers a range of monetization options for content creators. Users can choose to include ads in their videos (at various points during their stream) and earn revenue for every impression or click. The YouTube Partner Program also allows eligible creators to earn money from sponsorships, fan funding, and merchandise sales.
On YouTube, users can search for and watch videos, follow creators, like content, and even comment on video posts. It’s even possible for creators to produce entire playlists of videos for customers to subscribe to based on their unique interests.
How does YouTube Work?
Since launching in 2005, YouTube has become one of the number one locations for viewing and promoting video content. Not only does the platform act as a fantastic marketing location for businesses looking to reach and engage their audience, but it also ensures creators from all walks of life can monetize their content creation skills.
The platform allows creators to design their own YouTube channels, which they can customize with profile pictures, cover images, and descriptions featuring keywords for search engine optimization. Users can then upload videos to these channels, and categorize them however they choose, with playlists, tags, and even privacy settings.
For content creators, YouTube supports monetization options through the Partner Network, which allows users to implement ads into their channels, and leverage a range of other sales options. To sign up for the YouTube Partner Program, users need at least 1,000 subscribers, and have at least 4,000 public watch hours over a period of 12 months. Once users are signed up to the Partner Network, they can host YouTube ads on their content in a range of different formats, secure paid sponsorships with other brands, and even act as affiliates, promoting other companies.
Users on YouTube can also create channel memberships, which can include a cost for access to specific perks like stickers, live chats, and product discounts. YouTube also offers “Super Features” such as special stickers and responses which can be used by customers in Live Streams in exchange for a small cost. There’s also the YouTube Premium service, which provides money to content creators whenever Premium members watch their content.
Other options include:
- YouTube Brand Connect for brand partnerships
- External monetization options, such as building a community on Patreon
- Selling merchandise through ecommerce stores and apps
Are YouTubers Rich?
There are certainly some YouTubers throughout the years who have earned a small fortune as a result of their marketing efforts. However, it’s worth noting that not all YouTubers end up rich and famous. Some of the top YouTubers earn anywhere in the region of $20 million or more per year. For instance, Ryan Kaji earned around $29.5 million in a single year from YouTube.
However, many other YouTubers earn a lot less. The amount of money you earn on YouTube will depend on a number of factors, including your niche, popularity, and monetization strategy. Those with millions of subscribers can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars per year. Channels with fewer subscribers can also increase their earnings by using Patreon to release exclusive content, or creating an ecommerce site to sell merchandise.
It's worth noting that even if you sign up for the YouTube partner program, you won’t earn the full price of whatever someone pays to display an ad on your videos. YouTube takes around 45% of the advertising revenue generated, and gives content creators the other 55%. While earnings can vary, the average YouTube Channel earns about $3 to $5 for every 1000 views.
Often, the best way to increase your earning opportunity on YouTube is to expand your monetization strategy. Showing ads on your content is great, but you can boost your earnings by activating your existing followers with merchandise stores, affiliate marketing, and sponsorship strategies.
How to Calculate YouTube Revenue?
The easiest way to calculate YouTube revenue is to use a calculator like the one listed above. YouTube earnings calculators estimate the amount of money you may be able to earn by monetizing your YouTube videos, by looking into some of the core factors which influence earnings.
For the most part, calculators will focus on a metric known as Revenue per 1000 impressions, or RPM. The typical RPM range is somewhere between $1 and $3.50, but the exact amount you earn will depend on the total number of subscribers you have, your number of total video views, and your average earnings per video, based on your tier.
Your monetization tier is influenced by the size of your following, and your niche. The higher larger your following, the higher your tier. The higher your tier is, the higher your RPM will be. It’s worth noting, family friendly videos, without profanity, violence, and sexually suggestive content tend to get chosen most by advertisers, and can earn a larger amount.
To calculate your average YouTube revenue, you’ll need to know:
- The total number of followers you have, and the average number of views per video
- The click through rate (CTR) of ads monetized on your videos
- The Cost per Thousand Impressions (CPM) paid by YouTube for your ads
- The revenue share YouTube keeps (approximately 45%)
The calculator above will allow you to skip the mathematical formulas involved with calculating your potential monthly earnings in USD. You can get a quick insight into your possible ad revenue, then combine this figure with earnings from other monetization strategies you might be using.
How Much Money Can You Make on YouTube?
As mentioned above, the exact amount of money you can make on YouTube will vary depending on a number of factors. The calculator above will give you a good estimation of what your potential earnings will look like. However, your actual earnings will be affected by the number of views your video gets, the engagement level of your audience, your video topics, and your monetization method. The country you’re in can also have an impact on your earnings.
When calculating your potential earnings, it’s also worth taking the cost of production into account. While you can sign up and use YouTube for free, creating a video will cost your time, and may have other expenses to consider. For instance, you may need to pay for professional recording equipment, editing software, and other tools. Compare the cost of making your videos to the money you can make from monetizing them to determine whether your YouTube strategy is worthwhile.
While many factors can influence your YouTube earnings, here are some of the core things you’ll need to keep in mind when projecting your income:
- CPM vs CPC: CPM or Cost per Mille is the amount of money an advertiser will pay for every 1000 views of their ad. CPC or Cost per Click is the money an advertiser pays when someone clicks on their ad. CPC payments are often higher, but it can be more difficult to convince a customer to click on an ad, even if it’s relevant to your video.
- Earnings per subscriber: You’ll notice most Youtubers encourage people to like and subscriber to their channel. This is because the more subscribers a channel has, the more they can make from their videos. Videos with a higher number of subscribers are more likely to show up in the search results and reach a higher number of customers. This means you’ll be more likely to increase your earnings from impressions.
- Video engagement: If you don’t have a lot of subscribers, you can still earn some cash if your content gets a lot of views and engagement. However, the amount you earn will depend on a number of factors, including the total amount of time people spend watching your videos, the amount of viewers who watch your content through to the end, and the number of people who click on the advertisements shown in your videos.
How to Use Our YouTube Revenue Calculator?
Since figuring out your earnings on YouTube can be a complex process, we’ve tried to make our YouTube monetization calculator as simple as possible. To use the YouTube earnings calculator above, all you’ll need to do is enter some basic information about your viewers, video engagement levels, and your channel. The calculator will do the rest of the work for you.
Make sure you check your YouTube details before you use the calculator to determine what kind of monetization tier you’re on, and how many viewers you have. This will help you to generate more accurate results.
Notably, this revenue calculator will only show you the amount of money you can potentially earn by monetizing your YouTube video through Ads. If you use other monetization methods, such as selling memberships on YouTube, or you have your own merch store, you’ll need to calculate these revenues separately.
How to Increase Your Estimated Earnings?
The YouTube money calculator above will give you an insight into how much money you can potentially earn when monetizing your videos, based on your daily views and other factors. As mentioned above, the money you earn can vary depending on a number of factors.
If you want to increase your YouTube income, there are a few steps you can take. For instance, after you’ve enabled your YouTube account for monetization, you’ll need to connect it to an AdSense account, so you can include advertising in your videos. One way to increase your yearly earnings is to consider creating a blog or another social media channel, where you can also showcase ads, and build your revenue with affiliate marketing.
Affiliate marketing can be a great way for content creators to increase their yearly earnings, particularly if they have a strong SEO presence. Creating an engaging blog to run alongside your video channel gives you another way to boost your community following and your estimated revenue.
You can consider other strategies too, such as:
- Creating your own merchandise: There are various free tools you can use online to create and distribute merchandise to your followers. With a print on demand supplier, you don’t even have to create and ship items yourself. The higher your number of total subscribers, the more you can potentially earn with merchandise.
- Becoming an influencer: Many companies are now investing heavily in influencer marketing campaigns. If you have a good engagement rate, you can increase your daily earnings by offering to run influencer campaigns on YouTube, as well as other channels like Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. You can even create tutorials and how-to videos showing customers how to use the products you’re promoting.
- Selling exclusive content: if your YouTube advertising strategy isn’t paying the bills, you could consider creating a page on a channel like Patreon. This will allow you to sell exclusive content to your audience in exchange for a subscription fee. YouTube creators can also sell one-off access to webinars and livestreams.
It’s also worth constantly looking for ways to draw more potential views to your YouTube account. Using your own advertising strategies, such as social media marketing to increase your video view count will increase the value of your YouTube page to potential advertisers. The more YouTube views you earn, the more money you’ll be able to make.
Further reading 📚
YouTube Monetization FAQ
How much can you make on YouTube?
The amount you earn on YouTube will depend on a number of factors, from your number of followers, to your niche, and even the monetization options you choose. Using our YouTube money calculator, you can get an insight into the potential revenue you might be able to earn. Just remember there are numerous factors that influence your monthly earnings.
Why are my YouTube earnings decreasing?
There are numerous reasons why your earnings might go down. The biggest reason for a loss in earnings is a problem with the quality of your content. YouTube regularly changes the rules for how content is monetized, and which content is considered valuable. Make sure you’re adhering to the latest rules and guidelines, and ensure your customers are enjoying your content.
Is YouTube a good way to earn money?
While it is possible to earn money with YouTube, it does take some serious time and effort to make sure you’re succeeding on the platform. You’ll need to commit to building your fanbase and consistently creating an amazing stream of high-quality content. You can always consider increasing your earnings with strategies like selling merchandise or working as an affiliate.
