How to Make Money on YouTube in 2026: Every Way Creators Get Paid
Most people think making money on YouTube means ad revenue. Ads are the best-known way, but they're usually not the first money a channel makes, and for many creators they aren't even the biggest. There are about seven ways to make money on YouTube, and some of them work long before you hit 1,000 subscribers.
The seven ways, at a glance
| Income stream | Need to be monetized? | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Ad revenue (long-form) | Yes | Any channel with steady views |
| Shorts revenue sharing | Yes | High-volume Shorts channels |
| Channel memberships | Yes | Channels with a loyal audience |
| Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks | Yes | Livestreams and engaged communities |
| Affiliate links | No | Reviews, tutorials, "best of" videos |
| Sponsorships | No | Channels with a clear niche audience |
| Your own products or services | No | Anyone with something to sell |
Ad revenue
Once you're in the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube runs ads on your videos and pays you 55% of the long-form ad revenue. Most channels earn about $2 to $3 per 1,000 views, though education channels earn closer to $10 and kids' channels much less. See how much YouTube pays per view for the numbers by niche.
To qualify you need 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in a year, or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. Here's how to get monetized.
Shorts revenue sharing
Monetized Shorts creators get a share of a pooled fund. YouTube keeps 55% of Shorts feed ad revenue and splits 45% among creators by their share of views. It pays far less per view than long-form, so most channels use Shorts to attract subscribers and long-form videos to earn.
Channel memberships and fan funding
Memberships let viewers pay a monthly fee for perks like badges, members-only posts, or early access. Super Chat and Super Stickers let viewers pay to highlight their messages during livestreams, and Super Thanks does the same in the comments on regular videos. All of these come through the Partner Program, and they work best once you have a core of regular viewers.
Affiliate links
You can put affiliate links in your descriptions from day one. When someone buys through your link, you get a commission. It works best for reviews, tutorials, comparisons, and "best tools for X" videos, where viewers are already deciding what to buy. Amazon Associates is the usual starting point, and many software companies run their own programs with higher commissions.
Sponsorships
Brands pay creators to mention or feature their product. You don't need to be monetized, and small channels in a clear niche can get sponsors, because a few thousand targeted viewers can be worth more to the right brand than a big general audience. Sponsorships often end up paying more than ads.
Selling your own products or services
Courses, digital downloads, merchandise, coaching, consulting, a newsletter. Your channel becomes the way people find out you exist. It has the highest ceiling of the seven, and it works at any size.
If you'd rather make videos than read about it, VidPuff turns a title into a faceless video. No waitlist, cancel anytime.
How to make money on YouTube without showing your face
Faceless channels can use all seven income streams. Story channels, history and science explainers, top-10 lists, and kids' content are all faceless formats that get monetized. The main thing you give up is the personal brand that makes some sponsorships easier, which you can partly make up for with a recognizable voice, visual style, and channel identity.
The hard part of a faceless channel used to be production: without a camera, you need a script, narration, and visuals for every scene. AI video tools now handle that. VidPuff writes the script from your title, generates the voiceover, creates illustrations for each scene, and renders the video, and you can edit any stage. We cover faceless formats in more depth in faceless YouTube niches that make money.
How to start a YouTube channel and make money
- Choose a niche you can make 50 videos about. If you run out of ideas after five, pick something else.
- Check what pays. The same views can earn several times more in some categories than others. Our RPM data by niche shows the spread.
- Make videos people search for. Search traffic keeps coming for months, while trend-driven views fade in days.
- Start affiliate links right away. It's the one income stream that can pay from your first video.
- Upload on a schedule you can keep. Consistency beats volume.
- Apply for the Partner Program once you meet the requirements, then add memberships and other features as your audience grows.
Is YouTube worth it as a side hustle?
Yes, if you can wait. It's slow to start, often months before the first meaningful payment, but a video can keep earning for years after you make it. If you need money sooner, read our comparison of side hustles you can do from home, or our take on YouTube as a side hustle for beginners.
FAQ
Can you make money on YouTube without 1,000 subscribers?
Yes. Affiliate links, sponsorships, and your own products all work before you're monetized. Ad revenue, memberships, and fan funding need the Partner Program.
What's the fastest way to make money on YouTube?
Usually affiliate links. If your videos help people choose a product, you can earn commissions from the first video.
How much money can a small YouTube channel make?
From ads alone, not much at first: around $2 to $3 per 1,000 views for most niches. Small channels with a focused audience often earn more from affiliates and sponsors than from ads.
Can you make money on YouTube without making your own videos?
Not really from ads, since YouTube's reused-content rules mean you can't monetize other people's videos. You can, however, make original videos without filming yourself, which is what faceless channels do.
See how it works →