As a South African, you’re probably of the opinion that YouTube is for European teenagers and American tech reviewers… and Ellen! And you’re definitely not thinking it’s a viable income stream. Well… (spoiler alert) it is.
I am not speaking theoretically, I have a small YouTube account and I am already making money. A fair amount at that. There was a lot of hype recently regarding YouTube removing the advertising revenue for smaller accounts, but what people don’t realise is YouTube ad revenue is only a small part of the income you can make with your YouTube channel.
Here are TWO key ways you will make money from YouTube, PLUS one by-product of going the route of setting up a channel.
- Affiliate marketing
By using, reviewing and endorsing products from certain retailers and websites, you will very quickly start making money from your account. With my very small channel of just under 600 subscribers I can make anything from $50 – $200 a month from this.
- Paid brand endorsements / Free stuff
You’ll need a bigger following for this and I am just starting to get stuff sent to me from a website to review. Many brands are looking for ambassadors. Find brands in your niche and approach them, you never know!
- General awareness and marketing
As a regular uploader I am getting more and more people saying they contacted me because they saw one of my videos. Whether it’s for live music or social media marketing or buying a drone! While I may not getting huge amounts of views, there is a real world impact on creating interesting videos.
CONCLUSION
Don’t scoff at the idea of being a South African YouTuber. There is a theory about the untapped “billion” – it says that there are a billion users only starting to connect to the internet and discover YouTube and all the other things the internet brings. Up until now it’s been America and Europe. But now, the rest of the world is only starting to discover it! This is a real viable way to market yourself, your business and make money… go for it!
(Oh, and call me when you do, we can do a collaborative video!)
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