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YouTube is a hub for creativity and community. Youtubers make videos and share them with their audiences all the time, building a solid connection with one another.
If your content is good, and you stick to it, you might be part of the 9% that have channels with over 1,000 subscribers! The platform has over 51 million channels and only about 10 million have a minimum of 1,000 subscribers. Hitting 1,000 subs is one of the biggest first steps on the platform and also allows you to start making money directly out of the content you create every day.
If you reach 1,000 subscribers, you can make from $50 up to $200 on a monthly basis and these figures can scale up to $500 a month if you contemplate different monetization options available on the platform. This way you can turn your passion and creative side into a living!
YouTube does not pay creators for the subscribers count. The monetization system is based on ad views, in other words you are going to get paid based on the amount of views the different ads displayed on your videos gets.
However, we can estimate how much a youtuber with that amount of subs can make each month. If we were to consider a channel with 1,000 subscribers and only the revenue coming for ads, the answer will be $10 - $110 a month.
How do we get to these numbers? By using Cost Per Mille (CPM) you can estimate an average monthly salary and then apply YouTube's cut (45%).
The average CPM ranges between $1 - $10. Usually the amount of views a channel with that subscribers count gets each month is between 5,000 and 20,000 views.
CPM * Total Ad Views / 1,000 views = Total Earnings
However, creators don’t get the entire CPM for themselves, YouTube takes its 45% share. And that’s when RPM (Revenue Per Mille) comes into play, a metric that indicates your total revenue after YouTube's cut per 1,000 views.
So with the same scenario in mind, this would be the figures you can be making in total for that amount of subscribers and monthly views.
RPM * Total Ad Views / 1,000 views = Total Earnings
These numbers may not seem like enough but those 1,000 subs have the value of unlocking all the monetization opportunities for your channel. Hitting 1,000 subscribers allows creators to join the YouTube Partner Program and start making money out of your creativity in many different ways!
The YouTube Partner Program was created to help creators make money out of their content and connect with each other and share experiences related to their work on the platform.
Joining the YouTube Partner Program is a mandatory requirement if you want to take part in the YouTube Monetization System. To qualify for YouTube's monetization features, your channel must meet the following milestones:
You can apply through YouTube Studio and fill in all the information needed. Approval can take up to 30 days.
After meeting the Youtube Partner Program requirements, creators are allowed to earn money on the platform. How does it work? They earn money through ads displayed on their videos. Every time someone watches an ad, Youtube gets paid and pays the creator a share of that money.
AdSense is a Google advertisement program that connects advertisers with your content. Brands bid for ad placements through different auctions. The creator’s earnings depend largely on CPM (Cost Per Mille), which represents the amount advertisers pay for every 1,000 ad impressions.
Let’s make one thing clear: YouTube doesn’t pay you for the total number of views on your video. Instead, it pays based on the ads that are displayed and watched on your content.
For example, if your video has 1,000 views but no ads, you won’t be making any money. If your video has 1,000 views and 500 ad views, you’ll be making money from those 500 ad views. You can learn more about How YouTube Monetization System Works and get your earnings going today!
Watch time shows how much your content is relevant for your audience. Besides being the bare minimum you need to have in order to be able to monetize on YouTube, it can also affect your earnings.
The more views, the more possibilities for ads. The more ads, the more money you make.
To get these views, you need to create good quality content and keep your audience entertained throughout your videos. The longer the videos, the more ads you are going to be able to showcase on them. YouTube allows multiple ad breaks in 8 minute or longer videos. If you manage to keep your viewers watching until the end, you’ll be able to make the most money out of one video.
If you manage to make your viewers stick until for your entire video, you’ll get more monetizing opportunities. Here are some tips you can follow to keep them watching:
Hook viewers in the first 10 seconds of your video. There are multiple options for entertainment on YouTube, you must make your content stand up and grab people’s attention almost immediately. So avoid long introductions and go straight to the point.
Find a way to present the topic of your video in an interesting, intriguing way. Have a good narrating rhythm and avoid long pauses or slow moments. Be a storyteller, structure your ideas with a clear beginning, middle, and end to keep your audience watching.
During your videos and on the descriptions add calls-to-action (CTAs) for likes & comments. Find ways to talk to your viewers and ask them questions that may inspire new video ideas while creating a deeper youtuber-viewer connection. This will also contribute to your engagement and enhance your visibility on the platform.
Use 8 minutes or longer videos to unlock multiple ad slots. YouTube will allow mid-rolls ads on longer videos improving your monetization possibilities. But remember that long videos are not good enough, you must keep your audience engaged. Use teasers or cliffhangers to make them stay. Don't overload your video with ads as this will also make users leave, so find balance and add them every 90 seconds to respect viewers tolerance.
Don’t be afraid to try different strategies. Learn what is working for you as a creator and your for your audience. Make it work for them and growth will come.
YouTube uses CPM to know how much to charge the brands for the ad space in your videos. That CPM is part of a bidding auction where advertisers push for the better deal. So keep an eye on the type of brands / industries trying to advertise on YouTube and find the best way to resonate with the niche you are working in.
Brands like Apple, Tenlira, Verizon and Amazon are among the top investors in YouTube advertisements. Therefore if you are making content related to what they offer, your videos are more likely to get their ads and money. As a creator you must consider every factor influencing your earnings and work in finding what strategy best fits you and your channel.
The niche you are working with is going to determine the ads that fit your content. The more profitable the niche is, the more expensive ads your video gets. Considering the 1,000 subscribers and the average monthly views ranging between 5,000 and 20,000, here’s an estimate on how much you can make in each niche.
The finance world attracts high paying advertisers, becoming the niche with higher CPM on YouTube and getting a huge impact on their monthly ad revenue.
If we consider the average CPM to be $12 and a scenario of 12,500 ad views (average you can get with 1,000 subs) you could think the earnings would be $150 every month. However, we need to subtract YouTube’s 45% cut. So, with 1,000 subscribers and average ad views of 12,500, you’ll get $83.
The educational world holds high CPM because it attracts brands willing to advertise online courses, classes and e-learning platforms that usually cost a lot of money.
If we consider the average CPM to be $10 and a scenario of 12,500 ad views (average you can get with 1,000 subs) you could think the earnings would be $125 every month. However, we need to subtract YouTube’s 45% cut. So, with 1,000 subscribers and average ad views of 12,500, you’ll get $69.
If you are working in the finance arena you can be making around $200 monthly only from ad revenue. But that's just one stream of income! Remember that 1,000 subs opened the door for you to a brand new world of monetizing possibilities. Youtubers on niches with lower CPM’s can diversify their moneystreams to make the most out of their views and interactions!
Subs are not gonna give you money directly but they strengthen your community and your channel. More subscribers means that your content is good, it has value to a certain group of people and brands rely on that.
So if your community grows, you’ll be able not only to monetize your content through ads but also take advantage of the other monetization opportunities to maximize the value of every viewer you have.
Channel Makers owns different YouTube channels where they test different strategies. In 2024, Ricky and his brother Jake tested out a brand new channel and after a month or so, they got the watch time and 1,000 subs needed to monetize.
In February they made $70, not bad for the first month. From them to July they average $76 monthly revenue. Later on the baseline of viewers started to go up reaching $112 a month in August and over $132 in September. After 9 months of posting videos, they earn over $700 just from YouTube Revenue.
Eva is an interior designer and Youtuber who shares her journey on the platform. In 2024 she signed up for the YouTube Partner Program and began her monetization era.
She published a couple of videos and she realized that house tours were really working for her. After 9 months she earned $310 from ad revenue alone.
Mike is a youtuber that shares videos about personal finance and different side hustles. He started his monetization journey in June 2021.
During his first month he managed to have a $32 CPM and a $22.79 RPM which are really high numbers even for videos in the finance niche. With these numbers after only one month he earned $666.30 only from ad revenue.
These cases show that no matter what you are talking about in your videos, if you are consistently looking for new ideas, uploading videos and finding what makes your content stand out, you'll be able to make money out of them. It is also important to highlight that subs count is not always related to earnings, things like niche, view hours and audience engagement play key roles in determining your earnings too.
If you work on your audience and find what keeps them interested in the videos you make, you are going to be able to stabilize YouTube as an income stream! You can also check our article on How Much Does YouTube Pay for a Million Subscribers to get to know what is waiting for you once your subs count goes up!
YouTube is going to pay you for ad views. CPM is his best ally and based on how much brands are willing to pay and the amount of ads displayed on your content you’ll get paid.
Even though earnings just from ad revenue can be great, luckily YouTube also encourages you to try other ways to make money out of your content.
As a youtuber you can create and sell your own digital products through an e-commerce platform. You can share the link listing different assets such as e-books, courses, templates, and printables and drive your viewers to make those sales.
Most of these products require upfront work but offer passive income opportunities over time.
Ali is a famous youtuber and his channel focuses on helping people optimize their learning, work habits, and daily routines. He sells different Notion templates, digital planners and several online courses where he shares his experience and knowledge over the years.
A sponsorship is a deal between the youtuber and a brand in which the youtuber gets paid to promote a certain product or service in one of the videos.
As a youtuber you can join different affiliate programs and promote a series of products by sharing a unique discount code with a tracking link added in the video description.
You can also create your own personalized storefronts on platforms like Creator Hero to showcase recommended products. Storefronts are online platforms or designated sections of e-commerce websites where creators can showcase and recommend products to their viewers.
You can offer exclusive material to those who purchase a membership to your channel. Viewers can purchase memberships directly on YouTube or through Patreon and then, depending on the amount selected, get access to different VIP content, such as behind the scenes, vlogs, unboxings, and to extra functionalities that will make them stand out from the rest of the chat.
Typically memberships start at $4,99 and can go up to $49,99 per month.
Super Chats are a live-specific revenue stream that gives your viewers a fun way to show support during your live session. Basically your viewers buy a special comment. The price is set by the amount the user is willing to give.The higher the value the longer their comment gets pinned at the top.
Live Streaming on YouTube is a great way to go! It can benefit your channel by increasing your view hours. Also is a great way to provide a different content to those 1,000 people who are already subbed to you while reaching for a higher audience on the Live section discoverability.
Another way for viewers to show support. Super Thanks are special comments and stickers subs can purchase to be shown on your standard video content. This is a great way to make the audience feel part of your content and in touch with you.
In this case, YouTube is going to take 30% of the established price and the remaining 70% goes to the creator.
Kumiko Love, a.k.a. The Budget Mom, focuses on personal finance, budgeting, and saving strategies. She enabled the Super Chat option and her viewers show support and appreciation for all her saving tips and experience based recommendations.
Getting into the YouTube Partner Program and monetizing your content trout ads displayed on your videos is a big deal. But don’t let other options out of your sight! Don’t think of AdSense as your whole income but more of an opportunity to build a trusty channel that will help you explore other ways to make money on YouTube.
The money you can make out of YouTube Shorts with a 1,000 subscribers base is a little bit lower compared to the earnings from longer videos. Both formats are considered in the YouTube Partner Program but the earnings percentage distribution is slightly different.
While with longer videos youtubers get to keep 55% of their ad revenue, with Shorts creators get only a 45% of ad revenue from the Shorts ad pool. On average creators report that from 1,000 shorts views they get $0.02 and $0.20.
Your monthly income is going to be determined by your total Shorts views that month.
These scenarios show that in order to get substantial income out of Shorts, you really need to get those views going.
Shorts may seem like the less profitable option when you hold 1,000 subs. Nonetheless, they can be used as part of a more global strategy, as a teaser or trailer to present and engage audiences and get them to watch your longer videos. Transitioning from short-form videos to long-form videos can be challenging but it can also be a way to attract more subs and viewers of your larger content.
Hitting 1,000 subs is the first milestone in YouTube as it is going to allow you to start your monetization process.
It might not seem like a big audience at first but with high quality content and a well thought strategy that contemplates sponsorships, affiliate marketing, brand deals and other monetization opportunities, it is possible to make great money.
Don’t be afraid to interact with your viewers, work on better engagement and you’ll get higher CPM. Consistency is the key to growth. Reaching 1,000 subscribers is not just about the initial earnings, but the potential for long-term income!
