Some months ago, Google changed the requirements for monetizing YouTube videos again. Smaller YouTubers who have earned at least a few extra euros are now looking down the tube. Who can still earn money with YouTube now and what alternatives are there for those who no longer meet the requirements?
So far, the requirements for monetizing your own YouTube videos have been quite moderate. However, the advertisers put massive pressure on Google, so changes were inevitable. Large corporations announced last year that they would suspend their advertisements as they were increasingly shown under videos that glorified violence. That hit Let’s Player especially hard, as they made money primarily through advertisements.
The new minimum requirements for AdSense on YouTube
With the new minimum requirements, many small channels have fallen through the cracks. But larger channels that have a very special program may well have been demonetized. This is particularly possible in the area of reviews when it comes to high-priced products.
- At least 1,000 subscribers
1000 subscribers doesn’t sound like much at first. Lots of YouTubers you follow have 5 or 6 digit subscribers. But the first 1000 in particular are not easy to reach and take a long time. But those who diligently advertise their channel should reach this hurdle in the foreseeable future. - 4,000 hours of playback time in the last 12 months
At first glance, these are just numbers and it’s hard to imagine what they mean. The easiest way to calculate this is with an example. Let’s say you create a video that is 9 minutes long. If we factor in the number of dropouts here, then, with a careful estimate, we come to about 2 minutes of watch time per click. If your video is badly tagged, the rate can of course be significantly worse. As an admin you can view the watch time of your videos at any time.Now the minimum requirement can easily be calculated. 4000 hours equals 240,000 minutes. With the values assumed above, your video needs at least 120,000 clicks per year to achieve the specified watch time. But for such a click rate you have to be well known. But as soon as you regularly publish videos, the minutes are distributed much better. Since the 4000 hours are always calculated for the last 12 months, you have to stay on the ball and not rest on the existing videos. Depending on the topic, the click rate will continue to decrease.
While the 1000 subscribers can be reached with diligence, you always have to stay on the ball with Watchtime and constantly upload new material in order not to fall under the hurdle again. For many channels, the second point should be a reason to look for alternatives and completely forego AdSense. The lack of advertising at the beginning of your video can even reduce the bounce rate significantly.
The best alternatives to AdSense on YouTube
It is of course annoying as a small channel to forego a simple source of income. But let’s be honest. Anyone who is below the hurdle earns so little anyway that they have to wait months for a payment. The loss should therefore only be very small. At the same time, doing without the sometimes annoying and sometimes non-cancelable advertising at the beginning of a video can even bring advantages. The drop-out rate should improve noticeably, which should also be noticeable in the faster growing number of subscribers. Compulsory foregoing AdSense can also open up new opportunities that may even bring in significantly more money.
Affiliate Marketing
Affiliate marketing offers a simple and fairly low-hurdle option. Old hands know it, of course, and earn far more from it than from advertising with AdSense. However, many newcomers ignore them or consciously push them backwards. In addition to countless partner programs and affiliate networks, there is also an Amazon partner program. Anyone who has already bought there knows that there is almost nothing that is not there. Once accepted into the partner program, you can always see a status bar that creates a partner link to the currently opened article with one click.
Wishlist on Amazon
Instead of getting a commission for an article, you can have it bought. To do this, you create a wish list on Amazon and make it public. If you don’t overdo it and include affordable items, then one or the other loyal viewer might make a purchase. One or the other channel has also received a bigger gift. So a friend got a new microphone. A few viewers merged because the content is really good, but the sound from the camera was just bad.
Sponsored videos
Of course, you can also have a full video paid for. In this case either a sum of money flows or you can keep the advertised goods. Here, however, the price decides whether the video must be labeled. I will go into more detail on information requirements below. However, a small channel is unlikely to get these gifts unless it is really special. For example, if you only deal with fishing accessories, you could quickly have smaller articles in the mail that can be reviewed. Whether and when these can be sold should be clarified in advance. I also have to keep some things for at least 6 months before I can sell them. Probably nothing will happen if you don’t do it.
Subscription to Patreon
A few of the channels I have subscribed to take advantage of the opportunity. Many great YouTubers like Gronkh can also be found there. Patreon is a platform on which YouTubers, artists and any other creator can create a page. Your viewers can then be your patron and support you financially. You can keep around 90% of the donations. Patreon gets 5% as a fee and a few percent must be factored in as transaction fees (PayPal and Co).
Direct donation via PayPal
You can of course also ask your subscribers directly to donate via PayPal. There is already a corresponding button there. Even if there are no other fees besides PayPal, one must not ignore that additional viewers can come via portals like Patreon, who could then become subscribers again.
Legal requirements and information requirements
The income as a small YouTuber is not particularly generous. The warning letters, of which there are plenty, are not interested. Therefore, one should be aware of legal pitfalls. If a video is sponsored, whether with money or material assets, this must be made clear. Labeling as advertising is essential. However, there are also exceptions and restrictions in the information obligation. If an item was bought with your own money, a review does not have to be marked as advertising. The level of performance also plays a role. In case of doubt you should always consult a lawyer, as I can only report on my experiences and am not a lawyer myself.
