How To Make Money On YouTube In 2025

Want to know how to make money on YouTube in 2025? Let me show you how.

I’m sure many of you have heard that YouTube is on easy mode. Whatever that means.

As far as I’m concerned, it’s always been easy to make money on YouTube. It’s just that some of us didn’t know the formula.

Before I go any further, my name is Rogan and I run a successful YouTube channel called, This Bahamian Gyal.

At the time of publishing this, I’m closing in on 200K subscribers.

I’ve been steadily creating content since October 2019. That’s when I published my first video. Since then, my channel has garnered millions of views.

I realise that many of you who will come across this blog post aren’t newbies.

In fact, many of you probably already have your own YouTube channel and have been producing content for a pretty long time, but haven’t made any money.

I know the feeling. I’ve been there before.

How Do All These YouTubers Make Money?

When I first got started on YouTube, I used to watch other content creators brag about making six and seven figures annually and wondered, how the heck do I do that?

At the time, I was struggling to make the first $100 from the YouTube Partner Program. (Click here to read on how I monetised my channel)

In fact, I remember feeling so happy to get a $65 payment from Google Adsense, but my joy quickly dissipated when I watched a fellow YouTuber unveil her Adsense cheque for $4,000 that month.

How the heck did she do that?

The reality is, I didn’t understand YouTube at the time. I didn’t know the many avenues that were available to make money and thought I needed Adsense alone.

Boy, was I wrong.

I won’t share specifics about my earnings on the platform, but let’s just say that I’m extremely happy and no longer gawking over anyone else’s earnings.

You Don’t Need Millions Of Followers To Make Money On YouTube

First and foremost, here’s what you need to know. You don’t millions of followers to make money on YouTube.

As a matter of fact, you don’t even need hundreds of thousands of subscribers to make money on YouTube. YouTube doesn’t pay you by the subscribers. It pays you by the views – the watch time.

If you have 1,000 subscribers with 1 million views on a single video, you’re going to make money. If you have 1 million subscribers and 1,000 views, pack it up.

So, focus on the views.

Also, I didn’t know this at the time, but II was so focused on making content for me – content that I liked, that I forgot to serve the audience.

The audience gives you views. So, you have to give them content they want to watch. If not, why should they tune in to you?

The YouTubers who were raking in the big bucks understood that. So, they made searchable, tasty, digestible content that viewers were salivating for.

I figured that out. So, I started tapping into trending topics, answering the public’s questions, discussing taboo issues and by doing that, something great happened. I got more eyeballs on my videos.

YouTube noticed that, so it started placing more ads on my videos. As a result, I started making more money.

Then, the smart ones rinsed and repeated that cycle.

The dumb ones, like myself back in the day, thought that this newfound attention would carry over to any weird topic they wanted to discuss. It didn’t. You had to follow the formula.

You Can Make Money Without Adsense

I foolishly thought that in order to sell a product to a viewer and make money, I had to have a huge following.

I was so naive. It was only when I saw a man with a quarter of my following selling products on his channel that I kicked myself.

Sell Products And Merch

YouTube makes it really easy sell products and merchandise on your platform. For example, I currently sell my official merch through my Spreadshop.

It gives my supporters a way to finance my channel while buying some fun merchandise.

You have to meet YouTube’s requirements to have a merch shelf. The merch shelf allows content creators to showcase and sell their products directly in their videos and also gives them a dedicated space beneath their videos where fans can browse and shop for their items.

But, if you don’t meet the requirements, you can still set up a store and link it in your description box.

This is a great way to make some passive income. The shop is online, so anyone can shop at anytime.

I am telling you, don’t think that you have to have a huge following to do this. You’re missing out on money.

Also, if you’re an artist or a graphic designer, you can link your own personal website to YouTube. Promote your independent work on YouTube and make money that way.

YouTube is a phenomenal advertising machine. If you have an audience of thousands, hundreds of thousands or millions, trust that someone is going to want what you offer.

Work With Brands To Make Money

Have you ever heard your favourite content creator say, “this video is sponsored by The Best Company Ever?”

Well, they get paid for that.

Most of those sponsorship deals happen when your content is hot and popping. You won’t have to go looking for them. They will find you.

Most of my deals came after I had a few videos go viral. Then, all of a sudden, my inbox was flooded with requests to collab.

I had some pretty big name companies reach out, too. But, I didn’t accept every deal because I didn’t think it was a good fit.

I’m very picky about who I partner with. So, if I do accept a deal, it’s because I think it will resonate with my audience.

If your goal is simply to make money on YouTube and you don’t care about annoying your audience, then by all means, accept every deal that lands in your inbox. Personally, I don’t think it’s a good strategy, but everyone has to make their own decisions.

How Much Can You Make From Brand Deals?

So, how much do YouTubers make from brand deals? Well, it varies depending on your niche, the size of your platform and how many views you regularly get.

If you’re new, you may get a three-figure deal – think $300 to $900. My deals have typically been mid to high four-figure deals. I have not cracked the six-figure deals just yet. But, they’re coming.

A popular content creator by the name of Kelly Stamps once shared that she got a six-figure deal from one company. But, that was at the height of her fame on YouTube.

If you’re a content creator like Mr. Beast or Emma Chamberlain, you could fetch seven-figure deals easily.

In fact, Chamberlain is now a successful entrepreneur with a coffee company.

I think it’s important to point out that you don’t have to wait for a brand to approach you. If you love a product and frequently talk about that item, and you get really good numbers on your videos, reach out to the brands yourself and seek a deal.

YouTube has taught me that I don’t have to wait for anyone.

Your Audience Can Help You Make Money On YouTube

I think YouTubers forget that their audience loves them and is rooting for them.

Many audience members have become paid channel members, have subscribed to Patreon or donate via PayPal, CashApp or BuyMeACoffee.

I love the latter especially because the platform doesn’t take a lot of your money. Plus, people feel pretty good about being able to buy a content creator a cup of joe.

The money you receive from these avenues adds up big time. You might be surprised at how generous your audience is. I have had viewers donate $50 at a time. If they value your content and know that this is how you earn, many of them will donate.

I know so many content creators who pay their mortgages off of Patreon, for example. It’s wonderful to have another avenue outside of YouTube that can help you earn.

There are many other ways to make money on YouTube. You can sell courses, coach your audience, use affiliate marketing. However, I am not doing any of those things at the moment, and much prefer to speak on things I know.

The things I mentioned work extremely well for me and have helped me to earn a really decent living on the platform. I am grateful.

I know a lot of you want millions of views on your videos, and trust me, I get it. But, more importantly – especially in these tough times, you want to make money on YouTube.

Try some of these tips. I know you’ll see your money increase on your platform.

Best of luck!

XOXO,

This Bahamian Gyal

Posted By: Rogan · In: Social Media