Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

How to make money on YouTube: find a niche, interact with your audience, collaborate with others and more tips

You might not make US$26 million like eight-year-old Ryan Kaji did last year, but you could pull in extra income with a successful YouTube channel. Barbara MacDonald, a product manager at YouTube, helps new and existing video makers grow their channels and find success. Here are her tips

Google recently announced that YouTube had a US$15 billion year in 2019, based on advertising sales, showing the world just how huge a business the video network has become.

Unlike Facebook and Twitter, which hold on to the lion’s share of ad revenues and don’t share with the people who upload content, Google takes a different approach in splitting YouTube ad revenues with video creators.

That means millions of people are profiting from their relationship with YouTube by making videos and pulling in either extra income or actually making a living from their YouTube revenues.

According to American business magazine Forbes, eight-year-old Ryan Kaji from toys review channel Ryan’s World earned a cool US$26 million in 2019 from his YouTube ad revenues and sponsorship deals.

The chances of something like that happening for you is rare, but there’s no denying that the opportunity is there.

Maybe you don’t get to tell your boss you quit and turn a new chapter by churning out videos tomorrow, but perhaps you can make a little extra income through your YouTube passion? It’s not too late to get started.

That’s the word from Barbara MacDonald, a product manager at YouTube who serves as one of the co-hosts of its “Creator Insider” video series, which looks to help new and existing video makers grow their channels and find success.

“If you have a subject you’re passionate about, give it a try,” she says.

How can you cash in on YouTube fame? MacDonald has several key points to consider before getting started.


1. Go niche

Follow your passion, and start your channel devoted to your special interest. The topic? Go small, MacDonald says, and you’ll have an easier time finding an audience.

For instance, instead of a channel devoted to food, a pretty broad category, she says some video creators have found great success focusing on one particular genre – like the latest new treats at Disney resorts.

“I don’t necessarily like to go to Disney parks, but I love to eat, so this gets my attention,” she says.


2. Don’t worry about expensive gear

You don’t need a fancy, expensive digital single-lens reflex camera, MacDonald says. Many YouTube creators make their videos on smartphones.

MacDonald shoots on a lower-priced Canon EOS M camera, which sells for under US$500, and Tom Leung, who also hosts the Creator Insider video series, shoots on a Google Pixel 4 smartphone.

“It’s all about the content, not the gear,” MacDonald says. “Don’t let your equipment be a barrier.”


3. Build a following

You’ll need to attract subscribers to your channel if you want YouTube to share ad revenues as part of its Partner Programme. Requirements: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time during a 12-month period.

How do you get subscribers when you’re just starting out? “Start with family and friends, and go from there,” MacDonald says.


4. Interact with your audience

YouTube wants to see that the community is responding to your videos. “Interact” with your new viewers in the comments section, and send out polls and photos on the community page of your channel “to start a dialogue”.


5. Be consistent

“Have a consistent upload schedule, so the audience knows when to come back to see new videos,” MacDonald says.

This doesn’t have to be a daily upload or even a weekly upload. But if you say new videos every Tuesday, or on the first day of each month, “stick to it”.


6. Label YouTube videos accurately

YouTube likes videos with good, interesting titles and descriptions. They need to “accurately reflect the content of video”, and tell viewers what to expect.

Thumbnails, the little visual you see pop up on the YouTube homepage, are usually bright, with pictures of people in them because people are drawn in by seeing the eyes, MacDonald says.


7. Collaborate with other YouTubers

Once you get going, start making videos with other YouTubers to expand your audience and get your work seen in front of theirs.

The Creator Insider video series posts new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Other places on YouTube to learn about successful best practices include the YouTube Creators (formerly known as Creators Academy) and Team YouTube channels.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×