Trial: Making Money

Work on hitting the Break.com home page. Break.com is a video sharing site that offers producers another unique way to make money. If your original video is featured on theirhomepage, they will pay you $400 to sell the video to them (or you can take $200 to license the video).
Sell access to your channel on Viddler. Viddler essentially allows video producers to sell access to their channels, either on a monthly or weekly basis. So if you have a product that you’re not interested in giving away for free, Viddler can be a useful solution to set up a paid content model.
Become a Blip.tv partner. Blip.tv is another video sharing site that allows video producers to monetize their content through advertisements. There are a number of ad options available, including preroll, overlay, postroll and even commerical breaks for series that qualify.

YouTube Success Stories

There are now countless examples of regular folks who have parlayed a clever or creative YouTube video into significant earnings. Below are a handful of videos that have made big bucks for their creators:

Natalie Tran. Aussie Natalie Tran was one of the first to hit it big on YouTube, raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years through her “community channel” page (which has received over 450 million pageviews). Some of Tran’s biggest hits are videos are Cops (4.3 million views),Bad Loser (6.6 million), and How to fake a six pack(almost 35 million views). She has continued to attract millions of views since she broke through several years ago, and is now parlaying her YouTube stardom into a blossoming film career.
David After Dentist. Not surprisingly, cute kids can help a YouTube video tremendously. “David After Dentist,” a two minute video of a six-year old, post-teeth cleaning, has been viewed more than 100 million times. That has reportedly translated into more than $100,000 in earnings for the parents–enough to pay for a college education on top of the dentist bill. David After Dentist proves that the best and most profitable YouTube videos are often completely unscripted and capture candid moments.
Philly D. Philip DeFranco, better known on YouTube as Philly D, has built several popular YouTube channels with millions of subscribers in total. The channel revolves around what Franco describes as “non news related things to yo face!” He also hosts the Philip DeFranco show Sunday through Thursday, where he talks about news and pop culture. By some estimates, Philly D earns close to $200,000 annually from his YouTube videos. Check out the ads running on his channel to get an idea for how this is possible.
The Young Turks. This political talk show, which started more than a decade ago and has evolved over the years, is another of the great YouTube success stories. The Young Turks have been extremely successful on YouTube through a very devoted fan base–towering high above many mainstream media outlets in terms of popularity. The Young Turks has become the largest online news show in the world, an impressive feat considering the lack of a traditional or mainstream brand.
Smosh. Smosh is the comedy duo of Ian Hecox and Anthony Padilla (both of whom were born in 1987) who began to post their videos on YouTube in 2005 and have since grown to become the most popular YouTube channel out there. Smosh was acquired by Alloy Digital in July 2011. Terms weren’t disclosed, but odds are that Ian and Anthony made themselves a bit of walking around money in that deal.
Shaycarl. The story of how Shay Butler became a YouTube phenomenon is a strange one, complete with humble beginnings and a bit of good luck. From his birth in Utah to a Mormon mission in the West Indies to the day he discovered YouTube, Shay’s is an inspiring (and occasionally sad) story. Shay has parlayed comedy shorts into an online mini empire, in a journey that anyone looking to hit it big on YouTube can certainly admire.
Fred Figgelhorn. Fred is actually Lucas Cruikshank, who became a YouTube sensation as a teenager broadcasting from Nebraska. “Fred” describes himself as a “a really hyperactive, temper-throwing teenager who’s stuck in the mentality of a 6-year-old.” But that character has worked to the tune of a popular chennel and thousands in earnings.
Ryan Higa. This success story is another unlikely YouTube star: Ryan started uploading videos when he was a high schooler in Hawaii. Fast forward a few years and Ryan’s YouTube channel Nigahiga has some 7 million subscribers. When you have 30 minutes, take a listen to Ryan’s story in his own words, including a detailed discussion of his rise to YouTube stardom.
Annoying Orange. This channel is the brainchild of former MTV production assistant Dane Boedigheimer. Dane voices an orange who lives on a kitchen counter with other fruits and objects. The series became extremely popular on YouTube, and eventually spawned merchandise that’s been sold at JCPenney and other outlets. There has also been an Annoying Orange video game, which is available on iOS and Android devices.
Shane Dawson. Shane is a YouTuber who made his rise to celebrity after getting fired from a job at Jenny Craig for uploading a video of himself poledancing. Shane’s popular channel features a wide variety of content, including spoofs on music videos, celebrity impersonations, and comedy videos featuring recurring characters. Dawson’s first YouTube bits were videos that he and friends would turn in during high school instead of homework. He’s gone on to release several singles on iTunes.
Ray William Johnson. Ray’s big hit is the YouTube series Equals Three, which features him providing commentary on other viral videos. His channel has accumulated over 2.2 billion views and 7 million subscribers. RayWJ, as he’s known,reportedly takes home close to $1 million annually from his YouTube videos.
Epic Meal Time. Not all YouTube success stories are quirky teenage comics; Epic Meal Time is perhaps closer to the type of show you’d see on traditional cable television. The episodes are essentially “food porn” with each focusing on the preparation and consumption of a high calorie, meat-filled meal. This show is also unique in that it is monetized in multiple ways. In addition to traditional ads within videos, the creators sell a line of t-shirts and have also established referral programs with advertisers such as Netflix.
Jenna Marbles. Jenna Mourey, aka Jenna Marbles, has produced some of the most watched videos in the history of YouTube. A couple of her biggest hits have titles like “How To Trick People Into Thinking You’re Good Looking” and ”How To Avoid Talking To People You Don’t Want To Talk To.” Hear Jenna’s YouTube success story in her own words in this video,
PewDiePie. Swedish gamer Felix Kjellberg is something of a cult phenomenon on YouTube; videos featuring him playing video and computer games (often screaming or crying along the way) get millions of views as soon as they’re put up. He’s managed to make a nice living out of horror game playthroughs, once again proving that there can be opportunities for success in unexpected niches (see a brief interview with Felix here).
werevertumorro. The most popular YouTube channel in Mexico, werevertumorro started as a joke but grew into a wildly popular show (a common component in many YouTube success stories). The episodes, which are generally about 10 minutes long, feature young guys talking about relationships, girls, and more.
RoosterTeeth. This channel started out as DrunkGamers.com, which featured a group of guys reviewing video games while drunk. It’s evolved quite a bit over the years to become one of the most popular YouTube channels with nearly 2 billion views and several million followers. RoosterTeeth hit it big with their Red vs. Blue sci-fi series, and they monetize their YouTube presence partially through DVD sales. Check out the official history of this group for the full story.

Tools, Inspiration & Research

Before you jump into video production, you’d be wise to get acquainted with some of the cool tools and resources available to you:

Use Content ID To Protect Your Earnings. For those fortunate enough to make meaningful money from YouTube, it’s critical to protect your revenue stream by preventing others from essentially stealing your original content. Content ID is a free system that allows video owners to identify their original material, thereby capturing any earnings on such material that would otherwise be hijacked by copycats.
Become A Regular Reader Of YouTube Insight. YouTube’s Advertising Insight page is an analytics tool that allows content creators to get detailed information about their YouTube audience. That’s valuable information for anyone looking to make money off of YouTube.
Subscribe To YouTube Trends. If you want to make a sustainable living on YouTube (or just continue to generate some additional income), it’s important to stay current and always be coming up with new ideas. YouTube Trends is a great way to stay on top of current trends, and a great place for inspiration for that next big moneymaker.
Check Out The YouTube Playbook. Playbook is another official, free resource provided by YouTube. This one is designed to help partners grow their audience, complete with tips and best practices to help you reach the widest possible audience and maximize your earnings.
Get Familiar With YouTube Keyword Tool. This is another tool to help you figure out what interests the YouTube audience. Though it’s unlikely that the bulk of your viewers are coming from search volume within YouTube.com, it certainly doesn’t hurt to be aware of what current interests are.
Check In On the Official YouTube Blog. Checking in regularly on the official YouTube blog will keep you up to date on the latest trends and tools that can make your life easier and your monthly payment a bit bigger.
Get A Free YouTube Channel Report. Simply Measured offers a free report on your YouTube Channel, highlighting which videos are working (and why).
Bookmark YouTube Charts. The official stat keeper for YouTube, this site has information on what videos are popular now and what’s worked historically. (Fun fact: the most viewed videos of all time are Psy’s Gangnam Style, Justin Bieber’s Baby, and Jennifer Lopez’s On The Floor.)
Bookmark VidStatsX. This site aggregates a massive amount of data to show what’s popular on YouTube. In addition to the top channels and videos, there is significant granularity that allows users to see what’s popular now in specific categories.
Ask Questions At YTtalk. YTtalk.com is a massive online YouTube community, and can be a great resource for aspiring YouTubers searching for inspiration or just an answer to a quick question. The forums on this site are extremely active, and there’s a tremendous amount of great information shared by other YouTubers around the globe.