Creative Ways To Monetize Video Content Beyond Youtube Ads. png

5 Creative Ways To Monetize Video Content: Beyond YouTube Ads

Burkhard Berger June 18, 2024 Guides Leave a comment

Are you tired of seeing minimal returns on your video despite putting in hours of creative effort? Today, uploading videos isn’t enough to ensure profitability. So, if you want innovative ways to monetize video content and maximize your earnings, you’re in the right place.

TLDR – Creative Ways to Monetize Video Content Beyond YouTube Ads

There are 3 video monetization methods: Ad-Based Video-on-Demand (AVOD) like YouTube, Transactional Video-on-Demand (TVOD) like Apple iTunes, and Subscription Video-on-Demand (SVOD) like Netflix.
Monetizing your video content can be done through sponsorship deals, affiliate marketing, licensing, creating online courses or tutorials, or creating a video-on-demand service.
Best video monetization platforms depend on your audience and preferences. Some of them are YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, and Facebook Videos.

This article will guide you through 5 proven strategies to help you turn video views into passive income. By the end of this read, you’ll have effective monetization techniques with practical steps to boost your content creation journey.

Table of Contents

Creative Methods To Monetize Video Content

It can be exciting to apply all these strategies at once. However, you can only have a solid footing if you use methods that work well with the types of videos you produce.

1. Get Sponsorships & Brand Deals

Partner with companies to promote their products or services in your videos. Brands will pay for access to your audience because authentic reviews from real users build trust.

Here are the 4 popular ways to implement sponsorships in video content:

Sponsored Videos: Create videos specifically featuring a brand’s product or service. This can include reviews, tutorials, or integrations into your regular content.
Product Placements: Integrate a brand’s product seamlessly into your content. For example, use a brand’s camera while vlogging or wear their clothing in your videos.
Exclusive Sponsorships: Partner with a brand to sponsor an entire series or for a specific period to ensure a steady income stream.
Giveaways and Contests: Collaborate with brands to host giveaways and contests to attract new viewers.

An excellent example is social media video creator @meghabajaj, who partners with clothing brands to promote their products. Recently, she collaborated on a giveaway with 3Wishes, a clothing store. In the video, she dresses up in different outfits from the sponsored brand, showcasing their products.

This example shows how to engage audiences and attract sponsors. In return, she earns a sponsorship fee and free clothing products from 3Wishes.

2. Use Affiliate Marketing

Integrate affiliate links into product reviews, tutorials, and unboxings as authentic recommendations. When viewers click these links and make a purchase, you will earn a commission.

81% of brands and 84% of publishers leverage affiliate marketing. So, it’s high time to capitalize on this trend and earn passive income through affiliate links.

Steps to monetize your video content with affiliate marketing

Sign up for affiliate programs that match your niche, like Amazon Associates, ShareASale, and Commission Junction.
Select products or services that align with your content and audience interests. That’s because your authentic recommendations are more likely to convert.
Produce high-quality, engaging videos that incorporate the products naturally. Focus on providing value and insights rather than purely promotional content.
Add affiliate links in your video descriptions, pinned comments, or clickable cards. Ensure the links are easily accessible to viewers.
Disclose affiliate relationships transparently to build trust with your audience and comply with legal requirements (e.g., FTC guidelines).

An excellent example is YouTube creator Marques Brownlee or MKBHD. He reviews tech products and includes affiliate links to eCommerce stores like Amazon in his video descriptions so that he earns a commission when somebody buys.

Rabbit R1: Barely Reviewable

3. Use Content Licensing

Grant permission to third parties to use your video content in exchange for a fee. This model lets you monetize your videos by allowing others to distribute, display, or use your content in various formats and platforms while you retain ownership rights.

Ways to license your video content:

Upload your videos to stock footage websites like Shutterstock, Adobe Stock, or Pond5. These platforms license your content to users who pay for the right to use it in their projects.
Negotiate deals directly with companies, media outlets, or creators who wish to use your videos. This can include commercials, TV shows, documentaries, and online publications.
Partner with aggregators that distribute your videos to multiple platforms and handle licensing deals on your behalf. Examples include Jukin Media and Storyful.
License your instructional or educational videos to schools, universities, and corporate training programs.
License your newsworthy or viral content to news agencies and media networks.

Candace Payne’s “Chewbacca Mom” video is an excellent example of using content licensing. After it went viral, Jukin Media licensed the video so that media outlets could use it legally. Each time the video was used, Payne earned money. You can also earn through your viral videos by partnering with licensing companies like Jukin Media or Hulu.

LAUGHING CHEWBACCA MASK LADY (FULL VIDEO)

4. Create Online Courses & Tutorials

Creating and selling online courses and tutorials involves developing comprehensive instructional videos on specific topics and offering them through various platforms. For example, GreenSupply, a face mask brand, creates simple how-to tutorial videos on how to wear masks correctly.

Following these tactics, businesses can promote and educate about their products and earn passive income through ad revenue. It’s high time to invest in educational videos, as the e-learning industry is projected to reach $325 billion by 2025.

How to Wear a KN95 Face Mask

Earn from creating online video courses with these five platforms:

Use dedicated online course platforms like Teachable, Udemy, or Coursera to host and sell your courses. These platforms provide tools for course creation, marketing, and student management.
Build your website using WordPress, Wix, or Squarespace to host and sell courses. It gives you more control and higher profit margins. You can also hire a marketing intern to write scripts, provide voiceovers, or edit videos to save you time so you can focus on other aspects of content creation.
Offer free tutorials on YouTube and promote premium, in-depth courses available for purchase on another platform like Coursera.
Create a membership site where subscribers pay a recurring fee to access a library of tutorials and courses.
Develop specialized corporate training programs and sell them to businesses for employee development.

5. Create Your Video-On-Demand (VOD) Service

Creating your own Video-On-Demand (VOD) service lets you distribute and monetize your video content directly to your audience. Managing your VOD service gives you complete control over your content, pricing, and user experience.

Let’s create a VOD service with the following six steps:

Define your niche and the content type you will offer. This could be educational videos, fitness classes, cooking tutorials, entertainment series, etc.
Decide how often you will add new videos and what format they will be in. For example, consider adding new videos weekly to keep your audience engaged.
Choose a VOD platform like Vimeo OTT, Uscreen, or VPlayed, which offers turnkey solutions for creating and managing a VOD service. You can also build your VOD service using platforms like WordPress with plugins like WooCommerce and video hosting services.
Sign up on your preferred VOD platform and customize your platform’s design to reflect your brand. Make sure the website is user-friendly and mobile-optimized.
Upload your video library to the platform, ensuring all videos are appropriately categorized and tagged for easy navigation.
Offer a monthly or yearly subscription that provides unlimited access to your content library. You can also charge viewers a Pay-Per-View fee to access individual videos or series. Or offer some free content while charging for premium videos.
Market your VOD service by optimizing your website for search engines. Promote your content on social media platforms and engage with your audience.
Create forums or groups for your subscribers to discuss content and share feedback. You can also host live sessions to interact directly with your audience.
Use built-in analytics tools or integrate third-party tools like Google Analytics to track user behavior, engagement, and conversion rates. Use the insights from your analytics to refine your video monetization strategy and improve user experience.

Best Video Monetization Platforms

As you explore these platforms and strategies, ask yourself: What combination of video monetization platforms and content strategies should I use to serve my monetization goals and audience’s best needs?

1. YouTube Monetization

YouTube has 2 billion monthly active users. The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) allows you to tap into its vast audience and earn money.

PROs of YouTube Monetization:

Strong community interaction
Multiple engagement tools
Support for live-streaming

CONs of YouTube Monetization:

Income depends on live viewership
High competition among streamers

You can monetize on YouTube beyond ad revenue in 5 ways:

Channel Memberships – Viewers pay a monthly fee to become channel members, gaining access to exclusive badges, emojis, and members-only content.
Super Chat & Super Stickers – Viewers can purchase Super Chats or Super Stickers during live streams to highlight their messages. The image below shows how some messages are highlighted in specific colors compared to others.
YouTube Premium Revenue – Earn a share of the subscription fee from YouTube Premium members who watch your content
Merchandise Shelf – Promote and sell branded merchandise directly from your YouTube channel through an integrated merchandise shelf.
YouTube Shorts Fund – Receive bonuses from a $100M fund based on the performance of your short-form videos.

2. Twitch

Twitch is a leading gaming live streaming platform that hosts streams in music, creative arts, and “Just Chatting.” With over 140 million monthly active users and an average of 2.5 million concurrent viewers, Twitch offers you multiple monetization options.

PROs of Twitch Monetization:

Strong community interaction
Multiple engagement tools
Support for live-streaming

CONs of Twitch Monetization:

Income depends on live viewership
High competition among streamers

You can monetize on Twitch with these five strategies:

Subscriptions – Viewers can subscribe to channels at three tiers ($4.99, $9.99, and $24.99 monthly), providing creators a recurring income. Creators typically receive 50% of the subscription fee.
Bits – Viewers purchase Bits to cheer during live streams, and creators like you earn $0.01 per Bit used in their channel.
Ad Revenue – Run ads during live streams to earn a share of the ad revenue based on the number of viewers and ad impressions.
Sponsorships & Brand Deals—Collaborate with brands to create sponsored streams and product placements and earn income from these partnerships.
Donations – Viewers can donate money directly to you through third-party services like PayPal, Streamlabs, or StreamElements.

3. TikTok

TikTok has over 1 billion active users worldwide every month. The platform’s algorithm-driven feed and vibrant community make it a powerful tool for creators to reach large audiences quickly.

TikTok Monetization Pros:

Rapid audience growth potential
Engaging, short-form content
Strong for viral content

TikTok Monetization Cons:

Variable earnings from Creator Fund
Short content lifespan

You can monetize on TikTok with five key strategies:

TikTok Creator Fund – If you’re an eligible creator (having 10,000 followers and 100,000 video views in the past 30 days), TikTok will pay you based on the performance of your videos. Earnings depend on video views, engagement, and adherence to community guidelines.
Live Gifts —During your live streams, Viewers can purchase and send you virtual gifts, which you can convert into real money.
Brand Partnerships & Sponsored Content — Collaborate with brands to create sponsored content and earn significant income through partnerships and influencer marketing campaigns.
TikTok Marketplace — The TikTok Creator Marketplace connects users with brands for collaboration opportunities. It streamlines the process of finding and negotiating brand deals.
Affiliate Marketing – Promote products or services using affiliate links in video descriptions or bios to earn a commission on sales generated through these links.
Merchandise Sales – Use TikTok to promote and sell your branded merchandise by linking your online store to your profile or videos.

4. Facebook

Facebook has over 2.8 billion monthly active users. With Facebook for Creators, you can monetize your videos through stream ads and fan subscriptions.

PROs of Facebook Monetization:

Integrated with Facebook’s large user base
Multiple engagement tools
Community features

CONs of Facebook Monetization:

Strict content guidelines
Requires 600,000 total minutes viewed in the last 60 days, including 60,000 live minutes to monetize.

You can monetize on Facebook in 6 ways:

In-Stream Ads — These ads can appear before, during, or after your content and are short video or image ads. You earn a share of the ad revenue based on the number of views and ad impressions.
Fan Subscriptions – Viewers can subscribe to your page for a monthly fee to access exclusive content and perks. This feature is similar to Patreon’s membership tiers.
Branded Content – Collaborate with brands to create sponsored content. Use branded content tools to be transparent and tag your business partners in your posts.
Stars – During live streams, viewers can purchase and send Stars to you, which you can convert into real money. This feature is similar to Twitch’s Bits, which allows you to earn directly from your audience.
Facebook Groups – Create subscription-based Facebook Groups where members pay a fee to join and access exclusive content and live sessions.
Ad Breaks – Insert ad breaks into Insert ad breaks in videos over three minutes long to start earning revenue.

FAQs on Video Content Monetization

1. How much do creators earn from video?

Video creators’ earnings vary based on platform, audience, and monetization methods. On top video monetization platforms like YouTube, they might earn $0.25 to $6 per 1,000 views. Similarly, video course creators average $58,509 annually. While YouTube dominates, Twitch, Instagram, and TikTok also pay ad revenue based on views and engagement.

2. What type of video content can I monetize?

You can monetize various types of video content, including:

Vlogs: Share daily experiences and personal stories.
Tutorials and How-Tos: Provide step-by-step instructions on specific skills or tasks.
Reviews and Unboxings: Review products and services, often integrating affiliate links.
Educational Content: Teach subjects or skills, from academic lessons to practical how-tos.
Gaming: Stream gameplay, provide commentary, and share tips.
Entertainment: Create sketches, short films, or music videos.
Fitness and Wellness: Offer workout routines, yoga sessions, and reviews of wellness products.
Travel: Document and share travel experiences and tips.
Live Streams: Engage with audiences in real-time events and Q&A sessions.

3. How many videos do I need to monetize?

To join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and start monetizing your videos, you need:

At least 1,000 subscribers.
4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months.

Other platforms, like TikTok, Twitch, and Instagram, don’t have specific video quantity requirements but focus on:

Consistent content creation.
High engagement and follower count.

Conclusion

As you apply these strategies, consider How I can integrate promotions without disrupting my viewers’ experience. Reflect on this question so you stay focused and innovative in your monetization efforts without hurting your growing efforts and your viewers’ overall experience.

If you need help getting started with video monetization, check the Monetize.info monetization consulting service. We are an award-winning monetization magazine that caters to digital creators like you—bloggers, influencers, affiliate marketers, and entrepreneurs.