How Much Does A Vlogger Make? | YouTube Income of a Micro-Influencer

But first, context.

Alright so for you to get a better understanding, I’m going to share my background on how I started making videos. I started creating content about 6 years ago. I began publishing blog content then shortly after, I started posting YouTube videos. Then it became a mix of both. And in recent years, it’s been more about video. And my content eventually became a mix of both worlds. And I like it because I get to write my videos as long-form blog posts but present it in video format. So if anything, the majority of my content are how-tos, guides, lists, with a few diary-like vlogs here and there.

And I would call myself a micro-influencer, which according to Google, is between 3000-100,000 subscribers. Currently, I stand at 24,700 YouTube subscribers.

 I also make money outside of YouTube like affiliate marketing – where I collect a share of sales from links in the description box, and sell my own merchandise and services. But for the purpose of this video, I’m not including how much I earn from these methods because my sales come from all sorts of platforms, not only YouTube.

How I make money through YouTube.

Ad Revenue

The majority of the money I make from video comes from ad revenue. Which are the ads you watch before, in the middle, at the end of a YouTube video. To monetize your videos, you need to join the YouTube Partner program. And to be eligible, you need to have at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of total watch time on your videos. During this time, you HAVE to really enjoy creating content because you’re doing a lot of work with no pay.

As of when this video was filmed, the general rule is that YouTube keeps 45% of ad revenue while the creator keeps 55%. And this is ONLY when viewers actually watch the ad. So according to my channel analytics the past 28 days, my CPM (or Cost Per Mille) is how much advertisers pay me per 1000 views. Let’s say the ads on my videos had a total of 1000 views yesterday. With a CPM of $26.04, I made $14.32 while YouTube made $11.72. Of course, the higher my CPM or the higher my views are, the more money I earn.

A factor that affects how high or low your CPM stands is your audience. If most of your audience is, for example, based in Philippines, you might get advertisers who pay less, then compared to advertisers in the US. But all of this is really dependent on you, your audience, and the content you create.

And before I get into the next method, I want to share another way vloggers can earn from creating videos, outside of YouTube.

——————–

Uscreen Ad Read

Many people turn to platforms like YouTube to share their experiences and knowledge, especially if they have a decent grasp on the subject.

But making money on Youtube is, as you’ll see in my video, pretty volatile. Your income stream isn’t consistent. But with a platform like Uscreen, you can make a predictable revenue.

So Uscreen is a platform that helps creators build and grow their businesses through online video memberships.

For example, I’ve considered creating and launching a membership site for my online course, Bold Blogger Academy, and host private live streams for members, in this case, it would be Q&A sessions with my students. And I can even create a branded app, that way my students can learn on the go from their phones. I can also chat & engage with them real time.

So, one of the great things about Uscreen is that it’s an all-in-one platform. You don’t have to have separated platforms that you need to integrate together. For instance, Uscreen:

• handles all of the video hosting and live streaming
• handles payments, billing and monthly subscriptions
• It even has mobile and TV apps so that customers can access content nearly anywhere
• You also get access to powerful website themes, specifically designed to monetize videos. It’s a quick setup, fully brandable, and no coding skills required.
• And you can build your community around your videos and chat, comment, and engage with your audience

Essentially, Uscreen is ideal for video creators, educators, coaches, authors, influencers, and entrepreneurs who want to establish a reliable income source through their videos.

If you’re thinking about it, take a look at their website. I’ll have the link in the description.

—————-

Sponsorships

So the next method of how to make a pretty penny is through sponsorships. And this looks like creating sponsored content, whether that be a dedicated YouTube video about the brand, or mentioning the brand in a YouTube video. And the brand pays you in exchange.

These days, I rarely accept gifts as payment. I’d only accept gifts if the value was equal to the value of my services, and if I’ve loved their brand for the longest time. I’m very picky. It’s not often I create sponsored content because I’m also growing my own brand, I’m creating my own merchandise, and I’m marketing it myself. That said, I’m always open to new ideas and collaborations. It just depends on the timing and if we’re a good fit.

Now let’s get to the deep behind-the-scenes information. I know many of you are curious about how much YouTubers make. And I’m here to break it down to you showing you my YouTube income as a micro-influencer. Mind you, the numbers you’re about to see are a representation of my work. There are other vloggers with the same number of subscribers as me that are making more than me and less than me. Where I lie on the spectrum, I don’t know. But let’s get into it.

Income breakdown

So here’s the income breakdown of how much I’ve earned from ad revenue from 2016 to 2022. [see video]

I cannot give an income breakdown of my sponsorships as much as I’d like to. I moved to Guam from Germany last year and somehow the documents I had got lost in the move. But at the top of my head for 2022, I earned more or less $3000 from sponsorships. Even though I’m picky with brands, I think this could be higher. You know how earlier, I said working with a brand depends on the timing and if we’re a good fit? It also depends if they ship to Guam. Sometimes they don’t, so I’d actually miss out on these opportunities because of where I live.

By Month 2022 – YouTube ad

I’m not going to go through each month, you can go ahead and pause the video for a look. [see video]

I’d say through the last 12 months, it’s not bad and I know it can get higher the more videos I create. And because it’s passive income, it allows me to use the income to fund other products like the Glow Getter Planner, which easily cost a few thousand dollars to start. And I’m glad that my YouTube income covered that. I can actually start designing another planner if I wanted to. Which I do.

So if there was last message for me to share with you

Don’t get bogged down growing your revenue or your subscribers. But I can understand why people feel really pressured to do so. There is so much content out that tells us how to grow our following by 500% or do this thing and make $30,000/month. I’m really not a fan of this content. I find it toxic in a way that if we don’t achieve these metrics, then we’ve failed. When in reality, making instant growth is like hitting jackpot in the casino. What are the odds, you know? But I do believe, the harder you work, the luckier you get. And while metrics are important, the less worried you are about making it big, the more likely you are to make it big.

If you’re just starting, don’t worry about your revenue or number of subscribers, where it’s all about achieving the results of $5000/month or 100k subscribers. This video is for you to get an idea, and keep you grounded but shouldn’t be the driving force for why you’re creating content. Fall so deeply in love with the process of creating, growing your community, going through ups and downs of things working and things not working, so much that your income is really a bonus. I started off the other way and I got tired real fast.I found it demoralizing because I wasn’t reaching these big goals that I saw other people achieve. I quit social media for a year just so that I could gather myself and find inspiration again, and go back to enjoying the process and the journey.

Eventually, I decided that I should just focus on creating cool stuff and doing cool things. As opposed to sticking within the limitations of my niche and working within a box. Instead, I could make myself a niche so that I can do whatever makes my heart sing. There isn’t any conversation like “I should do this” or “I shouldn’t do that.” It’s just “what would make me over the moon if I created content about it?” or in general, “what can I do, where by the end of today, I’ll feel true to myself and alive?” And then I start from there. And if you find this message resonating with you, I recommend you start from there too.

Thank you so much for watching to the end of the video. I really appreciate that. If you’d like to watch my other videos, please subscribe and I have a playlist dedicated to blogging & vlogging in the description box. My name is Jojo, and I make videos about things that light me up like travel, blogging, vlogging, and the simple joys of everyday life. I’ll see you in the next one. Bye!