3. Let fans help your YouTube channel grow
Fan funding is a way for your YouTube followers to support you directly. Let’s look at some options and what they offer.
Donations
There are many fan-funding platforms—popular ones include Buy Me a Coffee and Tipee.
Do some research to find out what each platform offers. Once you’re ready, set up your page and include the link in your video descriptions.
Be transparent about why fans should support you—maybe you need new video editing software to make better videos or perhaps their donation will help sustain your YouTube channel, allowing you to keep putting out great content. Whatever it is—fans will appreciate knowing where their money’s going and be more inclined to help your cause.
Sarah Gray runs the medium-sized YouTube channel Bloom & Gray - Flower Farm. She creates videos about her farming business and gives flower-arranging tutorials. Additionally to her small business and YouTube channel, she has a page where you can “buy her a coffee” (i.e. support her content creation by donating £5 or more). It’s a clever way to let fans support her channel.
Source: Sarah’s Buy me a coffee page
Channel memberships
If you’re part of the YouTube Partner program, you can take advantage of the Channel memberships right on the platform. Its tiered subscription model allows viewers to pay a monthly fee in exchange for exclusive content and members-only perks like badges and emoji.
If you started your channel with the goal of sharing knowledge, why not turn that goal into a personalized offer for your followers?
There are several platforms you can use for knowledge sharing and deepening the connection with your community.
For example, Patreon allows content creators to earn money directly from their fans through monthly subscriptions. It’s an excellent opportunity to share exclusive content, behind-the-scenes access, or other perks in exchange for financial support.
If writing is your medium, try Substack. It’s a platform designed for writers to publish content directly to their readers, whether through newsletters, articles, or essays. You can offer both free and paid subscriptions. Substack provides tools to manage your audience, track engagement, and build a dedicated community around your writing.
Finally, consider creating your own online courses on platforms like Skillshare, Udemy, or Teachable. These platforms allow you to design and share video-based courses on any topic you’re knowledgeable about. You can reach a global audience of eager learners and earn money through royalties or direct sales.
YouTuber Jamie Owers creates content about his entrepreneurial journey on multiple YouTube channels. He’s also created a course on Skillshare: “The Ultimate Guide To Creating A Successful YouTube Gaming Channel.” Currently, more than 1.6K students have taken his course!
Source: YouTuber Jamie Owers Skillshare course
Crowdfunding
Crowdfunding allows YouTubers to raise money for specific projects. Platforms like Kickstarter and GoFundMe let fans pledge money towards a goal you set. If your campaign meets its goal, you receive the funds to bring your project to life. If the goal isn’t met, some platforms may return the money to the pledgers, while others may allow you to keep what you’ve raised.
Superchat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks
If you’re a YouTube partner, you can monetize your live streams and videos with Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks. These features allow your viewers to financially support you while engaging with your content.
During live streams and premieres, viewers can purchase Super Chats to highlight their messages in the chat. The bigger the donation, the longer their message stays pinned at the top, letting fans get your attention and stand out as top supporters.
Viewers can also buy animated Super Stickers they can post in the live chat. This adds a fun, eye-catching element to the interaction and gives your audience another way to show support.
Super Thanks allows fans to tip on videos. When a viewer purchases a Super Thanks, they can leave a highlighted comment on the video. This feature isn’t limited to live videos—supporters can show their thanks anytime.
It’s a good practice to thank your fans for their donations during live streams—it makes them feel appreciated and encourages them to keep supporting you.
4. Partner with brands for sponsored content
You don’t need a ton of followers to work with brands. In fact, it’s more cost-effective for brands to collaborate with smaller channels, as the prices are lower. This means brands can reach wider niche audiences over several campaigns instead of paying a large sum for a single promotion with a big YouTube star.
Beyond numbers, it’s about gaining viewers’ trust and therefore trusting the brand you’re collaborating with. Brands get more genuine sponsored content with smaller YouTube influencers and can zero in on a specific audience.
To get brands to collaborate with you, you should:
-
Post frequently and consistently
-
Mention brands in your posts or videos
-
Specify your target audience and niche
-
Use hashtags to improve searchability
-
Create an email template to send to brands
Brands might reach out to you, or you can try connecting with them. To make the process easier, do your research and compile a list of brands that align with your message and values. You can make a spreadsheet to keep track of brands you’ve already contacted. Make sure to personalize your emails for each brand and be genuine in your communications. Don’t send the same copy-paste message to hundreds of brands as it might come off as insincere.
If you’re a YouTube partner, you can also join YouTube BrandConnect—a platform that helps you connect with brands.
Once you’ve secured your deal, it’s time to start your branded content campaigns. Here are a few ideas on how to showcase a brand’s products or services:
Need some real-life inspiration? Lisa Lovee is an influencer who’s passionate about fashion and knowledgeable about brand collaborations. On her YouTube channel, she shares her experiences with her first sponsorship deals and explains how to get them as a small YouTuber. Lisa got her first brand collaboration offers at around the 1K subscriber mark and has only grown from there. Check out her channel to learn more about her sponsorship journey.
Source: Lisa Lovee YouTube channel
Getting sponsorship deals for your YouTube channel isn’t as impossible as it might seem. Find products that you and your audience love and be persistent—with time and effort, you’ll get your first collaboration!
5. Become an affiliate
Now that you know about brand collabs, let’s talk about earning an income with affiliate links. The concept is simple: an affiliate (in this case, you—the video creator) gets a unique tracking link from a brand for a product or service. Whenever someone uses your link to buy from the brand, you get a commission.
Think about your favorite YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok creators: don’t they often share products they like? Creators frequently talk about the clothes they’re wearing or a new device they’ve been trying out. Then, they include a link in the video description box. When someone makes a purchase through the link, they get a commission from the sale.
Choosing the right company to work with can help you gain viewers and subscribers and earn money on the side. Focus on your niche, partner with brands that are related to your channel, and offer products that your YouTube audience is interested in. Similarly to brand sponsorships, showcase the product in your content or make a video (or several) about it. Finally, don’t forget to add the link to your YouTube video descriptions.
Tatiana Marie is a YouTuber who gives business tips on being your own boss. A few years back, she joined the Printful affiliate program and made a video trying on and reviewing Printful’s hoodies.
Source: Tatiana Marie’s YouTube channel
It became one of her most-watched videos and earned her a 10% commission for each purchase through the affiliate link. Since then, Tatiana has made another video about Printful and continues to earn money from it.
“Being an affiliate for Printful has been a no-brainer for me. They’re my trusted source for all things POD, so recommending their products is something I already do. Making money from it is just a bonus. Because YouTube is so evergreen, I’m able to make money as an affiliate from the same video months down the line! It’s really a win-win situation.’’
To become an affiliate, you can research affiliate programs or contact brands. The qualifications, terms, and conditions vary depending on the brand.
The Printful Affiliate Program includes bloggers, YouTubers, influencers, and ecommerce entrepreneurs. It doesn’t matter how many subscribers or video views you have. As an affiliate, you can earn a 10% commission for 12 months from each referred customer. In total, Printful affiliates have made $4M+ in commissions!
