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YouTube is a video-sharing website and social media platform. Content creators, from vloggers to musicians to news outlets, upload videos to be watched by millions. In fact, YouTube expects to reach 2.85 billion users in 2025, over a third of the world’s total population.
Launched in 2005, YouTube was bought by Google for $1.65 billion in 2006, and is currently the second most-visited website in the world after Google. It’s no wonder that so many people have turned to YouTube to host their content, with such a vast audience out there.
But establishing a successful YouTube channel isn’t a simple matter – you’ll need a solid concept, an engaging style, and plenty of hard work. In this article, the OddsMonkey team breaks down exactly what you need to do to start a YouTube channel, and how to give yourself the best chance of success.
Visit YouTube and sign up to open a YouTube account. You can use your Google account details to do this and sync your settings.
Once you’ve created a YouTube account, it’s time to start a channel. If you’re using a desktop, you’ll find this in the menu when you click on your profile image in the top right hand corner.
Once you have your YouTube channel set up, it’s time to head over to YouTube Studio to get started. YouTube Studio is the creator’s hub. It’s home to your dashboard, where you can upload videos and view analytics associated with your channel.
Before you start uploading content, it’s worth thinking about a content strategy. This doesn’t just mean in terms of a schedule. Instead, a strategy can help you focus the ideas you already have, as well as helping you generate new ones. A good YouTube content strategy will include things like:
You should also look at current trends and what’s going viral. While it’s difficult to predict what will go viral, you can take part in certain trends, adjusting them to suit the kind of content you produce.
Once you’ve decided on the type of videos you want to produce, it’s time to think about actually making them. First of all, you need to come up with ideas or topics to cover. Think about having a purpose for each video, and consider what a viewer will get out of watching it.
You also need to think about how you want to look to potential viewers. Build a strong brand through visuals, delivery, style, aesthetics, etc. Being consistent will make it easier for you to exist across various social platforms, and helps to let you audience know what to expect from you.
This can stretch into the type of equipment you use. For example, if you shoot the majority of your content on a tripod-stabilised camera, a shaky, handheld video may stand out for the wrong reasons.
You don’t have to buy loads of kit in the beginning, but it is worth having a plan. Are you keeping things simple or going for a full studio setup? The equipment you use to make videos is really up to you, but for high production quality you’ll need to think about cameras, lighting, microphones, and other accessories.
On top of this, you’ll need editing software, knowhow, and a little time. There are lots of options out there when it comes to video editing software, which have a range of features, ease of use, price, etc. Some of the most popular options are as follows:
To maximise your chances of success, you’ll need to optimise your YouTube channel to attract viewers. Create an optimisation strategy to make your videos as easy to find as possible.
Here are a few top tips for optimising your videos and your YouTube channel overall:
Whether you dream of becoming a full-time YouTuber or you just want to earn some extra money, we all have to start at the beginning. It’s common sense not to quit your day job if you only have 10 YouTube subscribers.
However, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a chance of turning a YouTube side hustle into a full time living. Grow your audience and build up your YouTube presence consistently over time, and you may end up making enough to survive on.
And if not, hopefully you’ll have enjoyed making your content and at least made a little extra cash.
There are a few different ways to monetise your YouTube account; these are some of the most effective.
Advertising is one of the main ways to make money on YouTube. First of all though, you need to apply for and be accepted onto the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP). Being a YouTube Partner means you can boost your earning potential and receive a share of the revenue from any ads that are served on your content.
Once you’ve hit the above criteria for eligibility, your channel will automatically be put in a review queue. If your application is accepted, you can set up ad preferences and enable monetisation on your uploads straightaway.
AdSense allows for smarter advertising. Choose which ads you think fit your audience best. This creates a less-jarring experience for the viewer and encourages more engagement, in theory. The payment you receive from Google depends on the type of ad displayed and the number of impressions and clicks.
There are subtle differences between affiliate marketing and influencer marketing, but ultimately they involve promoting a product or service in exchange for money. Often, you share a link or discount code with viewers. If someone buys the product or service promoted in your video after clicking your link, you receive commission on that purchase.
Following on from the above point, sponsored videos are usually created in connection with a brand, and they’re most likely to happen when your content is attracting viewers. If your channel is gaining traction, you’re likely to catch the attention of a brand or two.
With sponsored videos, the sponsor (brand) will pay you an agreed amount of money to advertise them in some way. How you advertise will depend on the agreement or terms of the sponsorship. For example, you could mention the product or service in your introduction or deliver a full review.
Channel memberships can be offered to viewers in order to encourage repeat engagement and recurring income. In return for their monthly support, you offer member-only perks, such as exclusive content.
You will have to wait until your channel has grown to make use of this feature, though; to be eligible to offer channel memberships, you need to be a member of the YPP and have at least 1000 subscribers.
As long as the perks comply with YouTube’s community guidelines, you can offer lots of exclusive content. Ideas include early access to videos, exclusive live streams, or behind-the-scenes content or contact. You could also offer physical goods such as stickers, clothing, or discount codes for your other merchandise.
Branded merchandise is a great way to make money on YouTube. It can earn you a passive income alongside other monetisation avenues, or it can be your main revenue stream.
To be eligible to sell via YouTube Shopping, you must be a member of YPP and your videos can’t be listed as Made For Kids.
You’ll need to think about things like design, pricing, and logistics. Take the time to understand what will appeal to your audience and test the waters.
For example, you could release something on a limited run to see how well it sells. Make sure that anything you do want to sell complies with YouTube’s policies.
Patreon is a similar approach to channel membership, but not hosted via YouTube. Patreon is a membership platform where creators share exclusive content with monthly subscribers.
If you’re still working towards 1000 YouTube subscribers in order to be eligible for the YouTube Partner Programme, you could test the waters with an offsite subscription platform first.
Building a YouTube audience is a fundamental part of monetising your YouTube channel. While there’s no surefire way to attract viewers, some of the optimisation tips earlier in this article should help.
There are also specific techniques you can use to connect with YouTube users, which we’ll run through here:
Immediacy is a way for people to connect in real time. YouTube now offers the option to live stream, similarly to Instagram, Facebook, and other social platforms. 51% of British adults have watched a live stream, and this percentage is only likely to grow.
The benefit of a live stream is that it allows your audience to feel more closely connected to you, as they’re seeing you and being addressed by you in real time.
What do people want to watch? Well perhaps surprisingly, it doesn’t have to be something spectacular. Content that people can relate to is a great way for them to connect with you and your channel.
Getting to grips with a particular subject as an ordinary person can be just as engaging as watching an expert, so you certainly don’t have to be the best, say, snowboarder out there to have a successful snowboarding channel.
It’s natural to crave the feeling of being in the moment with someone, even if via a smartphone screen. The better you convey exactly how it feels to be part of whatever you’re recording on camera, the better your engagement is likely to be.
Good scripting, quality camerawork and professional-level editing will all help to improve the immersiveness of your videos and cultivate your audience.
The amount of money YouTubers make depends on a number of things. For example, how many revenue streams are they operating? What kinds of sponsorship deals do they have? How long have they been running a YouTube channel? It also depends on how much time and attention they dedicate to producing content for YouTube.
There’s a large range of earning potential as a YouTuber. According to the job review site Glassdoor, the average reported salary for a YouTuber in the UK is £33,378, with most likely base pay of £21,000 to £53,000 a year.
Factors that can affect the amount of money you could make on YouTube include:
As long as you consistently post good quality content, build your audience, and introduce revenue streams that work for your channel, you should be able to make money vlogging.
The most popular channels on YouTube enjoy astronomical earnings. Your chances of coming remotely close to any of these creators are very slim indeed – but you never know!
As of 2023, the highest earning YouTube channels were as follows:
|
# |
Channel |
Earnings per year |
Subscribers (2025 figures) |
Run by |
|
1 |
Mr Beast |
$82 million |
420 million |
Jimmy Donaldson |
|
2 |
Good Mythical Morning |
$35 million |
19.3 million |
Rhett and Link |
|
3 |
Ryan’s World |
$35 million |
39.7 million |
Ryan Kaji |
|
4 |
Jake Paul |
$34 million |
20.9 million |
Jake Paul |
|
5 |
Markiplier |
$30 million |
37.7 million |
Mark Fischbach |
|
6 |
Unspeakable |
$28.5 million |
19 million |
Nathan Johnson Graham |
|
7 |
Nastya |
$28 million |
129 million |
Anastasia Radzinskaya |
|
8 |
Dude Perfect |
$22 million |
61.4 million |
Tyler Toney, Cory and Coby Cotton, Garrett Hilbert, Cody Jones |
|
9 |
Logan Paul |
$21 million |
23.6 million |
Logan Paul |
|
10 |
Preston |
$16 million |
31.3 million |
Preston Arsement |
If you’re not sure about becoming a YouTuber, the OddsMonkey Side Hustle Hub has tons of other ideas! Matched Betting is one of the best – a clever technique which allows you to turn free promotional bets offered by bookmakers into real profit. Check out our beginner’s guide to Matched Betting to find out more.
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