I earned ₹1,49,609 from YouTube last month.
But the question is: Can a creator really sustain themselves solely from YouTube?
Here’s what I’ve learned from my own experience:
1. YouTube Shorts don’t pay much:
On an average, my YouTube shorts earn about ₹1,000 per million views. They are great for visibility and increasing subscriber counts. However, they alone cannot pay my bills. For example, I have a Short with 16 million views that only made ₹13,000. Despite their viral potential, it offers very little in terms of direct earnings.
2. Long-form content brings in more money:
Long-form videos are your real bread and butter if you want to be a full time creator. One of my long videos, which only got 2 million views, earned ₹1,20,000. Even for me lower-performing long videos tend to earn more. This is because the longer duration allows for more ad placements. So, I believe that focusing on high-quality longer videos is a more sustainable way to ensure a steady income flow.
3. The type of content you make matters.
I make non-fiction and educational videos. On YouTube, different types of videos attract different ads. This affects earnings. For instance, a fun, casual video might get more views but often attracts lower-paying ads. In my case, my videos are 15 minutes long, so it can accommodate multiple ads. This increases revenue too. This is the reason why podcasters end up earning more than other creators sometimes.
4. YouTube alone isn’t enough:
Running your house solely through YouTube monetization is a myth. While AdSense is a consistent income source, it isn’t enough to sustain most creators. At the end of the day, it all depends on views which fluctuates a lot. I’ve had months where YouTube didn’t pay well. So, how do I run a team of 10 people? How do I pay them salaries? How do I run my content business? This is where brand deals play an important role for our sustainence.
This article is written by Kavya Karnatac
