How Long It Takes To Make Money From Your YouTube Channel?

Kabange W. Enoch
4 min readJun 20, 2023
Photo by Videodeck .co on Unsplash

While we all savour the idea of converting our hobbies or interests into revenue-generating pursuits, the practicality of such a transition is often shrouded in mystery. This article will elucidate the practicalities of creating a YouTube channel and the process involved in monetizing it. Drawing insights from Carla Marshall’s guidelines on YouTube monetization and Kristen Walters’ case study, we delve into the question, “How long does it take to monetize a YouTube cash cow channel?”

Making Money on YouTube: What You Need to Know

To start earning money on YouTube, there are a few rules you need to follow. These rules are set by YouTube to make sure everyone is playing fair and keeping things safe and fun. So, what are these rules? Let’s take a look:

  1. Gather Your Fan Club: For YouTube to consider paying you, you need to have at least 1,000 people subscribed to your channel. That’s like having a thousand friends who love to watch your videos!
  2. Keep Them Watching: You also need to make sure your videos have been watched for at least 4,000 hours over the past year. That’s like someone watching your videos non-stop for about 166 days!
  3. Where You Live Matters: You need to live in a country where YouTube allows people to earn money from their videos.
  4. Follow the Rules: YouTube has a set of rules called Community Guidelines. You must make sure you’re not breaking any of these rules.
  5. Setting Up Your Money Account: You need to link a special kind of Google account called an AdSense account to your YouTube channel. This account is where YouTube will send your money.
  6. Keep Your Account Safe: It’s very important to make your YouTube account super safe by turning on something called Two-Factor Authentication. This is like a super strong lock that makes it hard for anyone else to get into your account.

Making Money with Videos, Even Without Showing Your Face!

You might think that only super exciting or crazy videos can make money on YouTube. But that’s not always true. Kristen Walters, a YouTuber, tells us about her own experience.

Kristen isn’t what you’d call a “normal” YouTuber. She doesn’t make videos about her daily life or try to become famous. She also doesn’t post videos every single day or every week. She uses YouTube as a way to teach people things and make money from it.

Over time, she has made lots of YouTube channels about different topics. Some of them didn’t work out, but others became successful and now make money for her every month.

Here’s the cool thing: Kristen often makes videos about topics that some people might find boring, and she doesn’t even show her face. She posts a few videos and then waits to see what happens. If people start watching and liking her videos, she adds more. But if not, she just moves on to a new idea.

Here’s an example: Kristen once made a channel and posted FIVE videos in 2017. She hasn’t added any more videos, but guess what? She still earns money from that channel!

Kristen’s way of thinking is, why spend years making one YouTube channel that might not work when you can try lots of different ideas? She tests a new idea first, and if it works, she puts more time into it.

One of her channels is called DMV Written Test Tutor. Doesn’t sound very fun, does it? But here’s the cool part: she started this channel with 9 videos, and guess how long it took for it to start making money? Only three months!

Here’s a bummer: Kristen’s case is atypical, and while it is possible (people have monetised channels with one. single. video!), it is the exception and not the norm.

So, How Long Does It Take to Start Earning Money?

Based on Kristen’s experience, you might start earning money from your YouTube channel in as short as three months. But, remember, everyone’s experience might be different. It all depends on what your videos are about, how much work you put into making them, and whether people are interested in what you’re sharing.

In the end, the secret to making money on YouTube isn’t just about making lots of videos. It’s about making the right videos that people want to watch, although having lots of videos that people want to watch is what you should aim for. It’s also about trying new ideas and seeing what works. And most importantly, it’s about being patient and not giving up.

Be Patient!

Before checking your channel’s progress or success, it’s a good idea to upload a decent amount of content, say around 32 videos. This gives you enough material to judge what’s working and what’s not.

Remember, your channel likely won’t explode in popularity in just 15 days. In fact, it typically takes somewhere between 3 to 6 months to start seeing significant growth.

The most important thing is to not jump to conclusions too early. And don’t even think about throwing in the towel too soon! Keep going, and keep uploading. Good things take time.

And you know what? You have an unhealthy focus on “monetization” that the real work starts once you get into the partner program and any video you have is going to help predict whether your income check is a single digit or that shiny 4/5 or 6 figures. Be patient, it takes time!!!

PS: Cash Cow YouTube channels are not only legit but an exciting, optimistic venture that is transforming the YouTube landscape. With an upfront investment and systematic approach, this can be your golden ticket into the world of successful YouTubing. Now, with our scriptwriting and video creation services, the dream of launching your cash cow YouTube channel is within your reach. Let’s set the stage, roll the “cameras”, and script your YouTube success story!

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