How to make money on YouTube without 1,000 subscribers

Short answer: under 1,000 subscribers, make money from things you control. Sell one small product or service that answers your most-asked question, add a tip link, use affiliate links for gear you already recommend, and pitch small sponsors. Apply for YouTube's expanded program at 500 subscribers if it is offered where you live, and for ad revenue at 1,000.

The short answer

Ad revenue pays per view, so it needs a lot of views to add up. Your own offers pay per person, so they work when a few viewers care a lot. That is why small channels with a clear topic, such as a specific game, a craft, a software tool or a fitness goal, often earn more from a $12 guide than they would from ads at the same size.

The two YouTube thresholds

Two details people miss. Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts feed do not count toward the 4,000 hours. And you must live in a country where the program is offered. If you are not eligible yet, YouTube Studio's Earn tab has a Get notified option, and if you are turned down you can apply again after 30 days.

Seven ways to earn before ad money

1. Your own digital product. A guide, template, preset, plan, sample pack or course that does what your videos teach, in one place. No subscriber minimum, and you set the price.
2. A service. Coaching, reviews, edits, custom builds, lessons or commissions. Charge for your time and limit how many you take each month.
3. Tips. A link that lets viewers say thank you after a video saved them time or money. Mention it once at the end, plainly.
4. Memberships you run yourself. A monthly payment for extras such as early videos, project files or a monthly Q&A, without waiting for YouTube's memberships.
5. Affiliate links. A commission when viewers buy gear or software through your link. Only link what you use, and say that you earn from the link.
6. Sponsors. Small brands in your niche often prefer focused channels. More on this below.
7. Fan funding at 500 subscribers. Where the expanded program exists, channel memberships and Super Thanks open before ad revenue does.

Where to put your link

Viewers only buy what they can find. Put one link where they look:

• The first two lines of the description. Those show before "more". Say what the link is: "The full printable plan from this video: [link]".
• The links on your channel page. Viewers who like you go there to see what else you do.
• Inside the video. Say it out loud, once, at the moment it helps: "I put every setting from this video in a preset; it's linked below."
• Your Shorts. Use Shorts to point people to your channel and long videos, where your link is easier to tap.

One link that opens a page with your product, tips and membership is easier than five links in a description. A Loresta Page holds tips, memberships, digital products, custom requests and sessions in one link (payments are open to US creators for now). On the Free plan Loresta keeps 8% of each Page payment plus Stripe's processing fee, so a $12.00 guide leaves you about $10.33.

Pick your first product from your comments

You already have product research: your comments. Spend twenty minutes reading the last few hundred and write down every question. Then sort them:

• Asked again and again: "what settings?", "can you share the file?", "where's the full list?". That is a digital product.
• Asked about someone's own case: "can you look at my build?", "would this work for my dog?". That is a service.
• Asked for more: "part 2?", "more of these please". That is a membership, once you know you can deliver monthly.

Make the smallest version first and sell it to the people who asked. Our guide on what a creator should sell first has a scoring sheet, and how to price a digital product covers the price.

Sponsors at a small size

Brands care about who watches more than how many. A channel with 600 subscribers about one camera model can be the best place for an accessory brand to advertise. To pitch:

• Pick ten brands whose products already appear in your videos.
• Send a short email: who watches, one video where their product fits, what you would make, and your price.
• Offer one integrated mention, not a full video, for a first deal.

Tick the paid promotion box in YouTube Studio for every sponsored video, and say it in the video itself. The FTC says a disclosure only in the description is easy to miss. For pricing, see how much a creator should charge for a brand deal.

A 60-day plan for a channel under 1,000 subscribers

• Days 1 to 7: read your comments, pick one product or service, and write what the buyer gets in three lines.
• Days 8 to 14: make the smallest version, set up your link, and buy it yourself once to test delivery.
• Days 15 to 30: publish two videos where the product is the natural next step, and mention it once in each.
• Days 31 to 45: pitch ten small sponsors and add affiliate links to gear you already show.
• Days 46 to 60: look at what sold, ask buyers what they wanted next, and plan your second product or a membership.

Mistakes that slow small channels down

• Waiting for ads. Ad money at a small size rarely pays for your time. Your own offers can.
• Selling something nobody asked for. Start from comments, not from what other creators sell.
• Burying the link. If it is below six lines of hashtags, almost nobody sees it.
• Buying subscribers or watch hours. It breaks YouTube's rules and can block your application.
• Hiding sponsors. Viewers trust small channels because they feel honest. Keep it that way.