How to Earn Profits Selling Products on YouTube (2023)

If you spend enough time online on YouTube, you may be aware certain of the most popular YouTubers -- and more modest YouTube creators are now in selling merch (short to "merchandise").

For example, makeup guru Huda Kattan created her name-brand beauty label Huda Beauty. Jackie Aina has created FORVR Mood as the lifestyle brand which offers candle scents and self-care kits. Meanwhile, Emma Chamberlain has her own company for tea and coffee, Chamberlain Coffee.

The creators have realized that using the standard method of earning money through YouTube isn't sustainable and have discovered ways to diversify their income. Selling products is an excellent method to achieve this. And, in the long run the sales of merch can become a major source of income for YouTube creators. More than that, selling custom merch can aid creators in engaging their fan audience to stay on top of their YouTube content, as this is where they typically to announce the launch of a new product.

Unlike the YouTube stars mentioned above There is no need for millions of subscribers to create and sell merchandise. In fact, if you begin early enough, selling merchandise could aid in the growth of the reach of your channel on YouTube.

The proof is in the pudding: Emma Chamberlain and others have shown us that merchandise sales can become major sources of revenue for YouTubers. If you're a Youtuber who wants to sell your own merchandise take a look at this article to find out how. In this all-inclusive guide, we'll cover why it's a good idea to start selling merchandise on YouTube and what you could offer as a YouTube maker, as well as how to market your merchandise through your channel.

The reasons why you should consider selling merch as a YouTuber

The lifestyle of YouTubers is often glamorized as a result of many think that thousands of views are the equivalent of thousands of dollars. That couldn't be farther from reality.

The majority of online creators such as those on other platforms like Instagram are often required adhere to certain guidelines to make income. YouTube requires creators who want to run advertisements. Brands set their own rules for creators they can collaborate with. Moreover, YouTube can stop a creator from advertising on their channel at any time or even end deals as they wish.

The standard way of making cash on YouTube is via it's YouTube Partner Program. For joining the program You must:

• A minimum of 1,000 customers.
• An average of 4,000 watch hours in the last twelve months.
• In a nation where the program is available.
• To comply to the YouTube monetization policy.
• To have no community guideline applies to your channel.

If you meet these criteria If you meet these requirements, you may apply for the program. But even that, it's not a guarantee that you'll get accepted. Even if you're approved, YouTube reserves the right to stop your advertising revenue, and suppress your channel -- or remove it entirely if it thinks you've broken the rules.

1. Diversify your revenue streams

In the past, ads revenue or brand sponsorships aren't the most secure ways to earn money through YouTube due to their volatility. Sure, you can make money from these options, but it's not advisable to place all your eggs into one basket.

A lot of people aren't aware of how much YouTube creators make from selling merch. Consider Ryan Kaji of Ryan's World as an illustration. The 11-year-old was initially a reviewer for toys, and has since created more than 5,000 pieces of branded merch. In 2020, he reportedly had a profit of $250,000 through the sale of his customized merch.

The reason he's able to accomplish this is because the products are his, the only person who can make them is him and his team call the shots on how the products are made and what the retail store will look like, as well as how they'll sell the items for Ryan's intended audience. When you're in control of the inventory you have, you'll likely reap all of the rewards.

2. Enhance Engagement of the fan

The most important factor in establishing an effective YouTube channel is audience engagement. If your viewers aren't motivated to watch your videos it is likely that you won't earn much money on YouTube. Selling merchandise is a fantastic method to keep your viewers entertained.

Why? because it provides your followers with an opportunity to give you their support as well as receive something in return. Robert Hoffmann, the Marketing Manager of CashbackHero says it the best way: "By selling merchandise, YouTubers can establish a more personal connection with their audience and increase engagement in the process," Robert says. "Additionally this gives users an opportunity to direct help the creators of content they follow, creating an ideal situation for all parties involved."

If you don't have an abundance of customers but, there'll be people that want to help you. So when you start selling custom merchandise, they'll buy it so long as the design is appealing. In the case of offering clothing, it must to feel comfortable, possess an inclusive sizing range, and be made from premium materials. That, and strategic marketing are the primary requirements to help you get your customers to buy your personalized merchandise.

Related: 9 tips for getting your first 1,000 Subscribers to YouTube

One thing to keep in mind is the fact that the group most likely to buy merch is Generation Z (ages 11-26 in 2023) that want to feel that they're a part of something. The merchandising industry is a great way for YouTubers to connect with their Gen Z fans on a deeper level. They can put on or wear their own merch and take a moment of gratitude for their favourite YouTuber, and feeling an integral part of the larger YouTube community.

3. Build brand awareness

Selling merchandise can help you create brand recognition and boost visibility for your channel on YouTube. If you're selling items emblazoned with your channel's name and brand, these will be essentially your own walking billboards.

Selling merch can even assist in reaching people who are not active YouTube users. Milo Cruz, the CMO at Freelance Writing Jobs and who has expertise in writing ads for YouTubers' merch describes how the process is done. "Active customers purchase a YouTuber's limited edition T-shirt, hoodie or other item, wear it, and then present the merchandise to family members and friends," he says. "The scenario is close to the concept of word-of-mouth. YouTubers get free advertisements from subscribers already subscribed to the channel who purchase the merch. The item will entice viewers who are exposed to the merchandise and will encourage them to go to the YouTuber's channel."

4. Make yourself stand out from the crowd

As a result, since most products are unique products, with designs that are uniquely yours and unique, you'll stand out against other YouTube channels that are in your field.

"Selling merchandise is a great way for YouTubers to differentiate themselves from their competitors," says Sreeram Sharma who is Head of Social Media at QikChat. "If YouTubers have a strong brand and a large and loyal following, then merchandise could offer a unique and valuable product that differentiates them from others in their niche."

You can make money as a YouTube creator

There are some products you could offer as YouTube creators. You can sell a few things as YouTube creator. This includes merchandise for fans, products you create in addition to experience for fans.

Fan merchandise

The fan merchandise market is the traditional way of offering merchandise to the fans. Imagine the kind of jerseys fans buy to support their favorite football teams, or bracelets Gen Zers wear for shows. They usually have the slogans or images that are associated with your YouTube channel that fans can wear to show their appreciation.

Here are a few examples of fan merchandise that is popular:

• T-shirts
• Crewnecks
• Hoodies
• Sweatpants
• Hats
• Scarves
• Socks
• Tote bags
• Mugs
• Enamel pins
• Stickers
• Phone cases
• Water bottles

Basically, any physical item you can create with your logo qualifies as merch.

For example, Ava Jules is an vlogger of beauty and lifestyle who has more than 1.6 million YouTube followers, offers a merch line consisting of sweatshirts, T-shirts caps, hats, and keychains that reflect her experience growing up in Hawaii.

One of the advantages of fan-made merchandise is that it's easy to create due to the Print-on-demand (POD) options for creators.

All creators have to do is create slogans or designs, after which when someone buys an item that is purchased, the POD company will apply the designs to the product , and deliver the items to the customer. That means creators do not have to be concerned about getting materials, keeping an inventory of their products, or even shipping them. That way, they'll conserve both time and money.

The products you design

Producing your own product for sale takes lots of effort and time, however, they are able to bring in even more revenue than fan products. You can make and sell physical products like how makeup YouTubers make their own makeup palettes, or the way Emma Chamberlain sells her own coffee blends and tea powder.

A few physical products that you can create and then sell are:

• Handmade craft
• Prints of art
• Physical wallpapers
• Gaming accessories
• Cosmetics
• Cookbooks

You can also make digital items such as:

• Templates
• Ebooks
• The photo editing presets
• Digital wallpapers
• Printable art and craft patterns for crafts

Digital products are valuable to your audience due to the fact that they're exclusive materials or information that they only get from your company.

Sarah Chrisp (aka Wholesale Ted) Wholesale Ted, an online entrepreneur with 1 million YouTube subscribers sells ebooks and dropshipping programs on her site, The Ecomm Clubhouse.

The creation of courses that are Sarah's standard isn't easy, however it is possible to start by offering something simple like selling printable worksheets and checklists. The caveat is that the products you sell must be relevant and valuable to your audience.

Fan experiences

If you have a sizeable audience on YouTube and you have a large following, you can provide special events to your subscribers like exclusive products such as meet-and-greets, private special events. Additionally, you can establish a membership service or Patreon which allows your followers to get access to exclusive live streams, one-on-one sessionsor behind-the-scenes videos of your business.

How to promote your merch YouTube? YouTube

If you decide to make fan merchandise There are a few strategies you can use to let your customers know that the products are available for purchase. Here are some strategies to implement.

1. Promoting your merchandise on your YouTube videos

The type of promotional campaign needs you to incorporate your merchandise somewhere within your video so viewers will be able to find out about it, and then purchase some to their own. There are several methods to promote your video:

Create Your Own Model

The simplest and easiest way to promote your custom merchandise is to showcase it on your YouTube channel. That way, your subscribers will be aware that the item exists and can see what it is like. In the case of selling wearable merch by way of example, modeling the designs in your videos can show that you're confident in the products you offer.

If you're uncomfortable carrying your merchandise in your videos constantly, you can display it on the background as you film and draw focus on it from time to time.

You can talk about the merchandise you have purchased at the end of your video

If you don't want to promote your merch during a video because it could divert viewers away from the topic of the video, it is possible to mention it at the end of your video.

The downside to this, though, is that only those that watch the video to the very end will be aware of your merchandise. It is possible to fix this issue by directing people in your intro to watch through the entire video in anticipation of announcing a special eventor something similar to result.

Do you have a method of unboxing a product?

"Creating video unboxings of your products gives potential buyers an up-close look at the characteristics of your product and appreciate their worth more," says Rachel Macfarlane who is a strategist for content marketing with Redfox Visual.

Macfarlane is right. If you sell products like gaming accessories, for example the unboxing video allows you to describe all of the benefits and features of your product as you take it out of the box. It helps the audience understand exactly how important what you sell is.

Videos of unboxing products are perfect to promote new products and seasonal collections. However, you are able to create them for nearly every product.

2. Add your product's links to the video description

No matter if your video's subject to your merchandise or not make sure to include the hyperlink to your online store or product page(s) in your video description box for anyone who is curious. Included merch link or store link can be particularly useful in the case of multiple products you want to promote.

  3. Utilize the YouTube display feature for merch

Did you realize that YouTube offers a built-in function that lets YouTubers sell their merchandise directly through their YouTube videos? Take a look at YouTube's Merch Shelf. YouTube Merch Shelf.

The merch shelf feature allows creators to sell their merchandise directly through YouTube from a number of locations within the platform, such as their channel's store, video ends, and even below videos and live streams.

Through the merch store feature on YouTube that allows you to place your items before the viewers' eyeballs in real-time when they're watching your content or perusing your channel. This simple, integrated feature means that potential customers don't have to go through hoops in order to discover the merchandise they want or to make a purchase. Everything is available in the YouTube app!

YouTubers who want to take advantage of the merch shelf feature must be able to meet certain conditions, and it can be restricting to some. However, if you meet the requirements, it's something that you ought to take advantage of. At present, you have to meet the following conditions to be eligible for YouTube's merch-shelf feature:

• The channel you are on has over 1,000 subscribers.
• Your channel has been accepted for monetization.
• Your channel is not marked as "made by kids."
• It is possible to join the YouTube Partner Program is available in your area.

Are you in compliance with all requirements? Great! It's time to start selling your merchandise on the YouTube store for merch. It is possible to learn more about how to set up your own YouTube merchandise shelf through the support page.

4. Make sure you offer discounts on your merchandise

Discounting your products is an excellent method to generate a large amount of sales within a brief amount of time. Garrett Smith who runs local SEO at GMB Gorilla knows that offering discount coupons and special offers in your merchandise will give your fans "feel unique."

Smith suggests "Use keywords that create an urgency such as 'limited time offer' or 'only a few stocks in stock,' which will encourage readers to purchase right away. This hits two birds with one stone as it increases sales. It also encourages new viewers to subscribe to your channel. It also expands the reach of your channel."

5. Make sure to promote your products via social media

Social media is one the most effective ways for promoting any product. If you're already a YouTuber, you'll want to make use of the other social media platforms regardless of whether they're Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok in order to advertise your products to your customers.

You'll have to create articles or posts that showcase your items, host giveaways and contests, and offer exclusive deals to your followers and then run advertisements for people who aren't already follow you.

6. Create a collaborative environment with other creators who are in your field of expertise

Working with other YouTubers social media influencers, or other brands that are in your field is a fantastic way to reach new viewers that you may not have reached previously.

It is possible to create videos alongside other artists and include your merch on them. You could also make a limited edition product using an influential influencer, preferably one who has more followers than you do. It will ensure that you're reaching new audiences and increasing brand recognition during your partnership.

At the end of the day, marketing merch via YouTube is all about coming up with innovative methods of getting your fans interested in buying from you.

Earn money selling merchandise through YouTube

Becoming successful being a YouTube creator requires you to create an enterprise that generates money, regardless of obstacles you have to face on the platform. Selling merchandise is one of the most effective ways of achieving this.

It doesn't require a ton of users or expensive equipment in order for selling products on YouTube. All you need is an experienced artist, a reliable print-on demand business (if you plan to market clothing) as well as a solid strategy for marketing. Since YouTube is able to be integrated into online stores, it will be easy for your audience to find your products and purchase them.

After you've learned all the tricks and tips of selling merchandise through YouTube It's time to get out there to create your merch and make that money.

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