When it comes to making money on YouTube in Nigeria, it’s not as simple as a one-size-fits-all answer. Many aspiring creators hope for a quick estimate of potential earnings, but the YouTube landscape is more complex than it seems but the essence of this blog post is to simply things. In this post, we’ll delve into the reality of earning on YouTube in Nigeria and provide insights to help you maximize your income.
Setting Realistic Expectations
Many people believe that once they reach the coveted milestones of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, they’ll start rolling in cash. However, it’s not that straightforward. Earning on YouTube requires more than just these metrics, as there are a lot of factors that will determine whether you will make money or you will essentially just labor without really seeing the rewards.
Factors Influencing Earnings (The Power of Views)
Your earnings on YouTube are closely tied to the number of views you can generate. More views can lead to more income, but it’s important to understand the details.
YouTube doesn’t pay for every view. Earnings come from ads displayed on your videos. This means that not all your views will be monetized. As aspiring YouTubers, we often see channels with millions of views, and we are tempted to believe that all those views will translate to money, but that is actually incorrect.
Understanding the CPM
On average, YouTube pays about $2 for every 1,000 views. This figure can help you estimate potential earnings, but keep in mind that this number may vary. I have talked extensively about the CPM figures for Nigeria here.
A Realistic Earnings Example
Imagine you’re a small YouTuber who manages to bring in 100,000 views in a month.
- Normally, YouTube will only show ads to 50% of your viewers. In our case study, this means that your 100,000 views will generate 50,000 ad impressions.
- With YouTube paying around $2 per 1,000 views, this amounts to $100.
- From this rough estimate, as a Nigerian YouTuber, you should expect about $100 in your account with 100,000 views.
However, this is not a fact, but the ideal example that most Nigerian Youtubers are likely to make. We still need to have a few things in mind, as even though you are a Nigerian Youtuber, most of your traffic comes from first-world countries. That figure will balloon. Also, the time of year also matters, as advertisers tend to spend more in the ember months, and you will most likely make the most money in that period.
Also note that while the CPM for Nigerians is around $2, YouTube will take 45% of this money for themselves. And then, they will also deduct tax on earnings for American audiences. But generally, you will earn around $1 for 1000 views. You can also check out how much you are expected to earn with 1000 subscribers.
Diversifying Income Streams
Beyond Ad Revenue
While ad revenue is a significant income source, there are other ways to make money on YouTube.
- Super Chats and Memberships: Engage with your viewers during live streams and offer membership perks.
- Patreon and Buy Me a Coffee: Allow your audience to directly support your content through donations.
- Affiliate Marketing: Promote products or services and earn a commission on sales. These items can be digital or physical.
Building a Successful YouTube Channel
Key to Success
Earning money on YouTube is a gradual process. Consider these factors:
- Quality Content: Create engaging, valuable, and unique content.
- Consistency: Regularly uploading new content to build your audience is key. At a point, it might seem that nobody is watching your content, but with time, they will find those contents.
- Audience Engagement: Foster a community and interact with your viewers by encouraging them to like, subscribe, and leave a comment.
- Niche Selection: Choose a niche with an audience that aligns with your passion as it is far easier to talk about something you know and have passion for than something you know nothing about.
- SEO and Promotion: Learn about SEO to help your videos rank better.
- Monetization Requirements: Meet YouTube’s requirements for ad revenue.
Conclusion
The earnings from YouTube can vary widely, but by managing your expectations, being patient, and focusing on creating valuable content, you can increase your chances of success. Building a successful YouTube channel takes time and effort, but with dedication and the right approach, it’s possible to maximize your earnings in Nigeria.
Author
Abbey Johnson has a Masters degree as an engineer and has over 3 years of teaching and research experience. He is happiest when on a bike and is also interested in electric energy and computer Science.