If you’re reading this article, I would like to assume that you are already familiar with YouTube, but you might not have reached the milestone of a million views. I also haven’t reached that mark in Nigeria, but we can draw conclusions based on the hard evidence and data I have. Achieving one million views on YouTube is no small feat; it means you’ve truly mastered the game. In this post, I will provide a ballpark figure for what you can expect to earn with a million views on your videos.
CPM and Earnings
The first thing I always discuss is the concept of CPM, which stands for “Cost Per Mille.” It represents the amount of money advertisers are willing to pay for 1,000 ads shown on your video. Keep in mind that this figure relates to the number of ads served, not the number of views.
As I often mention, you can make an assumption that at least 50% of people who view your video will see ads. So, for someone with one million views in Nigeria, we can divide that number by 2, assuming that 500,000 viewers had YouTube ads served to them. Now, let’s multiply those 500,000 ad views by the CPM rate in Nigeria, which is around $2. By doing the math, you’ll find that for one million views, you could expect to earn approximately $1,000. Please note that this figure is not set in stone; it can be lower or higher.
In fact, a Ghanaian YouTuber whose video went viral in America earned around $6,000 for one million views.
Factors Affecting Earnings
Other factors can influence your earnings. For instance, the retention of your audience plays a crucial role. If you have a longer video, say more than eight minutes, you can include multiple ad slots within the same video. However, keep in mind that audience retention matters. If a significant portion of your viewers drop out before the end of the video, fewer ads will be served to them.
Variability and Audience Geography
Your earnings can also depend on the geographic distribution of your viewers. Just because you’re in Nigeria doesn’t mean all your viewers will come from there. You might have viewers from the UK or the US, which can impact your earnings positively.
Additionally, the niche of your content can affect your earnings. Some niches, such as finance, tend to generate higher CPM rates compared to niches like comedy, pranks, or reaction videos.
Conclusion
In summary, this is a ballpark estimate of the money you might earn from YouTube with one million views. While $1,000 is a reasonable expectation for a million views in Nigeria, actual earnings can vary based on many factors. Keep in mind that YouTube earnings are influenced by your specific circumstances and the ever-evolving algorithms and ad rates on the platform.
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.