Make Money on YouTube: Partner Program and a Site of Your Own

YouTube, a medium that works for you for a long time

Unlike platforms where content disappears within days, a YouTube video can keep being found for months, even years, by people typing a question in the search bar. This is one of its great strengths: the internal search engine works like that of a website. A well-titled video that precisely answers a question has a far longer lifespan than a post on a news feed.

For a creator, this means the work accumulates. Ten useful videos form a base, thirty a small catalog, a hundred a real asset, as long as you stay consistent on the subject.

The two sources of income to tell apart

YouTube's partner program

The platform offers a program that lets you earn part of the advertising revenue generated by your videos, along with other options for subscribers. Access depends on precise eligibility conditions (subscriber thresholds, watch time, compliance with the rules), which YouTube defines and changes. Check them in the creator area rather than in a secondhand article. Do not base your project on theoretical ad revenue: it depends on the audience's country, the theme and the season.

Affiliate marketing through your site

Affiliate marketing depends on no platform threshold. You create useful videos, you point to a page of your site that presents an offer, and you are compensated when a signup is recorded. The two routes complement each other: the first rewards the view, the second rewards the action.

Description and pinned comment: where to put the link

Two spots are particularly useful on YouTube:

• The first lines of the description: they are visible without clicking "more". Put a clear sentence there and the link to the page of your site related to the video.
• The pinned comment: it stays at the top of the comments and catches the eye. Phrase a question to encourage discussion and add the link to your site's page.

In both cases, the link leads to a page of your site, not to a raw affiliate link. The visitor should find there the explanation the video cannot fully give: comparison, opinion, conditions, a note about compensation. You also keep the flexibility to change offers without editing your old videos.

If you use a smartlink, place it on your page, not in the description: the page is what welcomes and directs the visitor.

What content to create

Dating is a theme that raises many questions. A few format ideas that answer a real need:

• tutorials: writing a profile, choosing photos, holding a first conversation;
• honest comparisons between several approaches to online dating;
• videos of outings and places in your city, useful to a local audience;
• answers to questions asked in the comments.

A four-to-eight-minute video, well structured, is better than a very long format with no outline. Take care with the introduction (announce what the person will learn) and the conclusion (indicate where to continue, namely on your site). Choose your audience well: this thinking ties in with choosing your niche.

Finally, think about the title and thumbnail: they decide the click. A title that repeats the exact question the viewer asks ("What should you say in a first message?") works better than a vague formula. A human face, a smile and short text on the thumbnail help readability, as long as they stay faithful to the video's content. Add chapters in the description so the viewer quickly finds the part that interests them, which improves watch time.

The rules to respect

YouTube has rules on content for adults, on promotion and on advertising. Without citing the detail, keep these principles:

• an adult audience for anything related to dating;
• no suggestive content, neither in the video, nor the thumbnail, nor the title;
• disclosure of partnerships and promotions when regulation or the platform requires it;
• no misleading title: the thumbnail and title must reflect the content.

The platform's policies change. Reread them before publishing a series of videos devoted to dating.

Measure what comes from each video

Each video can point to a different page of your site, or to the same page with a particular tracking identifier. By comparing signups by SubID, you spot the videos that truly bring results. The details are in the article on SubID and postback.

Build for the long term

The real advantage of YouTube is the lifespan of its content, as long as you do not spread yourself thin. Choose a theme, publish at a rhythm you can maintain and link each video to a page of your site. If you do not have that site yet, getting started helps you lay the foundations, and the article make money blogging shows how to monetize it. Then compare with Pinterest, another platform with durable traffic, and find the overview on social networks.