As someone who recently started a YouTube channel (no, I'm not going to share the channel lmao kdjsakdkk) I did extensive research over the course of 3 months, so might as well share it!
1. Become a YouTube partner
-What
@timborn43 mentioned is actually the requirements to become eligible for the YouTube partnership. YT has changed policies during the past year, one of the most significant changes is that
all videos now have ads on them. Whether a channel is new or old–there are ads. The only difference is, once you're a YT partner, YouTube will pay you for the ads that they play on your videos. There's also an entirely different sub-branch of this topic that discusses niche CPM, you can read up more on that.
2. Sponsorships
-Arguably one of the biggest modes of income, a good sponsorship can be equivalent to an average monthly wage in the US! This, of course, is proportional to the following that you've built. The bigger your audience, the bigger the paycheck.
3. Affiliate Marketing
-I think this method of earning money on YT is getting slept on. I'm the biggest sucker to affiliates on YT because I
love watching reviews. Whether it's a small gadget or trinket, and if I find it to my liking, I hunt the product on the YouTuber's video description. Very recently, I was looking at reviews for bedroom furniture and one of my favorite YouTubers covered a store where I ended up buying my new bed frame. No regrets (except for my wallet feeling depressed lately lmao)
Lots of other unconventional ways to earn moolah on YT. These are just the top 3 in my head!