How We Make $4,000+/Month Passively on YouTube with Under 4,000 Subscribers

Did you know that you don't need millions of subscribers on YouTube to make a significant income? Many people start a YouTube channel with the misconception that they can quickly earn a substantial income through ad revenue alone. However, the reality is quite different; it often takes years to reach the required 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours, not to mention any significant earnings. Today, we’ll dive into exactly how much you can make from YouTube with just 3,179 subscribers (based on our own channel!), focusing on alternative monetization strategies beyond ad revenue.

Three Best Ways to Monetize Your YouTube Channel

#1. Selling Online Courses

One of the primary ways we generate income is by selling online courses. We use Kajabi, a software platform that hosts our courses and manages our online course business. Over the last six months, we've made $4,800 from course sales, which breaks down to about $810 per month. If you're looking to build an online course, we recommend Kajabi, and you can get a 30-day free trial using this link (compared to the usual 14-day trial).

Related Read: How to Monetize Online Courses: Make Money Selling Digital Products

#2. Promoting Affiliate Products

The second way we monetize our channel is through affiliate marketing. We partner with four different software companies that sell Learning Management Systems (LMS). We receive a percentage of the sales made through our affiliate links.

• Kajabi: We currently have 39 people using our link to pay for Kajabi, bringing in $3,154 this month. Over our lifetime, we've made almost $22,000.
• LearnWorlds: We've made $249.99 this month from promoting LearnWorlds.
• Talent LMS: Our monthly earnings from TalentLMS average about $216.11.
• Talent Cards: With fewer users on paid plans, we make around $100 per month from Talen Cards.

#3. YouTube Ad Revenue

While ad revenue is the most common form of YouTube monetization, it isn't our primary income source. Since monetizing in September/October 2023, our monthly ad revenue has grown from $33 in October to an estimated $142 this month. While it's a nice supplement, it’s not enough to rely on solely.

Monthly Earnings Breakdown

Let’s sum it all up:

• Course Sales: $810
• Kajabi Affiliate: $3,154
• LearnWorlds Affiliate: $249.99
• TalentLMS Affiliate: $216.11
• Talent Cards Affiliate: $100
• YouTube Ads: $142
• Total: $4,669.39

Our monthly earnings fluctuate between $2,500 and $5,000, depending on course sales and subscriptions. Considering we have only 3,179 subscribers, this income is quite substantial.

If you want to learn how to generate similar income with a small subscriber base, check out our YouTube 2K Blueprint. It teaches you how to make $2,000 or more a month passively with fewer than 2,000 subscribers, without relying on ads.