How to Make Money Making Money Selling merchandise through YouTube (2023)

If you're spending enough time on YouTube it is possible to notice there are some most popular YouTubers -- and even smaller YouTube creators have entered into the business of selling merch (short for "merchandise").

For instance, makeup artist Huda Kattan launched her namesake beauty label Huda Beauty. Jackie Aina created FORVR Mood, the lifestyle brand which offers scent-infused candles as well as self-care products. In addition, Emma Chamberlain has her own coffee and tea company, Chamberlain Coffee.

The creators have realized that the conventional methods of earning money from YouTube isn't sustainable and have come up with methods to diversify their revenue. The sale of merchandise is a fantastic way to do this and eventually, merch sales can actually be a main source of revenue for YouTube creators. Additionally selling custom merchandise could aid creators in engaging their fan audience to stay on top of their YouTube content, as this is where they typically to announce the launch of a new product.

Contrary to YouTube stars mentioned above, you don't need millions of followers to produce and sell merchandise. Actually, if you begin early enough, selling merch can even assist in growing the reach of your channel on YouTube.

The evidence speaks for itself: Emma Chamberlain and others have demonstrated that sales of merchandise can be major sources of revenue that YouTubers can earn. If you're a Youtuber who wants to sell the merchandise you create take a look at this article to find out how. In this all-inclusive guide, we'll cover why you should start selling merch through YouTube, what you can offer as a YouTube creator and how to promote your merch on your YouTube channel.

The reasons why you should consider selling merch through YouTube

The lifestyle of YouTubers is often glamorized as a result of some people think the thousands of viewers equal thousands of dollars. It's far from reality.

Many creators on the internet -- including those on other platforms like Instagram typically have adhere to certain guidelines in order to earn income. YouTube has requirements for creators that want to use advertisements. Brands have their own guidelines for creators they can work with. Moreover, YouTube can stop a creator from advertising on the channel at any moment or even cancel deals at any time they want.

The standard way of making cash on YouTube is through YouTube Partner Program. YouTube Partner Program. To join the program, you need:

• At least 1,000 customers.
• At least 4,000 hours of public watch hours in the last twelve months.
• To live in a country where the program is available.
• To be in compliance with the YouTube monetization policy.
• If you do not have a community guideline, it strikes on your channel.

If you're in the right category If you meet these requirements, you may apply to the program. But even that, it's not a guarantee that you'll get accepted. And even when you're approved, YouTube reserves the right to stop your advertising revenue and even shut down the channel or even remove it completely when it feels you've breached its rules.

1. Diversify your revenue streams

Like we said earlier, ad revenue and brand sponsorships are not the most secure ways to earn money through YouTube due to their volatility. Yes, it is possible to do those things, but it's not advisable to place all your eggs into one basket.

A lot of people aren't aware of how much money YouTube creators earn from selling merch. For instance, take Ryan Kaji of Ryan's World as an instance. The 11-year-old boy started as a reviewer for toys, and has since created more than 5,000 pieces of branded merch. In the year 2020, he reportedly had a profit of $250 million by selling the merch he designed.

The reason he's able to do this is that the products are his, which means that he alone and his team decide how the products are made as well as the design of the store like, and the way they'll promote the product for Ryan's intended audience. When you're in control of the inventory you have it's likely that you'll reap all of the rewards.

2. Enhance fan engagement

The main ingredient to running the success of a YouTube channel is audience engagement. If your viewers aren't motivated to view your content it is likely that you won't earn any money from YouTube. The sale of merchandise is an excellent way to keep your fans engaged.

Why? because it provides your followers with an opportunity to give you their support and receive something back in exchange. Robert Hoffmann, the Marketing Director at CashbackHero summarizes it well: "By selling merchandise, YouTubers are able to build an even more intimate connection with their followers and improve participation in the process." Robert says. "Additionally, it offers viewers the opportunity to personally support the content creators they watch, resulting in a win-win situation for both people involved."

Although you may not have many subscribers but, there'll be those who would like to be a part of your team. When you begin selling custom merchandise, they'll buy it so long as your design is appealing. In the case of offering apparel, it has to be comfortable, have an extensive sizing selection as well as be constructed from premium materials. And, of course, a well-planned marketing are the primary things you need to sell out your stock of customized merchandise.

Related: 9 tips for getting your First 1,000 Subscribers to YouTube

Another thing to consider is the fact that the group that is most likely to purchase merch will be Generation Z (ages 11-26 by 2023) whom desire to feel they're a part of something. Merchandise is the perfect opportunity for YouTubers to communicate with their Gen Z followers on a deeper level. Fans can wear or use their own merch and feel a sense of gratitude for their favourite YouTuber as well as being part of a bigger crowd.

3. Increase brand awareness

Selling merchandise can help you improve brand awareness and the visibility of your YouTube channel. If you're selling products featuring your channel's name and brand, these will be essentially your own walking billboards.

The selling of merchandise can allow you to reach out to those who aren't active YouTube users. Milo Cruz, the CMO at Freelance Writing Jobs and who has the experience of writing advertisements for YouTubers' merchandise explains how it is done. "Active customers purchase the limited edition YouTuber's T-shirt or hoodieand wear it, then present the merchandise to family members and friends," he says. "The situation is similar to word-of-mouth, where YouTubers get free advertisements by existing subscribers who purchase merchandise. The item will entice viewers who are exposed to the merchandise and convinces them to check the YouTuber's channel."

4. Stand out from competitors

As a result, since most products are custom products with unique designs and unique, you'll stand out from other YouTube channels within your particular niche.

"Selling products can allow YouTubers to differentiate themselves from their competitors," says Sreeram Sharma, the Head of Social Media at QikChat. "If YouTubers have an impressive brand name and dedicated fan base, merchandise may be a unique and valuable service that distinguishes them from others in their niche."

The things you can offer as an YouTube creator

There are a few things you can sell as an YouTube creator, including merchandise for fans, products that you design in addition to experience for fans.

Fan merchandise

The fan merchandise market is the traditional method of providing products to fans. Imagine the kind of jerseys fans purchase in support of their favorite soccer team, or the branded bracelets Gen Zers wear to attend shows. They usually have images or slogans associated with your YouTube channel . Fans can wear to show their appreciation.

Here are some instances of popular fan merch:

• T-shirts
• Crewnecks
• Hoodies
• Sweatpants
• Hats
• Scarves
• Socks
• Tote bags
• Mugs
• Enamel pins
• Stickers
• Phone cases
• Bottles of water

The basic idea is that any item you can make with your brand's logo is regarded as merch.

As an example, Ava Jules, an vlogger of beauty and lifestyle with more than 1.6 million YouTube viewers, is an collection consisting of sweatshirts, T-shirts caps, hats, and keychains that represent her life in Hawaii.

The great thing about fan-made products is that they are easy to make because of the Print-on-demand (POD) choices available to creators.

The only thing creators need to develop ideas or slogans and when someone pays for an item and the POD business will apply the designs to the item and then ship them to the buyer. So, creators won't need to think about finding supplies, maintaining an inventory, or shipping products. This way, they'll save both time and money.

Products you create

Producing your own product that you can sell requires a lot of time and effort, however they can be a great way to bring in even more revenue than fan products. You can make and sell tangible products, similar to how makeup YouTubers make their own palettes of makeup, as well as how Emma Chamberlain sells her custom blends of tea and coffee powder.

Some physical products you can make and sell include:

• Handmade craft
• Prints of art
• Physical wallpapers
• Gaming accessories
• Cosmetics
• Cookbooks

There is also the possibility to sell digital products such as:

• Templates
• E-books
• Presets for photo editing
• Digital wallpapers
• Printable art and craft patterns for crafts

Digital media are beneficial to your audience as they're original information or content that they only get through your company.

Sarah Chrisp (aka Wholesale Ted) Wholesale Ted, an online business owner with 1 million YouTube customers, sells books and dropshipping courses via her website, The Ecomm Clubhouse.

Learning to teach at the level of Sarah does take time, but it is possible to start by offering things as simple as selling printable worksheets and checklists. However, the products you sell must be useful and relevant to the people who purchase them.

Fan experiences

If you have a sizeable audience on YouTube it is possible to offer special experiences for your followers including exclusive items, meet-and-greets, or private special events. Additionally, you can establish a membership service and Patreon which allows your followers to have access to exclusive live streams, individual sessionsor behind-the-scenes videos of your company.

How do you market your products YouTube? YouTube

If you are planning to produce fan-related merchandise, there are some tactics you can employ to notify the people who purchase your items are for sale. Here are some strategies you can implement.

1. Promote your merch through your video

The type of promotional campaign will require you to place the merchandise in the video to ensure viewers will be able to find out about it and buy some for themselves. Here are a few strategies for promoting your product in video:

Be Your Own Model

The easiest and most obvious option to market your custom merchandise is to showcase it on your YouTube channel. That way, your subscribers will be aware that the item is available and will be able to see what it looks like. In the case of selling wearable items by way of example, showing the design in the videos you make will demonstrate your confidence in what you sell.

If you're uncomfortable carrying your merchandise in your videos continuously, you can display it on the background as you record and draw attention on it periodically.

Discuss your merchandise after your videos.

If you do not want to highlight your product within a video, since it might cause viewers to lose focus on the of the video, it is possible to make mention of it at the conclusion of your video instead.

However, the downside of this it is that only people who watch your video till the final minute will know about your merch. This can be fixed by prompting people at the beginning of your intro to watch your video until the very end in anticipation of announcing a special eventor something similar to in that regard.

Do a product unboxing

"Creating video unboxings of your products lets potential buyers see an up-close look at the features of your products and appreciate their worth more," says Rachel Macfarlane an expert in content marketing for Redfox Visual.

Macfarlane is correct. If you are selling products such as gaming equipment, for instance making videos of unboxing allows you to describe all of the advantages and functions of the product when you take it out of the box. Your customers will be able to see exactly how important what you sell is.

Unboxing videos for products are ideal to promote new products and seasonal collections, but you can film them for just about any item.

2. Add your product's links to video descriptions

If your video's content is connected to your merchandise or not, you should be sure that you include a URL to your shop or page(s) in the video's description for everyone that is interested. Including merch links or a store link is especially useful in the case of multiple merchandise you'd like to market.

  3. Utilize the YouTube Merch Shelf feature

Did you have the knowledge that YouTube comes with a built-in feature which allows YouTubers to market their products directly via their videos? Meet the YouTube Merch Shelf.

The merch shelf feature allows creators to market their products directly through YouTube from a number of places on the platform, including their channel's store, video screen at the end, as well as below videos and live streams.

Thanks to YouTube's storefront feature, you can place your products right before viewers' eyeballs in real-time when they're watching your content or perusing your channel. This simple, integrated feature ensures that prospective customers don't need to jump over hurdles to locate your merch or buy it. It's all right there in YouTube's application!

YouTubers looking to use the merch shelf feature must meet a specific set of conditions, and it can limit access to certain. But if you're meeting the requirements, it's something that you ought to take advantage of. Currently, you must meet the following requirements to use YouTube's merch-shelf feature:

• Your channel is subscribed to by more than 1,000 subscribers.
• Your channel is authorized for monetization.
• Your channel's channel has not been marked as "made for kids."
• The YouTube Partner Program is available in your area.

Do you have all the standards? Great! You can start selling your products through the YouTube merch shop. It is possible to learn more about setting up your own YouTube shelves for merch on the platform's Support page.

4. Make sure you offer discounts on your merchandise

Discounting your products is an excellent way to make a lot of sales in a short period of time. Garrett Smith who runs local SEO at GMB Gorilla is aware that providing discounts and exclusive offers on your merch can make your followers "feel like they are special."

Smith suggests "Use keywords that create the sense of urgency, such as 'limited-time offer' or 'limited stocks available,' to urge viewers to make a purchase now. It kills two birds in one fell swoop as it increases sales. Additionally, it encourages viewers to subscribe to your channel, and expand the reach of your channel."

5. Make sure to promote your products on social media

Social media is one the most efficient ways to promote any product. If you're already a YouTuber, you'll want to use other social media platforms, whether it's Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok, to promote your merch to your audience.

Then you'll need to make articles or posts that showcase your products, organize giveaways and contests, and offer exclusive deals to your followers, and run ads to reach people who don't yet follow you.

6. Work with other creators within your niche

Working with other YouTubers social media influencers or other brands that are in your field is a fantastic method to connect with new audiences that you might not have reached otherwise.

You could make videos with other creatives, and then include your products in them. Also, you can create a limited-edition product with an influencer who is popular -- preferably one with more followers than you do. You'll be able to reach new people and building brand recognition during your partnership.

The end of the day, marketing merch via YouTube is about finding creative ways to get your followers interested in buying from you.

Earn money selling merchandise on YouTube

Achieving success as a YouTube creator means creating an enterprise that generates money, regardless of obstacles you have to face on the platform. Selling merch is one of the most effective ways of achieving this.

There is no need to have many customers or costly equipment for selling products through YouTube. All you require is an experienced designer, a reliable print-on-demand firm (if you intend to offer clothing) as well as a solid marketing strategy. And since YouTube can be integrated with online shops, it's easy for your audience to find your products and buy them from you.

Now that you know all the fundamentals about selling merchandise on YouTube, it's time to go out to create your merch and earn that cash.

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