How to Make Money Selling Merch via YouTube (2023)

If you spend enough time using YouTube it is possible to notice certain of the more popular YouTubers -- and more modest YouTube creators have gotten into selling merch (short of "merchandise").

As an example, the makeup expert Huda Kattan created her name-brand beauty label Huda Beauty. Jackie Aina has created FORVR Mood as the lifestyle brand which offers candle scents and self-care kits. Additionally, Emma Chamberlain has her own coffee and tea company, Chamberlain Coffee.

They know that relying on the traditional methods of earning money from YouTube is not sustainable and have discovered methods to diversify their revenue. The sale of merchandise is a fantastic method to achieve this. And eventually the sales of merch can turn into a primary source of revenue to YouTube creators. More than that, selling custom merch can help creators engage their fan audience to stay on top of their YouTube content, as this is where they typically announce a new product launch.

Unlike the YouTube famous people mentioned earlier There is no need for millions of followers to produce and sell merchandise. Actually, if you begin early enough, selling merchandise can help you grow the popularity of your YouTube channel.

The proof is in the pudding: Emma Chamberlain and others have proven that sales of merchandise can be important sources of income to YouTubers. If you're a Youtuber who wants to start selling your own merch follow this guide to discover what you need to know about. This comprehensive guide we'll cover why you should start selling merch on YouTube, what you can sell as an YouTube maker, as well as also how to promote your merch through your channel.

Why you should sell merch as a YouTuber

The life of a YouTuber is frequently portrayed as glamorous as a result of many think that thousands of views equal millions of dollars. This isn't the truth.

The majority of online creators such as those on other platforms like Instagram are often required to adhere to certain rules to make income. YouTube has requirements for creators that want to use ads. Brands also have guidelines regarding creators they may collaborate with. Additionally, YouTube can stop a creator from running ads on their channel at any point or even call off deals whenever they please.

The standard way of making money from YouTube is through it's YouTube Partner Program. To join the program it is necessary to:

• At least 1,000 members.
• A minimum of 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months.
• To live in a country where the program is available.
• In order to comply with YouTube's policies on monetization.
• In the event that there is no guideline for community members, this strikes on your channel.

If you're able to meet the requirements, you can apply to the program. But even then, there's no guarantee acceptance. And even when you're admitted, YouTube reserves the right to suspend your ad revenue and even shut down the channel or completely if it thinks you've broken its rules.

1. Diversify your revenue streams

As explained earlier, earning advertising revenue as well as brand sponsorships aren't among the most reliable ways to make money on YouTube because of their volatility. Sure, you can accomplish these things, however, you shouldn't place all your eggs into the same basket.

Most people don't know how much YouTube creators earn from selling merchandise. Consider Ryan Kaji of Ryan's World as an illustration. The 11-year old boy began as a toy reviewer and has since created more than 55,000 items of merchandise that are branded. In 2020, he reportedly made 250 million dollars through the sale of his custom merch.

The reason why he can achieve this is the fact that the items are his the only person who can make them is him and his staff determine how they'll make the product, what the store looks like, and how they'll promote the product for Ryan's intended audience. Once you've got control over the inventory you have and you'll probably reap all of the rewards.

2. Increase Engagement of the fan

The main ingredient to running the success of a YouTube channel is audience engagement. If your viewers aren't motivated to check out your channel's content and you don't expect to make much money on YouTube. Selling merchandise is a fantastic option to keep your followers engaged.

Why? It gives your viewers a way to support you and receive something back in exchange. Robert Hoffmann, the Marketing Manager at CashbackHero puts it best: "By selling merchandise, YouTubers have the opportunity to create an intimate relationship with their followers and improve participation in the process." Robert says. "Additionally, it offers viewers the opportunity to personally help the creators of content they follow, creating an opportunity for both people involved."

Even if you don't have a ton of subscribers but, there'll be people who want to support you. Therefore, when you decide to offer customized merchandise, people will buy it so long as your design is appealing. If, for instance, you're selling clothing, it needs be comfy, come with broad sizing options, and be made from high-quality materials. This, along with a strategic marketing are the primary things you need to sell out your stock of customized merchandise.

Similar to: 9 Strategies to Get Your First 1,000 YouTube Subscribers

Another thing to consider is that the demographic that is most likely to purchase merch includes Gen Z (ages 11 to 26 in 2023) whom long to feel like they're a part of some sort of. Merchandise is the perfect opportunity for YouTubers to communicate to their Gen Z followers at a more intimate level. The fans can purchase or wear the custom merch, and take a moment of pride in supporting their favorite YouTuber and belonging as part of a larger community.

3. Create brand recognition

Offering merchandise helps you create brand recognition and boost popularity of your channel on YouTube. If you're selling merchandise featuring your channel's name and logo, they'll essentially become your own walking billboards.

Selling merch can even help you reach people who are not active YouTube users. Milo Cruz, the CMO at Freelance Writing Jobs and who has expertise in writing ads for YouTubers' merch describes how the process works. "Active subscribers buy a YouTuber's limited edition T-shirt or hoodieand wear it, and then show the item to their friends and family," he says. "The model is similar to the concept of word-of-mouth. YouTubers are able to get advertisements for free from existing subscribers who buy the merch. The item will entice people who view the product and convinces them to check the channel of the YouTuber."

4. Make yourself stand out from the crowd

Since most merchandise is unique products, with distinctive designs and unique, you'll stand out against other YouTube channels within your particular niche.

"Selling products can allow YouTubers to distinguish themselves from other YouTubers," says Sreeram Sharma, the Head of Social Media at QikChat. "If YouTubers are able to build a strong brand and a large and loyal following, then merchandise could be a unique and valuable product that differentiates them from other YouTubers in their field."

What you can sell as a YouTube creator

There are a few products you could offer as YouTube creators. You can sell a few things as YouTube creator. This includes items for your fans, the products you develop, as well as fans experiences.

Fan merchandise

Fan merchandise is the traditional way of offering items to fanatics. Imagine the kind of jerseys fans buy to support their favorite football teams, or bracelets that Gen Zers wear for performances. They usually have images or slogans that are associated with the YouTube channel, which fans are able to wear to demonstrate their support.

Here are some instances of fan merchandise that is popular:

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

In essence, anything that you create with your logo qualifies as merchandise.

For example, Ava Jules who is a beauty and lifestyle vlogger with more than 1.6 million YouTube followers, offers her own merch line consisting of sweatshirts, T-shirts, hats, sticker packs as well as keychains which represent her life in Hawaii.

One of the advantages of fan products is that they are easy to produce due to the Print-on-demand (POD) possibilities available to creators.

The only thing creators need to create concepts or slogans, after which when someone buys a product, the POD firm will apply the designs to the product and ship the product to the purchaser. That means creators do not need to think about finding items, keeping track of inventory, or shipping products. This way, they'll save the time and cash.

The products you design

Making your own items for sale takes a lot of effort and time, however they can be a great way to generate more money than fan-related products. It is possible to create and market tangible products, similar to how beauty YouTube stars create their own makeup palettes or how Emma Chamberlain sells her custom blends of tea and coffee powder.

The physical items you could make and sell include:

• Handmade craft
• Prints on art
• Physical wallpapers
• Gaming equipment
• Beauty products
• Cookbooks

You can also make digital items like:

• Templates
• E-books
• Photo editing presets
• Digital wallpapers
• Printable art and craft patterns

Digital products are valuable to your audience as they're original materials or information that they only be obtained from your company.

Sarah Chrisp (aka Wholesale Ted), an online entrepreneur with 1 million YouTube subscribers , sells ebooks as well as dropshipping courses via her website, The Ecomm Clubhouse.

Making courses at Sarah's level does take time, but it is possible to start by offering the simplest of things like making printable worksheets and checklists available for sale. The caveat is that the products you sell must be useful and relevant to the people who purchase them.

Fan experiences

If you've got a large audience on YouTube and you have a large following, you can give special offers for your followers like exclusive products, meet-and-greets, or private events. You can also create a membership plan or Patreon where your fans will get access to exclusive live streaming, one-on-one sessionsor behind-the-scenes videos of your enterprise.

How can you promote your merchandise through YouTube? YouTube

If you decide to make fan-related merchandise, there are some tactics you can use to let the people who purchase your products are available for purchase. Below are some suggestions to implement.

1. Promoting your merchandise through your video

This type of promotion will require you to place the merchandise in your video so viewers will be able to find out about it and buy some for themselves. Below are some ways to do in-video promotions:

Make Yourself Your Model

The easiest and most obvious option to market your custom merchandise is to include the item in your YouTube video. That way, your subscribers will be aware that the item exists , and they can view what it is like. When you're offering wearable merch, for instance, modelling the designs on the videos you make will demonstrate your confidence in what you sell.

If you're uncomfortable with carrying your merchandise in your videos continuously, you can display it as background when you film and draw focus on it periodically.

Talk about your merch in the final moments of your videos.

If you're not keen to highlight your product during a video because it could distract viewers from the subject of the video, it is possible to make mention of it at the conclusion of the video.

One drawback to this though, is that only those that watch the video to the end will learn about the merchandise you sell. This can be fixed by directing people in your intro to watch through the entire video in anticipation of announcing a special event- or something to that result.

Do you have a method of unboxing a product?

"Creating videos that show the unboxing process of products allows potential customers to get an inside look at specifications of your products and better understand the value of your products," says Rachel Macfarlane an expert in content marketing at Redfox Visual.

Macfarlane is right. If you sell products like gaming gear, for instance making videos of unboxing allows you to describe all of the features and benefits of the item as you unbox it. Your customers will be able to see the value of your product is.

Videos of unboxing products are perfect to promote new products and seasonal collections. However, you are able to film them for just about any item.

2. Add your product's links to video descriptions

No matter if your video's subject to your product or service, you should be sure that you include a link to your online store or page(s) in your video description box for anyone who's attracted. Included merch link or store's link is particularly helpful in the case of multiple items you wish to advertise.

  3. Utilize the YouTube display feature for merch

Did you realize that YouTube offers a built-in function that lets YouTubers sell their merchandise directly through the videos they make? Check out YouTube's Merch Shelf. YouTube Merch Shelf.

The merch shelf feature allows creators to market their products directly via YouTube via a range of locations within the platform, such as their channel's store, video end screens, and beneath live streams and below videos.

With YouTube's merch store feature that allows you to place your merchandise before the people's eyeballs in real-time as they're watching your videos or perusing your channel. The intuitive feature, which is available in the app ensures that prospective customers don't have to go through hoops in order to discover your merch or decide to purchase it. Everything is available in the YouTube app!

YouTubers who want to take advantage of the merch shelf feature must meet a specific set of conditions, and it can be restricting to some. If you're able to meet the prerequisites, you should consider taking advantage of. Currently, you must meet the following criteria to take advantage of the merch shelves on YouTube:

• Your channel is subscribed to by more than 1,000 subscribers.
• The channel you are using is accepted for monetization.
• The channel you are watching isn't marked as "made by kids."
• The YouTube Partner Program is available in your area.

Do you meet all the requirements? Great! It's time to start selling your merchandise on the YouTube store for merch. It is possible to learn more about setting up your own YouTube shelves for merch through the Support page.

4. Give discounts on your merchandise

Discounting your products is an excellent option to increase the number of sales within a brief amount of time. Garrett Smith who runs local SEO at GMB Gorilla understands that offering discounts and exclusive offers in your merchandise will help your customers "feel unique."

Smith advises "Use keywords that elicit an urgency such as 'limited time offer' or "limited stock available,' to urge readers to purchase immediately. This kills two birds in one fell swoop as it increases sales. Additionally, it encourages customers to sign up to your channel and widen the reach of your channel."

5. Advertise your merchandise via social media

Social media is among the most effective ways to advertise any item. Since you're already a YouTuber, you'll need to make use of the other social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok for promoting your merchandise to the people who are interested in it.

It is necessary to write content or stories that feature your products, organize giveaways and contests, and offer special deals to your customers as well as run ads for people who aren't yet follow your account.

6. Work with other creators within your area of expertise

Collaboration with YouTubers, social media influencers, or brands in your niche is an excellent opportunity to engage with new audiences that you might not have reached in the past.

It is possible to create videos alongside other artists and include your merch in them. Or you could create a limited-edition product with an influential influencer, preferably one who has more followers than you do. You'll be able to reach new people and building an image for your brand during the collaboration.

At the end of the day, promoting merch on YouTube is all about coming up with innovative methods of getting your fans interested in buying from you.

Make money by selling merch through YouTube

Becoming successful as an YouTube creator requires you to create an enterprise that generates revenue, regardless of the challenges you face in the world of YouTube. Selling merch is one of the most effective ways of achieving this.

You don't have to have a ton of subscribers or expensive equipment to sell merchandise through YouTube. You just need an excellent designer, a reliable print-on-demand firm (if you plan to market clothes) and a sound marketing strategy. And since YouTube can be integrated with online stores, it will be easy for your audience to discover your merchandise and purchase them.

Now that you know all the tricks and tips of selling merch on YouTube It's time to get out there and create that merch and start making money.

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