We now have many content creators in Zimbabwe, and the number keeps rising. The indications are that most activity is on Facebook. YouTubers are there, but formidable ones, not that many. Notable YouTube views in Zimbabwe are commonplace for music videos. Other than that, many Zimbabwean YouTube accounts are still struggling. All the same many people are interested in starting YouTube channels. I once did an article (which you should check out first) on YouTube Channels As A Business Idea. In it, I promised I would detail YouTube monetization in some future articles. That is what I am solely doing today.
Overview Of The Prerequisites
This is a recap of what you ought to have to qualify for monetization. You must have at least 1000 subscribers. You must have at least 4000 watch hours that you would have attained within the past year. You must have opened a Google AdSense account. You must have agreed to the YouTube Partner Program terms and conditions. So as you know, there are several ways to monetize a YouTube channel. Examples of such are sponsorships, selling merchandise, fan funding streams, Patreon, or affiliate links. In this article, I am solely focusing on the money you can make directly from YouTube. This is in relation to Google AdSense.
How Much You Can Earn Per View
There is no sole figure for this; we can only work with averages. This is because so many variables are at play that determines how much you can earn per view. The earning is commonly referred to as per view, but the view is more accurate per ad. It is just that an ad view is, in essence, a video view. That is why most people can refer to it as per view. I highlighted it so that you understand that if a view does not constitute viewing the ad, it does not count. Again, this depends on where the ad will be placed along the video. For those of you who might not understand the dynamics, here is the summary:
Advertiser Pay YouTube – You Get A Cut
Advertisers pay to get their ads placed on YouTube videos. Ideally, they are shown on content that aligns with the ad content. For example, an ad by a company specializing in furniture can be shown on YouTube videos on interior home décor. The YouTube channel or video owner will get a cut of the money paid by the advertiser. As the owner, you get roughly 55 percent (some say 68 percent) of every dollar paid by the advertisers. That is to say; all video viewers would have watched the ad in question. Obviously, that is seldom the case no wonder these are just estimates. This is the most basic way to put it, but it is way more intricate than that.
Average Earnings Estimates
The average amount of money you earn per 1000 views is between US$3 and US$5. This would imply the following:
| Views | Estimated Earnings |
| 1000 | US$3 – US$5 |
| 10000 | US$30 – US$50 |
| 100000 | US$300 – US$500 |
| 1000000 | US$3000 – US$5000 |
However, what you actually get is determined by a number of variables. Some of the determinant variables are:
- Length of video
- Ad-blockers on the part of viewers
- Niche of the video
- Ad quality
- Number of views
- Ad clicks
- Engagement rate
- Countries (of viewers)
The Highest Earning Niches On YouTube
This refers to the type of content your YouTube videos will be about. The top 10 highest earning niches on YouTube and the average earnings are:
- Ways to Make Money Online (US$14 per 1000 views)
- Digital Marketing (US$13 per 1000 views)
- Personal Finance (US$12 per 1000 views)
- Educational (US$10 per 1000 views)
- Technology (US$5 per 1000 views)
- Lifestyle (US$3.50 per 1000 views)
- Fashion (US$3 per 1000 views)
- Cooking (US$2.50 per 1000 views)
- Fitness (US$1.60 per 1000 views)
- Gaming (US$1.40 per 1000 views)
Countries Of Viewers
The country from which your views are coming also has huge bearings on your earnings. Some have high earnings whilst others have low earnings. Here are some of them to give you an idea:
| Country | Earnings Per 1000 Views |
| Zimbabwe | US$3.24 |
| Denmark | US$17.50 |
| Egypt | US$2.12 |
| France | US$15.54 |
| Tanzania | US$2.97 |
| India | US$3.36 |
| Namibia | US$2.60 |
This article was meant to give you an idea of how much you can earn directly from YouTube videos. There are lots more intricacies at play and several factors to consider. If I were to delve into that rabbit hole, just discussing that could take a whole year. You can also check out this article I did a while back, 5 YouTube metrics that are essential to the growth of your channel. These are views, watch time, watch time velocity, traffic sources, and key moments for audience retention. This will also boost your knowledge of how YouTube monetization works.
