How to Make Money by Selling Merch on YouTube (2023)

If you spend enough time online on YouTube, you may observe that some of the more popular YouTubers -- and some of the tiniest YouTube creators -- have gotten into the business of selling merch (short of "merchandise").

For example, makeup guru Huda Kattan created her name-brand beauty line Huda Beauty. Jackie Aina also created FORVR Mood, the lifestyle brand which offers scented candles and self-care packages. Additionally, Emma Chamberlain has her own coffee and tea company, Chamberlain Coffee.

These creators know that the conventional methods of earning money from YouTube isn't sustainable, and have discovered methods to diversify their earnings. The sale of merchandise is a fantastic way to do this and, in the long run, merch sales can actually become a major source of revenue to YouTube creators. More than that 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 announce a new product launch.

Contrary to YouTube famous people mentioned earlier There is no need for millions of followers to produce and market merch. In fact, if you begin early enough, selling merch can even help you grow the reach of your channel on YouTube.

The proof is in the pudding: Emma Chamberlain and others have shown us that selling merchandise is a significant streams of revenue to YouTubers. If you're a YouTuber and want to begin selling the merchandise you create take a look at this article to find out how. In this all-inclusive guide, we'll discuss the reasons you should start selling merch through YouTube, what you can sell as an YouTube creator and also how to advertise your products on your channel.

Why you should sell merch as a YouTuber

The lifestyle of YouTubers is usually portrayed in a positive light as a result of many think it's true that thousands of YouTube views are thousands of dollars. This isn't the truth.

Most online creators (including those who are using other platforms, such as Instagram are often required to play by certain rules to make profits. YouTube has requirements for creators who want to run ads. Brands have their own guidelines to creators that they are able to work with. Moreover, YouTube can stop a creator from running ads on their channel at any point or even call off deals whenever they wish.

The most common method of earning cash on YouTube is via YouTube Partner Program. YouTube Partner Program. For joining the program You must:

• Minimum of 1,000 subscribers.
• At least 4,000 hours of public time-watch hours have been observed in the past 12 months.
• To live in a country in which the program is readily available.
• To comply with YouTube's monetization policies.
• If you do not have a community guideline, it applies to your channel.

If you're in the right category, you can apply to the program. But even then, there's no guarantee acceptance. Even if you're approved, YouTube reserves the right to stop your advertising revenue, and suppress your channel -- or even remove it completely when it feels you've breached its guidelines.

1. Diversify your revenue streams

As explained earlier, earning ads revenue or brand sponsorships aren't among the most secure ways to earn money through YouTube due to their risk. Sure, you can do those things, but you shouldn't put all your eggs in the same basket.

A lot of people aren't aware of the amount of money YouTube creators make from selling merchandise. Consider Ryan Kaji of Ryan's World as an instance. The 11-year old boy began as a reviewer for toys, however, he has created nearly 5,000 pieces of branded merch. In 2020, he reportedly had a profit of $250 million by selling the merch he designed.

The reason he could do this is that the product is his the only person who can make them is him and his staff determine how they'll make the product and what the retail store will look like, and how they'll sell the items for Ryan's intended audience. Once you've got control over your inventory like this, you'll likely reap all of the rewards.

2. Enhance the engagement of fans

The most important factor in establishing an effective YouTube channel is the level of engagement. If people are not motivated to watch your videos, you likely won't make any money from YouTube. The sale of merchandise is an excellent way to keep your fans engaged.

Why? because it provides your followers with a way to support you and get something in return. Robert Hoffmann, the Marketing Manager at CashbackHero says it the best way: "By selling merchandise, YouTubers can establish a more personal connection with their followers and improve engagement in the process," Robert says. "Additionally this gives users the opportunity to personally assist the content creators that they follow, creating an ideal situation for all people involved."

Although you may not have an abundance of customers at present, there'll always be those who would like to support you. When you begin selling customized merchandise, people will buy it so long as the styles are appealing. For instance, if you're offering clothing, it must to be comfortable, have an extensive sizing selection and made of high-quality materials. This, along with a strategic marketing are the primary requirements to help you get your customers to buy your custom merch.

related: 9 Tips for Getting Your 1st 1,000 YouTube Subscribers

Another thing to consider is the fact that the group most likely to buy merch includes Gen Z (ages 11-26 by 2023) whom long to feel like they're part of something. Merchandise is the perfect opportunity for YouTubers to communicate to their Gen Z fans on a deeper level. They can put on or wear their own merch and experience a sense satisfaction in helping their favorite YouTuber and belonging as part of a bigger group of fans.

3. Build brand awareness

Selling merchandise can help you improve brand awareness and popularity of your YouTube channel. If you're selling products emblazoned with the name of your channel or its the logo, these products will effectively become your own walking billboards.

The selling of merchandise can allow you to reach out to people who are not active YouTube users. Milo Cruz, the CMO at Freelance Writing Jobs, who has the experience of writing advertisements for YouTubers' merchandise explains how it operates. "Active users purchase a YouTuber's limited edition T-shirt, hoodie or other item, wear it and show the item to family members and friends," he says. "The model is similar to what's known as word-of mouth, in which YouTubers receive free ads from existing subscribers who buy the merch. The item will entice those who see the item and encourages them to visit the YouTuber's channel."

4. Make yourself stand out from the crowd

As a result, since most products are customized products that have designs that are uniquely yours and unique, you'll distinguish yourself from other YouTube channels in your niche.

"Selling merchandise can help YouTubers stand out from the crowd," says Sreeram Sharma who is Head of Social Media at QikChat. "If a YouTuber has an established brand with a dedicated fan base, merchandise may be a unique and valuable offering that sets them apart from others in their niche."

The things you can offer as YouTube creators? YouTube creator

There are several things you can sell as an YouTube creator, including products for fans to purchase, merchandise that you design and fans experiences.

Fan merchandise

The fan merchandise market is the standard method of providing merchandise to the fans. Think of jerseys that people buy to support their favorite football teams, or bracelets Gen Zers wear to attend shows. These items will usually carry designs or slogans that are related to 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
• Water bottles

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

For example, Ava Jules is a lifestyle and beauty vlogger with over 1.6 million YouTube viewers, is an collection comprising sweatshirts, T-shirts and hats, stickers packs as well as keychains which represent her life in Hawaii.

The best thing about fan-produced products is that they are easy to produce due to the print-on-demand (POD) possibilities available to creators.

All they have to do is create slogans or designs, and when someone pays for a product that is purchased, the POD firm will apply the designs to the product , and deliver the items to the customer. This means that creators don't have to be concerned about getting supplies, maintaining an inventory, or shipping products. That way, they'll conserve the time and cash.

Create products that you can sell

Making your own items to sell takes an enormous amount of effort and time but they have the potential to earn more revenue than fan merchandise. There are many ways to make and sell physical items like the way that beauty YouTubers create their own makeup palettes, or how Emma Chamberlain sells her own coffee blends and tea 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 offer digital goods like:

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

Digital content is valuable to the people who use them because they're unique materials or information that they only get directly from you.

Sarah Chrisp (aka Wholesale Ted) Wholesale Ted, an entrepreneur on the internet with one million YouTube subscribers , sells ebooks as well as dropshipping classes on her website, The Ecomm Clubhouse.

Making courses at Sarah's level does take time, but you could start by selling the simplest of things like selling printable worksheets and checklists. It is important to note that the products you sell must be relevant and valuable to your audience.

Fan experiences

If you have a sizeable audience on YouTube it is possible to give special offers for your followers including exclusive items, meet-and-greets, or private events. You can also establish a membership service as well as Patreon where your fans will be able to access exclusive live streams, individual sessions, or behind-the-scenes footage of your company.

How to promote your merch YouTube? YouTube

If you are planning to produce fan merchandise, there are some tactics you can employ to notify your customers know that the products are available for sale. These are some ideas that you could try.

1. Advertise your products on your YouTube videos

This type of promotion needs you to incorporate your merchandise somewhere within your video so viewers will be able to find out about it and buy some for themselves. There are several ways to do in-video promotions:

Make Yourself Your Model

The most straightforward and simple way to promote your custom merchandise is to include the item in your YouTube video. So, the viewers are aware that the product is available and will be able to see what it looks like. In the case of selling wearable merchandise, for instance, showing the design in the videos you make will show that you're confident in the products you offer.

If you're uncomfortable wearing your merch in your videos continuously It's possible to display it in the background while you film and draw focus to it occasionally.

You can talk about the merchandise you have purchased after your video

If you don't want to advertise your merchandise during a video because it may cause viewers to lose focus on the matter, you can mention it at the end of your video instead.

One drawback to this though, is that only the people that watch the video to the final minute will know about your merch. This can be fixed by explicitly asking people during your intro to watch through the entire video for a special announcement -or something else to that effect.

Unbox a boxed product

"Creating video unboxings of your products gives potential buyers an up-close look at the specifications of your products and understand their value better," says Rachel Macfarlane, a content marketing strategist for Redfox Visual.

Macfarlane is right. If you sell products like gaming accessories, for example the unboxing video allows you to explain all the features and benefits of the item as you unbox it. This helps your audience see just how valuable what you sell is.

Videos of unboxing products are perfect for seasonal and new release collections. But you can create them for nearly any item.

2. Include your links to your products in videos with descriptions of your products.

If your video's content is connected to your product or service it is important to add a link to your online shop or page(s) within your video description box for anyone who is attracted. Incorporating merch links as well as a store link can be particularly useful if you have several products you want to promote.

  3. Use the YouTube merch shelf feature

Did you have the knowledge that YouTube has a built-in feature which allows YouTubers to market their items directly on their YouTube videos? Check out YouTube's Merch Shelf. YouTube Merch Shelf.

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

Through the merch store feature on YouTube it allows you to display your items in front of viewers' attention in real-time, when they're watching your content or perusing your channel. This intuitive, in-app feature ensures that prospective customers don't need to navigate over hurdles to locate your merchandise or decide to purchase it. All it takes is YouTube's application!

YouTubers who want to take advantage of the merch shelf feature must meet a specific set of conditions, and it can be restricted to a certain. However, if you meet the prerequisites, that you must take advantage of. In the moment, you need to satisfy the following criteria to take advantage of YouTube's merch-shelf feature:

• Your channel has more than 1,000 members.
• The channel you are using is accepted to be monetized.
• Your channel is not identified as "made specifically for children."
• It is possible to join the YouTube Partner Program is available in your area.

Do you have all the specifications? Great! You are now able to sell your merchandise through the YouTube store for merch. It is possible to learn more about how to set up your own YouTube merchandise shelf through the Support page.

4. Make sure you offer discounts on your merchandise

Discounting your products is an excellent method to generate a large amount of sales over a relatively short period of time. Garrett Smith who runs local SEO at GMB Gorilla is aware that providing special discounts or exclusive deals on your merch can make your followers "feel unique."

Smith advises "Use keywords that create urgency, like 'limited time offer' or "limited stock readily available', to encourage viewers to make a purchase now. It kills two birds with one stone because it encourages more sales. Also, it is a way to encourage new customers to sign up to your channel and widen your reach."

5. Make sure to promote your products via social media

Social media is one of the most efficient ways for promoting any product. As a YouTuber, you'll want to make use of the other platforms on social media regardless of whether they're Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok in order to advertise your products to your customers.

It is necessary to write content or stories that feature your product, hold giveaways and contests, and offer special deals to your customers and then run advertisements to reach people who don't already follow you.

6. Work with other creators within your field of expertise

Working with other YouTubers social media influencers, or brands in your niche can be a great method to connect with new viewers that you may not have reached otherwise.

It is possible to create videos alongside other creatives, and then include your merchandise in the videos. You could also make a limited edition product using a popular influencer -- preferably one with a larger audience than you. It will ensure that you're reaching new audiences and increasing brand awareness during the partnership.

In the final day, marketing merch via YouTube involves finding innovative methods of getting your fans to buy from you.

Profit by selling merch on YouTube.

Achieving success as a YouTube creator is about creating an online business that earns money, regardless of difficulties you encounter when you use the platform. Selling merch is one of the best ways to achieve this.

It doesn't require a ton of customers or costly equipment for selling products on YouTube. All you need is a good designer, a reliable print-on-demand company (if you plan to market clothes) and a sound marketing strategy. And since YouTube is able to be integrated into online stores, it will be simple for customers to find your products and then purchase them.

Now that you know all the ins and outs of selling merchandise through YouTube, it's time to take to the streets to create your merch and make that money.

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