6 months after YouTube monetisation, here's what nobody tells you... Making $130 last month from AdSense was a wake-up call. That 'magic' 1K subscribers target? It's just the beginning of realising how little AdSense actually pays." I don't think many of us have sat down and really asked the question of what our personal monetary goal is. I was fortunate enough to monetise my Electric Vehicle channel very quickly, and I was ecstatic when I finally did. Yipee! I made it 🥳 Even though this fantastic milestone was achieved, in reality, making money with Adsense is never going to produce a comfortable income or replace an income. Here's the reality: My EV channel gets 2K-5K views per video. Last month's AdSense? $130. But when I started promoting affiliate products and gaining sponsorships, my income from this far exceeded my AdSense income by a country mile. One thing I wish I knew sooner and wish someone had told me is the fact that you don't need to achieve that magic metric of (1k subscribers and 4k watch hours). Sure, it feels great, but when the dust has settled and you see how much it pays, it suddenly dawns on you that you need to achieve thousands of views per video to ever make it worthwhile making videos. So, if you have a skill or passion you can share with the world, don't wait for permission from YouTube to monetise it. You can actually do that right now. If your content helps just 10 people solve a real problem, you're already ready to monetise. I've seen creators with 200 subscribers creating a great income because they serve a specific, engaged audience. Quality beats quantity every time. My biggest regret? Waiting 8 months to create my first digital product. Those months of 'building to 1K' could have been months of actual revenue. What knowledge could you package right now? What problem do your viewers ask about repeatedly? That's your first product. YouTube is a fantastic platform, but it's your marketing tool, not your business model.

I oscillate between being big into creating for YouTube and then getting overwhelmed by long-form. I keep coming back to it and then dropping it. I'm sure it's a familiar repetition right? I have one channel which is all about street portraits and the process that I use and the methodology. It's been doing OK. I've got a little over 500 subscribers but I think it lacks focus and direction. And then I have another YouTube channel which helping purpose-driven creators with camera confidence, content strategy and creator kit. I haven't actually started this one yet, but I'm trying to look for the encouragement to do so because I have a lot of experience in this department and coach lots of people on this. Great to be here! Street Portraits & the Art of Human Connection: https://www.youtube.com/@LuminousLives Helping purpose-driven creators grow their confidence and visibility: https://www.youtube.com/@PhilAskew