How to Start a YouTube Channel and Earn from Your First Videos? Affiliates, Merch, Tips, and More

In 2025, YouTube is not just a place to upload vlogs and unboxing videos. It’s a legitimate platform for earning money, which—if approached strategically—can transform a passion into a stable income. Whether you’re just starting or already have a channel gaining traction, earning on YouTube has never been so accessible or diverse. In this post, we’ll show you how to set up a YouTube channel and earn money, which monetization methods are most effective, what works with a small community, and how to build profit that doesn’t solely depend on views.

How to start earning on YouTube? The first steps you need to take care of

If you’re just considering launching your channel, don’t start with equipment – start with an idea and plan. You need to know who you’re speaking to, what you want to record about, and what will make you stand out among thousands of others. A channel without direction won’t earn anything—even if it has good reach. Therefore, first choose a topic (niche) to which you can truly dedicate time – eco fashion, budget travel, DIY, gaming, education? Everything works if you are authentic in it.

Then handle the basics: create a Google account, go to YouTube Studio, create a name that’s easy to remember and consistent with what you do. Fill out the bio, add keywords, upload your first thumbnail. Not very glamorous? Maybe. But earning on YouTube is a process, not the result of one viral video. The YouTube algorithm rewards channels that operate regularly and consistently—not those that post something once every three months.

YouTube Partner Program – when will you start earning from ads?

The most popular way most people associate with YouTube is ads in videos. But to access this, you need to meet a few requirements and join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). As of 2025, the thresholds are a bit lower: you need at least 500 subscribers and 3000 watch hours per year or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days. Plus, no bans, violations, or plagiarism – YouTube strongly emphasizes transparency.

Once you’re in the YPP, you can start earning from pre-roll ads (before the video), mid-roll (during), and post-roll (after the video). The rate depends on the niche and country – in Poland, the average CPM ranges from 5 to 30 PLN, and RPM, your actual earnings on YouTube, is usually 8–15 PLN per 1000 views after deducting the commission(which is as high as 45%). In practice? A film with 100,000 views can yield 800 to 1500 PLN. Not bad – but only if you have regularity and scale. That’s why ads are a great base, but not the only source of income.

7 ways to earn on YouTube in 2025 that really work

Contrary to popular belief, earning on YouTube does not end with AdSense. The most successful creators combine several methods to become independent from the algorithm and better control their earnings. What options do you have?

• Ads within YPP – we’ve mentioned them already.
• Channel memberships – viewers pay you monthly for additional content, backstage access, or Q&A.
• Super Chat and Super Thanks – “tips” from viewers who want to highlight their comment or simply support you.
• Affiliation – you promote products with a partner link, e.g., from Empik, Zalando Lounge, or Amazon, and earn a commission.
• Your own products on RefSpace – e-books, courses, templates – something you can create once and sell endlessly using the free, available platform RefSpace.
• Merch – t-shirts, mugs, notebooks – ideally with a platform that handles everything for you (e.g., Printify) or through your RefSpace.
• Collaborations with brands – one campaign can bring more than a month’s worth of ads if you hit the right niche.
  

The data is clear: creators using 3+ income sources on YouTube earn on average 2.5x more than those who rely only on ads.

Affiliation, tips, memberships – earning even with a small channel

Don’t have thousands of subs yet? That doesn’t mean you have to wait for the algorithm to be kind. You can start earning on YouTube even with a small channel – provided you’re specific and build a relationship with viewers. Affiliation is the simplest start – you promote products you know and use yourself. Just put the link in the video description, mark the partnership as #ad and start monitoring clicks. Sometimes a few purchases a day bring more than ads on a video with 10k views.

Memberships? You can activate them as soon as you have 1000 subscribers – and offer access to “insider” materials. SuperThanks and SuperChat, on the other hand, are great options during live streams – viewers can tip from 2 to even 500 PLN. And this is exactly how earning money on YouTube starts not from great reach, but from small actions with great engagement.

Not Just Ads – How to Sell Your Own Products Through YouTube?

If you already have the knowledge, passion, experience – don’t give all control to YouTube. Instead of waiting for CPM, create something of your own and sell it to viewers who already trust you. Most often these are e-books, checklists, mini-courses or full online training sessions. You can use, for example, Naffy – a no-commission platform that handles payments and files.

Then there’s merch: t-shirts, mugs, posters. Thanks to integrations with Merch Shelf, you can place your store directly under the videos. The viewer doesn’t have to go anywhere – just click and buy. This is how making money on YouTube in a modern style works – you not only monetize content but also create your own ecosystem from it.

Shorts and Lives: How to Monetize Different Video Formats

By 2025, format equals reach. And reach equals potential earnings on YouTube. Shorts have become one of the main ways to attract new viewers – but now they also offer a possibility to earn. You can post SuperThanks, attach a product, tag a brand. Just remember that videos with music have lower revenue (because you pay for the license).

Lives, on the other hand, are not just about contact with viewers – they are machines for generating SuperChats and real interactions, which later turn into loyalty and sales. If you can speak live, it’s worth taking advantage of it. Even one broadcast per week can boost your earnings and show a completely different side of you.

From Film to Invoice – How Much Can You Earn on YT and What Influences Rates?

Earning on YouTube is not a lottery. It’s a game based on data, relationships, and consistency. Rates vary depending on the industry, location, and monetization method. Channels about finance or education often have higher CPM than lifestyle or gaming – but in every niche you can maximize, if you combine several sources of revenue.

Reports show that channels with 50k subs can earn 12–18k monthly. Those with 200k – even 40k PLN. But… only if they don’t rely solely on ads. Earnings on YouTube are the result of a good strategy, not luck. Regularity, interactions, good SEO, various income sources – it all adds up. And then pays off.

RefSpace – Extra Income from YouTube Without Creating Your Own Shop!

You create videos, build a community, viewers trust you – but what next if you don’t have your own product yet? Or you do, but don’t want to bother with integrations, payments, accounting, and orders? This is where RefSpace enters, a platform that allows you to earn by recommending other (or your own) products – without any logistics and without setting up a business.

RefSpace works simply: you choose products that fit your channel – cosmetics, books, e-books, courses, decorations – you record a video with recommendations and upload it to your Space. It’s something like a creator’s shop, which you link directly with YouTube. The viewer watches your video, clicks the description or button under the video, goes to Space, and buys. You earn a commission from each sale – without any contact with the order or shipping.

Importantly – RefSpace can automatically show your products under videos if you have an active YouTube account and connect it with the platform. This means you can monetize even the simplest “recommendations” or reviews. Record a video titled “5 things that really make working from home easier for me” and link each of them through RefSpace. Do you have 1000 views? It might not be worth it with AdSense. But if 20 people buy, you earn more than from ads.

RefSpace is the perfect tool if you want more than one income stream from YouTube but don’t want to set up a company or manage a store. You can start right away – with a ready link, commission, and full automation. And if you have your own product? Upload it to Space and link it with content. You’ll gain an additional sales platform – and another way to earn on YouTube, which works even when the views are average, but viewer trust is high.