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

YouTube in 2025 is not just a place to upload vlogs and unboxings. It’s a full-fledged earning platform that—if approached strategically—can turn passion into stable income. Whether you’re just starting out or already have a channel gaining traction, earning on YouTube has never been so accessible and diverse. In this post, we’ll show you how to start a YouTube channel and earn from it, which monetization methods are the most effective, what works with a small community, and how to build income that doesn’t solely depend on views.

How to Start Earning on YouTube? First Steps You Need to Take

If you’re just thinking about launching your channel, don’t start with the equipment—start with an idea and plan. You need to know who you’re talking to, what you want to record about, and what will make you stand out amongst thousands of others. A channel without direction won’t earn anything—even if it has good reach. Therefore, first choose a niche that you can truly commit time to —eco fashion, budget travel, DIY, gaming, education? It all works if you’re authentic.

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

YouTube Partner Program – When Will You Start Earning From Ads?

The most popular way, which most people associate with YouTube, is ads in videos. But to get there, you need to meet a few conditions and join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). From 2025, the thresholds are slightly lower: you need at least 500 subscribers and 3,000 watch hours within a year or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days. Plus zero bans, violations, plagiarisms —YouTube strongly emphasizes transparency.

Once 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 is between 5 and 30 PLN, and RPM, or your actual earning on YouTube, is usually 8-15 PLN per 1,000 views after deducting the commission(which is as much as 45%). In practice? A video with 100,000 views can bring between 800 and 1,500 PLN. Not bad—but only if you have regularity and scale. That’s why ads are a nice base, but not the only source of income.

7 Ways to Earn on YouTube in 2025 That Really Work

Surprisingly, earning on YouTube doesn’t end with AdSense. The most successful creators combine several methods, to become independent from the algorithm and better control their revenue. What possibilities do you have?

• Ads within YPP—we’ve already mentioned them.
• Channel memberships – viewers pay you monthly for extra content, access to behind-the-scenes materials, or Q&A.
• Super Chats and Super Thanks – or “tips” from viewers who want to boost their comment or simply support you.
• Affiliation – you promote products with an affiliate 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 indefinitely using the ready, free platform RefSpace.
• Merch – t-shirts, mugs, notebooks—preferably with a platform that handles everything for you (e.g., Printify) or through your own RefSpace.
• Brand collaborations – one campaign can give more than a month of ads if you hit the right niche.
  

Data clearly shows: creators using 3+ income sources on YouTube earn on average 2.5x more than those who rely solely 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 merciful. You can start earning on YouTube even with a small channel—as long as you are specific and build a relationship with your viewers. Affiliation is the simplest start—you promote products you know and use yourself. Just add a link in the video description, mark the partnership as #ad and start monitoring clicks. Sometimes a few purchases a day bring more than ads in a video with 10k views.

Memberships? You can activate them already at 1,000 subscribers– and offer access to “insider” materials. SuperThanks and SuperChat are great options during lives—viewers can leave tips from 2 to even 500 PLN. And that’s how earning on YouTube begins not from large reach, but from small actions with great engagement.

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

If you already have knowledge, passion, and 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 trainings. You can use, for example, Naffy—an no-commission platform that handles payments and files.

Additionally, 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— click and buy. That’s exactly how earning on YouTube in a modern style works—not only do you monetize content, but you create your own ecosystem from it.

Shorts and Lives, or How to Monetize Various Video Formats

In 2025, format = reach. And reach = potential earnings on YouTube. Shorts have become one of the main ways to attract new audiences—but now they also offer earning opportunities. You can upload SuperThanks, attach a product, tag a brand. Just remember, videos with music have lower income (since you pay for the license).

Live streams, on the other hand, aren’t just about interaction with viewers—they’re a machine for generating SuperChats and real interactions, which later translate into loyalty and sales. If you can speak live, it’s worth utilizing. Even one broadcast a week can increase your earnings and showcase you from a completely different side.

From Video to Invoice – How Much Can You Earn on YT and What Affects the Rates?

Earning on YouTube is not a lottery. It’s a game based on data, relationships, and consistency. Rates vary depending on industry, location, and monetization method. Channels focused on finance or education often have higher CPMs than lifestyle or gaming—but in every niche you can maximize your earnings if you combine multiple revenue sources.

Reports show that channels with 50,000 subs can earn 12–18 thousand monthly. Those with 200,000— up to 40,000 PLN. But…only if they don’t rely solely on ads. Earning on YouTube is the result of good strategy, not luck. Regularity, interactions, good SEO, and diverse income sources—all add up. And then pay off.

RefSpace – Additional Earnings From YouTube Without Creating Your Own Store!

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

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

Importantly – RefSpace can automatically display your products under videos if you have an active YouTube account and link it with the platform. This means that 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 profitable with AdSense. But if 20 people buy, you’ll 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 start a company or run a store. You can start right away – with a ready-made link, commission, and full automation. And if you have your own product? Upload it to Space and connect it with content. You gain an additional sales platform – and another way to earn on YouTube, which works even when views are average, but viewer trust is high.