Not sure that I really qualify as a “YouTube Expert”, but perhaps the closest we have to one.
There are several ways to potentially make money on YouTube. The one most people think of is the ads, which is what this article is about (and if you’re looking to make a huge amount of money; that’s what you want. Some YouTubers make 6+ digits in ad revenue/year).
We never got even close to qualifying to sign up for that; and even if we reached the threshold, I doubt it would be more than a few dollars.
The next is affiliate links. We probably all know what those are, but you can (once you reach a level we never reached) put them in your video, and all creators can put them in their description/comments.
The other method, which is more relevant to people here, is to get interest in your product. Not so much an ad, but something related. We started out hoping to get some traffic for affiliate links to some of the software we use; but I think we got only one, and not even sure if that came from the YT account or somewhere else. But we did notice a spike in traffic to the eBay store in the day or so after a video hit. So there was some benefit.
But overall, not worth the time. Making a 30-45 minute “haul” or “unboxing” video could easily take anywhere from 8-12 man-hours, between prepping, set up, filming, and (the big part) editing. Frankly, doing the YT videos probably cost us more than a couple thousand dollars in lost opportunity, because we were working on the videos rather than doing the things that make money (ie, creating listings). Although I think it was still worthwhile. We learned a lot about various things. It helped reveal some flaws in various systems we had, I learned quite a bit about video editing (had a head start; took studio recording in college), and I learned enough about jewelry to help pick out stuff at sales (and Nisha figured out why she never got a part in a school play; it’s because she can’t fake enthusiasm for something that doesn’t excite her).
So I don’t regret doing it, but I’m glad we stopped. I would say that if you want to do it for fun, or just to see what it’s like, then do it (I’m still hoping to do some non-business related stuff). But doing it for any amount of real money is quite possibly more work than making same amount on Amazon.
And like Lake, I don’t think I’ve ever been influenced to buy anything based on a YT ad; but in fairness, I’ve always been pretty immune to advertising. But I find the algorithms aren’t the best anyway; I’m 62, I’m not going to be buying Pampers or any other brand of diapers, and certainly not in the market for parts for a guided missile (yes, actually had an ad for that!).
And this is important, too! I always say, I don’t have a poker face, but like Nisha I also don’t have a fake smile or Disney voice–and since most 3P Sellers aren’t “hiring talent” for any videos, being able to understand your own limitations is a critical skill.