For some completely arbitrary reason, we humans have some strange obsession with numbers in the millions. Getting a million views is one of the first signs you’ve “made it” as a YouTuber, and it’s much easier to get today than it was in the early days.

But how much money does this popular milestone get you? How much money is 1 million views on YouTube worth? We’ve done all the research to give you the most comprehensive answer. Let’s get right into it!

So How Much Is 1 Million Views On YouTube Worth?

The answer is constantly changing, and is much different today than it was a few years ago. We don’t want to waste too much of your time, so here’s a straight answer:

In 2018, you can expect to make anywhere between $300 and $4000 dollars per million views on YouTube on average. 

However, this can end up being much higher or lower based on a multitude of factors. You can even wind up making a whopping $0 if you get demonetized or end up not putting ads on your video. Here’s a comprehensive list of factors that can influence your CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions)

• Average time watched (Also VERY important for growing your channel).
• User demographics. (Country, Age, Gender)
• The type of ads you allow to roll, their length, etc.
• Click through rates.
• Audience Engagement / Subscriptions.
• Upload Frequency.
• Mobile vs PC viewership.
• Content Genre.
• Amount Of videos.

These numbers can be dramatically increased with the inclusion of extra ads, often referred to as “mid-rolls”. If you are a creator of long-form content (10 minutes or longer), you are allowed to insert several of these to milk every penny out of your viewers.

Just be aware that this practice is generally frowned upon and reserved for cheap click-baity channels.

Your income can also be reduced further if you are a part of a Multi-Channel Network or MCN. These companies provide brand deals and representation in exchange for a portion of your ad revenue, and can wind up taking a very large chunk in some cases.

Your audience demographic can end up having a large effect as well. For instance, a technology channel will have an audience much more prone to using ad-blockers, which can have a drastic effect on your overall revenue.

If you’re a famous vlogger like Casey Neistat or Logan Paul whose long form content is usually watched to completion, you can expect to have a much higher CPM than a comedian producing short sketches.

While this is an accurate representation of how much you can expect via YouTube Ad revenue, that is far from the only way you can get paid.

Ad Revenue Is Often Supplemented By Several Income Streams

With the “Demonetization Crisis” in full swing, ad revenue has become less and less reliable in recent years. People have been turning to alternative revenue sources as a way to boost their income.

• Merchandise – This requires by far the largest time investment to set up, but can have the largest returns as well, especially if you take the time to promote it within the video. Today most big YouTubers make the largest portion of their income through merch sales.
• Sponsored Videos – Once you’ve set a precedent of consistently high views, companies will often reach out to you to create videos centered around their products. These will usually make you the most money, but may be found annoying by a portion of your audience.
• Patreon – If you have a loyal fanbase, you may be able to convince a portion of them to make monthly donations. While this is not correlated with your views, higher views mean more people funneling in to your patreon.
• Affiliate Marketing / Brand Deals – Usually the most accessible, but least lucrative income stream. Brand deals are typically easily available with several reputable companies like Audible and DollarShaveClub.

In Closing…

When you bring all of these additional factors into consideration, there is no real limit to how much a million views is worth to a YouTuber. For the lucrative types willing to put in the most work, a million views can mean $10,000+ in their pocket.

Conversely, if you’re forgetting to enable advertisements, or excessively using obscenities and getting demonetized, you can easily find yourself making absolutely nothing.

Now that you know everything there is to know about how much money a million views is worth, you should probably start learning how you can acquire a million views. Check out our awesome guide on how you can get your YouTube video seen.