There is no denying that YouTube is the most popular video monetization platform globally. At least 2.6 billion users actively use the platform every month.
Only Facebook has a more extensive social media user base than YouTube.
Considering that YouTube videos can be watched without logging in, the YouTube user base number is likely to be above that figure.
But is YouTube the best video monetization platform for everyone?
The video hosting platform you choose to monetize your video content will make a massive difference in the growth of your business. And how fast you can build an audience, scale, and increase profit.
So, in this post, we look at some of the best YouTube alternatives and top video monetization platforms you can explore.
This list is ideal if you cannot find your feet with YouTube marketing. You cannot build an audience, grow your channel, and monetize your video content.
You will find many options you can try to get more from your video marketing business. If you’re new to video marketing, here is a simple definition of video monetization and how to choose the best video monetization platform based on your needs and preferences…
What is Video Monetization?
Video monetization is getting paid or earning revenue from your published online content.
As a content creator, you put a lot of hours, energy, resources, and investments into creating educational video content and want the highest ROI.
One key aspect to consider is the monetization model, which includes various strategies like TVOD and SVOD that can be tailored to your audience’s needs and market demands.
The more people watching your video clips, the higher you could earn. There are several ways or methods to monetize video content; let’s explore a few known methods.
How Video Monetization Works
Video monetization is the process of turning your video content into a revenue stream. Essentially, it involves publishing videos online and earning money from them. The more views your video clips garner, the higher your potential earnings.
Platforms like YouTube or Patreon allow creators to show ads before, during, or after their videos, generating ad revenue.
Additionally, creators can charge viewers directly for access to premium content or sell merchandise related to their videos.
The mechanics of video monetization revolve around leveraging viewer attention and converting it into income. This can be achieved through various video monetization models, including advertising, sponsorships, and direct sales.
The key to successful video monetization lies in creating high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience. By doing so, you can attract more viewers, increase engagement, and ultimately boost your revenue.
How to Monetize Your Video Content?
There are countless monetization options to earn from your video content, but in reality, most tactics will fall into one or more of these video monetization models.
A good video streaming platform will provide at least one of these methods to earn from your video views, host your video, and provide performance analytics to measure and track essential metrics.
Subscription-based on-demand video (SVOD)
Subscription-based video on demand (SVOD) is a monetization method where video platforms charge users a monthly recurring or one-time fee to access video content.
Users can continue accessing the video content library if the account remains valid. An excellent example of this is Netflix.
As a consumer of video content, users can subscribe to Netflix monthly packages to keep enjoying the services. In return, as agreed, Netflix pays content creators a certain amount.
In most cases, Netflix’s business model works in two ways – licensing or paying total movie production costs.
It pays a licensing fee if you have good video content that Netflix wants to include in its library. Netflix also pays video producers the total cost of production and assumes ownership.
As a creator, if you have good video content worth it, you can work with streaming platforms like Netflix, Showmax, DSTV, LiveSports, etc…to earn consistently from your work.
Advertising-based video on demand (AVOD)
This is the easiest and most common method of making money from video content as a creator. It presents an excellent opportunity to build a business around your audience community.
It is a number game; the larger your audience size, the more you can earn from advertising views and clicks.
YouTube is a good example here.
YouTube runs advertising through the video and shares 55% of the ad earnings with the channel YouTube creator. It is a win-win for all parties involved.
Your audience enjoys watching ad-supported content they would have otherwise paid for.
The advertiser gets more exposure, you earn from ad revenue sharing, and the video streaming platform takes a share of the advertising fee.
Transactional Video on Demand (TVOD)
This video monetization method allows users to pay upfront to watch an event, download it, or live stream it.
TVOD offers users a convenient and cost-effective way to pay and watch a particular video event without subscribing to a monthly or yearly plan. It is a pay-per-view video monetization tactic.
iTunes, Google Play Store, Redbox, Mubi, and Lightbox TV are excellent examples of TVOD.
On these platforms, users can pay per view or download. It brings a lot of more convenient, flexible payment structures and enhances users’ usage.
Online Video Platform for Monetization
An online video platform is an essential tool for video monetization. It provides a space for creators to host, manage, and monetize their video content.
The best online video platforms for monetization come equipped with a range of features, including video hosting, live streaming, and various monetization tools.
Creators should consider several factors when selecting an online video platform for monetization. These include the platform’s monetization models, associated fees, and customization options.
Popular online video platforms for monetization include YouTube, Vimeo, and Dacast. Each of these platforms offers unique features and benefits, so it’s crucial to choose one that aligns with your specific needs and goals.
Video Monetization Platforms to Make Money
Note:
Note: If you’re interested in video marketing and creating visual content but are uncomfortable showing your face in the video, I published a guide you need to read on faceless video content creation.
This guide shows you how to start a YouTube channel without revealing your identity. You will learn everything it takes to launch a profitable YouTube channel, from generating topic ideas to writing the script, filming, and recording.
1. TikTok
If you’re new and raw to the world of video content creation, TikTok might be the platform to be. Online video content has become a significant area for monetization, making it essential for content creators and businesses to choose the right platforms to leverage this popularity.
Anyone can create and share video content on TikTok; you don’t need to be a professional video creator or an expensive video tool to use the platform.
TikTok is a fast-growing platform with over 1 billion monthly users. The platform makes it easier for anyone to create and share video content.
The length of video content on TikTok is 10 minutes, a massive boost from the previous maximum limit of 3 minutes.
Now, video creators can express themselves more effectively and in greater detail. The new limits allow instructors and coaches to use the platform more for teaching and growing an audience base.
The platform presents video creators with official earning methods from the TikTok Creator Fund.
TikTok Creator Fund is a program run by TikTok to reward its community of content creators for their hard work and creativity.
$231 million has been committed to the program for the next three years.
However, to qualify for the TikTok Creator Fund, you must be above 18, have at least 10,000 followers, and have generated 100,000 views in the last 30 days.
The program is also only available to residents of the US, UK, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain.
But all hope is not lost; you can earn from TikTok if you didn’t qualify for the Creator Fund program, even with fewer followers and monthly views. Here are other ways you can make money from TikTok:
TikTok Top Features
TikTok Pricing
2. Twitch
Since Amazon bought it in 2014, Twitch has moved from being a gaming and streaming website to a tool loved and used by other artists and video creators.
On average, 2.78 million people are on Twitch at any moment.
Most Twitch videos are live streams of gamers competing with each other. Joining Twitch is free, and the platform offers an affiliate and partner program that allows creators and games to earn money.
The subscription model is particularly advantageous for video content creators, offering them predictable revenue through access to a library of videos or live streams.
Qualified Twitch partners can earn a share of the ad revenue generated on the platform.
Though the company does not disclose the amount of percentage of share revenue, it is still a viable means of earning from your content.
However, you can earn $3.50 for every 1,000 ad impressions based on available third-party data.
So, if you have a large following and generate thousands of ad impressions, Twitch can be a good source of side income for content creators and gamers.
You can read more about how to make money on Twitch in this post on the Shopify website.
There are many channels on Twitch, from gaming, cryptocurrency, blockchain, music, politics, Pools, Hot hubs, Beaches, etc.
Twitch Top Features
Twitch Pricing
3. Vimeo
Vimeo is an all-in-one solution for hosting, managing, and sharing your video content with the world from one source.
It is one of the best alternatives to YouTube, offering content creators the chance to create, host, and sell their knowledge to earn a living.
Vimeo offers you the freedom to take control of your monetization strategy. One key aspect is choosing the right monetization model, such as TVOD or SVOD, to generate revenue based on your audience’s needs and market demands.
Instead of relying on an ad-based revenue model like YouTube and Facebook, you can turn your audience into paying members of your tribe and collect recurring revenue.
You can include interactive elements in your video that let your audience take action while watching. This can increase the engagement and conversion rate of your video content and help increase revenue.
Creators can earn from three monetization methods on Vimeo – Subscription, Branded app, and Live events.
You can set up subscription-based content for your audience or create a branded app to share video content on any platform and device.
You can also set up a pay-per-view for live events like online classes, sports, business summits, courses, etc. You can combine all these methods to maximize your earning potential.
Vimeo Top Features
Vimeo Pricing
Note: Vimeo offers a 30-day free trial of its services, so you can test it before committing.
4. IGTV
IGTV is the Instagram video content TV, one of the best video monetization platforms besides YouTube. Instagram is also a Facebook business, so you should expect similar policies and guidelines for content creators.
Creators can earn 55% of ad revenue like YouTube; this makes IGTV a good competitor to the YouTube video monetization platform for creators.Â
Unlike YouTube, IGTV is not available in all countries. Only the US, UK, and Australia are currently allowed into the program.
Even at that, your account must have at least 10,000 followers and 30,000 1-minute views in the last 60 days.
Although IGTV may not be for everyone, it is still a good option if you’re in an eligible country and your Instagram account is eligible for IGTV. Â
What if your account has decent followers and a high engagement rate, but you’re not in an eligible country?
Well, you can still earn from your IGTV video by leveraging other video monetization methods:
Affiliate Marketing.
As it is, you can add affiliate links to your IGTV video in the description text. There is no limit to how many links you can add, but I advise keeping things simple and clean. The maximum number of characters is 2,200.
And like YouTube, you need to let your audience know there is a link in the description they can click to get more information.
People are still learning how IGTV works, so don’t assume everyone knows about small things like this.
Sponsorship Deal
If you have a large following on Instagram, you can source brands and companies to work out sponsorship deals with you.
Companies are looking for more ways to get their product in front of more eyes; you can help them with promotions.
It’s simple; you must create a video featuring the company’s product or services. This could be just a mention, an onboarding of the product; I have seen this many times with smartphone users on IGTV.
Promote your Product
You can use IGTV to drive traffic to your eCommerce website for free.
As you create engaging and educational content, you build an audience that trusts your recommendations.
Your IGTV is an excellent medium for driving traffic to your landing pages and increasing your revenue potential.
5. Facebook
Creators can earn money from Facebook in-stream and overlay ads if they meet the requirements. Facebook shares a percentage of the advertising revenue with video creators.
But first, you must check if you’re qualified for the program.
From the information gathered on Facebook, creators must have at least 10,000 page followers, have published at least five videos, have generated 600,000 minute views in the last 60 days, and have all videos published from their page.
If your page and video meet the qualification requirements, ads are placed during the 1st one-minute break of your video, and the user must watch the ads in total for you to earn.
With Facebook being one of the best online video streaming platforms and its audience size, it could be worth giving this a try if you’re consistently creating fun videos.
The program is not available for all countries; only a select number of countries are allowed. You can check here for your country’s eligibility.
Another way to earn from your video content on Facebook is through sponsored messages.
You can partner with brands by running a commercial during your video presentation to your audience. But this tactic will only work if you have a large number of followers on your page.
Brands will want to work with you if you have the right audience within their target demographic. While Facebook’s video monetization program is not the best option, it is still a viable tool for getting started with video marketing.
Maximizing Revenue with Video Monetization
Maximizing revenue with video monetization requires a strategic approach. First and foremost, as a creator, you should focus on producing high-quality, engaging content that resonates with your target audience.
Experimenting with different monetization models, such as advertising, sponsorships, and direct sales, can help identify the most effective video monetization models for generating income.
Optimizing video content for maximum visibility and engagement is also crucial. This can be achieved by using relevant keywords, tags, and descriptions to improve discoverability.
Additionally, engaging with your audience and building a community around your content can increase loyalty and revenue.
By implementing these strategies, you can maximize your revenue with the best video monetization strategy and build a successful online business.
FAQ – Alternative Video Monetization Platforms
How can I monetize my videos?
There are several ways to monetize your video; you can collaborate with an affiliate program network and run paid sponsorship and partnership deals. If you’re a product creator, you can turn your viewers into a community, sell courses, create membership sites, and offer downloadable products.
Which platform is best for video monetization?
It all depends on various factors. You must consider your audience’s interests, niche, demographic, products, etc. Considering all these metrics will give you the right direction to follow. Some video monetization platforms are best suited for certain audiences and niches.
For example, YouTube can be an excellent source of educational content presented in step-by-step tutorials. Facebook is good for fun and entertaining short clips. If you’re selling online courses, you might consider other platforms such as Thinkific, Mighty Networks, and LinkedIn Learning.
Is there any money platform like YouTube?
Several money platforms include IGTV, Facebook in-stream ads, Twitch, etc. You can try any of these platforms to compare your results and ease of use with YouTube.
Conclusion…Best Video Monetization Platforms
There is no shortage of top video monetization platforms you can explore.
However, if you’re stuck with YouTube, especially looking for ways to generate a consistent and stable income within your control, you must try some of the options above.
YouTube is a good option, but it takes away your ability to own your audience, determine earning potential, and take absolute control of your business.
Other marketing platforms, such as email lists and engagement levels, will give you more control over your audience data. This is something you can’t possibly achieve with YouTube marketing.
Thank you very for this rich piece. In all of the options listed above. Youtube still pays better. Facebook still can’t pay Nigerian users. Let’s see what the future holds.
Hi Don,
Yes, Nigeria and some other countries are yet to be included in the Facebook video monetization program. No doubt, YouTube still remains the top choice, but it’s a good thing to see what other options can get you.
Hi SHAMSUDEEN, I love Rumble and have made some money on that video network. They even have a “Rumble battle” where you can win money as well. It’s a competitor to YouTube.
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for mentioning Rumble, I will check it out and will consider adding it to the list. Thanks for your time here. And happy blogging!