How to Make Money with YouTube

by Chris Jacobson

This isn’t a new method at all, but I’ve only found time recently to try it out myself. YouTube.com is the #2 website on the entire internet, recently passing Google as far as traffic goes. This is a great opportunity for you to make some money quickly and easily.

Here’s a quick guide on how to leverage the power of YouTube to cash in.

Download a popular music video or viral video with YouTube Catcher (FREE) and save it in FLV format.

Convert FLV video to MPEG using SUPER software (FREE).

Add watermarks to your videos with your website address on it promoting your affiliate offer using VirtualdubMOD (FREE). Read this tutorial on how to watermark your videos using this software.

Cash the checks and repeat!

Here’s a run down of how I personally do this in proper order (to make it easy and understandable for you)…

Download YouTube video and save it in FLV format

Convert FLV to MPEG (using SUPER)

Create watermark bitmap image in Photoshop (read the tutorial mentioned above)

Import MPEG to VirtualDubMOD, add BMP image to video

Export and save video as an AVI

Convert AVI to MPEG in SUPER

The watermark image should simply be text promoting your affiliate offer. I’ve had the most success promoting PPL (pay-per-lead) offers, such as ringtones, or e-mail submits. Make sure you hide your affiliate URL using a redirection service, such as TinyURL.com. It will make it easier for your viewers to remember the URL as well. If you don’t already belong to an affiliate network, check out my Money Making guide.

Upload the video to YouTube with a descriptive title of the video. In the description field, enter the URL you just created and some text describing your offer. Example: “Get a FREE Ringtone of this music video!”

It’s important to always follow the terms and conditions of each affiliate offer you’re promoting. Some offers restrict you from using the words, “free”, “best”, “guaranteed” etc. when promoting them. Check to make sure you aren’t violating any of these terms. It’s also best to use YouTube videos that are royalty free. Ignoring these rules and uploading a copyrighted video may get your video removed from YouTube and your account deleted. Your affiliate network account may also be terminated if a viewer reports you for promoting an offer in conjunction with a copyright violation. Play by the rules and you won’t have any problems. Your cash flow also won’t be cut off.