Why most people never make a $1 on YouTube

Lately, I've been finding myself thinking about my high school days.

I don't know if it's because I'm about to get married and I'm starting to feel a little bit old, or if it's because I've driven past my old high school a couple of times over the course of the summer.

But there's just something about being 16 and having no cares in the world that you start to cherish as you get older and become more burdened by responsibilities.

Except there is one thing about being in high school that I definitely don't miss.

Can you guess what it is?

No, it's not getting rejected multiple times when trying to get my first girlfriend.

It's taking those grueling exams, which you at the time seem like they dictate the entire trajectory of your life.

You see, I was quite a strong student—not because I'm naturally gifted, but because I just worked really hard.

I would literally do the chapter exercises multiple times and read the textbook from front to back for each class that I took.

To say that I was prepared for my exams is an understatement.

And because of this, I graduated with a 90% average in high school, which at the time I thought was the greatest accomplishment of all time.

But now, picture if I hadn't spent all that time studying and mastering the subjects that I took in school.

Let's say that I approached every single exam without studying at all or ever going to class. Do you think I would have gotten a 90 average and a scholarship to university?

Not a chance.

I probably would have flunked most of my classes and might still be in high school today.

Sadly, most people are approaching their YouTube journeys like the underprepared student.

They set up their channel and start making videos that get them absolutely nowhere.

Then, after spending precious time and money on videos that underperform, they cut their losses and quit.

That's why most people never make even a single dollar on YouTube.

In fact, recent stats show that only about 10% of channels get accepted into the YouTube Partner Program and start making money.

After learning about this stat and seeing some of my students' results—where many of them are getting monetized within 5 to 20 videos—it made me think about what they were doing that the average channel owner isn't.

And quite frankly, the only difference is having better knowledge to work with.

For instance, it's easy to generate tens of thousands of views on a video when you know the exact ideation methods you need to compete in your niche.

Alternatively, it's much easier to strip away the mistakes you're making when you have someone to critique the content you're creating based on their own professional experience.

These students are like my high school self.

They are well-prepared individuals going into the exam with all the knowledge and tools that they need.

Whereas the average channel owner is trying to take the exam without having cracked open the textbook or gone to class.

Therefore, if you want to avoid the trap of never making a single dollar on YouTube, the best thing you can do is educate yourself.

Go watch YouTube education videos on YouTube, continue to read my threads on Twitter and those of other YouTube experts online, or gain a mentor that can help you be part of that 10% that makes an online income on YouTube and uses it to supplement their monthly income.

By investing in this education, you become the prepared student ready to take on your own YouTube journey, which will naturally allow you to avoid more mistakes, wasting your precious time and money in the process—and not becoming just another channel owner who never quite cracked the YouTube code.

Until tomorrow.

Adam