You don’t need 10,000 subscribers to start making substantial money on YouTube. It definitely helps, but views are not your only option to monetize videos.
Creators with just a few hundred subs are already earning through affiliate links, digital products, and brand sponsorships, all without AdSense.
In this guide, you’ll see real examples and proven YouTube monetization strategies that work before the algorithm kicks in.
Skip the wait. Monetize smarter from day one.
Why Subscriber Count Isn’t Everything on YouTube
You’ll hear it everywhere: “Get to 1,000 subs.” “Chase 10,000.” They’re all right, but not only subs and views mean income.
YouTube’s real power isn’t in the number under your channel name. It’s in how you monetize your value, not your vanity metrics.
Some creators start earning with just a few hundred subscribers. Others wait until 50K and still don’t know how to earn more. What’s the difference? Strategy.
YouTube monetization isn’t just about ads anymore. In fact, ads often pay the least, especially in the beginning.
Today’s creators earn from …
- affiliate links,
- digital products,
- sponsorships,
- paid communities,
- coaching,
… long before the algorithm even notices them.
So stop chasing subscriber milestones. Start building offers, systems, and relationships that pay.
You don’t need a massive audience. You need a monetizable niche, and a reason for people to buy.
Creative Monetization Strategies for Small Creators
You don’t need big numbers to earn, just smart strategies that work from day one.
Affiliate Marketing and Product Mentions
Affiliate marketing on YouTube is a fast lane to early income.
You don’t need 10,000 subscribers on YouTube to recommend gear, tools, or software. Just include affiliate links in your video descriptions. If your video solves a problem, people will click.
Affiliate marketing on YouTube works best when you focus on products your audience already wants.
Great fits include:
- Amazon Associates;
- ShareASale;
- YouTube Shopping;
- AppSumo;
- Notion, Canva, Adobe… most major tools offer affiliate programs.
👉 Discover more about the best choices for affiliate marketing on YouTube.
Selling Digital Products or Courses
Want true passive income on YouTube? Sell digital products.
👉 Check out the tricks to turn viewers into subscribers and subscribers into paying supporters.
Small creators are making money with:
- eBooks;
- Lightroom presets;
- Workout guides;
- Online courses;
- Canva templates;
- Notion dashboards.
No inventory. No shipping. All profit.
Example: A YouTuber with under 2K subscribers sells $25 Notion templates to productivity fans. Steady $2,000/month in passive income.
👉 Find out more about merch that sells.
Fan Funding Through Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee
Crowdfunding for creators is booming.
Fans want to support you. Give them an easy way to do it.
Use:
Offer:
- Bonus content;
- Live Q&As;
- Behind-the-scenes footage;
- Discord access.
Even with just 50 loyal fans at $5/month, that’s $250 recurring income.
👉 Discover about YouTube Memberships or Patreon: which is better for YouTube earnings?
Getting Small Brand Sponsorships
You don’t need a massive audience. You need an engaged one.
Brands in niche industries often prefer smaller, focused channels. They're cheaper, more authentic, and convert better.
Example pitch: “My videos get 1,500 views, 12% CTR, and 30 comments on average. I talk directly to your ideal customer.”
Start by reaching out to small companies. Think software startups, local businesses, Etsy shops.
👉 Learn about how to do paid collaboration on YouTube.
Get Paid Before the Views Roll In
You don’t need to wait for AdSense thresholds. MilX lets you unlock up to 6 months of YouTube income instantly.
Real Examples: YouTubers Who Succeeded Early
These creators prove you can start earning on YouTube long before hitting 10,000 subscribers, here’s how they did it.
Story 1: Angie – Monetized with Only 3 Subscribers
Three subscribers. One video. First sale.
That’s how Angie from Homesteading With Angie unlocked affiliate income before she had even built a real audience.
It started with a personal purchase, a pricey hydroponic gardening system called iHarvest. She loved it, joined a Facebook group, and began helping others organically.
Then came the unexpected DM: “Did you know we have an affiliate program?”
Skeptical but curious, Angie joined. She was offered a coupon code to share, and earned her first affiliate commission after just three subscribers.
Then a second. Then a third. That’s when she realized: this works.
She launched her channel with zero YouTube experience. Her first product review, “I bought a $20 grow light off Amazon”, now has over 90,000 views.
From there, Angie leaned into her niche. She started reviewing other garden and homestead tools, building trust through authentic, helpful content.
What worked?
- Reviewing real products she already used;
- Dropping affiliate links + discount codes in descriptions;
- Showing up in Facebook groups, not just YouTube;
- Creating videos that answered real user questions;
The result? Thousands of dollars in affiliate income, before even hitting 1,000 subscribers.
Angie’s story proves: You don’t need a big audience. You need relevance, trust, and a product worth sharing.
This is monetization without AdSense, and it’s one of the most underrated paths for small creators.
Story 2: Elhaddi Amina - Affiliate Success Under 1,000 Subs
No monetization tab? No problem.
Interior design creator Elhaddi Amina didn’t wait for 10,000 subs, or even 1,000. She found a smarter way to earn early.
After discovering Coohom, a 3D design tool, she joined their affiliate program.
With just a small but engaged audience, she started creating short videos and tutorials on her channel Everything Design, sharing how she used the tool in real projects.
She added her affiliate link in the video descriptions and offered viewers exclusive discount codes, making it easy for them to try Coohom and support her at the same time.
The result? Over $3,000 in affiliate revenue, all while still growing her channel from a small base.
The strategy?
- Solve a real problem (interior design tools);
- Share helpful, niche content;
- Drop links + exclusive codes at the right moments;
- Stay consistent;
Amina proved you the right product, a clear message, and content that connects.
Story 3: Alexa Saarenoja - First 30 Days Monetized - with Only 500 Subscribers
Can you start earning in your first month on YouTube? Alexa Saarenoja did exactly that.
With just 500 subscribers, Alexa turned her channel into a revenue stream, pulling in $796.90 in her first 30 days after monetization. Her content racked up 126,000 views, 11,000 watch hours, and added 3,900 new subscribers.
How did she earn?
- YouTube ads from long-form videos;
- Watch page views (highest revenue source);
- Super Chats from livestreams;
Her average daily revenue? Around $20/day. All from content that combined value, storytelling, and smart positioning.
But Alexa didn’t just grow with content, she coached others too.
What Alexa teaches:
- You don’t need viral Shorts or 10,000 subs to start earning;
- Clear niche = faster growth;
- Coaching, community, and clarity drive monetization.
Story 4: John Polonis - Monetization through Storytelling
John Polonis (over 2,000 subs today) started his YouTube channel over a year before monetizing.
His niche? Sharing life, travel, and personal stories - raw, honest, unfiltered.
He hit monetization in June 2024 after building consistency, tweaking his storytelling voice, and leaning into what made him unique.
Instead of chasing trends or mimicking others, he leaned into personal narrative:
- He embraced being vulnerable - showing doubts, failures, and hopes;
- He used storytelling to tie each video to an emotion or lesson;
- He tested formats: shorts, long form, behind‑the‑scenes;
- He pivoted content based on what felt true to him, not just what he thought would go viral.
Monetization came after clarity. Once his voice was stable, he layered in revenue paths - affiliate links, community, partnerships.
Key lessons:
- You don’t need to wait for perfect camera setups or trends.
- Your story is your differentiator.
- Consistency + authenticity = audience trust.
- Monetization rewards clarity and uniqueness.
John’s journey shows: once your voice is clear, your small audience becomes far more valuable than chasing big numbers with no direction.
Story 5: Evan S. Porter - Monetized a Faceless Channel
Evan S. Porter didn’t launch a YouTube channel to go viral. He built it to support his blog, and he did it without showing his face.
After years of running content sites earning $6K–$11K/month through search traffic and Mediavine ads, Evan decided to repurpose blog content into videos. His formula?
- Voiceover narration;
- Stock footage;
- Clean editing;
- Zero on-camera work;
His early videos were rough, think PowerPoint slides with narration, but he quickly leveled up.
By hiring a Fiverr voice artist and a freelance video editor, he produced 50+ faceless videos optimized for organic traffic.
- His total investment? $16,000+ over 2 years.
- Time for monetization? 2 years.
Ad revenue after monetization:
- $410 in April 2022;
- $427 in May 2022;
- ~$1,249 total in 2.5 months;
It wasn’t instant profit, but that wasn’t the point.
His videos now also earn passive income through Mediavine video ads embedded on his high-traffic blog.
Key lessons from Evan:
- Monetization takes time - but builds long-term assets;
- Repurpose what you already have (blogs > scripts > videos);
- You don’t need to show your face to succeed;
- SEO + faceless content = slow but scalable growth;
Evan’s approach isn’t flashy. It’s strategic, systemized, and built for longevity. If you’re a content creator with more ideas than camera time, this is your playbook.
16-Step Checklist to Earn More for Smaller YouTubers.
Hitting 10,000 subscribers won’t magically unlock big income. In fact, most creators with 10K subs still earn modest ad revenue, sometimes less than $100 a month.
That’s why relying on ads alone isn’t a real business model.
Smart creators don’t wait.
They diversify from day one with monetization strategies that actually pay:
- Sell digital products like eBooks, presets, templates, or swipe files.
- Build an email list and nurture your audience off YouTube.
- Use affiliate marketing - drop links in every relevant video.
- Offer 1:1 coaching or consulting based on your niche.
- Create mini-courses that teach exactly what your viewers want.
- Use YouTube Shorts to drive traffic and grow your base fast.
- Start a Patreon or Buy Me a Coffee for fan funding.
- Sell Notion dashboards, Canva kits, or digital planners - low cost, high value.
- Pitch small brands in your niche for early sponsorships.
- Bundle videos into a paid digital workshop or training series.
- Run a challenge or email bootcamp with paid upsells.
- Link your merch store or Gumroad page under every video.
- Launch a private community or Discord with paid access.
- Repurpose long-form content into Shorts, Reels, or TikToks for reach.
- Create UGC (user-generated content) and pitch it to brands directly.
- License your content for ads or social media usage.
Forget waiting on a YouTube monetization check. The real money comes from building systems, not just chasing views.
Small creators with smart strategies earn more than big channels with none.
Use MilX to Fuel Your Finances
When you’re monetized, there is a way to make your financial side easier.
The free MilX app helps creators access up to six months of future YouTube earnings upfront.
No loans. Just fast, flexible cash when you need it.
With MilX:
- Withdraw in 40+ currencies;
- Send P2P payments to editors or partners instantly;
- No credit checks;
- Pay back automatically from future YouTube revenue.
Whether you're launching a merch line, funding new content, or just covering bills between paychecks, MilX keeps you moving without waiting on AdSense.
Over 3,000 creators already use MilX to stay ahead. Try it today and see if your channel qualifies.
Ready to monetize smarter? Start with MilX.