If you’re a video creator, chances are you’ve felt the pressure of chasing views, battling unpredictable algorithms, and hoping ad revenue doesn’t suddenly dry up overnight.
It’s exhausting. Frankly, it’s not sustainable.
But, there’s a better way.
Smart creators are discovering alternative ways to make money beyond ads. They’re taking back control of their earnings, deepening audience relationships, and building online businesses with multiple revenue streams.
From selling digital products and launching channel memberships to tapping into things like affiliate programs and selling merch, there are ways to make money on YouTube (and beyond) that don’t involve placing mid-roll ads or obsessing over every second of watch time.
In this post, you’ll learn seven practical, proven ways to monetize your videos without ads. No gimmicks, no guesswork. Just real examples of creators who turned direct connections into stable, recurring income (often making way more money than they ever did from ads).
Here’s how successful creators monetize videos beyond ads
We asked Uscreen creators how they’re actually making money from their content. The responses included creators who publish long-form videos, run sponsored videos, and even promote affiliate links across other platforms, not just on YouTube.
And the results are telling.
While many started out trying to earn ad revenue through the YouTube Partner Program, a growing number are now building diversified revenue streams that go far beyond ads.
Memberships are still the backbone of most video businesses on Uscreen. Before joining the platform, only 35% were earning revenue from subscriptions, now that number has jumped to 85%.
It’s proof that when creators have the right tools and structure, recurring revenue becomes more than possible — it becomes the norm. But that doesn’t mean creators are putting all their eggs in one basket.
Over half still plan to keep memberships front and center, but many are expanding into other revenue streams too.
Merch sales and livestreaming are high on the list. More creators are turning their brand into something physical, with nearly 41% planning to sell products their audience can wear, use, or gift.
Paid live events are also gaining ground, thanks to the immediacy and interactivity they offer, not to mention the extra income. Affiliate partnerships and sponsorships are rising, too, especially among creators with loyal, niche audiences.
Meanwhile, traditional options like ad revenue and donations/fan funding are getting less love.
Many creators feel these methods are too unpredictable or limited in scale. Instead, they’re looking to other platforms that give them full control, better tools, and higher revenue potential.
And perhaps most telling?
When asked what’s missing from their monetization strategy, 90% said… nothing. Turns out, when you’ve got the right mix of tools and a business model that fits, you don’t need to chase every shiny new opportunity — just the ones that make sense for you.
7 practical ways to monetize videos without ads successfully (+ niche examples)
If you’re building a YouTube channel today, you don’t need to depend on YouTube ads or hit every milestone of the YouTube Partner Program to succeed.
These seven strategies are already helping many creators earn reliable income, often outperforming what they made from ad revenue alone.
| Monetization idea | How easy is it to implement? | What’s the earning potential? | Who is it best for? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Build a membership | Medium-Hard | High | Wants consistent, flexible recurring income |
| Design and sell branded merch | Medium | Medium | Has a loyal, passionate audience |
| Affiliate marketing | Easy | Medium | Prefers passive income streams |
| Paid live events | Medium | High | Thrives on direct audience interaction |
| Consulting or coaching packages | Easy | High | Has deep expertise and authority |
| Create courses | Medium to Hard | High | Wants scalable, high-value offers |
| Host retreats or workshops | Hard | Medium | Wants to deliver immersive, premium experiences |
1. Build a membership
Ease: Medium-Hard
Income potential: High
Best for: Creators who want consistent recurring income, deeper audience connection, and long-term creative freedom.
Memberships turn your content into a full-fledged business. Instead of hoping a video performs well with ads, you build a loyal base of subscribers who pay you directly (monthly, quarterly, or annually) for access to exclusive videos, live sessions, behind-the-scenes content, courses, or even a private community.
What makes it powerful is the recurring revenue model. You’re not starting from zero every month. Your earnings compound as more people join, and churn decreases when you offer consistent value.
Membership example from Uscreen creator Adriene Mishler
If you’re a video creator dreaming about launching a membership, take a cue from Find What Feels Good (FWFG), the premium wellness platform built by Adriene Mishler and Chris Sharpe.
FWFG built a low-cost, high-value membership that offers exclusive yoga and meditation videos, community interactions, and member-only perks, all wrapped up in beautifully branded apps and web experiences.
Their approach is powerful because it’s deeply personal yet scalable. Members pay an affordable monthly subscription for unlimited access to FWFG’s vast content library, creating predictable monthly recurring revenue.
With over 46,000 paying members, it’s clear their strategy resonates.
Unlike ad-driven platforms, FWFG focuses on quality long-form content and community building, exactly what their audience wants.
No chasing algorithms, no worrying about trends.
Having our own app feels personal and intimate because it’s something our members can take with them.
Chris Sharpe
FWFG’s membership is built on Uscreen, which lets them easily:
- Manage subscription tiers and payments: Simple, reliable billing and customizable subscription plans mean members get a smooth sign-up and renewal experience.
- Handle member access and segmentation: Easy-to-use tools to control who accesses what, ensuring every member gets personalized content.
- Sync content and app login across devices: Members can seamlessly switch between web, phone, tablet, and TV without losing their place or logging in repeatedly.
- Build a thriving private community: An integrated community feature encourages meaningful interactions, discussions, and connections among members, all within the membership platform.
With everything centralized, FWFG avoids tech headaches and can stay focused on creating content and growing community.
Read how Adriene & Chris Sharpe built & scaled their membership
Why it works:
Memberships offer unmatched flexibility and control over your business and income. You set your prices, choose your content, and build direct relationships with your community.
Use our free tool to pinpoint your ideal membership price in just 3 steps, leveraging a decade of data.
That independence helps you avoid burnout, create better content, and enjoy sustainable growth—on your own terms.
FWFG proves you don’t need ad revenue or millions of followers to build a successful content business. With a membership model, you can:
- Own your revenue stream
- Deepen relationships with loyal fans
- Create content on your terms
- Earn consistent, predictable income
Whether your goal is 100 members or 100,000, a membership model offers a reliable, scalable pathway from creator to successful business owner.
2. Sell branded merch
Ease: Medium
Income potential: Medium
Best for: Creators with a clear brand identity and loyal community who want tangible or digital products to strengthen fan relationships.
Branded merch isn’t just about slapping your logo on a hoodie. It’s about creating items your fans are proud to own and products that align with your message, aesthetic, or lifestyle.
Whether it’s physical (like t-shirts, yoga mats, fitness gear, enamel pins, or water bottles) or digital (planners, wallpapers, training guides), merch reinforces your brand and creates a way for your audience to feel more connected to you.
Branded merch example from Uscreen creator Sara Beth Yoga
For creators looking to move beyond content-only monetization, branded merch can be a powerful, and often underutilized, revenue stream. Just ask Sarah Beth Yoga.
Sarah Beth’s merch perfectly complements her online yoga membership. Her branded yoga mats, apparel, and accessories help members feel more connected to the SarahBethYoga community and make their yoga practice more tangible and enjoyable.
It also provides an additional revenue stream beyond membership. Offering targeted promotions or limited-edition products can boost income in a stable and predictable way.
Lastly, merchandise helps improve member retention. Owning branded items makes members feel more invested in the community, giving them another reason to stick around for the long term.
To sell merch, Sarah uses Uscreen’s built-in e-commerce tools:
- Sets up an online storefront inside her membership: Sarah runs her merch store right inside her yoga membership, making shopping simple without the hassle of a separate e-commerce site.
- Sells branded yoga mats, apparel, accessories, and digital products: Members can easily shop yoga gear, comfy apparel, accessories, or digital downloads, creating a stronger connection to their practice and community.
- Creates and manages discounts seamlessly: Sarah easily runs promotions and special offers directly from Uscreen’s dashboard, boosting sales without extra tools or hassle.
- Tracks sales performance and inventory effortlessly: Using Uscreen’s built-in dashboard, Sarah Beth quickly checks merch sales and inventory, helping her decide what products her community loves most.
- Provides a seamless shopping experience: Members shop and buy merch directly in her yoga app and website, making purchases feel natural, convenient, and aligned with their daily yoga routine.
Why it works:
Merch works best when your audience identifies with your mission, values, or personality. It’s aspirational: wearing your merch is like saying, “I’m part of this community.”
And while it might not rival a membership in recurring revenue, it adds a valuable income layer. You can use limited drops or seasonal collections to create urgency, and platforms like Shopify or Printful make fulfillment hands-off.
👉 Read our guide: Check out our guide on selling digital products alongside video content.
3. Use affiliate marketing
Ease: Easy
Income potential: Medium
Best for: Creators already sharing product recommendations or tutorials who want passive income without launching a product.
Affiliate marketing is straightforward: You promote a product or service with your personal tracking link, and earn a commission when someone buys through it.
If you’re reviewing products, giving tutorials, or simply sharing what you use, you’re in the perfect position to make affiliate marketing work. Platforms like Amazon, the YouTube Shopping affiliate program, and others offer commission-based links that generate passive income every time someone clicks and buys.
But here’s the nuance: it only works if your audience trusts you. Overdoing it, or promoting things you don’t genuinely use, can backfire. The best affiliate creators are strategic; they weave in relevant recommendations naturally, and only promote products that fit their content’s purpose.
Affiliate marketing example from Uscreen creator Leah Maselli
Creator Leah Maselli does this beautifully. She runs Pilates by Leah, a membership where she pairs her videos with an affiliate storefront full of equipment recommendations.
Her members trust her advice and are happy to buy what she uses, meaning she’s able to earn revenue in the background, without needing to sell her own products.
Why it’s such a smart setup:
- It naturally enhances the member experience:
Leah’s audience trusts her advice on equipment. Guiding them directly to her affiliate links provides convenience and builds deeper trust. - It’s truly passive and effortless:
Once the affiliate store is set up, Leah earns income without any ongoing effort, freeing her to focus entirely on teaching. - It integrates seamlessly with her Uscreen membership:
Leah embeds affiliate links directly into her video descriptions, emails, or community posts within Uscreen, making the shopping experience simple and cohesive.
Affiliate marketing complements Leah’s membership perfectly. It adds another steady revenue stream while enhancing member satisfaction—without additional stress or time investment.
Why it works:
Affiliate marketing requires little to no extra effort, making it ideal for creators who want to earn while focusing on content or growing a membership. It’s particularly effective when you’re in a niche where your audience constantly looks for tools, gear, or product advice.
For larger channels with a strong niche and loyal audience, affiliate marketing is a powerful revenue stream that adds value and earns income in the background. Pair it with a membership like Leah’s, and you’ve got a complete, scalable business that works while you teach.
👉 Read our guide: Here’s a deep dive on how video creators make money with affiliate marketing.
4. Host paid live events
Ease: Medium
Income potential: High
Best for: Creators who thrive in real-time interactions and want to offer premium experiences without building long-term products.
Live events can be anything from exclusive virtual concerts, pop-up fitness classes, live Q&A sessions, to paid webinars or community town halls.
The key is exclusivity. People will pay to be in the (virtual) room if the event offers value they can’t get elsewhere: a sense of community, access to you, or a one-time experience.
Paid live events example from Uscreen creator Laura Wilson
Uscreen customer Laura Wilson, Founder of Natural Pilates, hosts 4–6 weekly live Pilates classes that members actively participate in. These sessions go beyond simple workouts — they help build a deeper sense of community, accountability, and motivation. Members benefit from direct instructor feedback, personalized tips, and real-time corrections on form and technique.
By creating this premium, interactive experience, Natural Pilates adds significant value to their membership, deepens relationships with their members, and generates consistent additional revenue.
With Uscreen’s built-in live streaming tools, Laura can:
- Easy scheduling and setup: Laura can quickly schedule live sessions and send automatic reminders right from the Uscreen platform—no complicated tech needed.
- Live chat interaction: Members can chat in real-time during the class, ask questions, and feel like part of a community.
- Pay-per-view events: If Laura wants to offer a special workshop or event, she can easily sell tickets directly through Uscreen, making it simple to earn extra revenue.
- Instant replays: Right after each live class ends, the recording automatically becomes available in the library for members who couldn’t attend live or want to revisit the workout.
- Great viewing quality: Classes stream smoothly across all devices—web, mobile, or TV apps—so members get a high-quality, frustration-free experience.
Read how Laura & Erika built multiple revenue streams
Why it works:
Live sessions create urgency and exclusivity — two powerful triggers for engagement and fan funding.
Unlike prerecorded videos, live events offer real-time interactions where participants ask questions, get personalized feedback, and experience your expertise firsthand.
For those tired of waiting to earn ad revenue through YouTube Premium subscribers or ads, live events can offer quick wins and strong audience bonding.
👉 Read our guide: Learn how to monetize live streaming effectively.
5. Offer coaching or consulting
Ease: Easy
Income potential: High
Best for: Creators with deep expertise and authority who want to work directly with individuals or small groups.
1:1 coaching or consulting is one of the fastest ways to start making a significant income, especially if you already get DMs asking for help or advice.
Whether it’s business, health, personal development, or niche skills, people will pay for personalized guidance.
Consulting example from Uscreen creator Jade Beason
Uscreen creator Jade Beason offers VIP coaching packages designed specifically for creators looking to overcome growth hurdles on social media and in their businesses.
Through her tailored 1:1 consultancy sessions, Jade helps clients clearly identify the root of their challenges, develop practical solutions, and create step-by-step action plans to reach their goals faster.
Rather than generic advice, Jade’s packages offer personalized, focused attention, perfect for creators who need hands-on guidance.
Each session provides clarity, actionable insights, and a customized growth strategy to help creators level up effectively.
With a limited number of spots available, Jade keeps her coaching high-impact and exclusive, creating deeper client relationships and positioning herself as a trusted expert in the creator community.
Coaching packages like Jade’s are powerful because they directly monetize your expertise while delivering immense value and tangible results for your clients. It’s high-value monetization at its best.
Why it works:
It’s a high-value offer with low overhead. You don’t need to build a full course or product suite; just package your knowledge into sessions, and show up. It’s especially attractive if you’re transitioning out of a full-time job or want more control over your working hours.
You can also scale later into group programs, hybrid memberships, or digital courses—so this can be a great starting point or an ongoing revenue stream.
👉 Read our guide: Launch your coaching membership site with this guide.
6. Create and sell courses
Ease: Medium to hard
Income potential: High
Best for: Creators with deep expertise who want to deliver structured, valuable content to their audience.
Courses are the big leagues of monetization. You take a skill, process, or system you’ve mastered, turn it into lessons and sell it as a premium product. Once built, it runs on autopilot—with students joining 24/7, even while you sleep.
Course example from Uscreen membership Filmmakers Academy
Filmmakers Academy, founded by cinematographer Shane Hurlbut (“Love Hard,” “Terminator Salvation”) and entrepreneur Lydia Hurlbut, turned their years of filmmaking expertise into practical, structured online courses.
These courses are a natural extension of their membership, providing aspiring filmmakers clear instruction across various filmmaking disciplines—including cinematography, directing, lighting, grip and electric (G&E), and post-production.
Using Uscreen, Filmmakers Academy organized its extensive video library into easily accessible, structured courses. This made it simple for members to quickly find and consume the content they needed, even directly from film sets via dedicated apps on Roku, FireTV, Android, and iOS.
Uscreen’s course capabilities made it easy for Filmmakers Academy to:
- Structure large content libraries into organized, user-friendly courses
- Offer dedicated video chapters and playlists for better navigation
- Deliver courses seamlessly via branded mobile and TV streaming apps
- Market courses effectively with built-in email campaigns and targeted upsells
- Recover sales with automated abandoned cart features, no extra plugins needed
- Track and analyze course performance through detailed analytics dashboards
But the true value of these courses goes beyond just revenue—they directly empower a community of passionate filmmakers. The structured lessons and smooth member experience allow students to immediately put new skills into action, creating deeper member engagement, improved retention, and strong word-of-mouth growth.
Read how Shane & Lydia Hurlbut diversify their income streams
Why it works:
Courses give your audience a clear roadmap to master specific skills, something viewers deeply value and willingly pay premium prices for. Because courses are packaged neatly, students get predictable, high-quality outcomes instead of hunting through scattered resources. This positions you as the trusted expert they’ll consistently turn to.
Platforms like Uscreen simplify every step, from structuring your courses clearly, to effortlessly marketing and selling them, creating a seamless learning experience that keeps your members satisfied, loyal, and coming back for more.
👉 Read our guide: Check out the best platforms to sell online courses.
7. Host retreats or workshops
Ease: Hard
Income potential: Medium to high
Best for: Creators who want to offer immersive, in-person experiences with their most dedicated followers.
This is for creators who want to go beyond the screen and build unforgettable experiences IRL. Retreats and workshops help you deeply connect with your audience, while offering premium-priced, high-impact value.
Workshop example from Uscreen customer John Garey
John Garey, a leading Pilates expert and Uscreen customer, recently ran a highly successful series of workshops called the “Pilates IT Factor Foundations Tour.”
These immersive, in-person workshops are specifically designed to help Pilates instructors master their communication skills, body language, and client engagement, creating a deeper impact in their teaching.
Each session includes hands-on training with John Garey himself, exclusive materials, and earns participants Continuing Education Credits (CECs). With workshops planned across major U.S. cities like Miami, Dallas, Chicago, and Manhattan, Garey’s events have quickly gained popularity among instructors eager to level up their teaching.
Using Uscreen, John Garey seamlessly integrates these workshops into his broader digital membership offerings, making it easy to promote events and provide ongoing education to instructors, both in-person and online.
For Garey, workshops aren’t just about extra income, they deepen connections with his community and reinforce his brand’s commitment to high-quality Pilates education.
Why it works:
In-person events build serious loyalty and allow you to charge high-ticket prices. They’re not for everyone, but if you love hosting, facilitating, or teaching in person, retreats are a powerful way to connect, transform, and earn—especially when paired with ongoing digital offerings.
👉 Read our guide: See how membership creators diversify their income.
It’s time to make money beyond ad revenue
The takeaway? You don’t need ads to make money from your videos.
As we’ve seen from creators like Sarah Beth Yoga, Filmmakers Academy, and Leah Maselli, monetizing your content independently not only boosts your earnings—it also deepens your connection with your community and frees you from chasing algorithms.
By diversifying your income streams with memberships, courses, merch, paid live events, affiliate marketing, and more, you can build a stable, scalable video business that aligns with your creative goals.
🚀 Ready to take the next step?
Build, launch and manage your membership, all in one place.
FAQs
Yes, many YouTube creators now monetize videos without ads by using channel memberships, affiliate marketing, selling their own products, or creating online courses. These methods offer more control than relying solely on YouTube ads or the partner program. They’re also more reliable than waiting to earn ad revenue based on watch time or ad views. For most creators, combining these revenue streams leads to more money and a more stable online business.
You can still make money on YouTube through methods like affiliate programs, sponsored videos, selling merch, or directing viewers to a paid membership platform. These options don’t require eligibility requirements or access to YouTube Studio features. Many creators also offer coaching, consulting, or paid live events outside of the YouTube platform. This way, you’re not dependent on the partner program to earn revenue.
Yes, affiliate marketing is one of the easiest and most passive ways to earn money from your YouTube videos. You can include affiliate links to products you use or recommend, and earn a commission each time someone buys. This works especially well in niches where your audience frequently asks for gear, tools, or product advice. Pairing affiliate links with your own line of products or tutorials can further increase revenue.
It depends on your strategy, but many creators make far more through memberships, online courses, brand deals, and affiliate programs than from ad revenue alone. Even an average YouTube channel with a loyal niche audience can generate steady income through alternative ways like selling digital products, hosting workshops, or offering exclusive content. These methods often outperform the small payouts from YouTube Premium or mid-roll ads.
The best way is to build multiple revenue streams beyond just YouTube ads. Think channel memberships, physical product sales, coaching, or repurposing content into paid courses. This reduces your reliance on fan funding, Super Chats, or algorithm-based traffic. You can also link to other platforms where you sell or deliver additional content and earn from monthly payments. Diversification makes your income more stable and your business more scalable.
