Making money is something that I rarely talk about online but occupies my mind a lot. And I definitely feel weird about it. I think I’m mostly scared of the reaction it would get rather than having to justify the thoughts to myself. I’ve already done that, I know I want to make money.
Maybe that sounds cold to you. Perhaps it makes you feel uncomfortable. Talking about money makes a lot of people feel uneasy, like me right now writing this. I’m not sure how to phrase things and I’m really nervous about getting it wrong.
So let’s start at the beginning.
A couple weeks ago I attended Clamour in Palm Springs. Clamour is a conference for YouTubers and online creators with lots of talks and panels about making videos, and not just growing your channel but growing your business. I loved this event. I sat at the front of every talk taking all the notes and asking all the questions. It was like being back at school, and I fitted right back into my super-keen-nerd-persona. But let’s be real, it’s not a persona – that’s just me.
I’ve always thought I’ve wanted to create something bigger than myself, outside of the “Hannah Witton” channel. And basically I got to spend a few days having this desire being given permission to exist and room to breathe.
Let me tell you about a thing I’ve been worrying about for a while now.
The majority of my income comes from brand deals. Those sponsored videos you occasionally see on my channel make up most of my salary. I also get paid from various other revenue streams but the bulk of my income is brand deals. As a general rule you can charge more depending on how big your audience is and how many views you get. This isn’t sustainable. I’ve been on YouTube for 7 years and I’ve seen channels come and go – audiences lose interest, creators refuse to adapt, the infamous YouTube algorithm changes – and I know it could be me next.
I’m 26 years old and I would like a family one day. Right now my income is fine and I can comfortably support myself. But I don’t want to rely on something as futile and unpredictable as views and brands wanting to work with me.
The way I see it, I have 3 options:
- Completely blow up on YouTube and stay famous and relevant forever.
- Get a full time, more reliable job.
- Future-proof myself. Have a business plan.
So obviously, I’m going with number 3. And being at Clamour filled me with so much inspiration and knowledge of how to go about doing it. I still have no idea what this thing bigger than myself looks like yet but I’m working on it and I have time whilst my channel is still doing well.
Cultural differences in making money
I was the only British person (that I know of) at this event and I could definitely feel a culture difference between myself and the American speakers. There was a lot of things said that I just don’t think would have gone down as well with a British audience (imagine I’m speaking in a very enthusiastic American accent).
THIS IS HOW YOU MAKE MONEY!
IF YOU MAKE SOMETHING, PEOPLE WILL BUY IT!
THIS IS HOW MUCH MONEY I MAKE!!!
YOU COULD BE LIKE ME TOO IF YOU FOLLOW THIS BUSINESS PLAN!!!!!!
I’m exaggerating but you get it. Maybe I’m wrong but I definitely get the sense that there is a more of an entrepreneurial spirit in the US and being driven by money isn’t seen as a bad thing (hello capitalism!) We’re slightly more awkward about it in the UK. More hush hush let’s not talk about money and you should never strive to make money, but well done you if it just happens.
But what’s wrong with taking active steps to grow a business? I loved nerding out about this stuff at Clamour. Myself and 2 other YouTube friends have even started an accountability whatsapp group where we share things we want to achieve and check in with each other. We share business tips, and YouTube and social media best practices. This kind of stuff excites me.
Yes we’re creatives, we love producing content and making things but having a strategy of how to do it as a career is also important.
The Creative Contradiction
The industry I work in celebrates people who create because they just love to make things. There’s a burning passion inside to create and share. But I think there’s also the pressure for that to be the only reason you do it. YouTubers, artists, musicians, writers etc. are professionals. This is our job and jobs pay money. And it’s okay to want to make more money.
I hate the trope of the poor struggling artist. It glamourises poverty and assumes your art is better for it. You’re seen as a “sell out” if you show any interest in making money from your art.
And I get it. I’m very lucky that I’ve managed to build a career out of my hobby. But that’s just it. It’s not a hobby anymore, it’s my career. So I’m going to treat it like one.
I would love to hear what your thoughts on this are in the comments. Do you think there’s a difference in attitudes towards money in the US vs the UK? If you’re a freelancer, how much are you thinking about money and ways to grow your business? What steps have you taken to future-proof your career? Let me know!
![Dear Learning 🤓 • #dearjune • [PHOTO FROM ONE YEAR AGO!]
This time last year I’d just had my second major surgery in the space of 5 months.
The past 18 months for me have been a time of serious learning - about myself, my body & my priorities & capabilities. But also about disability, the disabled community and spoons 🥄
I’m so grateful for the space and time people have given me to show me the ropes & teach me things I, unfortunately, had been oblivious to before as an able-bodied person.
Thank you so much for being a continued part of my education. I’m so glad I’ve never stopped learning.
What have you learned/been learning since leaving formal education?
Tomorrow’s #dearjune word is Home 🏠](http://scontent-frt3-1.cdninstagram.com/vp/f477351ca99f1e3ba8e124544462e96e/5D83EFDE/t51.2885-15/sh0.08/e35/c0.164.1391.1391a/s640x640/64422360_474673496618626_3107163844884256749_n.jpg?_nc_ht=scontent-frt3-1.cdninstagram.com "Dear Learning 🤓 • #dearjune • [PHOTO FROM ONE YEAR AGO!]
This time last year I’d just had my second major surgery in the space of 5 months.
The past 18 months for me have been a time of serious learning - about myself, my body & my priorities & capabilities. But also about disability, the disabled community and spoons 🥄
I’m so grateful for the space and time people have given me to show me the ropes & teach me things I, unfortunately, had been oblivious to before as an able-bodied person.
Thank you so much for being a continued part of my education. I’m so glad I’ve never stopped learning.
What have you learned/been learning since leaving formal education?
Tomorrow’s #dearjune word is Home 🏠")
I agree with you. I too have been on YouTube about 5 years and seen channels come and go. And brand deals can be a tenuous thing. Last year we had a brand deal for about $150,000 for two YT videos (mind you, they had SFX so it’s not as much money as it seems), but midway through problems arose and before you know it – poof! – the brand deal was gone. Look at the Bethany Mota lawsuit with Studio 71. These things happen. We haven’t seen anything of that magnitude since and we get about 6 million views a month and have close to as many subs as you. The problem with YT is the same problem with Insta and all social media. It’s based on someone else’s business model and if they change that (and they often do), you’re screwed. Just look at all the 3rd party developers that got hosed because Facebook stopped allowing access to it and Instagram’s API due to the Cambridge Analytica debacle. Just like that, businesses dissolved. Social media is ALSO very trendy and youth driven – no one stays “in” and young forever. I think the key is to build something off of the knowledge gained from knowing about social media. Think Agnes Kozera and Famebit, later bought by Google for 36 million.
Good luck on your endeavour. Just don’t fall into the trap others youtubers have done, which is to lose your self. If you try to direct your content to a particular algorithm or a trend, you can come off as un-authentic. Your audience has helped you get to this point and they love your content. Compared to others, your videos are very passionate and genuine, and that’s a credit to your style.
Hey Hannah! I loved this post and I think it´s really great that you speak about this, because hardly anyone else does. You should check out the book FIREFLY MAGIC by Lauren Sapala. It´s a book about marketing for creatives. The reason why she wrote it was actually so similar to your post. It´s really important to get to the business side of creating, but everyone just acts like that isn´t important.
Hannah, this was all the thoughts I’ve been having recently in one. I’m an Actor, writer and I also teach and the pressure of money is real, but as actors we are expected to work for very little because we love what we do. Money is difficult to discuss in England as you say but at the same time, I do feel people find it okay to ask me how much I make, purely because I’m in a creative career. Making money in alternative careers is a minefield because funding is awful and I commend you for taking smart steps to be able to find your future. I am currently trying to write and produce my own work alongside acting purely because that is where the real money is and hopefully I can still persue my dream in the meantime too. Thank you for your honesty!!
Hey Hannah,
Im probably not your typical audience but am a big fan. To give you some context, I work in production myself, running our production team at a London based agency/production. I work with a lot of freelancers, influencers, producers/edits etc etc. But most importantly I love business and everything you have just said screens yes to me as well so don’t worry you are saying all the right things.
Quite frankly without sounding weird I would love to talk to you about your business and how you could grow it. It comes down to your skill set, your expertise and what sort of things you want to be doing in the future and how you charge for them. Most YouTube models work on building your following on social/ your YouTube content which hopefully then grants you paid gigs in the future – which is what you are doing now.
For me the obviously thing you have started to become ‘known’ for is the go-to-accessible-UK- sexual health influencer (that’s a mouthful) but my point is. You just need to be the one stop shop of someone who is accessible when it comes to all sexual health. Then you continue to build your network. Schools talks, videos, books, e-learning videos? consultancy, merchandise,
I could see you going into all of this. Not to meantion you stoma which you could also explore the business aspects of that invisible illness.
Both sexual health as Cronus and other invisible illsnesses are similar in nature as the British public don’t want to talk about it (but want to search for that content on YouTube for answers, for reasurrence.
Anyway sorry for rambling. Keep doing what you are doing. Be brave, be fair but charge what you are worth and what your accessibility demands but find the sweet spot. Like any business don’t overcharge but don’t undercharge.
If you ever want. to chat about all of your different ideas I’d love to go through them with you over a coffee etc.
All the best,
Hi there,
loved your comment. I totally agree especially if Hannah is still thinking about the master degree.. to share more of what she learns on Youtube and maybe on an additional Website would be really cool!
I am working on building my online portfolio too and it is a passion project but also a lot of work.
thanks
Celine
This is so true! As a book blogger we don’t ever get paid in anything other than books. I mean yes I love books but I can’t eat them or pay rent with them. And no one is talking about how publishers are riding on our passion and expecting us to work for free. Not sure how we can expect to change this. Thanks for writing this post!
Living in London is very expensive and that makes it a poor choice to choose to live in if you have a higher IQ at all and cash is an issue. I think you are already aware of the places you can Iive in that may benifit you just as well.
I completely agree. I live in Australia and I see it as kind of an inbetween state of the UK and US. You’re encouraged to be entrepreneurial and to aim high to achieve the lifestyle you want in school and education, however once in the work force it’s uncommon for people to talk about their salaries to others. I quite like the atmosphere around money here, because unlike the US it isn’t solely based on profit, and unlike the UK you’re able to comfortably discuss want you want and what you’re aiming for without fear or judgement. It’d be ignorant to assume Australia is the ‘ideal’ however around this topic I think that it has got the balance right. It’s important for people to know what kind of lifestyle and income they want in order to form a plan that will achieve that for them whilst doing something they love however without centring their whole life around money. Personally I don’t see anything wrong with discussing business plans or ways to ensure stable income, especially within the youtube industry, and I actually find it quite interesting.
This post really resonates with me, especially at the moment, while I’m trying to grow my career as a freelance writer.
Like you, I really dislike the attitudes here in England about wanting to make money from a hobby. I’m in a lot of groups for freelancers on Facebook, and it’s no surprise that a lot of people involved in them that talk about money are American. This has been extremely beneficial to me as someone who is just starting in the business as I know what rates I should be looking for, or aiming towards, and in a way, it offers me inspiration to get that far. I think transparency is definitely something we should be adopting and embracing here in the UK!
So many people online frown upon the idea of turning your hobby into something that pays–and something that pays well, too. I started this journey two and a half years ago as a blogger (which I still do), and it’s taught me a lot about the industry, but I cannot exist on fresh air. I need to make an income to, like you said, support myself and the possibility of a family at some point in the future. I think it’s great that you’re diversifying your income, and recognising that relying on one method of income isn’t going to be sustainable forever (something I’m also trying to tackle at this point), and f*ck anyone who tries to convince you otherwise!
Thanks for writing such a meaningful, thought provoking post.
Rebekah Gillian | https://rebekahgillian.co.uk/
I am struggling with the same thing. I am a painter and I don’t want to make things I wouldn’t naturally make just to get some fast money, on the other hand, it really takes a lot of time and thought to find the people who love my work and to build a brand that is worth investing my time and resources in. When I say how much I charge for a painting people seem very surprised and usually the first question is: how long does it take you to make a painting? Well that depends and it is besides the point. How about all the hours of unpaid work that went into research and acquiring the skills needed to make it? and the time invested in building trust with my customers?
Just some thoughts.. also would love if you’d team up with some other Youtubers to talk about money and how you decide to grow your business.. I think we all need a little help in this big world..
Don’t know if you saw this video the financial diet did with Anna Akana, but I thought it was really refreshing hearing her talk so openly about money. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4GZjHpfhISM&t=1s
Hannah I think that talking about money is super important, especially in jobs like yours. I’ve been a big fan for almost a year and I really value your work. I’m from the Dominican Republic and the taboo around money isn’t as present here as it seems to be in the UK. I’ve always thought of the want for money as it own kind of ambition and I rarely ever view it as cold. My advice would be to do away with the stigma entirely, Your job I already more humanizing than most, So I’m sure your fans would understand if you started to be a bit more open about this kind of thing. At the end of the day, making money is just as human as having sex.
Hanna I just want to say you’re the reason I forged ahead on IG because I wanted to follow you! You are so real and come across as very intelligent. I always look forward to what you have to say and I’m a guy so maybe that’s weird but that’s ok with me. I think you’re on the right track with your business and it would really help you to be where the cost of living isn’t so high. However there is a lot that goes into that decision I know. Best of luck to you!
I’m persuing acting. I’ve done so and I am painfully aware of the money risk and I do think it’s annoying that it’s such a risky job, but I feel I couldn’t do something else and feel like myself just to be secure. I wish that it worked differently, and that I am basically sining myself up for unemployment. Is there shame in wanting to be comfortable in our pay? I want to be able to have enough not to worry about survival at the least…
(This might have been slightly off topic…)
This was super interesting to read! I work in a field which has more standardised working practices but also suffers from the ‘starving artist’ idea to an extent – the heritage sector. The idea that you’re just lucky to be doing what you’re doing, and that it’s somehow unsavoury to expect to be compensated when you have a cool interesting job! I recently read about the problem in library studies and an academic called it ‘vocational awe’, which is a term I use all the time now to explain how workers in our industry have been trained to accept less financially because we’re working with such prestigious materials. Not exactly the same, but thought you might find it interesting 🙂
Im seeing a few of the YouTubers I follow start to have these conversations more publicly and I think fair enough – why shouldnt you?! I hate it when bloggers and vloggers feel they have to defend themselves (mostly from Mumsnet) and how they choose to support themselves and their families.
Louise Pentland has started talking a lot more in her videos about her business and being very transparent about the work that goes in to her brand. I think its really refreshing and I actually love watching how excited she gets when shes writing proposals for a brand shes excited about potentially working with (she’s mentioned a few times that shes made investments as part of her longer term strategy). I personally dont see it as any different to someone setting up a cake decorating business or whatever. Why should it be different because you’re on the internet!?
Basically, more power to you and I hope you find your business planning to be a very exciting process (I work supporting charities to develop their long term plans and it can be such an invigorating journey)!
I’ve recently been listening to a podcast called “Starving Artist” which discusses the topic of art in money. I think it’s really interesting, especially as the host interviews artists from all sorts of branches- musicians, Instagrammers, actors etc, so you hear a lot of different perspectives.
But as someone who is just starting to enter the creative industries herself and has no idea of what she’s getting herself into other than what she sees on the internet, I think these are very important discussions to have!