Ever wondered how much money YouTubers make? It's a question that sparks curiosity in aspiring creators and seasoned marketers alike. But while it seems like YouTubers are raking in money with every upload, many new creators are left wondering: “How much money could I make from YouTube?”

Whether you’re just starting your channel or planning to pitch to a sponsor, understanding your earning potential is a must. Fortunately, tools like the YouTube Money Calculator take the guesswork out of the process.

Let’s explore how YouTube ad revenue works—and how you can estimate your income using a free tool built for creators like you.

How Do YouTubers Make Money?

At its heart, YouTube monetisation primarily revolves around advertising.

AdSense (CPM-based earnings): This is the bread and butter for many creators. When ads are shown on a creator's videos, they earn a portion of the revenue. This is often based on CPM (Cost Per Mille), which means the cost an advertiser pays for 1,000 ad impressions. Google takes 45% of this ad revenue, while the creator receives a healthy 55%.

Here’s the breakdown:

YouTube keeps 45% of the ad revenue.

You, the creator, earn 55%.

So if your CPM is $5.00, you get $2.75 per 1,000 views.

Here’s the basic formula: Earnings = (Views ÷ 1000) × CPM × 55%

Sponsorships: While not the focus of this post, many larger creators secure direct brand deals, where companies pay them to promote products or services.

Memberships and Super Chat: For eligible channels, viewers can pay a monthly fee for exclusive perks (memberships) or send monetary contributions during live streams (Super Chat).

To estimate earnings with a calculator, our primary focus will be on the AdSense revenue generated from video views and associated CPM

What Is a YouTube Money Calculator?

A YouTube Money Calculator is a fantastic online tool designed to estimate potential earnings from YouTube videos. It helps creators, marketers, and even curious individuals get a ballpark figure of how much money a channel or a specific video might generate based on key inputs.

The core inputs for such a calculator typically include:

Average views per video: The total number of views a video or channel receives.

Estimated CPM (Cost Per Mille): The amount advertisers pay for 1,000 ad impressions. This is a crucial variable that fluctuates significantly.

Engagement metrics: While not always a direct input for simple calculators, factors like click-through rate (CTR) and watch time indirectly influence your effective CPM.

Why does estimation matter? For creators, it's invaluable for content planning, setting growth goals, and understanding their value proposition for potential brand deals. It transforms the abstract idea of "making money on YouTube" into a tangible number

How to Use the YouTube Money Calculator on MySiteOptimizers

Using our free YouTube Money Calculator on MySiteOptimizers is incredibly straightforward. 

Here's a simple step-by-step tutorial;

2. Enter average views: In the designated field, input the average number of views you anticipate per video, or the average views of an existing channel you want to analyse.

3. Adjust estimated CPM: The calculator will likely have a default CPM value. You can use this as a starting point, or if you have an idea of your niche's typical CPM, you can adjust it to a custom value. Remember that CPMs vary widely.

4. See revenue estimate update in real time: As you input these values, the estimated revenue will automatically update, giving you an instant projection.

Example:

If your video averages 50,000 views and your CPM is around $4.00, Earnings = (50,000 ÷ 1,000) × $4 × 55% = $110