With over 500,000 subscribers, “Jules” is one of the larger German YouTubers. On his channel, he posts elaborate videos about internet phenomena. Additionally, he regularly broadcasts on Twitch. Now, he shows how little actually comes out of it.
What’s the deal with the hourly wage? On August 15, 2023, Jules published a nearly 40-minute video about Elon Musk. The video received over 1.3 million views within a week. Those who think that should really pay off for the YouTuber are mistaken.
On August 22, Jules shared on Twitter how much money he earned with the video: 1,587 €. This corresponds to an hourly wage of 5.29 €, according to the YouTuber. Mathematically, this means he put around 300 hours into the production of the video.
However, this amount only refers to the ad revenue; sponsors are not included – without them, he wouldn’t even make such elaborate videos anymore, explains Jules.
MontanaBlack suspects: “YouTube has a problem with you”
Why is it so little? Compared to other YouTubers, Jules publishes relatively few videos, which are quite long and elaborately produced. It seems that this type of content is hardly worthwhile anymore: “Nowadays, YouTube is just not made for that anymore,” suspects Jules.
Because on YouTube, a click is not necessarily a click. The so-called CPM value determines how much a content creator earns per 1,000 views. If this value is low, a YouTuber earns less money than a colleague with a similar number of views but a better CPM.
Twitch streamer MontanaBlack, for example, earned 14,700 € with his video about the trip to Heide Park with 1.7 million views. “I believe YouTube has a personal problem with you,” he writes in the comments under Jules’ post (via Twitter).
Particularly annoying: Twitch streamers like to show such videos in their own streams, react to them, and post a recording of it on YouTube. They sometimes earn more than the original creator of the video.
For Jules, that’s fine; he says that reactions helped make him big in his early days. Nevertheless, Twitch streamer GamerBrother has already offered to transfer his earnings from reactions to Jules’ videos (via Twitter).
Jules has not yet publicly responded to the offer; however, other Twitter users praise the streamer for this gesture. Although the YouTuber states that he makes the elaborate videos because he enjoys them and can also finance himself through sponsors, a fair payment would surely be in everyone’s interest.
Even Seth Everman, known as the man with the most likes on a YouTube comment, is not safe from these problems. His most successful video also brought him relatively little money. What’s behind it, you can read here:
YouTube: Musician has a video with 92 million views – reveals how little money he made with it
