• News
    • Tech News
    • AI
  • Gadgets
    • Apple
    • iPhone
  • Gaming
    • Playstation
    • Xbox
  • Science
    • News
    • Space
  • Streaming
    • Netflix
  • Vehicles
    • Car News
  • Social Media
    • WhatsApp
    • YouTube
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • LADbible
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
TikTok
Snapchat
WhatsApp
Submit Your Content
YouTuber reveals how many views you need to get to be able to make a living from the platform

Home> Social Media> YouTube

Published 10:26 13 Jan 2025 GMT

YouTuber reveals how many views you need to get to be able to make a living from the platform

Not everyone can be the next MrBeast

Tom Chapman

Tom Chapman

While you might think the life of a YouTuber is all eating challenges, celebrity podcasts, and prank videos, the reality is that making a full-time living from the platform is harder than ever. Even though big names like Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson, Jeffree Star, and Jake Paul make some not-so-small fortunes from their content, not everyone is as lucky.

Making the decision to go full-time on YouTube is risky, and as shown by the surprise return of Evan Eckenrode who left that life behind for a 9 to 5, it's not for everyone.

YouTuber Ali Abdaal has shared a video explaining how much money he makes from 10 million views and his journey to crossing the $1 million mark in revenue.

Advert

Getting rich from YouTube isn't as easy as you'd think (SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty)
Getting rich from YouTube isn't as easy as you'd think (SOPA Images / Contributor / Getty)

According to Abdaal, it took 85 videos and nine months until he started making money, leading to a poetic message about what would've happened if he'd quit at video #84.

Pointing to his most-viewed video, Abdaal explains how it earned just over $191,000 in revenue.

The video is a few years old, but in 2025, you can expect an average YouTube CPM of $3.53. Various factors including time of the year and niche will affect your revenue, although America (unsurprisingly) sits at the top of the table regarding countries with the best revenue.

Advert

Abdaal reminds viewers that he started making videos in 2017 and received just a handful of views back at the start. It wasn't until the middle of July 2019 that he started to make any real money, with about $80 to $120 a day helping things tick along nicely.

Abdaal notes that this was about what he was making as a junior doctor in the UK's National Health Service when putting in between 40 and 60 hours a week. In June 2020, he says his channel revenue started to go 'insane' - pointing to one day where he made $338.97.

He reiterates that YouTube is the gift that keeps on giving, because the more content you have on your channel, the more views you'll accumulate. It all goes back to that all-important 85th video that he says changed his entire trajectory, referring to videos as 'digital assets'. Unlike investing in property or cryptocurrency, he says the return on his videos has been much more lucrative.

Like with physical investments, he adds: "The thing with an investment is that you wouldn't expect it to have a return immediately, you'd expect it to have a return over the long term."

Advert

If he's ever feeling a little burned out, he simply thinks back to that 85th video and gets the motivation to put a little more effort into his latest release.

As for how many views you need to get to go full-time, Abdaal concludes it took him just over two years to reach the level where he could 'quit' his job, having made over 100 videos and getting between 1.6 million and 2 million views a month. This equated to around $4,000 a month, but notes that his channel has a lower RPM than a channel that was just tech or finance.

He counted himself as 'rich' when he was earning around $100,000 a month - clocking in with between three and five million views a month.

Having left his medical days behind and now being a familiar face on YouTube, Abdaal is a New York Times bestselling author thanks to his book, Feel-Good Productivity. He has multiple revenue streams to supplement his main YouTube channel, and in 2025, he still posts regular content. Even if not everyone will be as lucky as Ali Abdaal in terms of growing their YouTube channel into a money-making machine, his advice is to trust the process.

Featured Image Credit: Ali Abdaal / YouTube
Youtube
Social Media
Money

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

a day ago
  • a day ago

    Lawyer reveals whether Donald Trump could really 'deport' Elon Musk following controversial comments

    Many are wondering to what extent Trump could go to retaliate against Musk

    Social Media
  • a day ago

    Doctors warn of 'insidious' TikTok trend that girls as young as seven are trying

    There are associated health risks

    Social Media
  • a day ago

    People in total shock at meme posted by official Homeland Security X account

    Homeland Security has joined the meme train

    Social Media
  • a day ago

    YouTuber arrested after tragically killing husband and wife over 'streaming rivalry'

    A manhunt followed an incident happening live on stream

    Social Media
  • YouTuber climbs 1,100ft up LA's tallest skyscraper and the views will make you dizzy
  • YouTuber reveals shocking revenue he earned from video with 9,832,000 views
  • YouTuber shares how much money over 1,000,000 views made him and it’s not what you’d expect
  • YouTube star trapped in Filipino prison begs for release after authorities vowed to ‘make an example’ of him