People around the globe watch over a billion hours of YouTube videos per day. The most popular YouTube creators earn $54 million per year. YouTube is the second most popular social media platform in the world.
You can monetise your account for monthly revenue if you have a popular YouTube channel with 100k subs or more. However, the money doesn’t have to stop when you stop creating video content. Many people buy YouTube channels to profit from existing video content. Read on to learn how to prepare your YouTube videos to sell.
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Can You Buy and Sell YouTube Accounts?
Yes, just like any other business model or digital asset, you can buy and sell YouTube accounts. It’s legal to sell or buy an account, and people have been doing it for years. Before buying or selling an account, you might want to consider a few things.
- Does the account have a face associated with it (will it lose its value when you change ownership)?
- Is it a brand account?
- How old is the channel?
- How is the channel monetised?
- What type of content does the channel create?
- How many subscribers do you have?
Why Should You Sell a YouTube channel?
If you have a monetised YouTube with thousands of subscribers, you might wonder why you would ever give that up. However, there are plenty of reasons you might wish to transfer your YouTube account to a new owner.
- Personal reasons: Whether you’ve experienced a significant life change or outgrown your YouTube account, you may wish to sell for personal reasons. After all, video content creation requires a lot of time and effort to maintain.
- Future opportunities: If you’ve expanded your digital entrepreneurship to other corners of the internet, you may wish to sell and devote resources to future business opportunities.
In some ways, YouTube is more complex to sell than other digital properties, like a blog or eCommerce store. That said, it is possible and might be the next step for your monetised channel.
The Advantages of Owning a YouTube Account
There are plenty of reasons someone may wish to buy your YouTube account. Making money on YouTube is a lucrative side hustle; many business entrepreneurs may want to buy an account with active subscribers rather than start from scratch.
Here are the advantages of buying and owning a successful YouTube account:
- Revenue: Whether it’s your full-time business or a side hustle, YouTube channels offer an additional source of income.
- Creativity: From live streaming to curated videos, YouTube offers an excellent platform for creativity.
- Traffic: If you own other businesses, the YouTube algorithm might help promote your online presence and improve rankings on search engines’ search results.
- Growth: Digital video content grew 10% worldwide in the first quarter of 2022 and will continue to expand.
Making It Easy to Sell Online Businesses
Flippa provides owners and investors with the tools and expertise to sell.
400,000+ Weekly Active Buyers
15 In-house Brokers and 120 Broker Partners
Negotiate and Receive Offers Fast
Integrated Legal, Insurance and Payments
How much can I sell my channel for?
The value of your YouTube channel depends on several factors, from your niche market to your subscriber count. Consider these factors:
- How much is your monthly revenue? Use the last three and twelve months to estimate your average monthly income from YouTube.
- What is your growth rate? Calculate growth in the previous three and twelve months to account for seasonal rises or drops.
- How do you monetise your channel? Your monetisation method will impact how much revenue the new account owner can generate. Typically, an account with YouTube Ad, an Adsense account, or an affiliate program marketing will sell more quickly.
- How old is the channel? With more evidence of consistent growth, you could increase the value of your channel.
- What type of content do you create? Evergreen content is more consistent and reliable than topical content.
Is it Illegal to Sell a YouTube Channel?
No, selling your channel is perfectly legal and done by many worldwide creators. YouTube’s terms of service do not forbid buying or selling an account. Before trading, consider whether it is your best option. Then, prepare your account to maximise revenue.
How To Sell Your YouTube Channel on Flippa?
To buy or sell a YouTube channel, you must team up with a digital asset broker like Flippa. To get started, follow these steps.
Step 1: Optimise Your Channel
Before you start selling, you need to optimise your account to get the best deal possible. YouTube accounts are very personal. Often, subscribers will follow out of loyalty to a specific person or brand. To sell, you must prepare your account to change ownership without affecting your channel worth.
There is no set number of subscribers you need to sell your account. However, monetised accounts will sell better. Once you’ve reached 100k followers with more than 4,000 hours watched in the last year, you can get paid for your videos. You’re far more likely to find willing buyers if you have already reached this milestone.
Next, you need to get your channel to sell. Remove old videos that don’t get any views and customise your home page for your niche. Clean up and answer comments. Finally, sort out any false copyright claims against you.
Step 2: Sign Up to Flippa
Secondly, you need to find a brokerage on which to list your YouTube channel. These selling websites allow buyers and sellers to trade digital assets, like YouTube channels, eCommerce websites, and blogs.
On Flippa, you can sign up as a verified seller to begin trading. You will need to provide preliminary details (such as your business name, URL, and registration date).
It’s quick and easy to create a Flippa account. Once signed up, you can track selling activity, communicate with buyers, and complete transactions. You’ll soon sell your online business with more than 1.5 million buyers on Flippa.
Step 3: Get a Free Valuation
Before setting your asking price and entering into negotiations, you need to determine the value of your YouTube account. Your channel’s worth depends on your YouTube views, growth, monetisation methods, and subscriber base. In addition, the value will suffer if you have received strikes against your account for copyright. Contact our team today to request a valuation.
Step 4: List Your YouTube Channel
Finally, you’re ready to sell. You need to list your product on Flippa to attract buyers. When you list your YouTube account, you should include all relevant details. You will need to nominate your monetisation method, YouTube URL, commencement date, hours per week spent on the business, revenue, and expenses, and connect your Google Analytics account.
The more information you input, the more quickly you will sell. You’ll need to verify all the details when a buyer makes an offer to ensure everything is accurate.
You will need to pay a one-time listing fee ranging from $10 to $49. Either set a fixed price or sell your account at auction.
Step 5: Match with Buyers
Flippa matches you with private buyers. When someone is interested in your account, they’ll make an offer. You can accept, reject, or negotiate. When you accept, you will then need to complete the sale.
Step 6: Sell Your YouTube Channel
Finally, sell your YouTube channel using your chosen payment methods. Before completing the transaction, you should draft a written contract specifying the terms and conditions. Flippa provides a template letter of intent (LOI) and sale contract to ensure a safe and secure transaction.
Making It Easy to Sell Online Businesses
Flippa provides owners and investors with the tools and expertise to sell.
400,000+ Weekly Active Buyers
15 In-house Brokers and 120 Broker Partners
Negotiate and Receive Offers Fast
Integrated Legal, Insurance and Payments
How To Transfer Ownership?
So, how does buying and selling a YouTube account work? Once the buyer pays, you’ll need to transfer your account to the new channel owner.
YouTube accounts link to your Google account, so ensure you separate what you’re selling and what you’re keeping for the original owners. Depending on the monetisation method, you may hand over the entire account to the new owners.
Selling Your YouTube Channel on Flippa
Many successful creators and brands sell YouTube channels for lucrative profits. If the time has come to move on from YouTube, you might consider selling your account rather than letting it fade into the corners of the internet. Before trading, ensure the account is in good shape and ready for a new owner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do people sell their YouTube channels?
YouTube sellers and buyers transfer account ownership for several reasons. YouTubers might move on to other business ventures, while others may simply outgrow their accounts.
How much money can you make from a YouTube channel?
The most successful YouTubers earn upwards of 50 million US dollars a year. However, the average YouTube content creator could make $18 per 1,000 ad views. This could work out to be around $3 to $5 per 1,000 video views. For an account with an average of 50,000 views per video and one new video per week, you could earn $7,800 to $13,000 a year.
Can I buy a monetized YouTube channel?
Yes, you can buy a successful YouTube channel that already makes money. To start monetising your YouTube channel, you need over 100,000 followers and meet YouTube’s other requirements. However, if starting from scratch seems like a lot of work, you can buy a channel that already earns money.
What are the prerequisites for selling a YouTube channel?
To sell a YouTube channel, you should have a monetized account with a substantial subscriber base, typically over 100,000 subscribers, and a consistent upload and view history. The channel should not have any active strikes against it and should comply with YouTube’s community guidelines and terms of service.
How do I calculate the value of my YouTube channel?
The value of your YouTube channel can be calculated based on several factors: monthly revenue, subscriber count, engagement metrics, growth rate, monetization methods, content quality, and niche market. Using these factors, you can get an estimate through platforms like Flippa’s free valuation tool.
Is it possible to transfer subscribers when selling a channel?
Yes, when you sell a YouTube channel, the subscribers are transferred to the new owner as part of the channel’s assets. It’s important to ensure the transition is smooth to retain subscriber trust and engagement.
Are there specific platforms for selling YouTube channels?
Yes, there are specific platforms for selling YouTube channels, such as Flippa, which specializes in digital assets, including YouTube channels, websites, and other social media accounts.
How do I promote my channel sale to potential buyers?
Promote your channel sale by listing it on reputable platforms like Flippa, providing detailed and accurate information about your channel’s performance, engaging in social media marketing, and reaching out to potential buyers directly through your network or industry contacts.
Can I sell a YouTube channel with a monetization history?
Yes, channels with a monetization history are often more attractive to buyers as they have a proven revenue stream. Ensure all monetization methods (ads, sponsorships, affiliate links) are transparent and included in the sale. What documents do I need to prepare for the sale of the YouTube channel?
Prepare documents, including proof of ownership, detailed financial statements, subscriber analytics, monetization details, content calendars, and any contracts or agreements related to the channel’s revenue streams. Draft a clear contract outlining the terms of the sale and transfer of ownership.
Making It Easy to Sell Online Businesses
Flippa provides owners and investors with the tools and expertise to sell.
400,000+ Weekly Active Buyers
15 In-house Brokers and 120 Broker Partners
Negotiate and Receive Offers Fast
Integrated Legal, Insurance and Payments
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