A guide to the 4 main ways YouTube influencers make money, according to creators

• Creators on YouTube are making money off their success online a number of ways.
• From ads on videos filtered by Google, to promoting brands, selling merchandise, and earning revenue through affiliate marketing, creators are getting smart about ways to diversify their revenue streams.
• Business Insider spoke with four YouTube creators - Natalie Barbu, Sienna Santer, Lauren Riihimaki, and Caitlin Patton - about how each of them built their businesses.
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There are a number of ways YouTube's top creators are earning revenue from their initial success online.

Direct ad revenue from YouTube can prove unreliable - especially if a creator's videos contain controversial content - so many influencers are getting smart about ways to diversify their revenue streams.

From the standard ads on videos filtered by Google, to promoting brands, selling merchandise, and earning revenue through affiliate marketing, creators have methods to earn the most money possible from their audiences.

Business Insider spoke with four YouTube influencers with vastly different channels - Natalie Barbu, Sienna Santer, Lauren Riihimaki, and Caitlin Patton - about how each of them built their businesses.

Here's what they said: