In addition to monetizing your videos, YouTube Partners are offered some unique channel design options called branding options (Figure 11-6).
The branding options include image banners on both your video pages and your channel page. These banners are clickable, and you can choose which link your channel banner takes the viewer to when it's clicked. This is a great way to advertise your personal website or products you might have for sale (T-shirts come to mind).
The branding options also include a text box on your channel page, known as the branding box. For non-Partners, the channel description allows for only one clickable link. This additional text box for partners allows for unlimited clickable links to be added to your channel page. You can't, however, place any other HTML code within this box, meaning no additional images or widgets; you can use only http:// links. Find these additional branding options under your Account link; they won't be visible to non-Partner channels.
Note
You can get customized T-shirts (and a lot of other cool swag, that is, merchandise) made with no setup fee from www.cafepress.com (URL 11.4) or www.lulu.com (URL 11.5). These two sites allow you to upload your own art with words and pictures and set up a linkable online store. They take care of the printing and shipping and send you a cut (determined by you—you set the markup from the wholesale price).
Once you start selling a lot of items every week, you can get better deals by going directly to a T-shirt printing company, paying up front, and mailing the orders out yourself from a P.O. box (don't use your home address for your business; in fact, never post your home address online). But CafePress and LuLu are great for dipping your foot into the merch (merchandise) pool without spending any money.