Exploring Fitness

In this article, we go through some of the ways to make money on YouTube as a creator.

Since adding short-form video through Shorts in 2021, YouTube has opened up to more creators. And by going a step further to add Shorts creators to the YouTube Partner program, the possibilities for monetization on the platform have increased tenfold.

YouTubers can monetize their content in several ways, from brand sponsorships to selling merchandise. But revenue from Google ads is a big chunk of many YouTubers' incomes, thanks to the YouTube Partner Program.

What is the YouTube Partner Program?

Creators in the YouTube Partner Program can earn ad revenue from their long and short-form videos through ads, ad revenue sharing, and YouTube Premium. Monetizing YouTube Shorts can help grow viewership for long-form videos, leading to higher ad revenue opportunities.

The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is the first way many creators make money on the platform – and it’s easier than ever to get in.

Requirements for the YouTube Partner Program

The program is available to creators who follow YouTube’s guidelines and policies and live in a country where it’s available. On top of that, you need:

• 500 subscribers with three public uploads in the last 90 days, and
• either 3,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months OR 3 million public views on YouTube Shorts in the last 90 days.

Additionally, creators can earn Shorts ad revenue from ads displayed between Shorts videos.

Once accepted, you can earn money from features like channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and the ability to promote your products through YouTube Shopping.

Revenue from Shorts is allocated to a creator pool, which is distributed based on the performance of creators’ content.

Unedited clips from TV shows or movies are not eligible for monetization due to intellectual property guidelines.

You’ll also receive further benefits like revenue sharing from ads and YouTube Premium when you hit:

• 1,000 subscribers and
• either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months OR 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days

Once you’re in the program, your income will grow as your channel does. Your earnings will fluctuate depending on different factors like the number of views, audience location, and your niche (for example, personal finance creators command higher rates). However, you’ll definitely make money from the YouTube Partner Program if you stay consistent.

The Program isn’t for everyone, though, thanks to YouTube’s strict guidelines, which give strikes to videos that violate them. This can be a struggle, especially for creators who want to pursue content full-time but don’t want to give up their style.

YouTubers often need to turn to other monetization options if they decide to react to content or use copyrighted music in their videos. So creators often have to figure out alternative ways to generate income.

5 alternative ways to make money on YouTube

Here are some ways YouTube creators make money on YouTube outside the Partner Program.

Collaborating with brands

Brand deals are omnipresent in YouTube videos (“This video is sponsored by…”), which can be attributed to the symbiotic relationship between brands and creators. Audiences follow people, not brands, but the companies have the money – so collaboration is vital for the success of all participants in the creator economy.

Audience size doesn't matter as much as your engagement rate and audience category. This puts the power in creators' hands – if your audience is very niche and highly engaged, you can command high rates even if you only have 1,000 subscribers.

Your bargaining power starts from your media kit, which is a document featuring case studies of your past work and audience metrics, along with your rates. Your chances of collaborating with a brand improve with more detail you add.

Here's a straightforward guide to making a media kit of your own. And if you want to see how much you could be charging for brand deals based on your audience size, check out this calculator.

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