YouTube Monetization | How to Get YouTube Monetization... IN 5 MINUTES!

YouTube Monetization

Your Number 1 YouTube Goal

– So when you started your YouTube channel, your number one goal was to get monetized, right?
To join the YouTube Partner Program, put ads on your videos and get paid for it.
Well, there is a lot you need to do and understand before you get there.
So let me take you through all of it.

YouTube Monetization Requirements

Let’s about the requirements first.
You need to reside in one of the following countries. If you don’t, you won’t be able to sign up.
In terms of audience requirements, you need 1,000 subscribers on your channel.
No time limits, no deadlines, take as long as you need.
You also need 4,000 watch time hours on your videos but only watch time from the last 12 months counts.
This number never resets.
Basically, whatever today’s date is, anything that was watched in the last 365 days on your channel counts, as long as it’s public.
So anything that you unlist, private or delete doesn’t count to that watch time.
Also, if your live streams are too long, YouTube can’t archive them and that won’t count to watch time either.
You will also need to set up two factor authentication on your account to protect your YouTube channel. And you must ensure that you have zero community guideline strikes on your channel. If you do have any, you’ll have to wait until they expire. There are dedicated YouTube monetization policies that you must comply with as well and they are frequently updated, so make sure you are aware of them.
Our link to all of this stuff at the bottom of this post.
But if you can’t be bothered reading any of it then I’ve got three things for you.
Good luck, navigating monetization if you don’t understand it.
YouTube policies are basically built around common sense. So if you think your content is dodgy while you’re making it, then it probably is and you probably shouldn’t upload it.
And finally, all of these policies and guidelines are actually real, really important because you are trying to form a business relationship here.
You don’t wanna screw this up because you were too lazy to get informed.

YouTube Monetization and Copyright

As for copyright issues, well, copyright strikes won’t affect your ability to apply for monetization. However, it’s probably best to avoid both copyright claims and copyright strikes.
The more you have the less original content you technically have on your channel, at least in the eyes of YouTube and that could reduce the chances of you being allowed into the monetization program.
And finally, when it comes to requirements for channels that specifically make content for kids, they can monetize but they are treated differently.
Again, check YouTube support pages for the latest updates. YouTube does have a high and the monetization page in the YouTube studio if you need to check on the progress of any of these requirements. You can even ask YouTube to email you when you meet all of the requirements and can apply.

YouTube Shorts Monetization

And now, albeit very briefly let’s talk about YouTube Shorts because somebody’s got to. Any subscribers earned from your YouTube Shorts, do count towards your 1,000 goal. However, no watch time from any of your YouTube Shorts count towards 4,000 hours.
The good news is, instead of all of that, YouTube may give you a bonus payout, if you earn enough views through YouTube Shorts.
For example, it might be $100 for 1 million views. If that happens, YouTube will contact you directly. And you don’t already need to have your channel monetized. If you live in one of these countries, you are eligible. It should be noted over this YouTube Short Bonus
Creative Fund is due to expire at the end of 2022.
We don’t know what YouTube plan to do next with Shorts in terms of monetization, but we’ll definitely let you know.
Now, before you monetize your channel, you may start to see ads appearing on your videos.
Now, this kind of sucks because YouTube has the right to monetize your content before you are in the monetization program, so you won own any revenue from it. However, think of this as a good sign for your content. If YouTube is putting ads on your videos at such an early stage, they already have a lot of trust and confidence in your content.
And once you are monetized, you can turn off ads completely on your videos.

YouTube Monetization Application Process

Okay, let’s say you meet all of the requirements.
What happens next?
You apply for the YouTube Partner Program. The monetization screen will change into an application screen, so you just need to go through all of the steps. Those include agreeing to all of the terms of service for monetization, creating and or connecting a Google AdSense account to your YouTube account.
It’s important to set all of this correctly for tax purposes, by the way. And then waiting for YouTube to review your channel.
YouTube’s official line is that the review process typically takes a month to complete. But I often see channels being accepted into the YouTube partner program 48 to 72 hours after they apply.
If you are rejected, YouTube will vaguely tell you why and give you 30 days to resolve the problems before you can apply again.

YouTube Monetization Aftermath

But if all is good, you’ll receive an email that looks similar to this and you can start monetizing your videos.
You’ll be able to set monetization at a channel level as well as tweaking settings for individual videos. But you may also need to complete this ad suitability screen when you turn monetization on. The more you do this in the early stages, the more trust you will build with YouTube’s automated safety checks.
When you do monetize there a few additional perks you get. So those include YouTube online support where you can actually talk to human beings.
You also get access to the copyright matching tool to protect your content. And you may also unlock additional monetization feature such as super chats and super stickies for live streams.
Blimey, that was pretty handy, wasn’t it. But you wanna know what the real secret is.
Earning money from YouTube directly is just the tip of the iceberg. Because there are YouTube channels out there with less than a thousand subscribers that are earning over $10,000 a month.

And if you wanna learn more about how to do that for your own channel, read those posts which are linked below.

YouTube Monetization | How to Get YouTube Monetization… IN 5 MINUTES!