YouTube is changing its policies around monetization, and it's not just because of new copyright rules.
In April 2021, Google announced that channels with fewer than 4K total views during an entire calendar year will lose their ability to receive ad revenue from content creators who upload videos directly to YouTube through Creator Studio (formerly known as YouTube Partner Studios). The change affects all video uploaded after Sept. 15, 2020, but there’s still some leeway before this policy kicks in fully. For instance, anyone can continue uploading direct-to-YouTube videos until Nov. 1, 2021.
The reason behind this change is pretty simple — since 2018, YouTube has been using data collected by third parties such as Adobe Analytics to determine which channels should be eligible for monetization and which shouldn't. But while these changes may help cut down on bad ads placed on low-quality or spammy videos, they also mean that popular YouTubers with less than 4000 hours watched over a twelve month period won’t see any income at all for their hard work.
If you're wondering what exactly does "4000 YouTube watch hours" means, here's everything you need to know about making money on YouTube.
Yes. All you need to do is reach out to YouTube support and ask them to reclassify your YouTube account. It might take up to two weeks for a response. If you're lucky enough to already have more than 4000 YouTube hours under your belt, then you'll only need one week to prove yourself again.
But first things first, make sure to check whether you've reached the threshold required to qualify for monetization. To find out, head into Your Content tab > Settings & Privacy " Manage my experience > Video Quality Preferences. Here, enter your username in the search bar and click View next to Monetizable.
You should now see if your channel meets the criteria needed to become monetizable. As long as your channel qualifies, you shouldn't run into problems getting back on track.
This depends entirely on which country/region you live in. In most countries where YouTube doesn't operate locally, YouTube partners must meet certain thresholds in order to stay active. This includes having at least 500 view hours per week across three years. However, YouTube partners based in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, Spain, Portugal, Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Russia, Ukraine, Argentina, Pakistan, China, Malaysia, Israel, Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Colombia, Afghanistan, Egypt, Philippines, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kyrgyzstan, Uganda, Kenya, Ghana, Nigeria, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Jamaica, Barbados, Bahamas, Guyana, Mongolia, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Cuba, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mauritius, Madagascar, Nepal, Panama, Tonga, Samoa, Cayman Islands, Sri Lanka, Trinidad and Tobago, Vanuatu, Malta, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Kiribati, Nauru, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Antigua and Barbuda, Cambodia, Ecuador, Guinea Bissau, Solomon Islands, Burkina Faso, Papua New Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nicaragua, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Burundi, Central African Republic, Comoros, Palau, Syria, Seychelles, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Tuvalu, Togo, Slovenia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Laos, Lesotho, Luxembourg, Mozambique, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Yemen, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mali, Cape Verde, Gambia, Niger, Chad, Ethiopia, Senegal, Madagascar, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Eritrea, Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania, Tunisia, Djibouti, São Tomé and Príncipe, Mauritius, Mozambique, Timor Leste, Cabo Verde, Comoros, Madagascar, Northern Mariana Island, Palau, Réunion Island, Faroe Islands, French Polynesia, Pitcairn, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Cocos Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Maldives, Niue, Cook Islands, Tokelau, Samoa, Wallis and Futuna, East Timor, North Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Palestine Territory, Martinique, Mayotte, Malediven, Malta, Reunion, San Marino, Vatican City State, Andorra, Monaco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Kosovo, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Serbia, Montenegro, Slovenia, Slovakia, Albania, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Oman, Qatar, Turkmenistan, Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, United Arab Emirates, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Turks and Caicos Islands, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Montserrat, British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Cayman Brac, Curacao, Dependencies and Territories of the Soviet Union, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Greenland, St. Helena, Macaronesia, Mount Athos, Antarctic Treaty System dependent territories, Antarctica, American Samoan Trust Territory, Aruba, Azores, Bahamas, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cameroon, Chile, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, East Timor, Eswatini, Falklands [the], Faroes, Federated States of Micronesia, French Guiana, Guam, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Iceland, Jersey, Liechtenstein, Macau, Majuro, Marshall Islands, Mauritia, Navies Military Sealift Command operated vessels, New Caledonia, Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Nouvelle Aquitaine region parishes, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy Parish, Saint Christopher Parish, Saint Croix Parish, Saint John Parish, Saint Thomas Parish, Saìt Laen, San Blas, Saint Peter Port Parish, Saint Pierre Parish, U.S. Virgin Islands, Akrotiri and Dhekeliopolis military bases, Aland islands, Ascension Island, Ashmore Reef, Aylesford Harbour, Campbeltown Loch, Canary Islands Air Base, Caribbean Regional Airport Authority owned property, Carpathian Mountains, Cork County Council owned land, Cyrenaica regional province, Denizli Province, Devonshire Dockyards, Dumfries, Edinburgh Airport, Esperance Oil Field, Exeter Airport, Ferme du Nord, Fort de la Pointe Gouverneur, Green Mountain Lake Dam, Holyhead Road Bridge, Ionian Sea, Iraqi Kurdistan, Irish Free State, Isla Margherita delle Dogheide, Jura mountains, Kavala Gulf, Kerosene Coast, Khwja Amad Civil Airport, Knutsford Moor, Larvik Fortress, Le Havre, Limassol International Airport, Long Beach Peninsula, Lympstone Oil Storage Terminal, Madang Province, Main Operating Area, Majorca, Maidanak Reservoir, Mersey Estuary, Milford Sound, Ministry of Defence owned land, Mullaghareirk Country Park, Murmansk Oblast, National Cemetery Scotland, Nevehir Power Station, Nice Côtes Catalanes Airport, Orkanidskaya Shtipilska Pristannya, Ochamchira District, Oktyabrsky Airport, Plymouth Breakwater, Rosyth Dockyard, Rostock University Boat House, Royal Navy, Rybachy Nuclear Power Plant, Saint Helier Hospital, Salerno Strait, Sandringham Estate, Sark, Shevchenko Hydroelectric Power Station, Simferopol Maritime Airport, Solent, Southampton Water, South Pole Telescope, Spitsbergen, Stockholm Archipelago, Stansted Mountfitchet Countryside Centre, Stockton Heath Fields, Strathclyde Garrison, Sudney Heights, Swanage Pier, Syros Airport, Tampere Upperivillatorio, Teignmouth Electron Battery Depot, Thisted Wind Farm, Torbay, Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Borough Council owned land, Vale of Pickering, Vantaa City Observatory, Victoria Infrastructural Prison, Warsash Common, West Somerset Levels, Wrotham Water Treatment Works, York Marina, Zemun.
According to Google, every hour spent watching someone else's content equals one subscriber. So, if you want to keep your existing audience happy, try to avoid letting others use your footage without giving credit. Otherwise, they could end up stealing away your potential viewers.
It varies depending on where you live. Some regions require considerably higher number of hours
If you're a YouTuber with over 1,000 subscribers and want to make money from your videos—or even just build an audience—you may have wondered what's required of you before being eligible to start getting revenue shares via ads or partner deals like merchandising.
While it varies by creator, there is one thing that does remain consistent across all creators who are trying to get their channels monetised. The amount of subscribers they must reach within twelve (12) months. It sounds easy enough, but some creators find themselves struggling to hit this target. They can spend months uploading content, building up views, and growing subscriptions only to be told at the end of those twelve months that they still haven't reached the threshold needed to earn anything.
So, why is it so important? And more importantly, why should you care whether or not you meet this criteria? Here’s everything you need to know about reaching 1000 subscribers in the next year.
Yes! But not necessarily right away. If you've been making high-quality original content consistently throughout 2020 then you can expect your subscriber count to increase substantially as people watch your video series grow. Once you’ve built a loyal following of viewers, consider sharing links to your latest uploads through social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc., which will ultimately help boost your overall follower counts.
When it comes to actually earning ad revenues, things aren’t quite as straightforward. There are several factors which determine when exactly someone qualifies to receive these payments based on their subscription numbers. One key factor is the number of unique users each month, i.e. the total number of monthly active subscriptions divided by the total number of users subscribed during the same period. For example, let's say John has 10,000 subscribers and his average view rate per video is 5,000. That means he gets five views/subscriptions every ten minutes. So, according to Google Adsense rules, John would qualify to show ads to 500 new users every day. This translates into 125 new subscribers every single week. However, while it might seem too good to be true, it isn’t uncommon for popular channels to see their subscriber growth slow down dramatically once they pass the 1k mark. Why? Because most of them already have thousands upon thousands of followers, meaning there simply won’t be much room left for further expansion. In other words, you'll likely have to work harder than ever to maintain momentum past the 1K milestone.
In addition to maintaining consistency, another way to keep increasing your subscriber base is to actively promote your channel among your existing community members. Consider running competitions where winners will be rewarded with free merchandise, gift cards, travel vouchers, t-shirts, hoodies, posters, stickers, etc. Or perhaps offer special discounts exclusively available to fans who subscribe to your channel. By doing so, you can continue growing your subscriber ranks without dipping below the 1k mark. When deciding which promotional methods to use, remember to always focus on creating engaging and entertaining content rather than solely relying on advertising alone. After all, isn’t that what everyone else is doing anyway?
Finally, there’s also the option of partnering with influencers or brands whose audiences align closely with yours. A great strategy here would be to leverage influencer marketing tactics that allow both parties to benefit financially. Influencer marketing campaigns typically involve paying influencers to endorse products on their social feeds using hashtags or emojis. Brands pay top dollar to ensure visibility amongst certain demographics, so offering influencers compensation is often seen as a win-win situation for everyone involved.
It depends. As mentioned above, there are multiple factors that decide whether or not you’ll eventually become eligible to participate in YouTube Partner Program (VPP). While no set rule dictates how quickly you need to gain access to VPP benefits, there are general guidelines regarding eligibility. According to YouTube, anyone who reaches 250 subscribers during the course of 2018 will automatically receive VPP status in 2019. Those who surpass 1 million subscribers will begin receiving VPP benefits starting in 2021. Keep in mind that while these timelines apply to individual accounts, the actual timeline will vary depending on your current subscriber count and platform popularity.
For example, if you were able to garner 100 new subscribers every week throughout 2020, you could potentially receive VPP privileges sometime around early 2021. On the flip side, if you didn’t cross the 250 subscriber benchmark until mid-2019 and now have 400 additional subscribers added to your account each month, it’d take roughly three years for you to finally receive VPP privileges. Of course, these timelines are subject to change and we recommend keeping tabs on your own metrics as well as relevant news reports to stay informed.
As far as other milestones go, there’s one particular point worth mentioning—that being the potential requirement of having 3,500 cumulative subscribers throughout the entirety of 2020. At present, there’s currently no official word regarding how long it takes for creators to achieve this goal, though anecdotal evidence suggests this threshold was surpassed somewhere between August 2020 and November 2020.
Keep in mind that while the aforementioned thresholds are fairly standard across various streaming sites, the details surrounding them vary slightly from site-to-site. Some sites require more subscribers to attain eligibility, others less, and yet others have different benchmarks altogether. Therefore, it’s best to read the fine print whenever possible.
You probably figured out by now that gaining access to VPP doesn’t guarantee immediate financial rewards. However, if you’re looking to maximize your chances of success, it makes sense to try and push yourself towards attaining 1,000 subscribers sooner rather than later. Not only does it provide a tangible measure of progress towards monetary goals, it also allows you to better prepare for future opportunities.
Here’s something you should definitely avoid doing: sitting idle and hoping for the best. Chasing subscribers instead of focusing on producing quality content is surefire way to kill your motivation, lose interest, and fall short of achieving your desired outcome. Remember, you’re responsible for setting realistic expectations and pursuing meaningful goals. Don’t let external forces dictate your destiny. Instead, put your energy toward finding ways to generate income through your creative pursuits.
No, but there is a deadline. Anyone who wants to become eligible to participate in VPP should aim to acquire 1,000 subscribers within 12 months. Otherwise, they risk losing eligibility for reasons beyond their control. What constitutes "otherwise" largely hinges on specific circumstances related to your personal history. For instance, if you joined YouTube prior to January 2017, you’re not bound by the 12-month limitation imposed on newer accounts. Also, if you had fewer than 750 subscribers in December 2016, consider joining YouTube Premium. Doing so gives you six extra months to accrue 1,000 subscribers.
However, if you did manage to exceed 1,000 subscribers in the previous 12 months, you’ll technically retain your eligibility indefinitely. Unless otherwise indicated, VPP membership remains valid indefinitely unless either party terminates the agreement.
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YouTube is a huge platform and it's not easy to make money from it, especially if you're an independent creator or small business owner who doesn't have millions of dollars backing them up.
If you're new to YouTube (or just want to know more about your options), here's everything you should know before you start making YouTube videos. And when we say "before" — we mean "right now." The current COVID-19 pandemic has changed so much that even people with thousands of subscribers can lose their jobs overnight. Don't waste time thinking too far ahead! Start by creating content right now because once you post something out there, no one will take notice until you've got enough followers.
While there are plenty of ways to create passive income as a YouTuber, all those methods require at least some level of popularity among viewers. If you don't have any subscribers yet, consider these tips to help boost your subscriber count during this difficult time.
But what happens if someone takes notice of your work without having 10K+ subs? Can you still generate revenue through ads? Or does YouTube only pay creators based off of total watch hours? How long must you wait till you can get paid via adverts? Here's what you need to know.
Yes and No. It depends on where exactly the cut point falls between being active vs inactive. For example, let's assume that you created a popular video series back in 2015 but stopped posting anything since then. A few years later, in 2020, you decide to revive your original series and upload another episode. In 2021, you post two additional episodes, which gets you over 1,000 views each within three days. But you haven't posted any other stuff since 2019. Does that mean you cannot earn money from your YouTube channel anymore? Not necessarily, although you would probably fall into the category of inactive channels.
Here's why: YouTube usually pays its creators according to the number of subscribers they have AND the amount of engagement they receive on their posts. Engagement includes likes, comments, shares, and overall view counts. So in our scenario above, your most recent post received 1,000 views and 0 likes/comments/shares. As such, you won't qualify for any payout unless you meet certain threshold set by YouTube. However, if you were able to gain 500 new subscribers per month, you'd also qualify for monthly payment under Creator Academy program, which allows businesses like yours to reach financial stability faster than ever possible.
A word of warning though: If you think you'll hit this milestone soon, it might not hurt to promote yourself more aggressively. We suggest using social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram to share news updates related to your brand while encouraging existing fans to subscribe to your YouTube channel. Also, try reaching out to influencers and notable figures in your industry to help spread the word. After all, they may give your channel a shoutout on their socials.
The key takeaway here is that if you become inactive, you could still be eligible for payments provided you maintain at least 100 subscribers. At the same time, however, keep in mind that it might take several months to build a solid following again—especially if your audience isn't actively engaged with your content.
Now, let's talk about whether you can continue getting paid once you surpass 1k subs. Yes, you can. Even if you stop uploading content for six months straight, YouTube still recognizes you as an active partner, meaning you retain ownership of your channel and can use it whenever you want. One thing worth mentioning is that in order to reap rewards, your channel needs to remain profitable for at least 90 consecutive days. That means if you stop producing new content for 6 months but manage to grow your viewer base to 1k+, you can go on vacation for half a year and enjoy your newfound success.
However, if you want to put your creative energy elsewhere, you can always turn your original channel into archive format. This way, you can save your older material for future reference and focus on building newer content instead.
Also, remember that it varies from country to country regarding copyright laws. Some countries allow users to download copyrighted materials freely, whereas others expect compensation for doing so. Check local laws accordingly.
In summary, yes, you can earn residual income from your channel once your subscriber count reaches 1,000+. Just don't forget to check your stats regularly to stay updated.
No. Unfortunately, you won't see any penny for the first five thousand subscribers you accumulate. Why? Because YouTube only starts paying partners around 50$/month once you cross that threshold. Before hitting that mark, you'll simply see a message box pop up saying: “This account hasn't reached the minimum required earnings threshold.”
That said, it's important to note that YouTube recently announced plans to increase the earning threshold to 3,500 subcribers. They claim that higher numbers often lead to lower quality of content produced, thus negatively affecting viewership rates. Which is true. On top of that, increasing the threshold raises awareness for smaller creators across different genres. Therefore, it's better to aim low and slowly move upwards rather than aiming high and losing momentum fast.
Again, no. According to YouTube's official rules, you can't leverage your channel until it accumulates at least 2000 unique subscribers. Once you exceed that limit, you'll see a notification banner appear on every video uploaded thereafter. It reads: “"Congratulations! Your channel qualifies for Partner Program membership!"
At this stage, you'll automatically join the Creator Academy program. Under this initiative, you'll get access to various benefits including professional editing services, royalty free music tracks, branded graphics, etc. All of which helps you achieve greater visibility and recognition both online and offline.
What if you already joined the academy and started receiving funds earlier than expected? Don't worry, you're not left behind. There's nothing stopping you from joining the regular Partner Program anytime you wish. Simply log into your YouTube Studio settings and click Partnerships > My Partnership Account. Then select Manage next to Current Funded Campaign and choose Create New Campaign. From there, follow steps outlined in the wizard.
After completing all steps, you'll be given an opportunity to customize your campaign further. Namely, you can add specific goals, objectives, budget limits, and advertising networks. Plus, you can edit your profile page to reflect changes made.
You bet. Although your channel technically stops growing when it hits 2000 subscribers, YouTube treats it differently depending on the type of channel. Let me explain.
For example, if your channel consists solely of educational videos designed for kids aged 9-12, chances are that you're included in Google Preferred Ads program. Nowadays, advertisers tend to avoid running campaigns alongside controversial topics, hence, you shouldn't experience any issues.
On the contrary, if your channel features mostly adult content, you might end up facing problems finding suitable partners willing to advertise alongside mature audiences. To find out whether that applies to you, head over to Content ID System and search for keywords associated with explicit scenes. Next, compare results against age ratings found on IMDb. If there's a discrepancy, contact your network provider directly. Otherwise, run a quick test to confirm eligibility.
As for monetizing pre-2000 accounts, you're good to go. Since you're part of the Partner Program anyway, you don't really have to deal with any limitations imposed by YouTube.
And lastly, one question remains unanswered. What happens if someone else buys your subscription rights? Will you be allowed to rebrand your account and carry on operating it under new name? Well, the answer is simple. First, understand that buying someone's subscriptions entails transferring ownership of your channel to third party. Second, it's entirely dependent on individual terms laid down by third parties involved. Third, you should never sell your own creations without getting consent from the rightful owners.
So, if you're looking to buy premium subscriptions on YouTube, make sure you consult legal experts beforehand.
Just follow our battle-tested guidelines and rake in the profits.