How to make money on youtube shorts

YouTube Shorts' $100 million fund gives creators $100–$10,000 monthly bonuses. Know the guidelines and qualifying requirements if you want to make money filming films.

By Amily Smith Last updated Nov 18, 2024

YouTube Shorts has been a huge success for both YouTube and its creators. The feature has received over 5 trillion views on YouTube, and YouTube is fully invested in its future.

Short films have provided many creators with additional views and engagement. However, there has been some confusion about how to monetize them.

There are numerous ways to profit from Shorts, such as brand deals. However, the two simplest methods are through the YouTube Partner Program and YouTube’s own Shorts Fund. Let’s start with a look at ad revenue.

About

About

What exactly are YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts are a video format that allows users to upload short-form, ‘TikTok’-style videos to YouTube in the following formats:

Vertical (or at least square) (or at least square).
Up to 60 seconds in length.
Music, trending sounds, or original audio can be added to segments.

And they currently have 15 billion views per day (on average). Yes, that’s billions with a capital B.

To make a Short, you can film and edit directly in the YouTube app (similar to TikTok and Reels), or you can film and edit elsewhere and then upload to YouTube if that’s more your style.

They then reside on the YouTube homepage’s Shorts shelf, allowing them to become an evergreen spoke in your content wheel. Shorts began beta testing in India in September 2020, with users able to view and create 15-second videos. They performed admirably, with reports of 3.5 billion total daily views.

Following its success in India, the beta was released in the United States in March 2021, with daily views exceeding 6.5 billion. Short films were then released in over 100 countries.

So, whether you’re a seasoned creator or new to the platform, Shorts could be the right path for you if you’re looking to monetize on Instagram.

YouTube Shorts Fund

If you want to make money from YouTube Shorts, the $100 million Shorts Fund is one option. YouTube announced this in 2021, and the platform has promised to reward creators with a monthly “bonus” drawn directly from this fund. The bonuses range from $100 to $10,000, but the exact amount is determined by your previous month’s Shorts performance.

Do you believe you’re eligible for a bonus? The following are the prerequisites for monetizing YouTube Shorts:

Every 180 days, upload an original YouTube Short (not a TikTok video, for instance).
You must be at least 13 years old or the maturity age in your country.
Follow the Community Guidelines and monetization policies on YouTube.
You must be a citizen of an eligible country.

Once you’ve met those requirements, you’re eligible for a Shorts bonus. If you are chosen, YouTube will contact you within the first week of the month, and you will have until the 25th to claim your bonus. To learn more, visit this YouTube creators page.

So far, getting a bonus requires a large number of video views. It’s a little disheartening that you have to go viral and then some to earn hundreds of dollars. That’s why Rob Wilson, vidIQ’s YouTuber-in-Residence, is making this uneasy face:

Still, it’s preferable to receiving nothing at all.

Here’s what some Shorts Fund creators earned last year:

TN Craft: $200 for 7 million views on Shorts
King Probherbs is offering $300 for 5 million Shorts views.
GEVids: $2,300 for 130 million views on Shorts

The good news is that YouTube is rewarding more creators with a Shorts bonus. A greater number of people will receive payouts between $100 and $10,000. So if you’re serious about making Shorts, that’s something to look forward to.

How To Get Started With Shorts

The basics are that your channel’s Shorts performance in the previous month will determine your eligibility for a Shorts bonus. You will also have to:

Each month, all of a creator’s YouTube Shorts videos will be counted toward their Shorts performance (not just the month they were uploaded). The payment amounts will be adjusted based on a channel’s overall Shorts performance and the location of their audience.

The level of performance required to qualify for a bonus payment may vary between creators (for example, based on their location) and may change from month to month.

So, if you had a viral hit last month, you might be in luck. If not, you can try again this month.

It’s extremely simple to get started with YouTube Shorts.

In theory, you can earn money from your first video if you meet the following requirements:

You have your own YouTube channel.
Join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
Be located in a country that qualifies (check the details from YouTube here)
Be at least 13 years old in the United States, or the age of majority in the country where the fund is active.
Follow YouTube’s Community guidelines and Monetization policies – in other words, keep your account up to date.
Your content adheres to YouTube’s community guidelines.
In the last 180 days, you must have uploaded an original Short.
Accept the program’s terms and connect to an active Google AdSense account to receive bonus payments from the Fund.
Your videos are considered original content (so no TikTok or Instagram watermarks).

If you check all of the above boxes, you’ll only need to do one more thing. It is the most important. YouTube will only reward the best of the best based on previous month viewership and engagement.

Sounds simple, but what about the monetization model?

Future: YouTube Shorts to monetize YouTube Advertising revenue

Soon, you’ll be able to collect advertising revenue from YouTube shorts!

YouTube Shorts are currently not part of the platform’s formal monetization programme. There is no way to join the YPP as a Shorts creator unless you post long-form videos and reach the necessary milestones — 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. As a result, there is no way to generate advertising revenue from short, vertical content.

However, YouTube is about to change the rules. Creators who have reached 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days can apply to the programme in early 2023.

Joining the YPP this way allows you to earn advertising revenue from short, snappy videos. You’ll also gain access to additional monetization tools, such as ad revenue on long-form videos, Super Thanks, Super Chats, Channel Memberships, and others.

Shorts, like most YouTube income, will be based on a revenue-sharing model. Creators will receive 45% of the advertising revenue generated by their content, a slight decrease from the standard 55%, but far better than earning 0%.

Tip for YouTube Shorts Fund Content

YouTube is very selective about who it invites – only creators who have uploaded original content are invited. Avoid publishing content that has been re-uploaded from third-party social platforms (such as TikTok, Reels, and so on), especially if it is watermarked.

Wrapping Up

There are three ways to monetize YouTube Shorts in total:

Receive a bonus from the YouTube Shorts fund.
Obtain a brand agreement or sponsorship.
Ad revenue from YouTube Shorts views can be collected (coming in 2023)

The final method is the most exciting because it is how long-form creators have been making money for years. It also broadens the types of channels that can be created on YouTube. If you only make short-form videos, for example, you don’t have to rely on long-form videos to make money. You can stick to your strengths: short, vertical videos.

If that describes you, here are seven ways to start and grow a YouTube Shorts channel.