YouTube Shorts monetization
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To earn ad revenue from YouTube Shorts, you need to join the YouTube Partner Program with 1,000 subscribers and either 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days or 4,000 public watch hours on long videos in the last 12 months. Once in, you get 45% of the Shorts ad revenue allocated to your views. A lower tier (500 subscribers) unlocks fan funding but not ad revenue.
Shorts money works differently from long-form money. Ads don't run inside your Short; they run between Shorts in the feed, and the revenue is pooled and shared out. Here's how it works, what to expect, and how creators with long videos usually qualify fastest. YouTube updates these rules from time to time, so check YouTube's Partner Program eligibility page for your country before planning around exact numbers.
The two Partner Program tiers
| Tier | Requirements | What it unlocks |
|---|---|---|
| Fan funding (expanded YPP) | 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, plus 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days | Channel memberships, Super Thanks, Super Chat, Super Stickers, YouTube Shopping (where available) |
| Full Partner Program | 1,000 subscribers, plus 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days | Everything above, plus ad revenue from long videos and Shorts |
You also need to live in a country where the Partner Program is available, follow YouTube's monetization policies, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, turn on two-step verification and link an AdSense account.
Watch time from Shorts doesn't count toward the 4,000-hour path. The two routes are separate: pick the one your channel is closer to.
How Shorts ad revenue is shared
YouTube's Shorts monetization policies set out how it works:
- Ads run between Shorts in the Shorts feed.
- Each month, YouTube pools that ad revenue.
- Part of the pool goes toward music licensing costs for Shorts that use music.
- The rest is the creator pool, allocated to monetized creators based on their share of total Shorts views in their country.
- You keep 45% of the revenue allocated to your views.
The music point matters: a Short that uses a licensed track shares its slice with the music rights holders. Talking clips without music keep the full creator allocation.
How much do Shorts pay?
Much less per view than long videos. Creators commonly report a few cents to a few tens of cents per 1,000 Shorts views, varying a lot by country, audience and season. Treat Shorts revenue as a bonus. The bigger payoff is usually indirect: Shorts bring in subscribers who then watch your long videos, where ads pay far more per view.
Content that won't earn
Not all Shorts views count toward revenue. Views may not be monetized on:
- Reuploaded or unoriginal content: other people's clips, compilations or lightly edited copies. YouTube's reused content policy applies.
- Clips from movies or TV shows you don't own.
- Shorts with artificial views, from bots or paid view schemes.
Clips cut from your own long videos are original content and count normally.
The fastest route for creators with long videos
If you already publish podcasts, interviews or talking videos, your best route is probably Shorts cut from them:
- You already have the material. A one-hour episode usually holds several standalone moments.
- Shorts feed subscribers to your long videos, which helps the watch-hours route too. YouTube lets you link a Short to a related video right in the Shorts player.
- Consistency is easy. One long video a week can give you a Short a day.
Tools make the cutting quick. ClipFlame's YouTube Shorts maker turns a long video into captioned vertical Shorts, each with a cover. Your first 10 minutes of video are free. If you'd rather do it by hand, our guide to turning a long video into Shorts walks through the steps.
Get more monetizable views
- Hook in the first second. Start on the point, not the setup. See how to get views on YouTube Shorts.
- Burn in captions. Most viewers start muted.
- Keep it tight. Shorts can run up to 3 minutes, but most performing talking clips are 20 to 60 seconds. See how long YouTube Shorts can be.
- Post consistently, at times your audience is on. See the best time to post Shorts.
- Skip copyrighted music on talking clips, so your slice of the pool isn't shared.
Comparing platforms? See TikTok vs YouTube Shorts. For the long-form side, see how to grow a YouTube channel.
Common questions
How many views do you need to monetize YouTube Shorts?
10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days, along with 1,000 subscribers. The alternative route is 4,000 public watch hours on long videos in the last 12 months.
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million Shorts views?
It varies widely by country and audience. Creators commonly report tens to a few hundred dollars per million Shorts views, far less than the same views on long videos.
Do Shorts count toward the 4,000 watch hours?
No. Watch time from Shorts doesn't count toward the 4,000-hour requirement. Shorts views count only toward the separate 10-million-views route.
Can I monetize Shorts made from my podcast?
Yes. Clips from your own long videos are original content and are monetized like any other Short.