Assuming you live somewhere other than under a rock, you’ve probably noticed that being a YouTuber has evolved from a fun hobby to a legitimate way to make a living. If you’re interested in becoming a working YouTuber, or at least someone who makes money off the platform on the side, you need to be a part of the YouTube Partner Program—here’s how.
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Put simply, the YouTube Partner Program allows YouTubers to make money off of their videos. It gives creators a slice of ad revenue and offers additional streams of income via fan funding and shopping features. In other words, if you want to become a YouTube influencer for a living, you need to join the YouTube Partner Program.
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The Partner Program also has additional tools to help creators refine their channel and better understand their analytics.
Why join the YouTube Partner Program?
If you’re a content creator, the most obvious perk of being a member of the YPP is the money. You’re working hard on your videos, so shouldn’t you earn some revenue from them? While the YouTube Partner Program pay rate varies depending on monetization type, members usually earn $4–$25 per 1,000 views.
Another benefit of joining is that it will make you aware of the strengths and shortcomings of your channel. You’ll have a better sense of where you need to improve in order to be seen as more legitimate by the platform and, in turn, its algorithm.
How to Crack the YouTube Algorithm and Get Your Videos SeenThere are several requirements you’ll have to meet if you want to be part of the YouTube Partner Program. Be sure to visit Google’s support page, since the qualifications have been in flux the past few years.
These requirements, however, have always been a must:
- Adherence with the YouTube channel monetization policies: These policies, like the requirements for the YPP, often change. But generally, it means you shouldn’t commit copyright infringement or use language and display content that violates the YouTube Community Guidelines. There are also even more specific advertiser-friendly content rules.
- No Community Guidelines strikes: In the vein of requirement number one, if you have an active strike against your channel, you’re automatically disqualified from the YPP.
- Living in a country where the YPP is available: The Partner Program can be found in large swaths of the world, but you’ll want to double-check that your country is included on YouTube’s list of available countries/regions.
- Two-step verification: This additional security feature should be enabled on your Google account.
- AdSense: You’ll need to have AdSense—Google’s system for displaying advertising and paying the appropriate parties—linked to your account.
Cash for Content: 5 Ways to Make Money on YouTube YouTube Partner Program monetization requirements
To be a full-fledged member of the YouTube Partner Program, you’ll need to have the following metrics:
- 1,000 subscribers
- 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months: This refers to the amount of time people have spent watching your videos, all totaled together.
Or:
- 1,000 subscribers
- 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days: If you’re primarily uploading Shorts, this is the qualification for you.
Expanded (non-monetized) YouTube Partner Program requirements
In 2023, YouTube introduced an expanded Partner Program. It is not monetized, but it gets your foot in the door with earlier access to fan funding and shopping features. Here are the requirements for the expanded program:
- 500 subscribers
- Three uploads in the past 90 days
- 3,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in the past 90 days
Feeling a little overwhelmed by all these requirements? Let’s go through how you can achieve YPP status, step by step.
Joining the YPP isn’t as hard as all these rules make it seem. Here’s how to sign up.
1. Meet the eligibility requirements.
First things first: There’s no way around the qualifications we’ve laid out. Let’s go through them in a little more detail.
- To follow YouTube’s monetization policy, you have to adhere to a whole group of sub-policies, including the Community Guidelines, rights clearance adjustments, copyright, the AdSense program rules, and the advertiser-friendly content guidelines. This last policy stops the monetization of videos with bad language, adult content, drug use, and controversial issues.
- Make sure you live in a country where the YPP is enabled.
- Resolve any Community Guidelines strikes you may have. Strikes last for 90 days, so you can either wait them out or appeal them within YouTube Studio.
- Enable two-step verification for the Google account attached to your channel.
- Set up an AdSense account and connect it to your YouTube channel. This can be done here, and it has its own set of requirements.
2. Achieve additional qualifications.
You’ve met the baseline requirements; now it’s time to get your channel in a place where it can be monetized. This means you need to achieve the second set of qualifications.
To join YPP for monetization, you’ll need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. If you’re struggling to get the ball rolling, check out our guide to getting your first 100 YouTube subscribers and build from there.
3. Sign up for the YouTube Partner Program.
With all these boxes checked, you can finally apply for the program. Go to YouTube and sign in. Then click on your profile, and in the drop-down menu select YouTube Studio.
Within Studio, there are a handful of options on the left side of the window. One of them reads “Earn” with a dollar sign icon. Select that option, and hit “Start” (which will only be available if you meet the qualifications).
Now, all you can do is wait—typically, an account takes about one month to be accepted. If you’re rejected, you can try again after 90 days.
4. Earn money.
The most exciting step yet: It’s finally time to earn some money! Once you’re accepted, your “Earn” tab will look a lot different, offering you a whole host of ways to make some cash off of your channel.
There are options for ads, memberships, shopping, and more. If you want to go the ad route, you’ll need to monetize your videos. To do this, go to your Content page and select all the videos you want to make money off of. Then, click “Edit” and select “Monetization.” Turn it on, hit “Update videos,” and start raking in that sweet YouTube ad dough.
