YouTube provides a platform for creators to share their passion, skills, and insights with a global audience. While creating engaging content is essential, understanding how to monetize your YouTube channel effectively is equally crucial. You will get to know the requirements, policies, and steps to join a partner program on YouTube through this blog.
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What is YouTube Channel Monetization?
YouTube channel monetization refers to the process by which creators earn money from their videos through various methods. This includes ad revenue, where ads are displayed before or during videos, and channel memberships or subscriptions. To qualify for monetization, creators must meet certain criteria set by YouTube, such as reaching a minimum number of subscribers and watching hours. Once eligible, creators can enable monetization features on their channel, allowing them to earn a share of the ad revenue generated by their content and potentially offer additional perks to subscribers, contributing to their income from their YouTube presence.
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How Much Does YouTube Pay for Each View?
YouTube does not pay a set amount for each video view. Rather, earnings are based on advertisement revenue, which varies depending on factors like geography, ad type, seasonality, and demand. Revenue per view may range from $0.10 to $1.00 per 1,000 views, meaning creators earn between $1 and $10 for every 10,000 views.
However, YouTube keeps 45% of ad revenues, so creators receive only 55% of earnings. Given these factors and splits, creators need millions of views to generate meaningful income solely from YouTube ads. While earnings can incrementally increase, most creators only earn small quantities unless sponsored by other revenue streams outside of YouTube ad payouts.
Monetization Policies of Youtube
YouTube has specific monetization policies that creators must meet in order to earn money from ads placed on their videos. Here is an overview of YouTube’s key monetization policies:
1. Get YouTube Partner Program Membership: The YouTube Partner Program (YPP) membership is the first step to getting access to basic monetization features. Reaching 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months demonstrates to YouTube that a channel has an actively engaged audience, which makes it worthwhile for monetization and advertiser partnerships.
2. Follow the Ad-Friendly Content Guidelines: Videos must comply with YouTube’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines, which restrict overly controversial, objectionable, or sensitive content. These guidelines tend to be the ones that get videos demonetized. This includes sensitive events, drugs, sexual content, violence, vulgar language, and anything considered dangerous or harmful if emulated by viewers. Standards focus mostly on being friendly to young teens and brands’ target demographics.
3. Follow the Copyright Guidelines: YouTube’s strict copyright strike policies aim to protect intellectual property. Uploading non-compliant content too many times under copyright law puts a channel at risk of termination. This includes re-uploads, lack of transformations in “fair use” cases, as well as attribution or permission issues with Creative Commons license. Channels must formally dispute strikes they feel are invalid or remove any offending videos immediately.
4. Follow the Community Guidelines: The Community Guidelines cover a wide range of unacceptable behaviors, including spam, scams, misleading metadata, external links to harmful sites, coordinated influence operations, and anything promoting dangerous or illegal activity. Videos must adhere to these community guidelines, or else monetization will be revoked.
5. Upload Content Regularly: Accounts must upload consistently, as long periods without new uploads may cause monetization to be disabled.
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Requirements for YouTube Monetization
Below are the main requirements that make a YouTube channel eligible to potentially monetize videos and start earning from the YouTube Partner Program:
1. YouTube Partner Program Membership: You need to have a Google AdSense account connected to your YouTube channel and have YouTube approve your channel for the YouTube Partner Program.
2. Minimum Subscriber and View Count: As mentioned earlier, you need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours accumulated over the past 12 months. Once you reach this threshold, you can apply for the YouTube Partner Program.
3. Video Length and Layout: Videos must be longer than 1 minute and have a suitable content layout with titles, descriptions, tags, and thumbnails in place. Shorts can also be monetized once the eligibility criteria are met.
4. Content Guidelines Adherence: Videos must adhere to YouTube’s content and copyright guidelines. The content should also be advertiser-friendly based on YouTube’s advertising guidelines if you want to get the most monetization.
5. Minimum Age Requirements: Channel owners need to be over 18 years of age or have parent/guardian consent. YouTube requires tax information to be submitted for earnings over a threshold.
6. Based in an Authorized Location: Currently, channel owners need to be based in specific authorized countries/regions according to YouTube’s policies to apply for monetization.
Steps to Join the YouTube Partner Program
Here are the key steps to joining the YouTube Partner Program:
1. Create a Google Account and YouTube Channel
To enroll in the YouTube Partner Program, it is necessary to have a Google account. If you do not possess one, kindly proceed to create a Google account. Additionally, establish a YouTube channel where your videos will be hosted.
2. Enable Monetization on Your Channel
In your YouTube channel settings, enable monetization. This allows your videos to show ads and earn money.
3. Connect Your Channel to an AdSense Account
Link your YouTube channel to an AdSense account. This is where your earnings from the YouTube Partner Program will be paid out.
4. Meet the Application Requirements
In the past 12 months, your channel should have had 4,000 valid public watch hours and at least 1,000 subscribers. This proves there’s an active audience for your content.
5. Follow the YouTube Monetization Policies
Read and comply fully with YouTube’s monetization policies and guidelines around reused or copyrighted content, advertiser-friendly content, and more.
6. Submit an Application
Once you meet all the requirements, submit an official application to the YouTube Partner Program through your YouTube Studio Dashboard. YouTube will review your channel’s eligibility.
7. Get Approved
It can take over a month to get an application approved after review. Once approved, your channel can begin earning through ads, channel memberships, Super Chat, and other monetization features.
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Other Ways to Monetize Your YouTube Channel
Monetizing a YouTube channel goes beyond just relying on ad revenue. Below are some alternative ways to generate income from your YouTube content:
1. Sponsorships: Reach out to brands that are a good fit with your channel’s niche and audience to sponsor individual videos or an ongoing series. You could promote their products by including a sponsored segment, doing an unboxing/review, etc., in exchange for a sponsor fee.
2. Affiliate Marketing: Include affiliate links to relevant products in your video descriptions. You get a small commission for any purchases made through your links. Amazon’s influencer program is a common choice.
3. Crowdfunding: Set up a Patreon account or similar crowdfunding service that allows fans to support your channel through recurring monthly contributions and get exclusive content or perks in return.
4. Merchandise: Design and sell custom t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, stickers, etc. featuring your brand, adsense channel art, or popular catchphrases from your videos. You can manage merchandise through sites like Teespring or Spreadshirt.
5. Paid Channel Memberships: YouTube allows creators to offer perks like custom emojis, badges, and exclusive videos to fans who pay a monthly fee to be channel members.
6. Live Super Chats: Fans pay to have their comments highlighted during your live streams, with the price depending on how long they want them pinned. YouTube takes a cut but passes the majority to you.
7. Brand Consulting: Offer your expertise in building a YouTube audience to brands for a consulting fee. You could also sell video coaching directly to aspiring creators.
Top YouTube Monetized Channels and Their Earnings
Popular channels earn significant income from YouTube AdSense by serving video ads before and during their content. The more views and engagement a video gets, the more money a creator makes. YouTube also shares subscription revenue from YouTube Premium with creators based on how much their content is viewed by paying subscribers. Top channels earn sizable incomes from these YouTube monetization features due to their high view counts in millions and subscriber bases. Let’s take a look at the top 10 International and Indian YouTube Monetized Channels, which are as follows:
Top 10 International YouTube Monetized Channels
Below we have provided the list of the Top 10 International YouTube Channels, Their Subscribers Count, and Estimated Yearly Earnings in the table:
| Rank | Channel | Subscribers Count | Estimated Yearly Earnings |
| 1. | MrBeast | 217M | $5.2M – $83.7M |
| 2. | Cocomelon – Nursery Rhymes | 168M | $5.3M – $84.2M |
| 3. | Kids Diana Show | 116M | $3.4M – $55M |
| 4. | Like Nastya | 111M | $3.3M – $52M |
| 5. | PewDiePie | 111M | $71.3K – $1.1M |
| 6. | Vlad and Niki | 106M | $258.4K – $4.1M |
| 7. | WWE | 98.4M | $1.7M – $26.7M |
| 8. | BLACKPINK | 92.3M | $1M – $16.6M |
| 9. | 5-Minute Crafts | 80.5M | $318.7K – $5.1M |
| 10. | BANGTANTV | 76.9M | $662.2K – $10.6M |
Top 10 Indian YouTube Monetized Channels
Below we have provided the list of the Top 10 Indian YouTube Channels, Their Subscribers Count, and Estimated Yearly Earnings in the table:
| Rank | Channel | Subscribers Count | Estimated Yearly Earnings |
| 1. | T-Series | 254M | $8M – $127.6M |
| 2. | SET India | 166M | $3.7M – $59.4M |
| 3. | Zee Music Company | 102M | $2.2M – $34.5M |
| 4. | Goldmines | 92.4M | $2.5M – $39.2M |
| 5. | Sony SAB | 87.5M | $3.5M – $55.4M |
| 6. | Zee TV | 75M | $3.3M – $53.2M |
| 7. | Colors TV | 69M | $2.6M – $41.7M |
| 8. | Shemaroo Filmi Gaane | 67M | $557.2K – $8.9M |
| 9. | T-Series Bhakti Sagar | 64.7M | $1M – $16.6M |
| 10. | Tips Official | 62.5M | $1.1M – $18.4M |
Conclusion
Monetizing your YouTube channel requires a strategic approach and a deep understanding of your audience and content niche. Experiment with different methods, analyze the results and adapt your strategy accordingly. Building a successful and sustainable income from your YouTube channel takes time and dedication, but with the right mix of strategies, you can turn your passion into a lucrative venture.
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