Shorts are one of the newest and most popular ways to create and share content on YouTube. The main thing about this type of content is the ability to get viral, collecting millions of views, shares and comments.
Shorts can help with discoverability and bring more people to your longer content, potentially increasing your channel subscriber count. However, what does this mean in terms of money? Can you really make a living out of Shorts?
Shorts monetization works differently from traditional longer videos. Instead of direct ad revenue per video, YouTube pools all the ad revenue generated from Shorts and distributes it among creators based on their share of total views. Additionally, creators can monetize their Shorts through Super Thanks, brand partnerships, and merchandise sales.
In this article we’ll explore YouTube Short monetization features and requirements, how to add them to your content strategy and the different ways to make money out of them. Lets dive in!
YouTube Shorts are vertical videos with short duration, typically between 60 seconds and 3 minutes.
Unlike a long form video, Shorts don’t take very long to record and have pretty high view potential.
If you want to monetize your content or YouTube you must join the YouTube Partner Program. You can visit YouTube Studio to apply and you must:
To be part of the YouTube Partner Program there are 2 eligibility thresholds:
In order to make money out of fan funding and shopping features you must meet the following requirements:
As your channel growths, you’ll be able to unlock new monetization from ad revenue and YouTube Premium Share. In order to have these revenue streams you must meet these requirements:
If you want to monetize your content but don’t meet any requirement yet, you can go to YouTube Studio, click on the “Earn” option and track your progress towards eligibility by signing up to get notified the moment you are able to correctly apply.
Here’s a table to summarize the different possibilities of each monetization threshold to keep in mind!
YouTube Shorts Revenue comes from a pooled ad revenue system instead of direct ad placements. This means that monetized creators receive a share of the revenue from ads displayed between videos in the Shorts Feed, not based on the ads displayed on their own videos.
YouTube shares ad revenue from shorts through a pooled system. Here is how it works:
This system allows creators to earn even if their own Shorts don’t display ads directly.
The creator pool is a revenue pool funded by ad revenue, where creators are paid based on their share of views. This revenue would then be shared among the respective creators, YouTube and the music industry. So the Creator Pool is basically where all the money made from ads on the shorts section is gathered.
YouTube allocates the revenue to monetize creators based on their share of views in the shorts section. There is a Creator Pool for every country. For instance, let’s say that out of all the shorts uploaded by monetizing creators in the U.S, you got 5% of eligible views. You will then be allocated 5% of the revenue in the creator pool in the U.S.
From that share, YouTubers keep 45%, while the remaining portion goes to the platform to cover music copyright fees. This applies whether or not you use music in your Shorts. This happens regardless if you use music on your video or not. This approach helps creators explore their creativity without worrying about copyright or using music on their Shorts.
Let's break it down with an example! Let’s say you are a creator based in the US and the total ad revenue from Shorts in that country is $100,000. YouTube allocates 5% of eligible views to you as the creator, so you’ll receive 5% of the total revenue in that pool.
From that, you’ll keep 45%, and YouTube retains 55% to cover its share, including music rights.
So, from $100,000 total ad revenue generated by YouTube Shorts in your country, your final share would be $2,250.
Quick note: The actual figures can vary greatly depending on your share of views within the Shorts ecosystem and the advertiser demand in your specific country.
There are 2 key metrics you need to take into account to understand the way YouTube’s monetization system works and how it affects your total earnings: CPM & RPM.
The CPM (Cost Per Thousand Impressions) for Shorts is typically around $0.05, meaning for every 1,000 views, the revenue generated is $0.05. After YouTube's 55% share, creators keep 45%, which brings their total to approximately $0.02 RPM for every 1,000 views.
In the table below, we can see the potential earnings for YouTube creators, considering a CPM of $0.05 before YouTube's 55% cut and the creator’s 45% share of the ad revenue.
If you want to learn more about YouTube Monetization System, you can check out our guide to YouTube CPM & RPM - Understanding YouTube Ad Revenue Metrics.
Quick note: The figures above are estimates and actual earnings can vary based on factors such as viewer demographics, engagement, niche and ad rates.
Shorts monetization is based on a poll system. However not every creator earns the same amount of money. There are plenty factors that may influence, for better or worse, your actual earnings:
Where your viewers are based plays a big role in how much money you can make. Advertisers in countries like the U.S., Canada, or Australia tend to pay more than in countries with lower ad spending.
Different types of content attract different kinds of advertisers. Videos about tech, finance, or business tend to have the highest paying brands
The bond you established with your audience. If your viewers are loyal to your content they’ll probably watch your entire videos with the ads displayed on them. This will get your ad views going up and add up to your final revenue.
If you use copyrighted music, a portion of your revenue is allocated to cover licensing fees.
Even though ads are one of the main income streams on YouTube there are other ways available at the YouTube Partner Program to make money out of the content you create.
YouTube offers some features for subscribers to show support to your content. Among them are SuperChats, Super Stickers and Super Thanks.
Prices can go from $1 up to $500, depending on the creator's audience and engagement level.. YouTube takes a 30% cut of this revenue and creators keep the remaining 70%. Fan Funding is available at both YPP thresholds, so you can start earning even with just 500 subscribers!
YouTube shopping allows viewers to discover and purchase products directly from YouTube videos. As a creator you can tag different products in your Shorts and whenever someone makes a purchase, you’ll get a share from that sale.
Earnings are going to vary based on what you are promoting but with the right audience and promotion you can make extra money every month.
If you meet the lower YouTube Partner Program (YPP) threshold, you can only promote your own products. On the other hand, if you meet the higher YPP threshold and have at least 15,000 subscribers, you can promote products from other brands through the YouTube Shopping affiliate program.
This feature is only available for YouTubers based in the U.S. and South Korea.
Youtubers can offer memberships to their audience. In exchange for a monthly fee they offer exclusive content such as behind the scenes, early product releases, private Q&A sessions, and more.
Memberships vary from $0.99 to $14.99 per month.
If a significant amount of your community is a YouTube Premium member, the platform is going to share with you a percentage of the membership fee that will add up to your monthly earnings.
YouTube provides different revenue possibilities inside the YouTube Partner Program. However, there are other monetization opportunities you can explore and add to your revenue strategy to increase your total earnings.
YouTubers design merchandise, list it on an e-commerce platform (like Shopify), and promote it to their audience.
Many creators have already developed their own line of custom merchandise. Products like T-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases, skincare and sweets are popular choices.
As a YouTuber you can promote different products with a tracking link. For every sale made through your exclusive link, you’ll earn a commission.
You can also create your own personalized storefronts on platforms like Creator Hero to showcase recommended products. Storefronts are online platforms or designated sections of e-commerce websites where creators can showcase and recommend products to their viewers.
As a creator you can partner up with brands to promote their products on services on your videos. Depending on the type of agreement, the term to fulfill and the type of content to produce.
What starts with a one time deal can lead to a sponsorship or an ambassador role that implies a relationship over time.
As a YouTuber you can also become an User Generated Content Creator, someone who often doesn't really have a lot of subscribers but is paid by brands to make specific every-day style content where the key is to stimulate a genuine customer experience. This type of content can work in two ways: it can be another way to monetize your content as a creator but also can be a great breaking point in your path to becoming one.
You can include your Shorts into a bigger strategy where you contemplate your whole channel earnings. By creating shorts related to the topics of your longer videos, you can try and carry those short viewers into your longer videos to make the best money out of that content too.
Ads work differently in longer videos, usually meaning higher earnings for Youtubers at the end of the day. So if you manage to elaborate a strategy that combines short and long for videos, your chances of making more money are way better.
If you want to learn how much you can earn with longer videos, check out our article on How Much Does YouTube Pay For 1,000 Views! And if you want to explore more monetization opportunities, check out our article on How Do Influencers Make Money to take your earnings to a new level!
While the standard YouTube Partner Program requires 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in order to qualify for monetization, there are alternative paths for Shorts creators.
If you manage to achieve 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days you might be eligible for monetization without the 1,000 minimum subscribers count. Once you apply for the YouTube Partner Program, you’ll be able to earn money from ad revenue and YouTube Premium share.
Fan funding features, such as Super Thanks, are more monetization options designed to give creators with a small audience the chance to earn money from engaging content while they build a larger subscriber base.
By focusing on engagement, views, and creating engaging Shorts, you can start monetizing your content even if you're not yet at 1,000 subscribers.
Adding Shorts to your YouTube content strategy is a great way to increase your total earnings. Here’s a checklist of the things you can do to ensure the best earnings possible!
Join the YouTube Partner Program as soon as you can so you can get monetized and start making money out of ad revenue.
Create a posting schedule and stick to it. Posting regularly will increase your discoverability chances. Once you find your niche or audience, stick to them so you´ll attract loyal viewers.
Use compelling images, titles and descriptions. Create attractive thumbnails and tags to make your Shorts stand out.
Also, encourage your viewers to like, comment and share your videos so more people can get to watch your content. Respond to your viewers comments and hold Q&A sessions to further interact with them.
Jump on trending topics or challenges to capitalize on viral potential.
Explore different revenue sources: Fan funding, affiliate marketing, YouTube Shopping, merchandise sales, brand deals, and more. Don’t be afraid to mix them up and include them into your overall revenue strategy.
Create Shorts as teasers related to the content on your long-form videos so viewers might be interested in them too.
Keep your Shorts high quality to capture the attention of viewers quickly. Make the first few seconds captivating to ensure viewers watch until the end.
TubeBuddy is a channel that offers a tool to help creators achieve their goals on YouTube. They share lots of content on different monetize strategies on the platform.
One of their members got 3.1 Million views on Shorts making only $99.87, meaning that for a million views he made $32.
On another video, they share a similar experience with a million views on Shorts, making a little bit more money. With 1,000,000 views they made $50.
On another video they show that they made $121 over 3 million views. So for one million views they made $40.
This channel made an analysis on their top 5 performing shorts in February 2025. The first short gathered 7.5M views, 13.7K new subscribers and made $1,265.21. The second one got 5.9M views, 22.4 new subs and $733.63. The third one got 7.7M views, 25.9K more subscribers and made $1,263.33. The fourth one got 9.5M views, 21.8K new subs and $1,252.31. The fifth short published got 4.5M views, 9.7K new subscribers and made a total of $763.43.
All shorts considered, the total amount of views are 35.1M with total earnings being $5,277.91. This means that for a million views they made $150.46. This is interesting because it shows how important it is to consider the different factors influencing your earnings. In this case, the niche you are working in is going to determine the amount of money you can make.
He mentions that Creation Shorts in the entertainment niche provides him with a RPM of $0.17 up to $0.25. This averages between $160 and $200 per 1 million views.
If you want to find more about niches, you can check our article on Most Profitable YouTube Niches.
Even though to make money on shorts you need to have lots and lots of views, they also impact your subscribers count. In this video the youtuber not only made about $5,000 but also gained over 93.5K new subscribers.
These new subs can go and watch the long form videos and contribute to your other income streams as well. Always remember that the more people watching your content, the more odds for better engagement rate and the higher the revenue you can make.
YouTube Shorts earnings are significantly lower because ad revenue is pooled across creators. On average YouTube shorts generate a CPM of $0.05 and a RPM of $0.02. This means that for every 1,000 shorts views, a YouTuber can make $0.02 (after YouTube’s 45% cut).
However, these are just rough estimates. Your actual earnings will depend on your niche, location, audience engagement, and whether music licensing fees apply.
Longer videos with the same amount of views can make way more money. If you are interested in finding out more, go check our article on How Much Does YouTube Pay For 1,000 Views!
With an average of a billion views each month on Shorts youtubers can make an estimate of $22,500 a month.
However, this estimate is based on ad revenue only and does not account for other monetization options like Super Thanks or brand deals. If you want to know how much you can make with a billion views, go check our article on How Much Money Is A Billion Views!
These numbers may seem a little low and discouraging. However, they are not only estimates but also only consider ad revenue as the income source. There are plenty of other strategies you can pursue to make the most out of your YouTube Shorts.
Shorts are a different way to create and share content on YouTube. Even though they have less revenue potential than longer form videos, here are 5 reasons why you should consider creating Shorts.
1. Visibility & Reach: Shorts have a big potential to go viral, increasing your discoverability. If your short goes viral it will attract lots of new subscribers to your channel.
2. Easier To Create: Shorts demand less effort than longer videos. You can create Shorts with minimal resources and keep uploading them with no high costs.
3. Monetization Potential: With Shorts you open the possibility to ad revenue, fan support and brand deals. All of these can generate income even for creators with smaller audiences.
4. Global Audience: Shorts are shown to users around the world, allowing your content to reach far way more people.
5. YouTube’s Algorithm: YouTube's algorithm prioritizes Shorts in the feed, giving these videos greater visibility on the platform. This increases the chances of reaching new viewers and gaining subscribers.
Including Shorts into your YouTube content strategy may not seem good enough for every creator if they only focus on the money they can make per 1,000 views. However when you consider the bigger picture, you’ll quickly realize the potential of shorts combined into your overall strategy.
Shorts open the possibility to way more income streams. So if you are already making YouTube videos, why not try out shorts and add another way to make money out of your content while providing your subscribers with more diverse and engaging content.
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