Learn about YouTube’s partner program that allows creators monetize their videos.

3 key players in YouTube monetization

According to Sameera, a product specialist at YouTube, there are three key players when it comes to YouTube monetization:

1. The creators
2. The viewers
3. The advertisers

For the viewers, YouTube offers the place where they find and enjoy content.

For the creators, YouTube offers the optimum platform to produce the content and to earn money.

For the advertisers YouTube provides a safe environment to reach their audience with precision.

How creators make money with ads?

In a nutshell, YouTube’s monetization program works like this:

1. Creators make videos and build the audience.

2. The advertisers buy ads to reach that audience. The ads are placed in qualifying videos.

3. The viewers watch the videos with relevant ads and creators get paid.

How to start

To earn advertising revenue on YouTube, your channel must first join the YouTube Partner Program.

For full ad revenue access, your channel needs 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 valid public watch hours on long-form videos in the last 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

YouTube also requires creators to follow monetization policies, have no active Community Guidelines strikes, turn on 2-Step Verification, have access to advanced features, and link one active AdSense for YouTube account.

When your channel is eligible, sign in to YouTube, open YouTube Studio, click Earn, select Apply now, accept the base terms, and create or link your AdSense for YouTube account.

YouTube says review typically takes about one month, although delays can happen. If your application is rejected, you can appeal within 21 days. After a first rejection you can usually re-apply after 30 days. After later rejections, the wait can be 90 days.

Once accepted, review the available monetization modules in YouTube Studio. For example, Watch Page Ads and Shorts Feed Ads need to be turned on before those revenue streams start.

Can I monetize mature content?

Some mature or age-restricted videos can still earn money, but it is more accurate to say they may receive limited or no ads, not simply lower revenue.

That decision depends on the topic, context, title, thumbnail, and overall advertiser-friendliness of the video. If you cover sensitive topics, check YouTube’s advertiser-friendly content guidelines before publishing.

Related: Don’t Make These 5 Types Of Videos If You Want To Monetize On YouTube – Do This Instead

Can I choose the ads?

Not in the old way.

For new long-form uploads, YouTube now automatically decides when to show pre-roll, post-roll, skippable, or non-skippable ads when appropriate.

What creators still control directly is mid-roll ads on videos longer than 8 minutes. You can let YouTube place mid-rolls automatically or place them manually.

YouTube retired overlay ads in 2023, so they should not be listed as a current ad format here.

Should I enable ads for all my videos?

Make sure you only select videos that are advertiser friendly. How to tell? Advertiser friendly content is appropriate for most audiences and does not feature sensitive topics like drugs, sexually suggestive, or hateful material. For more examples of inappropriate content check out content guidelines.

How to maximize my ad revenue?

Make videos that resonate with your audience and are suitable for advertisers.

How YouTube ads work (video)

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