Do you want to make money on YouTube? Millions of creators are earning a very good living from the platform by uploading content that drives huge views and engagements. Whether that income is from advertising revenue, merch sales, or brand deals, we keep you updated with best practises and ideas.

How To Make Money on YouTube

Do you know how to do keyword research so you understand what videos people are actually searching for on YouTube? Do you know how to create a custom YouTube thumbnail? Do you know how to create a Playlist on YouTube?

vidIQ has a ton of tips that will help every creator maximise their video content. We publish content every week to keep you up to date with all the best practices.

YouTube Tips & Tricks

YouTube Shorts content is set to explode! 

All the latest tips, tricks, and rock-solid advice you need for this new feature.

YouTube Shorts

Ask any YouTuber and they will tell you that generating significant views and subscribers isn't easy. But with the right strategy and tools, any video creator can build an engaged subscriber base when they understand what those subscribers want to watch.

Appealing to an audience to watch content you are passionate about making is just the first step, you need to know how to reach them and get your videos discovered. Our guides to how to guide more views on YouTube will give you the best tips to succeed on the platform.

How To Get More Views on YouTube

This post is all about how you can monetize your content on YouTube to start generating revenie. The are four golden rules to making money on YouTube, and they are:

You need to have 1,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel

Your videos have generated 4,000 Watch Time hours over the last 12 months

You comply with all YouTube's policies and guidelines

#1 The YouTube Partner Program Requirements

Commonly known as the YouTube Partner Program, or YPP for short, you'll need to hit all four requirements before your channel will be accepted.

Let's start with the 1,000 subscribers. This one is pretty straightforward, it doesn't matter how long it takes you to get to 1,000 subscribers, once you hit that milestone, you've reached that requirement.

As well as 1,000 subscribers, you also need 4,000 hours of Watch Time on your videos over the last 12 months. There is some confusion with this one, so let me try and clarify that. First of all, this is not about how much video content you, the YouTube creator watch. This is all about how much video content is watched on your channel from people all across the world. It’s all those hours of video that people have watched on your channel in the last 12 months (from any given date). You could well have well 4,000 hours of Watch Time over the lifetime of your channel, but it's only the last 12 months that count for YouTube Partner Program requirements.

Another couple of things to tell you about Watch Time. Live streams do count towards that total. Unlisted videos also count towards that total. But if you delete any videos, that Watch Time will be removed from your channel Watch Time hours. And one more final thing, if you are already in the YouTube Partner Program, and if your channel falls below 4,000 hours of Watch Time, YouTube won't automatically remove you from the partner program, but they can do it at their discretion. If you want a much more detailed video on the topic of 4,000 hours specifically, check out this video:

If you want to check the progress of above requirements, you can do so by clicking on your logo in the top right-hand corner of most YouTube pages, and then clicking on YouTube Studio Beta. You can view all of your analytics here, but to quickly check progress on monetization, hover your mouse over "Other features", and then click on "Status and Features". On this screen, you should see a monetization box, and if you click "Learn more", it will tell you exactly where you currently stand with subscribers and Watch Time hours.

But if all of that sounds like too much hard work, then we've got a free tool that will do all of this much quicker and more efficiently. If you 

 on pretty much every YouTube screen, you will see a collection of real-time stats all about your channel. It will show you your channel's views per hour, views over the last 48 hours, and your subscriber count. But the really cool thing is that it will track your progress to 4,000 hours of Watch Time too! Once you hit 4,000 hours, that number will turn green to show you you've reached that monetization requirement.

#2 Following YouTube Rules for Monetization

Next on the list is the rule book. If you want to monetize your content, you need to make sure you stick to it, as YouTube state:

When you apply for the YouTube Partner Program, you'll go through a standard review process to see whether your channel meets YouTube's policy and guidelines. Only channels that meet them will be accepted into the program.

YouTube also constantly check channels in the program to see whether they continue to meet YouTube's policies and guidelines. These policies and guidelines that are very comprehensive, given all of the growing pains YouTube have had of finding the right balance between creators, viewers, and advertisers. I highly recommend familiarizing yourself with these 

 if you want to monetize your content in the future.

However, if you are in a TLDR mood, to summarize, apply common sense. If you think a video might be inappropriate, chances are it is, and you make such content at your own risk.

#3 Copyright and Monetization Policies on YouTube

Among YouTube's policies and guidelines is the huge topic of copyrighted material. Essentially, if you use other people's work, then you could be using copyrighted material without their permission, and YouTube does not want you to do that. It will almost certainly get you demonetized or prevent you from entering the YouTube Partner Program. Let's look at this in a little more detail.

For most of you, this is the most important monetization policy. You have to make sure that you're adding value to any third party content you monetize, and that your content has significant original commentary, educational value, or editorialized statement. And let's be clear, that still might not be enough. This does not give you a license to use other people's content in your videos all the time, because if you do, YouTube may use this as an argument not to monetize your content.

YouTube confirms that if all or most of your channel is dedicated to reused content, and you're not transforming the original work by adding your own unique value, 

then your channel is not eligible for the YouTube Partner Program.

 The spirit of this policy is to make sure that YouTube are incentivizing unique and original content into the YouTube Partner Program, and that YouTube are protecting and rewarding the creators who work hard on original content.

Now, some may see YouTube's spirit of a policy as an excuse to demonetize channels they don't want in the monetization program, but let's have a look at it from this point of view. You spent days, hours creating a magnificent piece of content, and it goes viral on YouTube. And then a dozen random video creators steal that content, upload it, generate hundreds of thousands of views, and end up profiting handsomely from it. How would you feel if that happened? That's what YouTube is trying to protect - original content from video creators.

Admittedly, reused, duplicate content, and copyright content is a broad gray area on YouTube, and they don't always get it right. And you may look at some channels on YouTube and see that they're clearly flaunting these rules. Well, you don't know what their individual circumstances are, they may have permission to use that content, or they may get caught in the future, and you don't want to follow the examples of channels that are doing this. It's not a road to success.

Ultimately YouTube is the gatekeeper. They hold all of the keys. You are on rented ground, and if you flaunt these rules, and break them, then don't be surprised when YouTube comes after you.

#4 Linking a Google Adsense Account with a YouTube Channel

If you are going to earn money from your videos, YouTube needs a way to pay you, and at least to begin with, this will be done through an AdSense account. A few things you need to know about this, if you already have an AdSense account, you can use that. You can connect multiple channels to one AdSense account, and if you haven't got an AdSense account, you can set one up during the YouTube Partner Program application process.

#5 Applying to the YouTube Partner Program

Let's remind ourselves of those requirements one more time: You need:

1,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel

4,000 Watch Time hours on your videos over the last 12 months

To comply with all YouTube's policies and guidelines

When you've applied YouTube Partner Program, it may take up to a month for the platform to make a decision. That’s because actual humans will review your channel so it’s a manual process. Some channels have been approved in days, so it could be quicker. However, if it does take longer than a month, then your channel will usually be placed in further review. When this happens, unfortunately, the wait times can get very long. Three, six, possibly even 12 months. In some unfortunate cases, YouTube never seems to come to a decision, leaving the creator in monetization limbo.

We appreciate that this can be a very frustrating position to find yourself in as a video creator, as many of you have commented about this on our videos here at vidIQ. Unfortunately, we ourselves cannot help push the process forward for you, so what we recommend you do is to talk to TeamYouTube on Twitter, make sure that everybody knows that you have an issue with your monetization decision.

YouTube say that this will never speed up the process, but at least having some decision is something you should deserve as a video creator.

#6 Being Rejected from the YouTube Partner Program: Next Steps

Now let's say that you've applied for the YouTube Partner Program, but you've been rejected. What can you do?

When you are rejected from the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube will give you a general reason why. Unfortunately, they won't tell you specifically what video or content is causing the issue, so you may be left blindly adjusting your channel. However, the good news is you can reapply for the program in 30 days' time.

Again, this is where you will have to use your common sense. If you think there are videos that are walking the community guideline and policies tightrope, then they most likely are and you need to adjust them. If there are videos that have copyright content on them then those are probably causing a problem with YouTube as well, so you will need to delete them.

Creators have asked when they apply for the partner program, will having a community guideline strike or a copyright strike against my channel prevent me from getting into the program? The answer is probably no, it definitely won't prevent you, but it is going to have an impact.

There is a dedicated support page with advice on what you should do if you are rejected from the YouTube Partner Program, and 

Once you are in the Partner Program, and you want to take your monetization a step further by earning money from Super Chats, membership, and merchandise, take a look at this video on the subject:

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

Want to know how to monetize your channel and start making money on YouTube? Take a look at our beginner's guide!

How to Monetize Your YouTube Channel - A Beginner's Guide

When viewers come to your YouTube channel, they need a quick summary of who you are and what they can learn from you. The faster they discover those things, the more likely they'll be to watch your content, engage with it, and subscribe to your channel.

The best way to make sure that happens is by customizing your YouTube channel homepage. There are many features to experiment with, and depending on how you organize them, you can take your channel from novice to pro YouTuber - at least visually. A YouTube channel with these five assets is in a better position to get more views and subscribers:

A profile icon that looks good in a small, circular format

A featured playlist(s) section to showcase your topics/niche

A channel trailer that explains your content

Visually, those are the things you need to set yourself apart from the competition.

If you want to know how to set up these features, keep reading. We’ll walk you through the various steps of customizing your YouTube channel homepage - something every creator should learn how to do.

How to Find The YouTube Channel Customization Screen

Let’s start by customizing the layout of your YouTube channel homepage. You can make these changes and more in the YouTube Studio via the customization screen. Before you start tinkering with the settings, keep in mind that all changes affect your channel’s layout on both desktop and mobile.

Follow these steps to reach the customization screen:

From most YouTube desktop screens, click on your profile image in the top right corner and go to the YouTube Studio.

Go to the left menu panel and click ‘Customization’. Next, you should see a page that allows you to add a channel trailer, featured sections, featured channels, profile icon, channel banner, video watermark, an about section, channel links, and more.

Need a quick visual walkthrough? Watch our video tutorial about how to customize your YouTube channel:

The customization screen - and all the features mentioned above - is divided into three tabs. The layout tab helps you build the visual foundation of your channel. The branding tab is for adding specific styles, colors, and creating an overall design. And lastly, the basic info tab lets you add text and clickable links to your channel.

Be sure to hit ‘Publish’ in the top right corner of the screen when you’re finished editing. Otherwise, the changes won’t appear on your YouTube channel!

Adding a Trailer to Your YouTube Channel Homepage

Now that you’ve reached the customization screen, let’s take a look at the video spotlight feature. You can find it under the layout section, here:

This screen lets you add a trailer to your channel, which is a video that introduces you and your content. It automatically plays when a viewer arrives on your channel, so it’s a good thing to have on your homepage.

If you want to show different trailers to specific viewers, YouTube has some convenient options. For example, you can show one trailer to non-subscribers and a different trailer to people who’ve already subscribed.

To change either of these settings, mouse over the appropriate box below ‘Video spotlight’ and click the three dots to either remove or change the trailer, like this:

In the pop-up screen that appears, search your channel for the video you want to feature, select it, then publish the changes.

At this point, you may not have a suitable video for your channel trailer, and that’s OK. As soon as you’re ready, use these tips to create the best introductory video:

Keep it brief. Aim to make your video no longer than 45 seconds.

Include some B-roll of your best content as you introduce yourself.

Tell viewers who your content is for and why they should watch.

Inject as much personality into the video as you can.

How to Add, Edit, or Remove Featured Sections on YouTube

Below the video spotlight section is an area for featured content. When you want to quickly communicate your niche to viewers, you can add topic-based playlists or video collections to this section.

To start tinkering with this feature, return to the layout tab in the customization screen, then scroll down to ‘Feature sections’.

This will show you all the sections you’re currently displaying on your YouTube channel homepage. To reorder these, simply click and drag the three-lined icon next to any section up or down. To display a new section, go to the top right corner of the screen and click ‘Add Section’. A drop-down menu will appear with several featured content options, including recent uploads, popular uploads, live streams, and more.

For each section, you can click the three dots on the right to edit the content there. In some cases, it will allow you to change a playlist. But no matter what, you’ll always have the option to view or delete one, as shown below:

Want to create a featured section that encourages people to watch and subscribe? If so, keep these four important things in mind:

You can add a maximum of 10 sections to your YouTube channel homepage. Create as many as possible to summarize your channel for new viewers.

Create a playlist that shows viewers what type of content you make. On the vidIQ channel, our introductory playlist includes videos about how to get 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of Watch Time on YouTube. That’s our niche!

Create a recent uploads playlist. It’ll help new visitors understand that they’ve landed on an active, consistent channel.

Write descriptions for your featured playlists. The text shows up in the featured section and adds more context to your video collections.

How to Customize YouTube’s Featured Channels Section [2021 Update]

Right now, the featured channels section appears on the right side of your YouTube channel homepage. It’s been there for years, but apparently, that’s going to change in 2021. Here’s the notification from YouTube explaining exactly what’s happening:

As you can see, YouTube is letting creators display featured channels in the same area as playlists and video collections. You can make the switch today if you want, so here’s how to make it happen:

Click ‘Add Section Now”, as shown in the screenshot above.

Next, a pop-up screen will appear. In the top right corner, type some brief, explanatory text that will become the title of your section.

Navigate to the search bar and type the name of any YouTube channel. Select the one you want to make it appear in your featured channels section.

Once you have a few channels in this section, you can click + drag each one to reorder the list. You can also remove channels from this section.

When you’re done, here’s what the new section will look like:

How to Add a YouTube Profile Picture and Channel Banner

Next, let’s explore YouTube channel branding. To see all your options, click the branding tab on YouTube’s customization screen. You should see a variety of settings for adding logos to different parts of your channel, which helps you build a reputation on YouTube.

We’ll start with the first item on the list, the YouTube channel profile picture. Adding one is simple - all you need to do is click the ‘Change’ or ‘Remove’ buttons on the customization screen to add a new image. This is the same process for adding a channel banner, which we’ll explain very soon.

Beyond that, there are a few things to keep in mind about YouTube profile pictures. Although you’re uploading a square image, it will be displayed on YouTube as a circular image. That means you’ll have to crop your profile picture using YouTube’s uploader, so don’t put important information in the corner of the image.

There are even more things to consider with your channel banner. First, it needs to fit the dimensions of three media types: TV, desktop, and mobile. When you upload a banner image, YouTube will show you how it looks on different devices. If you need to, you can click and drag the corners of the image to resize it.

Another thing to consider is how visually complex the image is. It’s best to keep it simple and communicate what your channel is about with minimal text, plus some breathing room in your design. 

As a side note, you can change both images - the profile picture and channel banner - by going to your homepage, mousing over either one, and clicking the camera icon.

 This will redirect you back to the customization page in the YouTube Studio.

How to Add Watermarks to Your YouTube Videos

The next branding feature is video watermarks. Enable this setting on your channel, and a small square image will be added to the bottom-right corner of your videos. It’s great for displaying your logo or serving as a call-to-action, encouraging viewers to mouse over the image, and subscribe to your channel.

That's why we recommend adding a subscription-style image rather than a logo. As an added bonus, 

 to download an image that works perfectly as a ‘subscribe now’ button. Use it as you please:

Adding a watermark to your videos is the same process as adding a profile picture or channel banner. While on the YouTube customization screen, click the branding tab, scroll to the watermark section, and click ‘Change’ or ‘Remove’.

Once you have your button, you can decide when (and how long) the watermark appears in your videos. We recommend having it visible the entire time, as that gives your viewers more opportunities to subscribe.

The basic information tab is our last stop when it comes to YouTube channel customization. For this section, we’ll start with something close to many creators' hearts: the name of your YouTube channel.

If your channel name is already the most epic thing ever, you might not need this section today. But if you ever want to change it in the future, the process is simple. While on the customization screen, click the branding tab then look below the ‘Channel name and description’ header. You should see your current channel name, as well as a pencil icon right beside it. Click that icon to type a new name, as shown below:

It’s easy to change your channel name, but you do have to bear in mind the impact it has on your Google accounts. If you have a personal YouTube account and you change your YouTube channel name, that can actually change your Google account name. However, if you have a brand YouTube account, changing the name of your channel doesn't impact your Google account.

We know that sounds really confusing. The topic requires more explaining than we can do here, so watch this video to get all the information you need:

How to Customize Your YouTube Channel’s ‘About’ Section

About a minute ago, while you were reading about YouTube channel names, you may have seen a screenshot showing vidIQ’s channel description. On the front end of YouTube, this is called the ‘About’ section. When viewers want more information about you and your content, they’ll head to this section to find the answers.

That’s why it’s important to speak directly to your target audience when writing your short bio. At the very least, you should:

Explain the value people gain from watching your content.

Include keywords related to your content.

When you’re finished writing your channel bio, go to the basic info tab and paste it in the text box below ‘Channel name and description’.

How to Add Links to Your YouTube Channel Banner

Did you know you can add a maximum of five links to your channel banner? You can use them to promote your website, social media profiles, online store, or other landing pages your audience might find useful.

No matter which links you decide to add, always remember that the first is super important. That’s because on desktop, only the first link includes text. Take a look at our channel banner links and how we draw attention to the most important one:

Underneath the basic info tab on the YouTube customization screen, you’ll see a header that reads ‘Links’. In this section, you can add, remove, and reorder the links in your channel banner as needed. These only appear on desktop; on mobile, links are buried deep in the about section.

How to Add a Contact Email to Your YouTube Channel

Want to collaborate with other creators? Collect inquiries from viewers? First, you’ll need to create and share an email address where people can reach you.

Don't use your YouTube account email as your channel’s contact email. 

This might present a backdoor entrance for hackers. Instead, create a separate email for YouTube inquiries.

When you’re ready to add an email address to your channel, head to the basic info tab. Scroll down to the ‘Contact info’ header and paste your email into the text box.

We hope you find this guide useful! At vidIQ, it’s our mission to educate you on your YouTube journey as you pursue a successful video-making career. If you want more content like this, be sure to subscribe to the 

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and get more views on YouTube then make sure to 

. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps to succeed.  ​ ​ ​

And if you’re really serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

 and learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel.

Your YouTube channel will either entice viewers or make them hit the back button on their browser. To get as many views and subscribers as possible, read these channel customization tips! 

How to Customize Your YouTube Channel

How do you get discovered on YouTube, especially as a new creator? In the past, we at vidIQ answered that question by saying, “Focus on your audience.” Whether it was posting evergreen how-to videos or addressing in-demand topics, we knew YouTube success came from answering viewers' search queries.

However, content aside, there are two best practices that creators have always been true about dominating YouTube. If a creator wanted to give the best viewing experience or profit from mid-roll advertisements, their videos had to be:

Months ago, YouTube introduced a new section in its app called 'Stories and Short Videos.' This shelf sits below any video you’re currently watching and only shows vertical videos of less than 60 seconds. 

We weren’t sure how that would affect YouTube, a platform that champions lengthy, landscape videos, so we ‘tested’ the shelf and shared our findings in a blog titled, “

Can You Get 1 Million YouTube Views By Making Short Videos?

” Our answer to that question was ‘maybe’ because to our dismay, the Stories and Short Videos shelf houses unpredictable content. Creators got thousands of views if their short video landed on the shelf, but there was no way to ‘make’ a video appear there using keywords, titles, or any kind of strategy.

Nonetheless, YouTube’s relationship with short video content is getting clearer. On September 14, the platform announced a new feature called 

, which lets creators upload videos of 15 seconds or less by segmenting clips, adding music, and incorporating special effects. Of course, you’ve heard of that before - it’s basically TikTok and Instagram Reels, except this time, it’s coming from the pioneer of online video.

watch our video explaining the feature and how it works.

Now that you have some background details, it’s time to take a closer look at YouTube’s newest, boldest feature. Here’s everything we know about YouTube Shorts and why you should test them on your channel.

Right now, YouTube Shorts is in beta mode. That means only select users, which for now happens to be YouTube’s Indian audience, can fully access the feature.

The rest of the world isn’t restricted from posting YouTube Shorts, though. The platform is letting all creators participate by adding the hashtag #Shorts to vertical videos of less than 60 seconds. Additionally, YouTube is 

 a section on its homepage to highlight videos created from the shorts camera, plus any vertical video up to 60 seconds uploaded to the platform.

By the way, those are important requirements to remember when making YouTube Shorts. 

Your video has to be vertical, less than 60 seconds, and include the hashtag #Shorts in the title/description.

We recently posted a #Shorts video on YouTube, and it’s a great template to use when you test the feature for the first time. Check it out below! You’ll discover how popular YouTuber 

 is using YouTube Shorts, plus tips for creating your own:

Essentially, YouTube Shorts is a new version of YouTube Stories. And on the homepage of the mobile app, YouTube already has a dedicated shelf for these stories. The only problem? It's restricted to creators with more than 10,000 subscribers. So hopefully, YouTube Shorts will give every creator a chance to excel at short-video making - if that’s where the platform is heading.

YouTube Shorts is a bold new feature, and we’re excited to see how it affects creators. Can they get more views in less time? Does it expose them to new audiences? These are the questions we want to answer, so let's investigate!

The same day YouTube Shorts was announced, we used the hashtag #Shorts to search YouTube for videos of less than 60 seconds. We wanted to see how many views these videos were getting and how many subscribers the channels posting them had. To do that, we typed ‘#Shorts’ in the search bar and filtered the results to show videos posted in the past 24 hours. Here’s what we found:

In the screenshot above, you’ll see a few channels testing the Shorts feature. 

y, a channel with 2k subscribers, used the hashtag #Shorts in both the title and description of its video. But unfortunately, the video only had 15 views, which isn’t great for a channel of that size.

Scrolling down, we spotted another channel with 5k subscribers testing Shorts. Their video had two views within 13 hours of uploading - even grimmer than Ninja Monkey’s results.

We kept scrolling and found more channels posting Shorts and getting almost no views. The only channel we could find that had any success was 

. This 112-subscriber channel got almost 400 views within 17 hours of uploading a Short. You can see this in the screenshot below:

That’s better than what we’ve seen, but not exactly mind-blowing.

This is all based on one day of data, which was the same day YouTube announced the Shorts feature. So of course, we know there’s more testing to do.

We Need More Research Around YouTube Shorts

I think it's clear now that YouTube wants to take a huge slice out of TikTok's pie when it comes to the short, vertical video market. But there’s just one problem. YouTube already established itself as a different video distribution platform. And the way they're implementing these new tools is confusing for creators.

What creators want to know is how to maximize these new tools as quickly as possible. Because in six to 12 months, everybody on YouTube will probably be making Shorts. By then, the window of opportunity to research, understand, and create quality Shorts that compete at a high level may have passed.

Adding to that concern, there are still many unknowns about YouTube Shorts, especially:

How to get your content seen on the shelves consistently

Should you create a Shorts channel to protect your main channel’s Watch Time?

Or should you post Shorts to your main channel and hope everything works out?

We don’t have the answers to these questions, so we’ll keep testing the feature. If we crack the case in the future, you’ll be the first to know!

Want To Learn More YouTube Tips and Tricks?

If you want to take your YouTube channel to the next level and 

 then make sure to download vidIQ for more subscriber insights. Join over 1 million other users and use vidIQ to help you research YouTube, analyze videos, audit your own channel, and take actionable steps 

 and learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

Are YouTube Shorts the golden ticket to creator success? How do you even make one? Those are valid questions, so here’s everything you need to know about the new feature!

YouTube Shorts: What We Know About How They Work

There used to be a time when YouTube users could see the exact number of subscribers to a channel. Viewers and creators alike would log onto YouTube, see one definitive number, and instantly know where a creator was heading numerically.

And for a while, everyone was on the same page during this golden era. Live celebrations for reaching a massive subscriber count were the norm, and fans would tune in to watch the count go up and down in real-time: 999,982...999,999… then, bam! 1,000,000 subscribers.

This YouTube feature is now a thing of the past. Instead of displaying a number that constantly updates, channel pages get an abbreviated subscriber count, like this one:

YouTube made the change to only show abbreviated subscriber numbers 

in 2019 and originally, it caused some confusion. On the public side of YouTube, a channel’s subscriber count appeared as an abbreviated number. But in the YouTube dashboard, a totally different number would show up. 

We created a video around the topic so click below if you want to learn more:

So, which one is correct? Is it the public-facing number or the private one? Let’s take a deeper dive to find out.

Public Subscriber Counts vs. Private Subscriber Counts

 recently hit 40 million subscribers on his channel? He tweeted the good news on August 5, and around that time, we here at vidIQ were watching and waiting. We had no idea, however, that the process would give us such a headache. 

You see, we were screen recording just to capture that special, 40-million moment. Unfortunately, it wasn't until several hours later that MrBeast, according to the public YouTube subscriber count, actually hit that landmark.

We recorded the screen below for 18 hours before his 39 million subscribers became 40 million. True story.

Originally, we had a theory on why the update took so long. Here’s what we imagined:

1. On the public side of YouTube, viewers saw an abbreviated subscriber count for MrBeast, perhaps 39,000,000.
2. When the actual, unabbreviated subscriber count reached a significant number, such as 39,953,786, YouTube rounded up to the next abbreviated count: 40,000,000.

We don't have access to MrBeast's private dashboard so we can neither confirm nor deny this, but we do have the next best thing: our YouTube channel.

 displays 656,747 subscribers. That should be enough to round up to 657,000 subscribers, right?

Apparently not. We went to the channel homepage and discovered that YouTube doesn't round up public, abbreviated counts to match private YouTube Studio counts. So we disregarded that theory altogether.

Our next hypothesis sparked a different experiment. While logged into YouTube with the vidIQ account, our YouTuber-in-residence Rob Wilson set up a test channel with no content, three subscribers, and a lovely channel banner. Using the vidIQ account, he subscribed to the test channel and then updated this page:

Is your YouTube channel homepage reporting one subscriber count while your analytics page reports another? Here’s why.





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