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

Earning 4,000 hours of Watch Time is the dream for most creators, but it isn’t easy. Gaining 100 hours, sure. But thousands? That’ll test your determination to keep going on YouTube. Essentially, you have to post multiple videos and hope people watch them for long enough.

But once you have 4,000 hours, everything gets easier. You’ll be one step closer to applying to the YouTube Partner Program, which lets you monetize your channel with advertisements. Having those valuable hours allows you to focus on other things, too, like 

. That’s the second milestone required for the YPP.

YouTube Partner Program – How to Monetize Your Channel

When you’re collecting Watch Time hours, it’s easy to overlook certain parts of the process. The biggest, most understated thing, is that 

These 5 Videos Aren’t Eligible for YPP Watch Time

Before you start earning Watch Time, know which videos are in your best interest to create. There are five videos that make it hard – in most cases, impossible – to reach 4,000 hours.

Years ago, private and unlisted videos counted toward YPP Watch Time. 

 when YouTube decided that public videos, not partially viewable content, could accumulate watch hours.

prioritize public videos over private or unlisted ones.

 Unlisted videos can only be watched if certain people have the link. This privacy option benefits creators with specific content plans. They may want to send videos to friends and family or create a webinar for a limited audience.

If you’re trying to monetize your channel, unlisted and private videos aren’t very helpful. Make sure videos that need to be public are, in fact, set to public. That’ll help you reach 4,000 hours and apply to the YPP.

How to set private or unlisted videos to public on YouTube

Log in to YouTube on desktop. Click your profile icon and select 

You’ll see a list of all the videos on your channel. Find the videos you want to make public, then go to the 

 column. Click the eyeball symbol to reveal a menu of options: private, unlisted, members only, and public. Choose 

 from your monetizable total. For example, imagine your channel has 2,000 watch hours. If you delete a video that contributed 500 of those hours, you’ll be left with 1,500. Before you delete anything, check to see how many watch hours your content has earned.

Sometimes deleting a video is inevitable. Maybe you’ve grown as a person since it was first published and want to clean up your image. Or perhaps someone appeared in your video without prior consent, and they want you to take it down. Whatever the reason, make sure it’s worth deleting a video and losing precious watch hours.

Have you created video ads for YouTube? If you were hoping these would help you apply to the YPP, unfortunately, they won’t. Watch hours from advertising campaigns don’t count toward YouTube monetization. Even if you’ve earned 10,000 hours, none of it will go toward the 4,000 hours you need.

This seems fair because ads can get millions of views. If YouTube counts them for YPP acceptance, that’ll create a shortcut to monetization.

Short, vertical videos and how they relate to the YPP is a complicated subject. We know that 

; YouTube made that clear a few months ago. The platform also announced that Watch Time from Shorts doesn’t contribute to a creator’s 4,000-hour goal. But will this change in the future? Is there a monetization program just for Shorts in the works?

Only time will tell. For now, know that Shorts won’t help you monetize your channel – not quickly, at least.

There’s a small caveat to this statement, though. If a Short is viewed on the Shorts shelf, a display area for brief, vertical videos, it won’t earn YPP watch hours. But if the same video is viewed on a regular watch page with YouTube ads and a comment section, you can earn eligible Watch Time.

So while Shorts are mostly viewed on the Shorts shelf, they 

 get played in monetizable areas. If you need all the watch hours you can get, take advantage of this loophole. Those seconds, however small, add up.

Live streams are a great way to increase your Watch Time. These videos are usually lengthy, and if people stick around until the end, you can add several hours to your analytics.

According to YouTube, live streams that aren’t converted to video-on-demand content won’t earn YPP watch hours. The information around this is pretty vague, so we'd suggest making sure your live streams are public when they've ended. Don't archive a live stream by setting it to unlisted or private. 

Just to be sure, we asked YouTube if this advice made sense for creators. 

We didn't get a straightforward answer, but creators chimed in with their personal experience. A few of them said they earn Watch Time both during and after a live stream, which includes video-on-demand viewing.

Whether these hours were recorded for YPP Watch Time is another story. That's why, as soon as possible, we'd recommend checking to see if your live stream is public after it ends. If it's unlisted or private, switch it to public.

How to Get 4,000 Hours of YouTube Watch Time

 That means in addition to regular videos, posting lengthy live streams and experimenting with Shorts. The latter isn’t going to bring you quick success. The Watch Time you earn, if you earn any at all, will depend on where people watch the video. Shorts should complement your regular videos and live streams because all the Watch Time accumulates.

be intentional with the videos you upload.

 It’s easier to earn watch hours when you post videos that are relevant all year. Anything about making more money, product reviews, and video games with lasting popularity are good examples. People continue to search for these evergreen topics on YouTube.

 Instead of posting 30 videos in 30 days, aim to create videos that are entertaining, informative, and completely cover a topic. That could be 15 videos that answer every question about a topic, complete with video chapters and detailed instructions. Provide as much value as you can to make people watch longer.

Create a diverse set of content (regular videos, live streams, Shorts).

Post evergreen content that’s always relevant.

Give your video so much value that people can’t click away.

Make Money on YouTube – How to Get 4000 Hours Watch Time

Earning 4,000 hours of YouTube Watch Time is a major undertaking. If you need more clarification on how to do it, watch our explainer video below:

Put these suggestions to action, and you’ll eventually reach 4,000 hours of Watch Time. But don’t stop there. Your next goal should be applying to the YPP, which you can learn how to do 

You need 4,000 hours of Watch Time to monetize your YouTube channel. Unfortunately, the five videos below may slow your progress toward reaching that big, desirable goal.

YouTube Monetization: Which Videos Count Toward 4,000 Hours of Watch Time?

But before we talk about short videos of 60 seconds or less and how that could change YouTube forever, let’s do a quick test. To see if you have YouTube’s latest short-video feature, follow these steps:

Take out your phone and go to the YouTube app.

Watch any video, perhaps the first one you see.

Scroll down past the video description, comments, advertisements, and suggested videos. What do you notice?

Here at vidIQ, we’re seeing something we’ve never seen before on YouTube, and it looks something like this:

’, is YouTube’s way of testing short video on its app. Back in 2019, the platform announced the test on its support page, claiming it was “running an experiment to display vertical videos, under 30 seconds, alongside YouTube Stories on mobile.” And of course, YouTube would be “looking forward to feedback” about this new feature.

Well, we’ve had some time to test this new shelf, and yes, we do have some feedback! The feature is still new, but our early assessment is that it could drive video discovery. We’ve got tons of questions swirling around in our heads about this, such as, “

Can you get a million views if your short video appears on this shelf?

What’s the future of short video on YouTube?

Now that we’ve tested the feature, we have some answers and predictions to share. But before we do that, watch our latest video explaining YouTube’s short video shelf:’

First of all, let us explain why this new feature interests the experts at vidIQ. Typically, successful channels get most of their views from YouTube’s recommendation algorithm. This means the viewer doesn’t do any work to find new videos. Instead, YouTube is actively promoting more content to watch. As a creator, this is exactly what you want because it’s essentially free advertising.

Now, here’s where things get interesting. As we’ve always understood, having a high click-through rate and 

 on your video increases the chance of YouTube suggesting it to viewers. That’s the Playbook creators have lived by for over 15 years: make compelling, click-worthy thumbnails, and once users reach the video watch page, encourage them to stay for as long as possible.

But how do short videos factor into the equation? If YouTube is displaying those in a place where they get watched over and over again, does that translate to viral content? We don’t know the answer for sure, but already we’re seeing short videos with hundreds of thousands of views sitting on YouTube’s new shelf.

Shockingly, the channels posting these videos aren’t always large YouTube powerhouses. Some have less than 5,000 subscribers, which is interesting to say the least.

How Short Video Currently Works on YouTube

OK, let’s dive into the short video shelf itself. To quickly summarize, here’s what you can expect when it comes to short video on YouTube:

The 'Short Videos and Stories' shelf appears on Watch pages in the YouTube mobile app - usually after the first suggested video, which is prime real estate for suggested content.

Each video is vertical and 60 seconds or less in length.

The videos don’t have custom thumbnails and instead use a random freeze frame.

When you watch a short video, you're funneled into a TikTok-style play format that keeps moving onto the next video.

You can't rewind or fast forward, but you can scroll to the next video.

You can engage with short videos via comments, likes, and shares.

Any video can potentially appear on the shelf and earn a channel hundreds of thousands, if not millions of views.

Now, let’s clarify a few of these points. First of all, any video on the shelf displaying a video length is a full YouTube video, not a YouTube Story. You can tell the difference between the two by looking at the control icons. 

 will always have less buttons to tap than a full YouTube video.

So that's the first piece of good news: YouTube videos and Stories will appear on the shelf together. You don't need to be eligible to post YouTube Stories, which require tens of thousands of subscribers, to have your videos appear on the shelf.

Lastly, instead of testing videos under 30 seconds, YouTube has expanded the limit to 60 seconds.

Some Short Videos Are Getting Massive Views on YouTube

Is it true you can get millions of views on a short video? Let’s do an experiment using one of the most popular YouTubers on the planet, 

. His videos typically get 30 million views in their first week, so let's peruse the suggested videos below his content.

The first thing we noticed was an advertisement - fair enough. Then a MrBeast gaming video, which is to be expected. And then, we finally reached the short video shelf to find this:

Underneath one of MrBeast’s videos, the first short video suggestion is “

”. This video belongs to Matematike Fizike, a channel with 1.96K subscribers. And guess what? Despite this channel’s size, its short video is doing extremely well. It has more than 14,000 likes, 1,500 comments, and over a quarter of a million views, thanks to some exposure from MrBeast’s fanbase.

Now just think about that for a second. A channel with 1,900 subscribers is being suggested on MrBeast videos that get tens of millions of views. That’s an insane opportunity to grow a channel. And as we kept investigating the random short videos on YouTube’s new shelf, we started to notice some patterns:

Channel size was irrelevant. A video from a channel with one subscriber was just as likely to appear on the shelf as a video from a million-subscriber fanbase.

Videos on the shelf always ended up being the most popular video on the creator's channel.

To sum things up, we don't think previously popular videos are ending up on the shelf. I think they’re popular now simply because they’re on the shelf, which YouTube seems to populate at random.

Short Videos vs. Longer Videos on YouTube

All this information around short videos leaves us, and likely some creators, with a big question: Should YouTubers forget everything they’ve learned about the platform? Instead of making longer videos with amazing thumbnails, should they make short videos with no thumbnails to target this highly discoverable shelf and get more views? To be honest, we don’t know the answer.

On the one hand, it seems like a lucrative opportunity for creators when it comes to video competition. Up until now, it didn't matter how long your video was or what aspect ratio it was filmed in. Each video had the same chance of finding itself in the suggested videos section.

On the other hand, few creators are making content like this on YouTube. Therefore, if you wanted to, you’d have a nice shot at dominating - or at least appearing on - the short video shelf. There’s less competition because a tiny fraction of YouTube videos meet the vertical, 60-second requirement.

We thought that might change or at least even out when YouTube introduced vertical video in 2018. Heck, we made a video about it and everything:

OK, back to short videos. Imagine this for a moment: Suppose we at vidIQ made a video about how to get 

 (which we have). If we made a regular landscape video, we'd be competing against every other video on that topic - potentially millions. But what if we made our video less than 60 seconds, in vertical format? How many videos do you think we'd compete against then? Thousands, maybe even hundreds? Doesn't that sound really tempting?

Let’s dig deeper. As an example, vidIQ is currently on the Watch page of a video titled "How to Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers." And all the suggested videos are what you’d expect - more YouTube growth videos from a familiar set of creators. But consider this: Wouldn't it be fantastic if videos with similar topics appeared on the short video shelf too?

Unfortunately, this is where our confusion begins. Underneath the "How to Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers" video, we noticed some things that make the short video shelf hard to tame, predict, or understand:

The shelf has YouTube Stories about literally anything. In one pass, we saw a video about the Samsung Galaxy Note, Jeff Bezos, and babies. Nothing related to getting 1,000 subscribers.

YouTube Stories don’t make use of titles, descriptions, video tags, or other metadata to help you get discovered.

The short video shelf, at least in my case, suggests the same videos over and over again.

So, there it is: With such a spotty selection process, we’re not seeing many ways for creators to strategically get a video on the shelf.

Because of the reasons mentioned above, our instinct says that you shouldn’t start pumping out short videos. It’s hard to target YouTube’s new shelf, so creating a bunch of vertical, 60-second videos may be a waste of time. However, it doesn’t hurt to test the feature in case YouTube prioritizes short videos.

Personally, we don't think the short video shelf fits within the current YouTube app. And I also don't think users should have to watch a video in the app to get to the shelf. Right now, it's buried too deeply within the current setup.

Instead, this shelf for short videos could be the last testing phase before YouTube unleashes a TikTok-style feature. It’s rumored to be in development, so I wouldn't be surprised if YouTube released a standalone app for short videos in the future. I’m probably 99.9% wrong, but if we're right, you heard it here first!

Having said all that, YouTube’s short video shelf is in a valuable location on the app. If you can make your videos appear there regularly, the sky’s the limit.

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 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 in just 30 days.

Have you seen anything new on YouTube lately? Perhaps a brand new shelf for short videos under 60 seconds? We definitely have, so... let’s investigate!

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

Are you ready to quit YouTube because you're finding it too stressful to appease the algorithm? What happens when you walk away from your channel to recalibrate - will your channel die?

Creator Burnout is a very real thing, and on this episode of TubeTalk, four YouTubers will be discussing their journey and what happens when its time to take a break. Join vidIQ expert creators Rob Wilson, Dan Carson and I, along with special guest 

Do you play to the algorithm or creativity?

Can you step away from YouTube and what will happen to your channel?

Quality over Quantity: Is one better than the other?

How much do comments and social media negativity play into the creator just wanting to give up?

Want to Know How To Beat Burnout as a Content Creator?

YouTube burnout, or mental burnout of any description, is a very real problem. Learn why 

creators much more susceptible to burnout, and what to do about it

TubeTalk has been informing video creators and marketers since 2014, and is one of the most respected and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Don't forget to 

 on your favorite podcast application so you never miss an episode!

You can also find the complete list of all the 

If you're a YouTuber that's feeling stressed and is possibly on the verge of quitting, please take a listen to this week's TubeTalk podcast for some great advice.

What to do When You're Feeling Stressed as a YouTuber

We’ve already shared a behemoth of news about YouTube’s 

. In a nutshell, all creators must now classify their channels as 

 (or not) to avoid hefty penalties. If your content is 'Made for Kids', under the new rules you'll lose the ability to benefit financially from many of YouTube’s best features, including merchandise shelves, 

This leaves some creators with unanswered questions. Many are wondering if they can make enough money on YouTube to continue their careers. And curiously, others are wondering how 

, an app for audiences under 13, factors into the equation. For instance, is YouTube pushing Made For Kids creators there instead? And most importantly, how much money can be made from the app?

Today, we’re going to address some of those questions. If you’ve been wondering what the YouTube Kids app is - or what happens on that side of the video world - here are six important things to know.

#1 What is YouTube Kids? And How do Kid-friendly videos Make it to the App?

YouTube Kids is a safer, age-appropriate version of the regular platform. It was created to give kids a simple but fun way to explore their interests online.

As a creator, you won’t need an invitation (or application) for your content to appear there. Instead, the videos are drawn from YouTube’s vast library. Automatic filters, human review, and user feedback help determine which videos are suitable for the Kids app.

#2 How Can I Ensure My Videos are Eligible for the YouTube Kids app?

According to YouTube, your content should be positive and educational to make the cut. That’s the general overview, but here are some 

Make age-appropriate videos for kids and their families.

Avoid controversial topics (like violence or sexual content).

Post original content that isn’t sensationalist or repetitive.

Make sure on-screen minors feel comfortable and safe.

Make sure that popular or trendy content is family-friendly.

Be a role model; display good behaviors families can be proud of.

#3 If I’ve Categorized My Channel as Made For Kids, Will My Videos Automatically Appear on the YouTube Kids App?

There isn’t a clear answer to this question yet. However, my guess would be no. Just from reading the list of guidelines above, it seems as if the Made For Kids label is just that - a label.

YouTube will use it to identify videos and channels that might be a good fit, but additional review will help the platform select the best content. That’s my prediction until YouTube shares more information!

#4 Can Videos on the YouTube Kids App Earn Adsense Revenue?

Yes! The app is free, so YouTube uses ad revenue to sustain the platform and pay kid-focused creators.

there’s a chance you could earn less money on the Kids platform

. That’s because the number of users on both apps is not even comparable: YouTube boasts 2 billion users per month, while the Kids app attracts several million users each week.

Naturally, advertisers will flock to the platform with the largest audience. If YouTube Kids attracts fewer advertisers, you might earn a fraction of what you’d make on plain old YouTube.

#5 Will Videos in the YouTube Kids App Show Targeted Ads?

No, you won’t be able to run targeted ads on the YouTube Kids app. This is a decision the company made to comply with the 

, which prevents online publishers from collecting personal information from users younger than 13.

YouTube Kids isn’t the only app to axe personalized ads. Right now, the same rule applies to the main app. And honestly, that’s another reason your revenue could decrease on both platforms. A lack of targeted ads results in fewer views, clicks, and Adsense revenue.

Right now, only in-stream video ads appear in the Kids app. That means you won’t see things like text ads, overlays, and banners on a watch page.

However, what you will see on the YouTube Kids app are ad disclaimers. These help children understand when a ‘commercial’ is about to play, and that it’s separate from video they’re watching.

Here’s what the pre-ad disclaimer looks like:

And here’s what the actual ad looks like. This one is from Netflix:

To further protect young viewers, these ads aren’t clickable. Children can watch them, but they won’t find themselves being taken off the platform and onto third-party websites. Even info cards are disabled to keep kids on the platform.

How to Keep Making Money as a Kid-Focused Creator

Now that you know what’s happening on the YouTube Kids app, let me offer some words of encouragement. We here at vidIQ understand how unsettling it is to learn about YouTube’s monetization restrictions. As a Made For Kids creator, theoretically, you should have plenty of ways to finance your efforts.

If you’re wondering what to do next, don’t panic. Simply read our blog post “

How to Make Money as a Made For Kids YouTube Channel

.” In it, we share some workarounds that will help you survive on YouTube and make more money from your content.

 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 

Can creators make money on the YouTube Kids app? Are all kid-focused videos eligible? Today, we share the answers to these questions.

YouTube Kids App: 6 Things Creators Should Know

 for kid-focused content. The most important rule was that 

channels had to be categorized as either ‘Made For Kids’ or suitable for ages 13 and older.


The goal was to make sure children were only watching age-appropriate content on YouTube. Historically, the platform has struggled to filter mature videos and ads, and in response, the Federal Trade Commission 

. After such a hefty penalty, YouTube had to clean its house - hence, the addition of a ‘Made For Kids’ category.

To learn more, watch this video explaining everything you need to know about YouTube, COPPA, and the FTC:

OK, let’s be honest. This is great news for parents. Arguably, fewer children will see questionable content on YouTube. But as great as that sounds, where do these new restrictions leave creators?

One crushing reality of YouTube’s 'Made for Kids' decision is creators could make a lot less money from the platform. Whenever a channel is 

, it’s not eligible to show personalized ads to viewers. That means no matter how old viewers are, those that watch kid-related content won’t be shown the ads they’re most likely to watch or click on. Over time, that results in less money for creators.

Nevertheless, YouTubers with kid-focused channels can still make money from their content. If you’re in that category, take a deep breath, relax, and keep reading to explore all your money-making options.

1: Sell Kid-Friendly Merchandise to Your YouTube Audience

As a Made For Kids channel, you can increase your revenue with brand-specific merchandise. Plenty of YouTubers are doing that right now, and they’re selling a range of products, such as clothing, toys, mugs, and workout equipment.

Unfortunately, Made For Kids creators aren’t allowed to display a carousel of products underneath their videos. This is one of the 

 YouTube is enforcing to comply with the COPPA Act. To work around this, direct your loyal viewers to an off-platform e-commerce site that houses all your products. There are plenty to choose from, such as:

Once you’ve created your wonderful, made-for-kids store, be loud and proud about it! You can start by adding the store link to video descriptions, but don’t stop there. Mention it verbally in your videos and add screenshots that show what the store looks like, what viewers can buy, and the website URL.

Also, don’t forget to mention the value of your products. Plenty of wide-eyed children may want to play with your toys, games, and other merch, but in the end, it’s the parents you’ll have to convince. They hold all the money, so make the purchasing decision easy for them by spelling out the benefits.

As you encourage viewers to leave YouTube and view your digital store, Watch Time on your channel may decrease. If that happens to you, don’t worry - just be a tad more strategic with your in-video marketing. You can always wait until the end of a video to mention your digital store and keep viewers watching.

2: Fund Your Videos With Brand Sponsorships

As a Made For Kids channel, I’m sure you know how popular kid-themed videos are on YouTube. Sometimes it’s shocking how lullabies, animated characters, and toy reviews can rack up millions of views. I mean, seriously! “

,” a video by Pinkfong that has 6.3B views, was inescapable for at least two years.

As you can see, kid-focused creators have a huge advantage online. To harness your full potential and make more money, set your sights on a brand sponsorship.

Think you need millions of subscribers to make it happen? Well, consider this: Channels with less influence are attracting popular brands every day. For example, this video from Moonbug Kids Learning Corner, titled, “

And best of all? Moonbug Kids Learning Corner has less than 100K subscribers.

3: Join Extra Platforms That Pay Kid-Focused Creators

YouTube is a popular platform with children, so don’t abandon it altogether. According to a 2020 Statista 

, 35% of U.S. parents let kids 11 and younger watch YouTube several times a day.

Even still, you have to be realistic about your revenue. If a lack of personalized ads is decreasing your income, it’s time to share your content on additional platforms.

Luckily, a few websites are paying kid-focused creators for their content. Boost your income by joining these kids-only streaming platforms:

You can also try platforms with a range of audiences, such as Amazon’s 

. Both platforms are helping video makers and other creatives get paid for their work.

To comply with COPPA, YouTube has restricted many of its monetization features for kid-friendly channels. Here’s how to keep making money anyway.

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