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

So far, there are two undeniable truths about making a YouTube Short. For YouTube to recognize a video as such, it needs to be less than 60 seconds long and in a vertical format.

However, YouTube hasn’t shared much information about the specifics of tall video content. This technical restriction is relatively new, so creators may be curious about the best aspect ratio for making YouTube Shorts.

As YouTube educators, we need that information too. It'll help us answer specific questions, such as, “

 Are we talking about an aspect ratio of 9:16 or a resolution of 1920x1080 pixels?

To find the answer, we did a test using the 

 channel. For more details about how we did that, plus a curious look at what may be the skinniest video ever, press play below:

By testing the bounds of vertical content, we discovered which videos YouTube considers to be Shorts, and thus, which videos make it to the 

. This featured section gets millions of views, so every creator should learn the technical requirements to appear there.

Do This One Thing To Get More Views With YouTube Shorts

Before we dive into our YouTube Shorts test, consider creating a featured section for the Shorts on your own channel. This creates a controlled environment of content where you can easily see all your Shorts. It’s almost impossible to know when a Short will be featured on the discovery shelf, so this is a crucial step in ‘tracking’ your progress.

To quickly create a Shorts featured section, read our guide, “

How to Get More Views with YouTube Shorts.

Once you've added this feature, you’ll see a section that automatically shows all of the YouTube Shorts on your channel. Or more importantly for this experiment, the videos YouTube 

But remember, enabling this section doesn't mean your video will appear on YouTube’s prized discovery shelf. It still has millions of other short videos to compete with. The only thing you’ll know for sure is which videos meet the requirements to be considered a YouTube Short.

Most creators understand the concept of making a video that's less than 60 seconds, but what does vertical format actually mean? We’ve seen several examples of square videos appearing as YouTube Shorts, so we decided to test the bounds of vertical content.

To do that, we created a video with an aspect ratio of 1:1 and 1080x1080 resolution - in other words, a perfect square. When we checked the video’s analytics, 12.6% of views came from the YouTube Shorts traffic source, as shown below:

This confirms what we already knew, especially after seeing the evidence on other YouTube Shorts. You can, in fact, make square videos classified as YouTube Shorts.

Ironically though, there’s both an advantage and disadvantage of doing that:

 YouTube Shorts weren’t designed with square videos in mind. That means the video will have an unsightly black bar at the top and bottom of the frame.

 On the flip side, square videos leave the bottom of the screen empty, and viewers can easily see your channel name, video title, and subscribe button.

YouTube Shorts: Can They Be ‘Wider’ Than Perfect Squares?

For our next YouTube Shorts test, we wanted to see if we could make one wider than a square. So we uploaded a video that was just 10 pixels wider than it was tall, and as we expected, the video didn't appear in our featured Shorts section. So by YouTube’s standard, that video was not considered a Short.

This test confirms a very important benchmark. 

Now we know the widest YouTube Short you can make is a square video. If the video is wider than it is tall, it won't be considered a YouTube Short.

Here’s another rule to follow: Don’t make a video skinnier than what you’d shoot on a smartphone. We created a video with a resolution of 360x1920 pixels, and while it can be viewed on YouTube, it didn’t appear on the Shorts shelf.

There’s no reason to upload a video thinner than what a smartphone produces, but hey - we just wanted to have a little fun. 

Ideally, vertical video is shot on a smartphone, and that's your safe zone. If you go any thinner than that, your video may not be considered a YouTube Short.

Can you make square videos and still get featured on YouTube's highly-viewed Shorts shelf? Let's find out.

YouTube Shorts: What Is a 'Vertical' Video?

Do you get excited to monetize your content, only to realize YouTube is showing a limited number of ads on your videos? Or even worse, none at all?

If that’s your current reality, understand that you’re not alone. From music videos to kids’ content, creators have continually asked for more clarity around which videos get fully monetized - and most importantly, 

This year, YouTube won’t keep you in suspense. The 

 team recently posted a video about how monetization works, specifically for gaming content. In it, insider Conor Kavanagh shares tips for titles and thumbnails, graphic scenes, reaction videos, and more.

Hopefully, this video answers creators’ burning questions. But if you need more information, you can also read 

 on YouTube’s support page about gaming and monetization.

Too busy to do either? We totally understand. Here’s a quick guide to earning as much ad revenue as possible from your gaming content.

1. Keep Your Titles and Thumbnails as ‘Clean’ as Possible

Having a shocking title or thumbnail can help you get more views on YouTube. There’s no doubt about it. But the method you use to attract viewers is important. If you decide to add adult themes, graphic violence, or profanity to these visual elements, you might earn less ad revenue from your content.

A gaming video can receive full monetization if the thumbnail and title contain fully censored or abbreviated profanities.

So for example, if either element contains an abbreviation like “WTF” or the phrase “What the ****,” that’s alright. But if you plan to use partially-censored profanity, such as “F#%” or “Sh*t” that will result in fewer ads.

You have to be careful with sexual themes in thumbnails as well. Even if you blur sensitive content, such as genitals, YouTube may decide to limit ads if you’re specifically highlighting that area of the thumbnail.

Oh, and one last tip for titles: You should never include adult references in all caps, such as “18+” or “ADULT ONLY.”

2. Don’t Emphasize Graphic Violence or Gore in a Game

Here’s a tricky one. Many games contain violence and gore, so how can creators make sure they aren’t emphasizing those things?

According to YouTube, it’s all in the editing. The platform understands that certain games will have violence, and for those, you can get full monetization. But when you zoom in on those moments to highlight bloody injuries or fatalities, YouTube will limit the video's ads.

 on violence in a non-educational way, YouTube recommends turning ads off completely. This applies to gory compilations and individual videos showing severe violence.

3. Limit the Use of Sexually Suggestive Gaming Content

Romance is a recurring theme in some games. YouTube won’t automatically punish you for showing these moments, but the platform does draw a line for certain kinds of sexual scenes.

Here are the safe visuals any gaming creator can add to their videos:

A kiss between characters or similar romantic scenes

Limited clothing that isn’t portrayed in a sexually gratifying way (such as bikinis or swim trunks at a pool)

Naked bodies that have been fully censored (no discernible body parts)

Dialogue about romantic relationships (without mentioning sex)

You can get full monetization if you stick to the themes above. If you publish a video more suggestive than that, get ready to see limited ads.

4. Keep Strong Profanity Out of Gaming Commentary

, we revealed that videos with profanity can still earn ad revenue. It all depends on which words you want to say and how early in the video you want to say them.

Words like “hell” and “damn” are totally safe. Saying “WTF” is even OK. These terms aren’t offensive and still allow you to receive full monetization. But if you repeatedly drop F-bombs, especially within the first 30 seconds of a video, limited ads are a real possibility.

Racial slurs and derogatory phrases are in a different category. This kind of language will likely result in demonetization, especially if the creator's intent is to harm or offend.

If you’re making a let’s play video, gaming reaction video, or anything that requires you to speak, be mindful of what you say. Keeping things light and clean will help you earn as much money as possible.

What Type of Content Do These Rules Apply to?

The rules above apply to a wide range of gaming videos and their respective elements. You should extend these guidelines to:

Voiceovers in your gameplay (conversations)

Text, audio, and imagery edited into the video

User-generated comments you’ve added to your video

Instructive gameplay about gambling (it’s illegal)

Any violation (in this blog and YouTube’s support page) serving as a video’s focus

Long videos. Even if a video is lengthy, the above violations still apply.

These are just a few guidelines around gaming and monetization. They represent some of the bigger rules to follow, but if you’re interested in all the details, you can read about them on this 

. If you're unsure of what not do on YouTube, consult this resource to make sure your gaming content gets fully monetized.

Limited monetization on YouTube is no fun. If you're a gaming creator, do these four things to earn as much money as possible from your content.

How to Get Full YouTube Monetization For Your Gaming Videos

What if we told you the ideal duration for a Fortnite video is 9 minutes, 50 seconds? And that no matter how good your content is, trying to exceed that limit will cause hundreds of viewers to click off the video?

Immediately, you’d wonder two things about that mysterious claim:

Let’s start with number two. The length of your videos matters because viewers have a wide range of intentions on YouTube. Some are searching for quick answers to everyday questions, such as how to tie a necktie. Others want to know things that take several minutes to explain. They’ll watch a 30-minute video about building a gaming PC and still have the stamina to view more content.

Knowing which type of viewer you’re dealing with makes all the difference. You can plan better content and film videos that are long enough to appease your audience.

Want to learn how it's done? Keep reading to find the best YouTube video length for your content.

Method 1: Calculate the Average Length of Top-Performing Videos

Producing videos at the right length is easier than you think. All you have to do is:

Perform a search for the topic/title you’re interested in filming.

Copy the video length of the top four or five videos.

Paste the values into a time calculator, such as 

 - you’ll get the average length of top-ranking videos for that search term.

For visual instructions, watch our recent video, “How Long Should Your YouTube Videos Be?”

This isn’t the most scientific method, but it’s a good way to capitalize on what works. With this strategy, you at least know that thousands of viewers - maybe even millions - have watched specific content at a length they could stand.

You only have to do a few searches on YouTube to see how eye-opening this data is. For example, run a search for “how to tie a tie.” The average length for the highest-performing videos is 3 minutes, 10 seconds. Why? Because it’s a 30-second task and people searching this query want a fast solution.

What about “how to build a gaming PC?” As a creator, that’s going to cost you about 26 minutes, 39 seconds. Why? Viewers know the task is complicated and will watch a longer video to get the information.

Method 2: Analyze the Average View Duration on Your Channel

There are other ways to glean your ideal video length on YouTube. Instead of calculating average video lengths, you can follow the steps below to see how long viewers watch your content.

Below the graph showing channel views, Watch Time, subscribers, and revenue, click 

On the next page, you’ll see a row of tabs near the top of the page. Click 

. If you don’t see this option, you may need to expand the menu by clicking 

This will show you a graph of views, segmented by subscribers and non-subscribers. Be sure to 

 at the top right corner of the page to get at least a month of data.

Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see your channel's average view duration.

Here’s what this page looks like for the vidIQ channel:

Here you can see the impact of your subscribers, and generally speaking, how long they watch your content. 

On the vidIQ channel, subscribers watch our content for an average of 3 minutes, 21 seconds. So at the very least, we know our audience is willing to stick around for 3 minutes. That doesn’t mean we’ll make videos at that length, but it gives us a benchmark to follow and a time frame for presenting the most valuable information in a video.

Also, where people discover your content on YouTube influences how long they’re willing to watch - and that’s powerful information to have. So you can check the 

 tab on this same page (below) for a deeper understanding of your average view duration.

For example, look at the two highlighted areas below.

Our average view duration from suggested videos is 3 minutes, 59 seconds. That’s significantly higher than the 2 minutes, 7 seconds we receive from YouTube search.

So for people who watch content like ours, they see a suggested video from vidIQ, click on it, and watch for nearly four minutes on average. 

Looking at this chart, we may decide to not make videos shorter than four minutes.

Turning casual viewers into fans is a great indicator of success. That’s why you should analyze your subscriber growth to see if making longer or shorter content is a good idea.

To get started, return to this page (below) in the YouTube Studio.

On this chart, pay close attention to the percentage breakdown of views earned from subscribers versus non-subscribers. As you can see, 85% of our views come from non-subscribers. Our goal is to convert these casual viewers into loyal fans.

That’s why you have to keep returning to this page. Keep watching the percentage split, and make note of increases or decreases trending in either direction.

If views from subscribers are growing, increase the length of your videos and see where that takes you.

 If the opposite is true, and you’re losing subscribers, don’t worry about making longer content. You should figure out 

Viewer Intent Should Determine the Length of Your YouTube Videos

At this point, we’ve shared three options for choosing an ideal video length. You can:

Calculate the average length of similar, top-performing videos.

Analyze your average view duration for certain traffic sources.

Determine whether your subscriber count is rising or falling, then make adjustments to your video time limit.

These are great strategies, but don’t forget about viewer intent. 

You should determine how much information will best serve your audience, then make a video long enough to achieve that goal.

 After satisfying this requirement, you can make adjustments to your video length strategy.

And when you finally do, don't become attached to one video length. Some topics require a bit of creative license, especially when you’re telling an emotional story. If you have a magnetic personality and excellent storytelling skills, you can be flexible with the length of your videos.

Our only recommendation is to never make videos less than two minutes long. So far, we haven’t seen a video that short reach meaningful success on YouTube.

If your video is less than two minutes, you might 

. This new content type has the potential to go viral and introduce your videos to millions of people on YouTube.

There's no perfect length for a YouTube video. You have to find what works for you, so here are three tips to jumpstart the process.

3 Ways to Find the Best YouTube Video Length

YouTube is much more than a video sharing platform. Outside of the standard content you get to share with viewers, there's also the 

 - a social feed that's easy to use and vital for connecting with your audience.

It takes 1,000 subscribers to unlock this feature. When you gain access, you'll have the power to engage with viewers by sharing polls, GIFs, text posts, and videos. 

In today's episode, Dan and Rob discuss this overlooked feature and how to leverage it in 2021. You'll specifically learn:

 It's not just your subscribers; some posts are shown to people that don't even watch your videos.

The value of staying in touch with your audience.

 If you're uploading one video to YouTube each week, you can keep subscribers engaged on the Community tab between uploads.

How to promote both old and new videos on the Community tab.

 When you update the thumbnail and title of an evergreen video, share it on the Community tab to boost its views.

The best way to share YouTube videos on the Community tab.

 Instead of using the video selector, do everything manually. Post the video's thumbnail, some explainer text, then add the video link below. Not many people are doing this, so your post will look different and stand out more.

On the vidIQ channel, our Community tab polls  get tens of thousands of votes.

Why you need to post consistently to the Community tab

. In the beginning, it may take months for your audience to notice and engage with your posts.

The value of promoting your products/services on the Community tab

. You can share a link to your email list, website, or another digital space your audience may find useful.

Ready to nurture your YouTube audience? If so, Rob has a challenge for you:

"The Community tab is so easy to use," he says. "If I was going to challenge anybody, I'd tell them to make one Community post per day for a month to just see what happens. I don't think there's any evidence of the Community tab damaging a channel, so what have you got to lose?"

How to Build a Community of Loyal Viewers on YouTube

, you'll learn how to truly connect with your audience so that no matter what, they'll want to stick around.

TubeTalk is one of the most popular and listened to podcasts in the online video industry. Don't forget to SUBSCRIBE to TubeTalk on your favorite podcast app so you never miss an episode!

You can also find the complete list of all the​​​ ​TubeTalk podcast episodes 

Filming and uploading videos is just one way to grow a YouTube channel. If you want to nurture a community that keeps expanding, don't forget about YouTube's Community tab.

YouTube's Community Tab Is Your Super Secret Weapon for Channel Growth

How do your YouTube videos perform in the first 24 hours of publishing? Is there a surge of positive momentum or do most of your views trickle in days later?

For some creators, views earned in this one-day period can push their content to new heights. They’ll get lots of views from YouTube notifications, and in turn, the algorithm suggests their content to more viewers.

Apart from going viral, that’s the kind of mojo you want to have on YouTube. You should strive to make your videos appear in valuable areas of the app, such as browse features, YouTube search, and suggested videos.

To make it happen, start comparing your videos’ performance over the first 24 hours. It’s as simple as:

Waiting until each video has been published for 24 hours

Analyzing the results in the YouTube Studio

Step four has gotten much easier this year. Instead of opening two browser windows, you can view a side-by-side comparison for each video using YouTube’s latest tool for 24-hour views.

How to See Video Views on YouTube in the First 24 Hours

To compare video views in the YouTube Studio, follow these steps:

On the YouTube homepage, click your profile icon and select 

Find a video that’s been published for 24 hours, then hover your mouse over it. Click the analytics icon on the pop-up menu that appears.

Next, you’ll see the analytics page for the video you selected. Go to the top right corner of the screen and click the time period adjuster.

Need a visual tutorial? Watch the video below to make sure you’re doing everything correctly:

How to Analyze 24-Hour View Data on YouTube

As an example, let’s say we want to analyze the 24-hour views for our recent video, “

How to Start a YouTube Gaming Channel In 2021.

” After completing the steps above, the below results are what we see in the YouTube Studio.

Scrolling down a bit farther, we also see a list of traffic sources for video views in the first 24 hours.

With this data, we can ask ourselves a few questions about the video’s performance, and hopefully, create better content.

Question 1: Compared with other content, did the video overperform or underperform?

We can check this by looking at the traffic sources data. Via the screenshot above, it looks like our video overperformed in YouTube search views and underperformed in YouTube recommendation views. We know this because we hovered our mouse over each traffic source, which triggered a pop-up showing our typical video performance.

Here's what the vidIQ channel usually averages for these two sources:

That means our 2.8K views from YouTube recommendations is a tad low for this video. 

On the flip side, getting 957 search views is excellent. That means we did a good job 

Question 2: Did changing the video’s thumbnail or title in the first 24 hours affect its views?

To answer this question, we need to check the number of impressions the video earned, as well as its click-through rate. So instead of viewing the Overview tab, click 

near the top of the page. You should instantly see a graph showing video impressions, like the one below.

to view another graph showing the video's click-through rate in the first 24 hours.

When you update your video’s thumbnail or title in the first 24 hours, try to remember which hour you made the change. For example, you may decide to update a video’s title and thumbnail 12 hours after publishing.

With that in mind, you can check these two graphs to see if there are significant spikes or dips after the 12th hour. That alone should prove which title/thumbnail produces a better click-through rate or number of impressions.

Get Views Data Faster With vidIQ’s Real-Time Stats Bar

Right now, we're showing you the long method for checking YouTube views. It's thorough but not always practical, which is why you should have a backup plan when you're busy filming, uploading, or promoting your videos. 

, you can quickly check your YouTube views with the real-time stats bar. This handy tool sits at the top of all YouTube pages and displays crucial information, such as:

Views on your channel within the last 60 minutes, 48 hours, or seven days.

Detailed graphs showing your channel’s viewership

Your progress toward accumulating 4,000 hours of Watch Time (for channel monetization)

All of this is free, by the way. If you want to know how many views your channel is getting at all times, simply 

How to Compare the 24-Hour Views of Two YouTube Videos

OK, here’s the question most creators want us to answer: How does one determine which videos are performing well in the first 24 hours?

Fortunately, the answer is just a few clicks away. Here's how to grab that data in the YouTube Studio:

 filter selected, return to the Overview tab of your video’s analytics page. Below the graph showing channel views, Watch Time, subscribers, and revenue, click 

In the top right corner of the page, click 

This will allow you to select a second video from your channel and compare its first 24 hours to the initial video you were analyzing. To test this, we compared two videos with similar YouTube performance, as shown below.

Twenty-four hours after publishing, this YouTube tool reveals which videos are optimized for success.

How to Get Full YouTube Monetization For Your Gaming Videos

Lydia Sweatt

3 Ways to Find the Best YouTube Video Length

Lydia Sweatt

YouTube's Community Tab Is Your Super Secret Weapon for Channel Growth

Dan Carson

How to Get More Views on YouTube in 24 Hours

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Why It's Not Too Late to Start a YouTube Channel in 2021

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How to Take Your Brand Beyond YouTube and Build a Successful Business

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How YouTube Creators Can Make Money Selling Products Beyond Merch

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