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?

Building multiple streams of income is a buzzy-worthy topic online. Everyone’s talking about it. From small entrepreneurship blogs to large websites like CNN, there seems to be a consensus that depending on one job is a thing of the past.

Desiree Martinez agrees with that sentiment. She’s a YouTube creator who runs a social media agency and has partnerships with several brands. Martinez makes money through all those ventures to support her lifestyle.

‘Women of YouTube’ Q&A: Building Careers, Passive Income, and More

“While I love and support YouTube, I have a business to run,” Martinez says. “My business is not going to be YouTube dependent. I think everybody – whether you’re a gaming channel, a resource channel, a fashion channel – you need to have a way to get people on a list. And it can’t just be, ‘Join my email list.’ Give them the incentive to do it.”

In this episode of TubeTalk, we asked Martinez how to build income streams as a YouTube creator. She talks about networking with creators in your industry and how to leverage social media to grow a business.

Figure out what you can talk about at length on YouTube.

 It should be a topic you can cover in several ways and easily brainstorm ideas for.

Within your niche, think of the pain points your viewers experience every day. How can you help?

Understand how your content will be discovered.

 Which channels cover your niche and how is your content suggested to viewers? 

Understand which milestones are important in your industry.

 For sponsorships, gaming and beauty channels need lots of views and high reach. Other niches, such as social media marketing, don’t require as many subscribers.

If you use a product often, and it’s within your niche, seek a brand sponsorship.

 Make tutorials about the product and try to leverage your video’s engagement.

Build long-term relationships with sponsors.

 A one-and-done deal isn’t enough to grow an income stream.

Build a long-term relationship with viewers.

 You may think videos are enough, but you can go a step further. Memberships, affiliate marketing, coaching, and email lists are profitable ways to nurture a digital audience. Be a service to viewers. Give them a reason to connect with you.

 podcast and knows how other creators, especially women, are making money. YouTube is just one part of the plan.

“My business is not about views and subscribers and getting sponsors based on those things,” Martinez says. “My business is about getting people on my email list. Then I can talk to them about my book that’s coming out, a sponsor for a cool product I found.”

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 

We love revenue from AdSense, Super Chats, and other YouTube opportunities, but there's always more to earn. In this episode of TubeTalk, Desiree Martinez shows us how to build multiple income streams on YouTube.

7 Steps to Build Multiple Income Streams on YouTube


Receiving full monetization for a YouTube video just got easier. After receiving feedback from creators and advertisers, YouTube has decided to 

expand monetization for three video types

: educational, controversial, and content containing adult themes.

YouTube’s advertiser-friendly guidelines

. Traditionally, the rules help creators avoid revenue loss. YouTube knows the guidelines can be restrictive, though, and wants to help creators make good, advertisable videos.

How to Get Full Monetization for Your Gaming Videos

; they range from no ads to full ads that support complete monetization. In the YouTube studio, each one is represented by a color:

Gray: You turned off advertising by choice.

Red: Your video can’t be monetized because there’s a copyright claim.

Yellow: Advertising is turned on, but limited ads will be shown.

Green: Your video meets YouTube’s advertiser guidelines; it’s eligible for most ads.

These labels appear beside your videos. It can be frustrating to see lots of red and yellow, but don’t worry. YouTube’s update will help your videos go from yellow/red to bright green. Keep reading to learn more!

Educational content includes several video types on YouTube. If you upload documentaries or news content, for example, your content falls into this category.

YouTube is expanding monetization for these videos, and the changes are centered around violence and drug-related themes. One example includes violence between civilians and law enforcement. If you were a filmmaker documenting the racial unrest of 2020, you’d be eligible for full monetization today.

Other sensitive events are eligible too. If you’re educating viewers about a topic, it's likely you're in the clear.

Have your videos been demonetized for including controversial topics? YouTube is making a change in this area too. You can now upload 

 about controversial issues happening today.

Objective is the key word here. Your video should be well-rounded with the intent of sparking conversation, not hate or violence. If the video condemns certain groups to the extent of racism or organized crime, that’s not OK.

YouTube typically uses intent to judge videos. Even with these monetization updates, that logic will probably still stand.

Comedians of all backgrounds, listen up and take notes because this update is just for you. YouTube is expanding monetization for adult themes filmed in the context of humor. That means you can crack more jokes and earn more money at the same time.

Which adult themes are OK to post? Romance and dating humor are two safe examples. However, unless your intent is to inform or educate, highly sexualized themes may still lead to limited advertising.

YouTube has taken a second look at profanity too. Typically, the platform frowns upon curse words at the beginning of a video, and this is still somewhat true. The difference now is that you can use moderate profanity early on. Now words like bitch and shit are acceptable in the first 30 seconds of a video. YouTube is expanding monetization for these cases, whereas 

 like hell and damn used to be the "safe" standard.

Need more information about these updates? Watch 

 video about everything we’ve listed in this blog:

Ready to earn more ad revenue? YouTube is expanding monetization for these three videos.

YouTube Is Expanding Monetization for These 3 Video Types

 for creating and discovering Shorts. In addition to the U.S. rollout of Shorts beta – a tool for recording, editing, and posting brief videos – the platform has changed the layout of Shorts, how they appear in search results, and more.

As a creator, you should know what these updates are to better grow your channel. We’ve seen creators 

 but the challenging part is keeping the momentum going.

With recent updates, you may have to think differently about the way you create short videos. The latest Shorts updates have revealed four undeniable truths:

Shorts are appearing in search results, so you should absolutely create them.

If you focus on making unique Shorts that go viral, subscribers will find you.

Musical Shorts may contain trends or dance challenges, which means you should research topics and songs before you press record.

We go into detail about each truth in the video below, so give it a watch:

Now that you have some background knowledge, here are four tips to grow your channel with YouTube Shorts.

1. YouTube Shorts are Becoming More Discoverable; don’t Hesitate to Post Them!

Are you familiar with the Shorts shelf? This display area for short, vertical videos has been on the app's homepage for months. Now it’s also appearing 

 If you’re posting Shorts to YouTube, this is a new opportunity to get your content discovered.

Viewers can find your Shorts via search results but not in the traditional, topic-based way. Follow these steps to understand how they appear on YouTube:

Next to your profile icon, click the magnifying glass at the top right corner of the screen.

Type a channel name into the search bar and tap the appropriate result when it pops up.

Scroll down past the first few results – the icon that takes you to the channel, latest posts from the channel, and regular, horizontal videos – until you see the Shorts beta shelf.

When we search for vidIQ, a shelf filled with 

 appears in the results. This contains some Shorts we’ve posted as well as those from other creators who talk about vidIQ.

If you don’t post any Shorts, your channel probably won’t appear on this shelf. But you can easily 

, searching for your channel, and seeing if the shelf appears. Our suggestion has always been to upload Shorts because you never know what YouTube is going to do with them. In this case, it’s a new display area we’ve never seen before.

What About Topic-Based Searches for YouTube Shorts?

There is one downside to this feature, though. Performing a topic search instead of a channel search doesn’t return the same results. There’s no Shorts shelf when we type the word “Minecraft” into the search bar, for example. The shelf only appears in search results when we type a channel name.

If you’re a how-to or educational creator making Shorts, this is something to keep in mind. Viewers won’t find your Shorts by searching for a topic, but that’s OK. Channels like 

 are still getting millions of Shorts views from other display shelves.

2. Accept That Views, Not Subscribers, Are the Immediate Benefit of Creating Shorts

If you’ve struggled to gain subscribers from Shorts, that might intensify in the future. YouTube made some layout changes to the Shorts player, and the subscribe button is less prominent than it used to be.

In the old layout, the subscribe button was red and higher up on the player. Now the button is gray and very close to the bottom of the screen.

It seems like YouTube wants to take the emphasis off of subscribers, at least for Shorts. We’re not sure why. What we do know is that views, not subscribers, have always been the biggest reward for posting Shorts. Some creators get millions of subscribers, but that’s usually because they’re posting unique content that’s hard to duplicate – like 

Jake Fellman’s animated Among Us Shorts

. Those videos attracted 4.08 million subscribers so far.

For now, create the best Shorts you can possibly make. Make them so entertaining that people deliberately search for the subscribe button, even if it’s harder to see.

3. Use Pinned Comments to Drive Viewers From a Short to Additional Content

Shorts are similar to TikTok; viewers watch them quickly, swipe to the next video, and repeat the process as they cycle through content. It’s hard to get people to slow down, but when they do, you should give them something to look at.

The comment section is a good place to do this. Because subscribers are harder to gain with Shorts, you should 

make sure each video has a pinned comment.

 You can highlight additional content – a playlist, a Short that serves as a part two, whatever you like – and encourage people to explore your channel. If people like what they see, they may hit subscribe.

The pinned comment is your best tool because Shorts don’t have info cards or end screens for suggesting content. Even the video description is hidden behind a two-tap journey.

4. Do Some Research to Make Unique, Music-Driven Shorts

Music helps videos go viral. That’s what’s been happening on TikTok and even older platforms like Triller and the unforgettable sensation that was Vine.

Now YouTube wants to create the same appeal on its mobile app. On March 18, the platform unveiled a feature for 

. The best part? You won’t be penalized for violating copyright rules.

As more creators get this tool, you should research which songs are appearing in certain videos. Then you can 

 after seeing what others posted, hopefully making your content stand out.

To start researching, look for the icon below. If you see it, that means the creator added a song from the Shorts camera tool.

Tap the icon to see more Shorts using that song. This is where your research will really take off as you discover how the song is being used, if there’s a challenge associated with it, and more. At the top of the page, you can also see the original YouTube video for the song.

YouTube is slowly rolling out these features. You may not be able to do all the things in this post, but it’s good to know what’s coming. When the tools arrive in your app, be sure to do what we’ve mentioned in this blog. Upload Shorts without hesitation, make them entertaining, use pinned comments, and do your topic research.

YouTube is adding more updates to Shorts beta. If you learn how to use the features, you can grow your channel with short, vertical videos.

4 Tips to Grow Your Channel With YouTube Shorts

YouTube or Twitch? It’s a tough question but one every streamer must ask. Twitch has tight-knit communities, but the content isn’t searchable. YouTube has a search function and an algorithm that never quits, but live streams aren’t the main appeal.

Nonetheless, YouTube may be the answer for creators who want to build a sustainable business. 

, a full-time content creator, switched from Twitch to YouTube and discovered incomparable benefits. He had to stream daily for hours to stay relevant on Twitch. On YouTube, people discovered his content when he was offline.

“YouTube seems like the better marketplace to give creators tools to have financial freedom,” Big E says. “As a creator, you have so much freedom to test whatever you want to test for your community – Community posts, YouTube Shorts, live streams, YouTube Stories, so many things.”

In this episode of TubeTalk, we chat with Big E to learn how creators can build a business streaming on YouTube. He talks about gaining over 25,000 subscribers, getting brand deals, and developing healthy habits as a creator.

The power of repurposing YouTube streams.

 If you have a bunch of live streams, you can chop up the best moments and cram them into one, regular video. You’ll get more views from the same content.

The business opportunities for YouTube streamers. 

You can ask viewers to purchase your service or product via live streams. But don’t wait until you become an affiliate with brands or get accepted to the YouTube Partner Program. Start finding ways to add value to your audience and make money.

Why Twitch streamers should also stream on YouTube.

 You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. It’s not guaranteed, but streams on YouTube can gain thousands of views after airing, thanks to search features and the algorithm.

a service on your streams, make sure it’s sustainable and scalable. Can you continue to provide the service if your streams reach 1,000 viewers? 10,000?

How to use your interests to land a sponsorship or brand deal.

 What’s in your room right now? You can post reviews about products you frequently use, and that may attract brands. Or you can build a media kit and pitch brands yourself.

, so he shares his wins and failures through the lens of gaming. Still, his advice applies to YouTube creators within every niche.

“Learn to adapt,” he says. “Learn to go against the grain sometimes. I wouldn’t be having this conversation or had the chance to speak to YouTube Gaming last month if I hadn’t tested on YouTube. YouTube is a big playground right now. Play on it.”

Can you make a living as a YouTube streamer? In this episode of TubeTalk, our guest proves that Twitch isn’t the only place to build a streaming career.

Should You Live Stream on YouTube or Twitch to Make More Money?

Real-time subscriber counts are fun to watch. As the numbers tick up and down, for a few seconds, you can imagine what it feels like to reach your next subscriber milestone.

 a few years ago, but now it’s back. There’s a new page for viewing live subscribers, which feels like a nod to the old feature and an expansion at the same.

See a timeline of your subscriber count over the years

Want to see how many subscribers you have right this second? Keep reading to discover how.

How to See Your Live YouTube Subscriber Count in 2021

As with many YouTube features, you’ll find the live subscriber page in the YouTube Studio.

Look for the real time section on the right side of your screen. This section shows your live subscriber count, but to see a bigger, streamable screen, click 

Watch our video tutorial to get all the steps right:

Here’s what our live subscriber page looks like in the YouTube Studio:

As you gain or lose subscribers, this number will tick forward or backward to display an accurate count.

Below the live counter, there’s a graph showing your subscriber history. This is a cool feature because you can use the period selector to see how many subscribers you had at any point in your YouTube journey. Selecting the 

option gives you a complete numerical history, as shown above.

Public Subscriber Counts Are Still Abbreviated

Remember when YouTube decided to abbreviate public subscriber counts? Well, that rule still applies if you have more than 1,000 subscribers. Eight hundred seventy-seven subscribers will appear as 877 on your channel. Three thousand forty-six subscribers will be displayed as 3.4K.

YouTube’s new subscriber page is simply an add-on. That means the public count, unfortunately, will still 

There’s a positive side, though. If you miss the old days of live streaming your subscriber count, now you can relive those moments. Simply identify your next milestone, plan a live stream, and celebrate the win alongside your viewers.

Are you about to reach 1,000 subscribers? 10,000? 100,000? If so, it's time to live stream your big moment with YouTube's new, updated subscriber page.

How to See Your Real-Time YouTube Subscriber Count

If you're a regular, 9-to-5 employee, you have rules to follow. You’re expected to start work at a specific time, take breaks of a certain duration, and submit time-off requests before going on vacation. If you’re a woman with kids, the list gets longer. Planning for maternity leave or finding a babysitter are extra tasks to manage alongside work.

Things are different when you’re self-employed, especially on YouTube. You still have a boss, but he or she doesn’t control your day-to-day activities. Instead, you’ll answer to viewers looking for helpful or entertaining videos – and they don’t mind if you take a day off unrequested.

That’s why YouTube is a powerful platform for women. It helps them earn more money, close the 

 podcast, wants more women to seize this opportunity. She invites female creators on the show to share their experiences, which inspires other women to create on YouTube.

 and knows what the life of a creator entails. We sat down with her to learn how women benefit from treating YouTube like a serious, high-paying business.

Q: What inspired you to celebrate female creators on your podcast?

It happened in 2019 during the Social Media Marketing World conference. When they announced their speakers for the YouTube panels, they were all men – 

, and some other guys. I was really disappointed because about 

, and it was a conference for marketers. Rather than get mad, I figured I would try and do something about it.

I reached out to some women friends who do YouTube and asked if they’d be interested in doing a panel at Social Media Marketing World. They were like, yeah, sure. We're going to be there anyway. I pitched the idea of a “women of YouTube” panel to the guy in charge of booking. He liked the idea, but there was no space available.

He suggested doing it as a live stream instead. So he reached out to TubeBuddy to be the host, and they were in support of it. The live stream was successful, and a lot of people asked me to do more with it. Eventually, we launched the Women of YouTube podcast at VidSummit in 2019. Since then, we've been telling the stories of female creators to inspire and motivate women on YouTube.

Are you a woman looking to start a YouTube channel? In this Q&A, Desiree Martinez of the Women of YouTube podcast offers tips and inspiration for getting started.

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