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

YouTube Monetization

How To Make Money on YouTube

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.

YouTube Views

How To Get More Views on YouTube

YouTube Shorts content is set to explode! 

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

YouTube Shorts

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

Watch Time is arguably THE most important metric on YouTube right now, and creators won’t be able to monetize their content without 4000 hours of it. But what is it and how can creators increase the amount of Watch Time their videos attract? We keep you updated on the best practices around Watch Time, and how you can increase how much your video content generates.

YouTube Watch Time

All the tips, tricks, and solid gold advice you need for starting or growing a Gaming channel on YouTube and other platforms

YouTube Gaming

Gaming

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?

Are you happy with the way your YouTube videos look and sound? Or do you still have room to improve your audio, video, and on-camera presentation?

Perhaps Ed Lawrence can help. He has a YouTube channel called 

, owns a video production company, and knows, through years of practice, how to shoot a good video. Oftentimes, the best content comes from a good setup and a relaxed presenter. 

On this episode of TubeTalk, we chat with Ed about how to make better YouTube videos. As he shares powerful production tips, Dan and Rob offer their advice as YouTube educators.

With three experts on the mic, you’ll learn a lot from this episode. But as a sneak peek, here are seven ways to create pure video magic:

Invest in a good microphone before anything else.

 Visual quality is important, but audio delivers the information viewers are seeking. The RODE Wireless GO is a solid, affordable option.

The best setup is one you can set and forget. 

If you don’t have much space, pick a film location that best integrates with your gear – a camera you never detach from your computer, a compact ring light that doesn’t take over your desk, etc.

When filming with a smartphone, use the wide-angle selfie mode. 

Then you can get close to the camera without looking like you’re too close. Also, the cheapest and best sound happens when you’re close to the mic.

Sometimes it’s best to buy a clip-on mic for your smartphone. 

How you present yourself on camera is more important than having fancy gear. 

As you film, make people feel like they’re in the room with you. Be entertaining, relaxed, and genuine.

 Speak as if you want only the camera to hear you and not the neighbors next door. It’ll slow you down and soften your voice.

 You’re not becoming a different person; you’re just showing a different side of yourself.

And lastly, pay attention to Ed’s advice about slowly improving your video production:

“The biggest mistake is trying to overcomplicate your setup to start out with. I believe you should put effort into it as much as you can. But I don’t think you should put so much effort in that it distracts you from the message and the way you’re trying to tell a story. [Your setup] should you be something you build on over time.”

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 

Building a film studio at home is tricky. Presenting on camera is even harder. In this episode of TubeTalk, an expert at video production explains how to master both tasks.

7 Tips to Create YouTube Videos That Look and Sound Good

By now, plenty of creators know the value of YouTube Shorts. Creators with small audiences have posted vertical videos under 60 seconds, had that content featured on the Shorts carousel, and gained thousands of views and subscribers – sometimes in just three months.

Now that Shorts are a proven way to get discovered, how do you increase your views with each upload?

We’ve got one suggestion. Before you post anything, research different topics to see how many views they’re getting on YouTube. Use that information to 

, which is one that grabs the viewer’s attention and makes them watch in full. After that, it’s up to YouTube’s algorithm. As more people watch your Shorts, YouTube may place them on 

Topic research is the most important part, but it’s also time-consuming. Without the proper tools, you’d have to do countless YouTube searches and calculations to find viral opportunities.

Want to expedite the process? Use this one tool to get the data you need and increase Shorts views.

How to See the Most-Viewed Videos on YouTube

The secret to increasing Shorts views is simple. If you want the best chance of going viral, use the 

 tool. This digital gadget shows you the most-viewed videos on YouTube by genre or topic. After using it, you’ll know which videos are trending and whether it’s a good idea to capitalize on huge, cultural moments.

Here’s what the Most Viewed tool looks like:

A sort feature that shows results in three ways: total views, views per hour, and engagement.

A date range feature showing results over the last 48 hours, seven days, 30 days, or six months.

Lots of search filters. You can view videos by:

Want an in-depth tour of this tool? Watch our video tutorial for a visual rundown:

How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts as a Small Creator

YouTube Shorts provide the biggest benefit for small, undiscovered channels. If you have less than 1,000 subscribers, here’s what you should do to increase Shorts views.

Returning to the Most Viewed tool, we’re going to run some topic searches in five simple steps:

 so you get results for as many videos as possible.

. YouTube advised creators to use this hashtag when Shorts were announced. This search term will show you brief, vertical videos instead of lengthy, horizontal ones.

After typing #Shorts, hit the spacebar and add your channel’s niche or a similar topic. That could be gardening, Minecraft, Bitcoin, seafood recipes, literally anything.

subscribers. This helps you find content from small creators getting lots of Shorts views.

. This lets you know how viral a video/video topic is.

When you run this search, be sure to do it multiple times while changing the date range. See which videos are getting the most views per hour within the past 48 hours, seven days, 30 days, and beyond. You can also experiment with the extra filters, such as video category, views, and views per hour.

This strategy shows you which Shorts people enjoy. So when you find videos with many views per hour, watch them in full. Dissect the visual elements and assess how entertaining the video is. Take notes on what you think interested viewers the most.

We’ve noticed that gaming videos become entertaining Shorts, so that’s worth looking into. If you’re a gaming creator, check out the views per hour on these Minecraft Shorts in the past seven days:

, getting 261.9 views per hour on a Minecraft Short. Considering the channel only has 363 subscribers, that’s a nice amount of views for a small creator.

And how about these results for the multiplayer game 

Here we have another small channel with 448 subscribers getting 1,000 views per hour on a Short.

How to Get Free Access to the Most-Viewed Videos Tool

So far, we’ve shown you how to research popular Shorts for any genre on YouTube. Now the only thing left to do is get the Most Viewed tool, run some searches, and use what you’ve discovered to increase Shorts views.

Getting the tool is quick and easy; simply 

 to download vidIQ for free. Your free download gives you limited access to the Most Viewed tool, but you'll need a Pro or Boost subscription to get full access.

Here’s how to find the tool on YouTube after you’ve downloaded vidIQ:

On the left navigation menu, scroll down and click 

That’s it! Now you can find viral Shorts opportunities. This tool will help you as you narrow down topics, post your first batch of Shorts, and get your YouTube channel discovered.

Did you know that YouTube Shorts get 3.5 billion views each day? Here’s how to snag some of those views as a small creator.

Do This One Thing to Increase YouTube Shorts Views

It’s true. On YouTube, some creators get thousands of subscribers in just a few days. Somehow they manage to post a video, get viral results, and watch their analytics soar for the next few weeks.

Most creators won’t see that kind of success. It can take hundreds of tries and years of work before they get a viral video. If you’re not committed to the process, it’s easy to put your camera down and walk away.

But what if just for a moment, you could see the future? What if in that far away scenario, you have 200,000 subscribers, a monthly side income of $2,000, and the opportunity to build a profitable brand?

It seems like a lofty goal, but many creators have done it. So why not you?

When you’re a small creator getting 100 views per video, remember that YouTube is a long-term investment. Your self-belief has to be so big that, in your heart, seven core beliefs are keeping you motivated:

Betting on instant success is unproductive.

We believe these statements so much that we filmed a video explaining the value of each one:

Your desire to be the best creator possible will fuel your success. Here’s how to make that happen, one belief at a time.

1. It’s Never Too Late to Start a YouTube Channel

YouTube continues to grow, and that growth isn’t slowing down. If you think you’ve missed your chance to start a successful channel, here are some 

YouTube Shorts (vertical videos under 60 seconds) get 

YouTube has more than 2 billion active monthly users.

People watch more than 1 billion hours of content on YouTube each day.

Year over year, channels earning six figures grew by more than 40%.

Of all these numbers, the growth of YouTube Shorts is notable. We’ve seen channels go from zero views to millions by posting brief, vertical videos.

This opportunity is available to all creators. You can start a channel, make a YouTube Short, and potentially see it featured on the highly-viewed Shorts carousel. It’s not a guarantee, but it happens often – even to 

YouTube Shorts aren’t the only reason to start a channel. As the world gains new technology and ideas, people will need guides and tutorials about those things; video seems to be a preferred method.

2. YouTube and Its Viewers Need Passionate Creators

YouTube relies on creators to share their talents and expertise. The platform needs people like you to drive conversations around gaming, finance, sports, beauty, or anything viewers find interesting.

Revenue isn’t the only thing you’ll gain as a creator. You’ll also get to inspire people who love your content, and in some cases, change their lives.

The vidIQ channel gets thousands of comments from satisfied viewers. We appreciate all of them, but there are two types of comments that especially move us. As YouTube educators, we love to hear…

“This tutorial was really helpful. It saved me tons of time.”

“You’ve inspired me to start my own channel.”

These comments represent our purpose on YouTube, which is to teach and inspire. The fact that we can do both makes the YouTube journey that much sweeter.

No matter what happens, believe in your value as a creator. With hard work and dedication, one subscriber can grow to thousands, millions, or billions.

3. Your Videos Don’t Need to Be Perfect

On YouTube, experience trumps perfection. You don’t need to spend a lot of time polishing your videos, but you do need to believe in the power of consistency.

Don’t worry about how your first video looks or how it will perform. It’s only one piece of content, and that’s not enough to analyze your success on YouTube. Just pick up your camera and start filming the next video. When that one’s posted, start filming another. Carry on like that until your channel has dozens of videos – 100 or more, if possible.

If you do this each week, you’ll have enough content to review your progress. You can determine which videos are attracting more views and subscribers, then capitalize on what’s working.

You need a collection of videos to get this information, and they don’t need to be perfect. Bad lighting and choppy edits are common in first YouTube videos, and that’s OK. You’ll learn as you go and get 1% better with each upload.

4. Quality Is More Important Than Quantity

When we say quality is better than quantity, we don’t mean 4K videos or 3D animation. Our definition of quality is posting videos people will watch. To do that, you need to nail a specific process on YouTube.

Writing out all the metadata (video description, title, tags, keywords, etc.)

Creating a simple but eye-catching thumbnail

As you can see, filming and editing aren’t enough. You can post a great video and get zero views unless you’ve done some YouTube marketing. That’s why search engine optimization is so important for growing a channel.

Think of each video’s appeal on a scale of one to 10. If you have to choose between making videos that are a 10 (time-consuming and almost perfect) or videos that are a seven (but provide enough time to do SEO), it’s better to choose option two. That way your video is optimized and has a chance of being watched.

As early as you can, accept the fact that you’re going to make mistakes.

On YouTube, the occasional misstep is not a bad thing. A video that gets 25 views instead of the usual 150 is nothing to detest. A thumbnail that doesn’t produce as many clicks isn’t the end of your YouTube journey. These errors are a good thing because now, you know what 

 to do. Getting small mistakes out of the way helps you identify winning strategies.

Plus, mistakes are easier to deal with when you’re a small creator. You have fewer subscribers, which means fewer people will notice when videos underperform.

How long does it take to grow a successful YouTube channel? That depends on your goals surrounding subscriber count, channel views, revenue, and more. But no matter what your goals are, you need patience to persevere.

YouTube is hard – frustratingly hard. So when you’re just starting out, the last thing you should do is add to that stress. Don’t focus on getting 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of Watch Time to quickly monetize your channel – not yet. Save that brainpower for more productive things, such as learning how YouTube works and creating better content for your audience.

As you’re doing that, things will happen naturally. You’ll reach new milestones without thinking about them. Then you can enjoy the YouTube journey instead of the YouTube destination. One is rooted in today's reality, and the other doesn’t exist yet.

7. The Pressure of Overnight Success Isn’t Worth It

There are rare circumstances where creators get thousands of views and subscribers overnight. But most of the time, it takes years to grow a channel. Only after posting hundreds of videos will you start to see consistent, mouth-dropping success.

It took Rob Wilson, vidIQ’s YouTuber-in-residence, seven years to become a full-time creator. Even 

, a popular creator with billions of views, had to grow slowly. You can browse early videos on his channel and see content with less than 15,000 views. Nine years later, he gets millions of views with each upload.

If you want to succeed on YouTube, avoid the pressure of instant success. Don’t succumb to the dangerous belief that one video will go viral and change everything. When things don’t go as planned, it may be hard to shake the disappointment.

You can develop a better mindset. You can choose to believe that overnight success and the pressure that comes with it aren’t worthwhile.

Will you become a successful creator in the next five to 10 years? Only time will tell. The sooner you start a channel, the sooner you can meet that future self.

Growing a YouTube channel requires lots of dedication. Before you start filming, adopt these seven powerful beliefs to master the journey.

7 Beliefs You Need to Have to Grow a YouTube Channel

 have introduced a new way to become a video creator. Instead of posting long, detailed content, creatives now have the option to post vertical videos under 60 seconds.

This new YouTube feature is currently in beta. Regardless, the early version of Shorts is helping creators get millions of views. These views come from a display area called the Shorts shelf; in some cases, it helps content go viral in just a few days.

In this episode of TubeTalk, Dan and Rob share their failures and successes with Shorts. They talk about the tests they've done and share advice for getting more views with short, vertical content.

Should you be posting Shorts on your channel? That's the question we answer in this episode. 

 It's possible to get discovered by new viewers and grow your subscribers in a short amount of time.

 Regardless of your niche, an entertaining Short has the power to hook viewers.

The difficulty in converting Shorts subscribers into long-video watchers

. When you gain a Shorts subscriber, can you keep them entertained for longer than 60 seconds?

 Spoiler alert: It doesn't! Shorts aren't monetized, and that's something to consider before going all-in with them. Will you seek a different form of income, such as brand deals?

These are good things to know before making your first Short. But still, the question remains: 

Rob says one simple question can provide the answer.

"Will my audience enjoy these short videos?" Rob asks. "You've always got to go back to your audience, your community. If they're going to react positively to it, then there's a reason to do it. If you make a couple of videos, and people don't like it, fair enough. You can move on to the next thing."

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!

We've seen creators grow their channels with short, vertical videos. It worked for them, but will it work for you?

Will YouTube Shorts Benefit Your Channel? Ask Yourself One Question to Find Out

Six months ago, we told creators to experiment with YouTube Shorts. We advised them to film vertical videos under 60 seconds (as the requirements suggest), post them to YouTube, and create a featured section on their channel to house the content.

Why did we suggest this? In just a few weeks, we saw channels getting thousands of views from Shorts. They mostly came from the YouTube Shorts shelf, a display area where different Shorts are featured. By the time a creator’s video left the shelf, it would have hundreds, thousands, or millions of views.

That’s how powerful Shorts are. With them, you can gain more subscribers in two weeks than you’ve had all year. Without them, you’ll miss a valuable opportunity to get discovered on the platform.

How to Create a YouTube Short: The Complete Beginner's Guide

If you want to know exactly why that is, watch our latest video about Shorts and the competition that’s quickly surrounding them.

The best time to post a Short was months ago. But if you hurry, you can still reap the benefits of creating content that gets played millions of times.

Need a push to get started? Here are three undeniable reasons to experiment with Shorts.

Reason 1: Creators Are Still Getting More Views and Subscribers From YouTube Shorts

The first reason is a little obvious but worth repeating. Extra views from Shorts have helped many channels grow, and they’ve got the numbers to prove it.

. In September 2020, he had 40k total channel views. After posting original, 3D-animated Shorts, he now has more than 3M subscribers and almost 2B views.

How This YouTube Creator Got 1.5 Billion Views In Just 80 Days

Jake isn’t the only creator to reap the benefits of Shorts. There’s also MrBeast, a popular creator who grew his 

 to 4.79M subscribers. Professional YouTube channels such as 

Is it too late to capitalize on the viral nature of YouTube Shorts? No, not yet. But in the coming weeks, it may be harder to stand out with short video content.

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