How To Make Money From Youtube Shorts.
YouTube Shorts are short-form videos that are up to 60 seconds long. They have exploded in popularity over the last couple of years as creators and viewers alike embrace bite-sized video content.
While Shorts doesn’t yet have all the same monetization options as regular YouTube videos, there are still plenty of ways for creators to start making money from their Shorts content. The great thing about Shorts is that they provide a new way for creators to rapidly grow an audience. And as we all know, audience growth is key to making big money on YouTube in the long run.
Some of the main ways creators can monetize Shorts include enabling ads, promoting products and services, selling merchandise, live streaming, partnering with brands, and leveraging YouTube Analytics to improve performance over time. With YouTube enhancing short features regularly, even more money-making opportunities are likely to emerge.
The purpose of this guide is to walk through the top methods for monetizing YouTube Shorts in 2022 and beyond. Whether you’re just getting started with Shorts or have already built up an audience, this guide will help you maximize earnings from short-form video content.
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Enable Monetization on Your Channel
To make money from YouTube Shorts, you first need to enable monetization on your YouTube channel. Here are the key steps:
Meet YouTube monetization requirements. Your channel must have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours over the last 12 months. These thresholds allow YouTube to assess the value of your channel before you can start earning.
Enable monetization in YouTube Studio. Once you meet the requirements, go to YouTube Studio, click on Monetization, and enable it. This gives you access to various money-making features.
Agree to YouTube Partner Program terms. Review and agree to the YouTube monetization agreement, which covers the platform’s policies, ad revenue split, payment information, and more.
Get reviewed by YouTube. YouTube manually reviews channels when they initially enable monetization, which can take a few days or weeks. This verifies you comply with all policies.
Once your channel is approved for monetization, you can start implementing various strategies to earn money from your YouTube Shorts and other videos. The key is meeting the subscriber and watch time requirements first.
Run Non-Skippable Ads
YouTube provides various ways to monetize your Shorts including showing non-skippable video advertisements before, during, and after your videos.
To enable ads:
- Go to YouTube Studio
- Select “Monetization”
- Toggle on “Enable monetization”
When enabled, YouTube will automatically insert 6 or 15-second non-skippable video ads on your Shorts. You can’t choose which specific videos show ads. YouTube’s algorithm determines the best videos to show ads on based on audience, watch time, retention, and other factors.
It’s best to start slow and increase ad frequency over time. Avoid overloading new viewers with too many ads as that may cause them to lose interest. Monitor your audience retention reports closely.
Optimal ad placement is before the video starts as pre-roll, or in the middle as mid-roll, but not after the video ends. End-of-video ads tend to annoy viewers and cause them to click away. Mid-roll ads work well for Shorts over 60 seconds.
With non-skippable ads enabled, you can make money from your Shorts while providing a free viewing experience for your audience. As your viewership and retention grow over time, insert additional ads to maximize revenue.
Include Links to Products & Services
One easy way to monetize your YouTube Shorts is by including affiliate links and promoting your own products or services in the video description.
Add affiliate links to relevant products. If you mention a product in your Short, include an affiliate link to that product in the description so you can earn a commission on any sales. But don’t just add random affiliate links – make sure they are relevant to the content so they provide value for your viewers.
Promote your own offerings. In addition to affiliate links, you can include links to any products, online courses, consulting services, or other offerings you have. This allows you to generate sales directly from your Shorts audience. Just make sure to follow FTC disclosure guidelines and clearly indicate when you have a financial relationship with a product.
The great thing about links in the description is that they are trackable. So you can see which affiliate links or offerings are generating the most clicks and conversions from your Shorts viewers. Then double down on what’s working to maximize your earnings over time.
Sell Merchandise
One great way to monetize your YouTube Shorts is by selling merchandise featuring your brand, channel art, popular sayings from your videos, etc. This allows fans to physically own a piece of your channel while also generating recurring revenue through merchandise sales.
The easiest approach is using print-on-demand dropshipping sites like Printful, Printify, or TeeSpring. These sites allow you to upload your designs, choose products like t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, phone cases, and more. When a customer places an order, the site prints and ships the merch without you having to carry any inventory or do fulfillment.
To promote your merchandise, be sure to showcase some of the products visually in your Shorts. You can model printed apparel or showcase phone cases, mugs, etc featuring your art. Also, add links to your merchandise shop on sites like TeeSpring in the description of your YouTube videos and Shorts. Promote new merch drops to your email list or via social media. The more visibility your products get, the more potential sales you can generate.
Selling quality branded merchandise is a fantastic passive income stream that leverages the audience and brand you’re building on YouTube Shorts. Just be sure to use great visual designs that fans will be proud to wear or display.
Live Stream
Live streaming on YouTube Shorts is a great way to engage your audience in real time while also monetizing your content. Here are some tips for making money from live streaming:
Enable Super Chats
Super Chats allow viewers to pay to have their comments highlighted during your live stream. The more they pay, the longer their comment stays pinned at the top.
To enable Super Chats, go to the Monetization tab in YouTube Studio. Check the box to “Allow Super Chat on my live streams.”
Set minimum amounts for Super Chats to weed out spam. You can set custom Super Chat tiers for higher donations.
Thank viewers when they use Super Chats to encourage more engagement. This creates a positive feedback loop.
Grow Channel Memberships
Fans can pay a monthly fee to get special perks like custom emojis, badges, and access to Members Only live streams and posts.
Under the Monetization tab, click “View perks” to set up and customize perks for paid memberships.
Promote memberships on your channel homepage, in videos, and during live streams so fans know it’s an option.
Create exciting Members Only content to entice fans to subscribe. Live stream Q&As and behind-the-scenes videos exclusively for members.
Send members special gifts or personalized videos to show your appreciation for their support.
Collaborate with Brands
One great way to monetize YouTube Shorts is by collaborating directly with brands. As your channel and viewership grow, brands may reach out asking about sponsorship opportunities. You can also proactively contact brands that you think would be a good fit for your content and audience.
When partnering with brands, be sure to disclose the sponsorship according to FTC guidelines. This builds trust with your audience. At the beginning of the video, verbally state that it’s a paid/sponsored post. You can say something like “Thanks to [Brand] for sponsoring this video.” The disclosure should be clear and upfront.
You’ll also want to include a written sponsorship disclosure in the Shorts description. For example: “This video is sponsored by [Brand].” Short descriptions have a 100-character limit, so the disclosure statement needs to be brief. Finally, don’t make any claims about a product that you know to be false or misleading. Present your honest thoughts and opinions. This upholds the brand’s reputation as well as your own.
Leverage YouTube Analytics
YouTube Analytics provides a wealth of data to help creators optimize their channels and videos for increased viewership and engagement. This is especially useful for monetizing Shorts.
Analyze which videos are receiving the most views, comments, shares, etc. Then refine your content strategy to do more of what’s working.
Specifically, look at:
Traffic sources: See where your views are coming from (YouTube search, suggested videos, external sites, etc.) and double down on what converts best.
Audience retention: Check when viewers drop off to identify less engaging parts. Shorten or improve those sections.
Top videos: Identify your most popular Shorts. Make sequels or similar videos that build on those ideas.
Demographics: Understand your audience’s age, gender, location, and device. Use this to better target content.
Revenue reports: View estimated revenue over time, top videos for revenue, revenue sources, etc. Optimize your strategy to maximize earnings.
Engagement metrics: Analyze likes, comments, and other engagement to make content more engaging.
Continuously track key metrics over time and test different approaches. Double down on what generates the most views, engagement, and revenue. This will ensure you’re creating optimal content that converts viewers into earnings.
Alternative Monetization Methods
While ads, merchandise, and brand sponsorships are the most common ways to monetize YouTube Shorts, there are a few alternative methods you can try as well:
YouTube Premium Revenue Sharing
If you have over 10,000 lifetime views on your channel, you’re eligible to enroll in YouTube’s Partner Program and share in the revenue from YouTube Premium subscriptions.
When a YouTube Premium subscriber watches your Shorts, you’ll earn a cut of their subscription fee based on how much of their viewing time was spent on your content.
The more Premium subscribers that watch your Shorts, the bigger your potential payout. YouTube Premium revenue can become quite lucrative at high view volumes.
To enroll in the Partner Program, you’ll need to agree to YouTube’s monetization policies and connect an AdSense account. Then you can start collecting your share of Premium subscriber revenue.
Sell Your YouTube Channel
Once your channel reaches a substantial size, you may be able to sell it for a nice profit. YouTube channels with high view counts, lots of subscribers, and solid recurring revenue streams are in demand.
Buyers may include media companies looking to acquire an audience, brands wanting to use your influence, or individuals who want to become YouTubers without starting from scratch.
The valuation depends on your channel’s metrics and profitability. Do your research to get a reasonable estimate. Hire a lawyer to help broker the deal and transfer channel ownership legally.
Selling your successful channel can provide a big payday. But you’ll be handing over your audience and income stream, so only consider this exit strategy once you’re ready to fully move on.
Maximize Earnings Over Time
It’s important to have a long-term strategy for maximizing earnings on YouTube Shorts. Here are some tips:
Consistently produce quality content. The more good content you have, the more viewership and engagement you’ll gain over time. Set a content publishing schedule and stick to it. Ensure your videos are well-produced, entertaining, and aligned with your target audience’s interests.
Diversify monetization strategies. Don’t rely solely on YouTube ad revenue. Use multiple methods like affiliate links, merchandise, brand sponsorships, fan funding, etc. This provides more income streams and protects you in case ad rates fluctuate.
Analyze performance data. Use YouTube Analytics to see which videos perform best. Identify trends in topics, formats, lengths, etc that gain the most traction. Produce more content based on high-performing criteria.
–Engage with your audience. Respond to comments, ask questions, and foster an active community around your channel. Loyal audiences are more likely to watch your content regularly and support you financially.
Stay up-to-date with algorithm changes. YouTube’s algorithm changes frequently. Adapt your metadata, titles, descriptions, etc. to align with the current algorithm for better video rankings.
Collaborate with other creators. Collaborations help cross-promote your content to new audiences. The other creator’s fans will be introduced to your channel and may subscribe
With persistence and consistency over the long term, you can build a successful YouTube Shorts channel that provides growing monetization revenue.
