How can I make money on YouTube?

YouTube income can come from more than advertising. Depending on eligibility and region, creators may use platform monetization features as well as sponsorships, affiliate relationships, products, courses, memberships, or their own services.

Platform eligibility changes over time and can vary by country and program. Always check current YouTube Partner Program and monetization documentation before treating a threshold or feature as permanent.

A business channel can monetize indirectly. A tutorial may bring a visitor who later buys a service, requests a quote, joins a mailing list, or uses a paid product. The video does not have to make money directly to have business value.

Build the audience and the offer together. If you want clients, make videos that demonstrate expertise around the problems your service solves. If you want product sales, teach the surrounding problem and show how the product fits.

Avoid shortcuts that create policy or trust problems. Do not buy fake engagement, reuse content without the necessary rights, or promise guaranteed income from a platform whose rules and distribution can change.

Until 31 January 2027, YouTube's full ads and Premium threshold for new applicants remains 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 valid public watch hours in the previous 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the previous 90 days. On 10 August 2026, TeamYouTube announced that from 1 February 2027 new applicants need 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 qualified watch hours in the last 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. Channels already in the YouTube Partner Program are not removed, and do not lose long-form ads access, only because they are under those new entry numbers. Fan-funding features stay on the earlier tier: 500 subscribers and either 3,000 qualified watch hours in 365 days or 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. From 1 February 2027, Shorts ads and subscription revenue also require 10 million qualified Shorts views in the previous 90 days; falling below that pauses Shorts revenue sharing but does not remove the channel from the program. Shorts Feed watch time does not count toward the long-form watch-hour threshold. Joining also requires an eligible country or region, no active Community Guidelines strikes, 2-Step Verification, access to advanced features, compliance with monetization policies, and an active AdSense for YouTube account. Existing members must accept the updated monetization terms by 31 January 2027 to keep earning from the related features. Confirm the live requirements in YouTube Studio before applying.

Originality matters. YouTube says monetized content should be original and authentic, and its policies address mass-produced, repetitive, and reused content. A channel should add real educational, creative, or entertainment value rather than producing near-identical videos simply to capture search traffic.