How to monetize YouTube channel in 4 steps?
Social media has become a real source of money for many people all around the world, and most of them love their jobs, as they basically own the "work" and have a great potential to make high amounts. If you are a beginner and want to know the ways to make money off of YouTube, you are at the right place. Today, we will show you how to monetize your YouTube channel in four easy steps!
YouTube has more than 2.5 billion users, which means that there might be thousands of people interested n your content. With over two billion active monthly users, it's no surprise that many creators want to monetize their channels and make a living from their content. Let's cut to the chase and look at how to monetize your YouTube channel!
How to monetize YouTube channel: Make money while you sleep
In the past couple of years, you might have seen ads of people selling their passive income lessons. The ideology behind this is to make money even when you don't work. Your YouTube channel will also work the same. Even when you are not editing any videos, people from all around the world will be watching the ones that are already up on the channel, and you will make money off of those videos.
Unfortunately, YouTube doesn't let users monetize their channels right away. You have to comply with its policies and reach a couple of milestones to start earning passive income on the platform. So, what are these steps, and how to monetize YouTube channel? Below you will find all the steps you must follow!
Reach 1,000 subscribers
First things first, you must have at least 1,000 subscribers to monetize your YouTube channel. There is no time limit or anything, and you only have to reach 1,000 subscribers. It could happen in a couple of months, or even years, depending on your interest and content.
YouTube doesn't expect anything different other than reaching 1,000 subscribers directly. It is pretty straightforward, and reaching 1,000 subscribers is truly an important milestone that will motivate you to monetize your YouTube channel.
Generate over 4,000 Watch Time hours in the last 12 months
YouTube expects its creators to generate over 4,000 Watch Time hours over the last 12 months. This means that your content must have been watched for 4,000 hours in the last year from today. Many people get confused about this; if your channel is active for 18 months and you have generated the necessary Watch Time hours in that time, YouTube won't let you monetize your channel as it strictly says "in the last 12 months."
Luckily, live streams also count on top of regular videos, so you can also benefit from that feature. Unfortunately, YouTube Shorts views don't count as they have a different metric. If your Shorts get 10 million views in the last 90 days, YouTube will let you monetize your content! Don't forget that unlisted videos also don't count.
Set up an AdSense account
If you want to learn how to monetize your YouTube channel, you must also know how to set up an AdSense account. Google's AdSense lets you earn money off of your ads on videos. It also creates a way for YouTube to pay you. AdSense is only for ads that appear in your videos and doesn't cover sponsored content or others.
You can connect multiple YouTube channels to a single AdSense account, which makes it easier to track all your money if you have multiple ideas.
Comply with YouTube policies
Of course, you need to comply with YouTube policies to monetize your channel. When you apply for the YouTube Partner Program, the company will monitor your content and see if it complies with its policies and guidelines. You can't upload inappropriate videos to YouTube and obviously can't make any money off of them.
YouTube checks:
- Main theme
- Most viewed videos
- Newest videos
- Biggest proportion of watch time
- Video metadata (including titles, thumbnails, and descriptions)
"When you apply for the YouTube Partner Program, you'll go through a standard review process to see whether your channel meets YouTube's policy and guidelines. Only channels that meet them will be accepted into the program," says the company.
You also can't use music or footage that you don't own the copyright of. Try to use non-copyright music or footage that you can find on the platform.
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