How Many Views Do You Need To Get Paid on YouTube?

Posting videos to YouTube could turn content creation into a profitable career — but how many views do you need to get paid on YouTube? 

The good news is that you don't need millions of views or subscribers to start making money as a YouTuber. Discover the requirements for getting paid on YouTube and how to earn money in different ways. 

Making Money on YouTube: The Basics 

There are multiple ways to get paid on YouTube, and they fall into two main groups: money from external sources and money from YouTube itself. Let’s take a closer look at how they work.

1. Revenue From YouTube

To earn directly from YouTube, you have to apply for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). The YPP gives you access to an AdSense account, which lets you make money from the ads YouTube puts on your videos, but it also includes different avenues like fan support and the YouTube Shorts Fund. All of these depend on your subscriber numbers and watch hours — the total number of hours viewers have spent watching your videos.

The program has two categories of creators: the original and the Extended Partner Program. These are just the basics, and we’ll explore the ways YouTube helps you earn money below.

• Original YPP — This is for YouTube creators with at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours (in the past year) or 10 million YouTube Shorts watch hours (in the last 90 days). If you qualify, you can access Ad Revenue Sharing, YouTube Premium Subscription Revenue, and all other creator benefits. 
• Expanded YPP — This is for YouTubers with at least 500 subscribers, three valid public uploads in the last 90 days, and 3,000 valid public watch hours (in the previous 12 months) or 3 million valid public Short views (in the last 90 days.) Creators receive access to Fan Funding and YouTube Shopping only.

2. Revenue From External Sources

Through external channels like brand deals and affiliate marketing programs, you can make money without any minimum requirements. 

If you’re a content creator with an engaged follower base — meaning they interact with your content and trust your opinion — brands may want to partner with you to leverage this influence and promote their products. These partnerships are also known as sponsorships or paid ads. In the same vein, you can use affiliate links to promote products and earn a commission every time a viewer clicks the link and buys something.

Although revenue depends on multiple factors, here are a few examples of the amounts you could make:

• Nano Influencers (1,000–10,000 followers) — $20–$200 per YouTube video 
• Micro Influencers (10,000–50,000 followers) — $200–$1,000 per YouTube video
• Macro Influencers (500,000–1,000,000 followers) — $10,000–$20,000 per YouTube video

Remember, while there’s no hard minimum for brand deals and affiliate linking, having lots of engaged subscribers can increase your earning potential. Brands and sponsors are often interested in reaching a broad audience to maximize their impact, so the more subscribers and views you have, the more they’re willing to pay. 

Ways To Get Paid by YouTube

There’s no standard amount of YouTube money per view. How much you make depends on which ways you choose to monetize your videos. Here are three ways YouTube could pay you:

1. YouTube Premium

If you’re a member of the YPP on the original tier, you may be eligible for YouTube Premium revenue. 

YouTube viewers who sign up for YouTube Premium to watch videos without ads pay a monthly subscription. When YouTube Premium subscribers watch your content, YouTube pays you a portion of their subscription fee. The amount depends on your channel’s premium subscriber watch time.

To receive YouTube Premium revenue, visit YouTube’s Creator Studio and sign up under the “Earn” tab. 

2. YouTube Shorts Fund

YouTube Shorts are 60-second-long videos that run in a continuous feed, similar to Instagram Reels and TikToks. Between individual Shorts, YouTube shows sponsored content and YouTube ads. If you’re a member of the YPP and you post Shorts, you receive a percentage of this ad revenue. YouTube pools and divides it between YPP Shorts creators and YouTube itself.

Most creators earn around $0.05–$0.07 per thousand views from ad revenue sharing. In other words, if your Shorts video gets 1,000 views, you only make a few cents. It’s not much, but it can add up if your Shorts are getting millions of views.

3. YouTube Fan Funding

Loyal subscribers can show appreciation for your channel — and supplement your income — through Fan Funding. This YouTube feature allows you to receive direct financial support from your viewers. 

To join, visit YouTube Studio and select the “Earn” tab. There, you’ll see the funding features you’re eligible for. You should already be at least a member of the Expanded YPP.

Here are a few ways to receive fan funding:

1. Channel memberships — When you enable channel memberships, viewers will see a “Join” button on your content, which they can click to pay a monthly membership fee. You’ll post exclusive content and special perks for your members, building a community while earning extra income. YouTube pays you 70% of the revenue from your channel subscriptions and keeps 30%. 
2. Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks — When you live stream on YouTube, viewers can donate in exchange for a highlighted message or animated image that appears in the live chat. Viewers can also buy an animation that appears on your video and a customizable comment underneath. YouTube pays you 70% of the revenue from these purchases.

When Do You Start Making Money on YouTube?

There’s no specific number of subscribers or views where you’ll start YouTube monetization. It’s true that you can’t join the YPP until you have at least 500 subscribers, but that can’t stop you from finding an external stream of revenue. 

However, even with YouTube’s monetization, views and subscribers don’t make or break your earning potential. YouTube actually prioritizes watch hours — the amount of time people have collectively spent watching your content — over views for monetization. 

A high view count suggests that lots of people clicked on your video, but it doesn't show how much of the content they watched. Watch hours more accurately indicate how engaged your audience is and if they find your videos valuable enough to watch through entirely. Since YouTube pays you based on ad revenue, the longer your watch hours, the higher the chances that ads will show and generate revenue — which YouTube will pay you for.  

Growing on YouTube: 3 Key Things To Consider

Instead of focusing purely on views, share videos that connect with your audience to grow your channel and increase your watch time. The best way to make money is to be consistent and build a loyal audience who’s excited to watch through every video.

Here are a few more essential points to remember:

• One viral video versus consistent content — Uploading one great video every few weeks could maximize your channel’s reach and connect you with potential followers. However, being consistent with regular uploads is a better way to build a channel and start earning, even if not every video goes viral. Having multiple videos on your channel allows YouTube to recommend your other content to users who engage with just one of them, and that builds your subscriber count faster. 
• Quality versus quantity — While you do want to post content consistently, you shouldn’t start churning out videos every day. Decide what schedule is realistic for you — maybe it’s one video once a week or once every two weeks — and stick to it. Your audience will get excited about new uploads, and you’ll give yourself enough time to create high-quality content that doesn't feel rushed. ‍
• Views versus subscribers — If you’re trying to set goals for your YouTube channel, you don’t have to choose between a number of views or subscribers. Focusing on both is best for long-term success and monetization. High views are a sign of a video's immediate impact and popularity, and the more views you get, the more subscribers you’ll earn — and subscribers are more likely to watch a video through, engage with it, and earn you cash.

Elevate Your YouTube Earning Potential With Captions

Whether you're after YouTube revenue or income from external sources, consistency is key — but creating regular content can be demanding, especially if you want to post both longer videos and Shorts. 

Captions can help. The AI Shorts feature takes your long-form YouTube videos and converts them into Shorts for you, saving you hours' worth of editing. All you have to do is upload the link and export the Shorts you want. From there, you’ll be able to post more, boost your channel's exposure, and generate more YouTube revenue. `