Making money through YouTube has long since been a dream coveted by the youth (both past and present), though the platform’s Partner Program has long since been reserved for its better-performing channels. Now, however, YouTube is changing the requirements for eligible channels to join up, allowing smaller creators to start earning some sort of revenue in their channel’s infancy.
Howdy, partner
YouTube announced the changes to its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) yesterday, giving smaller channels access to features like channel memberships, Super Chats, Super Thanks – also known as tipping (and money laundering), and the ability to promote their merch with YouTube Shopping.
It’s not nearly as difficult to join the club as it was before. Now, the program requires a channel to have reached the 500-subscriber milestone, half of the initial 1000-subscriber requirements. Those channels will need at least 3,000 valid watch hours in the past year, or 3 million Shorts views (in the last 90 days) – down from the 10 million views previously required. Lastly, they’ll need to have uploaded three videos – set to public – in the last 90 days before applying.
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At the time of writing, the updated requirements have rolled out to creators in the US, Canada, South Korea, Taiwan, and the UK. It added that it would continue to roll out the revised program to “all countries where YPP is available over time.” Hang tight, South Africa.
Unfortunately, ad revenue is still reserved for the platform’s more popular channels. If you’re hoping to join Forbes’ list of YouTube’s top earners, you’ll have to conform to the program’s previous requirements, meaning a bit more effort is required before the big bucks start rolling in.
As YouTube puts it; “As these creators continue to grow their channel, they’ll automatically become eligible to earn revenue sharing from ads and even more benefits once they reach the existing YPP eligibility criteria, without having to go through the full YPP application process again.”