If you’ve ever dreamed of turning your YouTube hobby into a money making business, monetization is your first big milestone. Monetizing your channel means you can start earning revenue from ads, channel memberships, Super Chats, and even YouTube Premium views. But it’s more than just income, it’s also access to better creator tools, dedicated support, and extra features to help you grow your channel.
The gateway to all of this? The YouTube Partner Programme (YPP). Here's what you need to know to join and start earning.
YouTube Monetization Requirements
The YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) opens up monetization features and resources for creators. Once you're in, you can start earning a share of the ad revenue that runs on your content and access enhanced support directly from YouTube.
To be eligible for YPP, you need to meet a few key requirements:
Prerequisites for Joining the Programme
Before applying, make sure your channel checks all of these boxes:
- Comply with YouTube’s channel monetization policies
- These include community guidelines, terms of service, and copyright rules.
- Live in a country or region where YPP is available
- You can check YouTube's official list to confirm your location is supported.
- Have no active Community Guidelines strikes
- If you've received a strike, you'll need to wait until it expires before applying.
- Enable two-step verification
- This adds an extra layer of security to your Google account.
- Be eligible for YouTube’s advanced features
- This includes options like custom thumbnails, live streaming, and more.
- Link an active AdSense for YouTube account
- You’ll need this to actually get paid. You can set one up directly through YouTube Studio.
How to Meet the Participation Requirements
Once the prerequisites are covered, it's time to hit YouTube's main performance benchmarks. You have two different paths to get there:
Option 1: Long-Form Content Path
- At least 1,000 subscribers
- 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months
Option 2: Shorts Content Path
- At least 1,000 subscribers
- 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days
You only need to hit one of these two sets of criteria to become eligible for monetization. Once you do, head to the Monetization tab in YouTube Studio and select Get Notified. YouTube will send you an email when you qualify to apply.
Final Thoughts
Getting monetized on YouTube takes time and consistency, but it’s 100% doable. Whether you're creating long-form content, Shorts, or a mix of both, focus on delivering value and engaging your audience. Stay within YouTube’s rules, stay active, and keep growing, monetization will follow.