Following the triumphant success of TikTok in the last three years, short-form video content is now one of the most interactive forms of media. 

And, it wasn’t long before the fellow video-sharing company, YouTube jumped on the hype, launching Shorts globally on July 13th 2021. In a similar context to the early days of TikTok, Shorts allows content creators and brands alike to share a vertical video at a maximum length of 60 seconds. 

Again, the launch was successful and now YouTube’s Partner Program is providing Shorts creators with the opportunity to generate revenue from their content. 

To join the Partner Program, you must meet one of the requirements below: 

• Have 1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views across the last 90 days.
• Have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours on long-form videos. 

The monetizable content shared must also follow the Youtube Originality Policy, meaning it must be created by you and not feature second-hand content.

It’s been advised that the ad revenue-sharing model for Shorts is different from video creators earn revenue on regular figures. This blog takes a closer look at how the process works so you can weigh up the idea of if Shorts monetization is worth it.

How Does Revenue Sharing for YouTube Shorts Work? 

Gaining Shorts ad revenue works differently from traditional YouTube video content. 

To begin with, revenue from the advertisements appearing between Shorts in the Shorts feed will be collected together.

A portion of the total revenue will then be added to a “creator pool” depending on views and music usage generated across watched Shorts.

The total revenue from the Creator Pool will then be allocated to eligible based on their amount of total views. Monetizing creators can keep 45% of their allocated shorts revenue. 

To view your Shorts earnings and review performance, head to the Revenue tab in YouTube Studio Analytics, which will display your daily estimated earnings and views by content type. 

Within this, the “How you make money” card will provide a detailed insight into your earnings across Shorts, long-form videos, and live content. 

How Can You Start Earning Revenue With YouTube Shorts

If you’re a part of the YouTube Partner Program, you can find the short monetization agreement underneath the “earn” tab in the YouTube studio.

Click “Get started” under “Shorts feed ads” and agree to the terms. 

If you’re not yet a part of the YouTube Partner Program, you must start accumulating views to meet the requirements mentioned at the start of this post. 

Your Shorts views can be taken from anywhere people can watch Shorts, including the YouTube watch page.

Once you begin to create content, you can track your progress towards meeting the eligibility criteria within the “Earn tab”. 

I must note, that if you’ve gained revenue from the Shorts fund in the past, you are not automatically qualified for Shorts monetization. 

Thanks for reading,

Myk Baxter, eCommerce Consultant