YouTubers make money in two ways: from YouTube itself, through ads, YouTube Premium, Shopping and fan payments such as channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers and Super Thanks, and from work YouTube never sees, such as brand deals, merch, services, speaking and consulting. The YouTube streams open at different channel sizes, so a channel can be earning from its fans at 500 subscribers before it qualifies for ad money at 1,000.
That second point surprises a lot of people. It's easy to think of YouTube income as one switch that flips at a magic number. YouTube doesn't work like that. It's a set of separate streams, each with its own bar.
Six ways YouTube pays creators
Here's YouTube's own list of ways to earn in the Partner Program, with the bar for each and what YouTube says about the money, as of October 2026.
| Stream | How it works | What you need | What YouTube states |
|---|---|---|---|
| Watch Page ads | Ads on your long videos, also when they play in the YouTube player on other sites | 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 qualified long-form watch hours in 365 days | 55% of net revenue |
| Shorts Feed ads | Ads between Shorts, pooled each month into a Creator Pool | 1,000 subscribers and 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days | 45% of the revenue allocated to you |
| YouTube Premium | Part of a Premium subscriber's fee when they watch your content | Accept the relevant contract modules and be watched by Premium members | Paid when Premium members watch |
| Channel memberships | Fans pay monthly for perks like badges and emoji | 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, plus 3,000 watch hours in 365 days or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days | 70% of net revenues |
| Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks | Fans pay to highlight a message in live chat or in your comments | Be 18 or over, live where it's available, accept the Commerce Product Module | 70% of net revenues |
| Shopping | Your own store, or products you tag from other brands through the YouTube Shopping affiliate program | Meet the subscriber bar or be an Official Artist Channel | Store sales are paid by your merch retailer or platform |
Why fans can pay you before advertisers do
Look at the bars side by side. In YouTube's own eligibility table, channel memberships open at 500 subscribers, while ad revenue needs 1,000. The fan features also pay the bigger share, 70% against 55% on long-form ads, as of October 2026. Super Chat and Super Stickers mostly come from live streams, so if you go live you can read more about what live streams earn on YouTube.
So a small channel with a loyal audience doesn't have to wait for advertisers. Memberships also have extra conditions: your channel can't be set as made for kids or carry a significant number of made-for-kids or ineligible videos, and it can't be a music channel under SRAV.
The income YouTube's reports never show
YouTube's own help page on RPM is clear about what it leaves out: merch and the merch shelf, brand deals and paid partnerships (except YouTube Creator Partnerships), and anything else earned indirectly through YouTube, such as services, speaking and consulting fees. None of it shows in YouTube Analytics.
For many creators, that's the main income. A video brings in a client, a talk, a course sale or a brand partnership, and YouTube's numbers never record it. I won't put a figure on it, because nobody outside the creator's own books can see it.
How to get in and stay in
The full rules are in YouTube's monetisation requirements, but the path itself is short:
- Turn on 2-Step Verification for your Google Account.
- Reach 1,000 subscribers plus the watch hours or Shorts views, then accept the Partner Program terms.
- Link an active AdSense for YouTube account, or create one in YouTube Studio. Your channel then goes into a review queue.
- Wait for the decision. YouTube says it typically takes about 1 month.
- If you're turned down, appeal within 21 days, or keep uploading original content and reapply after 30 days. If it isn't your first rejection, the wait is 90 days.
Getting in isn't the end of it. YouTube may turn off monetisation on channels that haven't uploaded a video or posted to the Posts tab for 6 months or more. It also keeps reviewing channels against its policies. In July 2025 it renamed its repetitious content policy to inauthentic content, to make clear it covers repetitive or mass-produced videos. If you borrow someone else's content, you have to change it significantly to make it your own.
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The Shorts rule arriving in 2027
From February 1, 2027, earning a share of Shorts ad revenue from the Creator Pool and YouTube Premium revenue for any month needs at least 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days. The updated Partner Program terms have to be accepted in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027. If your channel lives on Shorts alone, that's the date to plan around, and fan payments and long videos are the obvious places to spread your risk.
My advice
I'd stop thinking of YouTube as an ad income and start thinking of it as a set of doors. If you've got a small, loyal audience, I'd aim for the membership bar first, because it's lower and the share is better. If you sell a service, I'd treat YouTube as your shop window and measure it on the enquiries it brings, not on AdSense. And I'd skip any plan that relies on Shorts ad money alone after February 2027 unless you're confident of 10 million views every 90 days.
Frequently asked questions
How do small YouTubers make money?
Often through fans first. Channel memberships open at 500 subscribers with 3 public uploads in 90 days and either 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views, while ad revenue needs 1,000 subscribers. Many also earn from services and brand deals outside YouTube.
Do YouTubers get paid for views?
Indirectly. Ad earnings are a share of revenue from viewers watching, and Shorts money is a share of a monthly Creator Pool based on engaged views. YouTube doesn't pay a fixed amount per view.
Can you make money from YouTube Shorts?
Yes, through the Shorts Creator Pool, where creators keep 45% of their allocated revenue as of October 2026. From February 1, 2027 you'll need 10 million qualified Shorts views in the last 90 days to earn it each month.
How do YouTubers make money from brand deals?
Brands pay them directly. YouTube's own help page says brand deals and paid partnerships, except YouTube Creator Partnerships, aren't included in RPM, so they sit outside YouTube's reports.
Can you lose YouTube monetisation?
Yes. YouTube may turn it off on channels that haven't uploaded a video or posted to the Posts tab for 6 months or more, and it keeps reviewing channels against its monetisation policies.
