Can You Really Make Money with YouTube Shorts?

Can You Really Make Money with YouTube Shorts? The Straight Answer

Yes—you can really make money with YouTube Shorts, but most income won’t come from Shorts ad revenue alone. Shorts are powerful for reach, discovery, and building an audience quickly. The creators who earn consistently combine Shorts with multiple monetization streams, from affiliate offers to brand deals and fan funding.

Think of Shorts as your top-of-funnel engine in the make money online ecosystem. They attract new viewers cheaply and at scale, then you convert that attention into revenue through products, services, long-form videos, or email lists. If you only rely on Shorts ads, you’ll likely leave a lot of money on the table.

How YouTube Shorts Monetization Works in 2025

As of 2025, YouTube shares ad revenue from the Shorts feed with eligible creators through the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Ads appear between videos; revenue is pooled, music licensing costs are deducted, then the remaining pool is split among creators based on view share. After that, creators receive 45% of their allocated share (source: YouTube Help Center, 2023–2024 updates).

YPP eligibility still has two primary paths. Path A: 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months (long-form route). Path B: 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube also offers an expanded tier for fan-funding features at lower thresholds in many regions (commonly 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in 12 months or 3 million Shorts views in 90 days), which enables tools like Super Thanks and Memberships but not full ad revenue sharing.

What Creators Actually Earn from Shorts

Shorts RPM (revenue per 1,000 views) varies widely by country, niche, music usage, and seasonality. Based on creator disclosures and industry benchmarks, many report USD $0.02–$0.08 per 1,000 views, with outliers above or below. That means 10 million Shorts views could pay roughly $200–$800 from ads—solid, but not life-changing by itself.

Real income usually stacks. Creators pair Shorts with affiliate links, merchandise, brand integrations, memberships, digital products, and traffic to longer videos (where RPMs are often higher). The magic is in the mix—Shorts for reach, diversified monetization for revenue.

“The algorithm follows the audience. Focus on content people want to watch, and monetization options will follow.” — YouTube Creator team guidance, paraphrased from public talks

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A Practical, Step-by-Step Plan to Make Money with YouTube Shorts

Use this blueprint to go from zero to revenue. It balances fast growth with smart monetization so you can really make money with YouTube Shorts and not just chase views.

Step 1: Nail the Offer Before the Upload

Decide what you’ll monetize first, then create content that naturally leads there. If you want affiliate income, choose two or three relevant products with strong commissions. If you sell services, map Shorts to a simple booking funnel. Aligning content with the offer turns views into dollars.

• Affiliate example: Software with 20%+ recurring commission
• Digital product: $19 starter guide or template pack
• Service: 30-minute paid consultation or audit

Step 2: Produce Watch-Worthy Shorts

Hook viewers in the first two seconds with a bold statement or before/after. Keep it 20–45 seconds, 9:16 vertical, with on-screen captions. End with a crisp call to action like “Comment ‘guide’ for the checklist” or “Watch the full tutorial in my channel.”

• Structure: Hook → Quick proof or steps → Payoff → CTA
• Best practices: Clear text, high contrast, tight cuts, no dead air
• Frequency: 3–5 Shorts per week to learn fast and iterate

Step 3: Optimize for the Shorts Feed

Title and description should state the benefit clearly and include keywords like “make money online” when relevant. Use 1–3 precise hashtags (#YouTubeShorts, #Shorts, plus niche tags). Test variations of the same idea to find formats your audience watches to completion.

• Analytics to watch: Average view duration, percentage viewed, likes-to-views ratio
• Aim for: 70%+ completion on very short clips; 50%+ on 30–45 seconds

Step 4: Turn Views into Revenue

Don’t rely on ads alone. Add multiple monetization layers so every viral Short has more than one way to pay. Even modest view counts can convert with the right offer and CTA.

• Shorts ads revenue (via YPP): Mostly passive; fluctuates by niche
• Affiliate links: Place in channel description, pinned comments on related long-form, or link-in-bio landing page
• Brand deals: Package 1–2 integrated Shorts and usage rights; set clear deliverables
• Fan funding: Super Thanks on Shorts, Memberships with perks, or Patreon
• YouTube Shopping: Tag products if available; use seasonal promos

Step 5: Funnel to Long-Form and Email

Shorts are top-of-funnel. Pin a long-form tutorial that expands the topic and monetizes with mid-roll ads and affiliate links. Offer a free checklist or mini-course to build your email list so you aren’t dependent on algorithm swings.

• Landing page: Simple headline, benefit bullets, email form
• Welcome sequence: 3–5 emails with quick wins and a gentle offer

Realistic Earnings Math (So You’re Not Surprised)

Let’s run conservative numbers to set expectations. Suppose your Shorts RPM is $0.04 per 1,000 views. At 5 million monthly views, that’s around $200 in ad revenue. Helpful, but not the whole picture.

• Affiliate: If 0.5% of viewers click and 2% of clickers buy a $50 product at 20% commission, that’s roughly $250–$500/month on 5M views, depending on how many Shorts push the offer.
• Brand deals: A niche channel at 100k–300k average views per Short can often command $500–$2,500 per integrated Short (varies by niche and rights).
• Memberships: Even 100 members at $4.99/month yields ~$499 before platform fees.

Add these together and you can see why creators stack income streams: the blended RPM often far exceeds Shorts ads alone.

Mini Case Studies

Case A (Beauty, affiliate + brand deals): A creator averaging 4M monthly Shorts views earns ~$200 from ads, ~$1,200 from skincare affiliate programs, and closes two sponsored Shorts at $1,500 each. Monthly total: ~$4,400. Key tactic: “before/after” Shorts driving viewers to a long-form “full routine” with links.

Case B (DIY tools, affiliate + memberships): A woodworking creator with 2M monthly Shorts views sees ~$80 from ads, ~$1,600 from tool affiliates (high intent audience), and ~$400 from 80 paying members who get plans and live Q&As. Monthly total: ~$2,080. Key tactic: Shorts tease the build; members get detailed plans.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Only chasing virality: Views without a clear offer rarely convert into money.
• Weak hooks: If you lose viewers in the first 2 seconds, nothing else matters.
• No capture: Skipping email or community means missed lifetime value.
• Overusing copyrighted music: Music costs reduce the ad pool; consider original audio when possible.
• Ignoring niche: Broad topics are crowded; specific problems monetize better.

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FAQs: Can You Really Make Money with YouTube Shorts?

Q1: Do you need 1,000 subscribers to make money with YouTube Shorts?

A: For full Shorts ad revenue sharing via YPP, yes—1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days. Some fan-funding features may unlock at lower thresholds in supported regions, but that tier doesn’t include full ad revenue sharing.

Q2: How much does 1 million Shorts views pay?

A: It varies by niche and geography. Many creators report $20–$80 per 1 million views from Shorts ads (i.e., $0.02–$0.08 RPM). Treat this as directional, not guaranteed. The bigger money usually comes from affiliates, brand deals, and products layered on top.

Q3: Can you use copyrighted music in Shorts and still make money?

A: YouTube’s Shorts ad pool accounts for music licensing before splitting revenue, which can reduce what creators receive. You can still earn, but using original audio or licensed tracks can help keep more revenue in the pool associated with your views.

Q4: Will Shorts hurt my long-form videos?

A: Not inherently. Many channels use Shorts to drive new viewers to long-form content successfully. Keep your topics and style consistent across formats and include CTAs that point viewers to your longer videos or playlists.

Q5: What niches monetize best with Shorts?

A: Niches with clear purchase intent perform well: software, finance, beauty/skincare, fitness programs, DIY tools, and education. If you can demonstrate quick wins in 30–45 seconds and link to something useful, you’re in good shape.

Conclusion: The Smart Way to Make Money with YouTube Shorts

So, can you really make money with YouTube Shorts? Absolutely—but the winners treat Shorts as a discovery engine and stack multiple income streams. Shorts ads alone won’t make most creators rich, yet Shorts can fuel affiliates, brand deals, memberships, and long-form growth that compound over time.

Your next move: pick one primary offer, script three Shorts that logically lead to it, and publish them this week. Watch the analytics, iterate your hook and CTA, and add one new monetization layer every month. If you want a personalized action plan, subscribe and comment “plan” on my latest Short—I’ll share a free checklist to get you from views to revenue.

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