Ever since the first video on YouTube was uploaded, titled “Me at the zoo” in 2005, YouTube as a video streaming service has come a long way. With almost 5 billion videos watched per day, this has turned into a serious business for YouTubers. From getting monetized via ads to affiliate marketing, people are making money in the millions with videos that last for just a few minutes.
Note: Recent update from YouTube states, any Watch-Hours increased as a result of running Google/YouTube Ads will not be counted under Public Watch-hours for monetization.
YouTube allows for content to be uploaded freely as long as it does not violate its policies. Getting monetized for these videos, on the other hand, requires a certain set of criteria to be fulfilled before your videos can start making any money.
To get paid for ads and views, you need to be part of the YouTube Partner Program. This can be a hassle for beginners on YouTube. Earning money off content that you work hard to create shouldn’t be difficult and so we made it a point to break it down so that anyone and everyone can understand and apply for it.
Here are the requirements for YouTube monetization eligibility:
- Live in a country where the program is available
YouTube Partner Program is unavailable in certain countries due to various reasons. Some of the restrictions are due to YouTube’s disinterest to traverse through difficult tax laws and certain international laws. Luckily, almost 90% of the countries are eligible so chances are, you are in a country where it is available (List of countries eligible for YPP).
- Agree to all the policies
YouTube requires you to agree on their YouTube monetization policies before making money off your videos to avoid any complications at later stages.
- Have more than 4000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months
This is a huge ask from new YouTubers who joins YouTube in hoping they will make some quick money. This has been in place to ensure that money can’t be made off any random video uploaded. YouTube is always working towards increasing the quality of content. Asking for 4000 hours of public watch time before allowing monetization through ads and views acts as an incentive for creators to ensure that they are making quality content.
- Have more than 1000 subscribers
Another eligibility criteria to ensure that content creators are creating quality content is to demand a minimum of 1000 subscribers. Getting subscribers is no easy task. Rarely do people subscribe to channels that contain only a handful of videos. By asking for a minimum of 1000 subscribers, YouTube ensures that genuine content creators get monetized.
Quick Tip: You can get 4000 watch-hours and 1000 Subscribers from Socioblend
- Should have an AdSense account
AdSense is a service provided by Google that lets content creators on YouTube place ads in their content. YouTube requires a channel to have a linked AdSense account. Missing this step would mean that you will still be part of the YouTube Partner Program but you won’t be able to make money through ads. Also, make sure that you only have one AdSense account linked to the channel.
(See also: Should You Buy YouTube Views in 2019?)
Step-By-Step Guide for the YouTube Partnership Program (YouTube Channel Monetization)
Now that you know what the requirements are, let’s get down to the steps to get your channel reviewed and accepted into the YPP program so that your videos can be monetized.
Step1: Click on YouTube Studio on the right top to enter into your Creator Studio. This is generally where you manage all activities related to your channel.
Step 2: Upon entering the Creator Studio, you should be welcomed into the channel dashboard where the uploaded videos (if any) are displayed. Choose “Other Features” and select “Monetization” to begin the review process.
Step 3: Clicking on “Monetization” should bring you to the page with the 4 main steps required to sign up for the YPP (mentioned in detail earlier in the article). Proceed with the first step of reading and agreeing to the terms and conditions.
Step 4: Sign up for an AdSense account. If your channel already has an AdSense account, this step should already be checked off. In case you do not have an account, proceed with signing up. Verifying and setting up an AdSense account can take anywhere in between 1 to 2 weeks.
Step 5: Once you have your AdSense account set up and linked, the next step is to decide on monetization preferences. This refers to what kind of ads you wish to be displayed in your videos over time. Display ads, Overlay ads, sponsored cards, and skippable ads are the different available options. Although chosen now, it can be changed anytime in the future depending on personal preference.
Step 6: The last and final step is to attain the required number of watch hours and subscribers. This is the most difficult step off the lot and for good reason. The count is displayed here and your channel will only be sent for review once these numbers have been reached.
If you have difficulty in this step, fear not, for we have some useful tips coming up.
And there you have it. If you’ve followed along, at this point, you should have yourself a YouTube channel linked with AdSense and ready to be monetized. An important point to be noted is that YouTube can take 2-3 months to review a channel before accepting it into its YouTube Partner Program. This is mainly due to the enormous number of applications from the thousands of applications being sent daily. YouTube generally works on the first-come-first-serve basis and hence there is almost always a queue. With the amount of money that can be made with good quality content, the wait is worth it.
How to Complete YouTube Monetization Eligibility Criteria
- Getting 4000 Watch-Hours and 1000 YouTube Subscribers
This is by far the most common issue faced by up and coming YouTubers. Effective SEO, proper titles and catchy thumbnails in some instances isn’t enough to get views and are mostly time consuming and does not guarantee any results. So, should you keep working and wait for 6-12 months without knowing you will achieve 4000 watch-hours and 1000 Subscribers? No! you don’t have to. There are YouTube promotion services to boost Views with higher watch-time and get genuine YouTube Subscribers. Is it safe? If you are using SocioBlend for this, I can assure you its 100% safe.
With thousands of satisfied clients and a large number of positive reviews online, they have become the top player when it comes to growing an online presence organically. Hitting the 4000 watch hours and 1000 subscribers becomes a piece of cake with the help of this service without the help of bots.
- My country isn’t listed as eligible
Sadly, this does not have a fix but there are alternatives. Although monetizing your videos through YPP is the most effective way to make money, there are other ways by which your videos and the views can translate into money. Affiliate marketing, getting sponsored by brands and services and collaborating with other YouTubers can also help you get paid.
It is a fact that many YouTubers earn more through these alternatives than through the ads. With that being said, the full-proof plan would be to hit all of these including the ads to maximize the profit.
(See also: 6 additional ways to monetize your videos and earn from it)
- I got rejected. What next?
Lucky for you, YouTube allows content creators to re-apply 30 after the rejection. Ideally, to ensure that your channel gets through, make sure the content you have created is in line with all their policies. Also, ensure that the views and subscribers are not generated by bots since this is a clear no-no for YouTube.
