Monetization

The green monitization symbol.

Monetization (en-US) or Monetisation (en-UK) is the way to earn income on YouTube. It can be achieved in different ways, and can be turned on or off in a specified video by the user or YouTube itself for various reasons. Monetization is represented by a green icon containing a white dollar sign ($), and in order for a user to be eligible, the channel must be in the YouTube Partner Program.

Check for advertiser eligibility is done automatically and if a user believes a demonetization decision has been made by mistake, they can request a human review. Videos that were previously reviewed and have received a final decision should not change.

If monetization is turned off, it could display a gray variation of the icon if the user hasn't enabled monetization, a red variation of the icon if the video is not eligible for monetization, or a yellow variation accompanied with text that reads "Not suitable for most advertisers - Limited or no ads" if monetization is able to be appealed. Additionally, such videos may not be widely recommended across all viewers.

Monetization features

Advertisements

Main article: Advertisements

The monetization page on a video.

A creator can choose to place advertisements on their videos to generate revenue. YouTube displays ads based on the video's metadata and context. Also, they can automatically place ads for the creator in certain spots, at a certain frequency, in order to balance the creator's revenue and viewer experience. However, the creator can choose to add or remove as many ad breaks as they want, wherever they want.

When uploading a video, the creator has to fill a questionnaire to determine whether or not their videos would be safe for ads. Even after it is submitted, human reviewers will occasionally review all YouTube Partner Program members' channels.

YouTube Premium viewers

Monetized creators will earn revenue from YouTube Premium subscribers watching their videos. This can earn the creator a bit of money but isn't as efficient as revenue derived from ads due to lower amount of users. Conversely, though, the payment per user is higher.

BrandConnect

Partnered Creators may have access to BrandConnect, a platform where creators can contact various different brands to accelerate the sponsorship negotiation process and provide a safer enviroment for creators. The platform has several in-built features, such as a customizable media kit, with audience insights and statistics, such as channel growth, demographics, etc. The platform is available for creators based in the United States, India and Indonesia.

Fan Funding

Fan Funding features are paid by the viewer. These features can be unlocked earlier, at 500 subscribers, and either 3000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views.

Channel memberships

Main article: Channel membership

A creator in the YouTube Partner Program that is eligible can create memberships for their channel, which is paid monthly and is bought by viewers. Channel members can have multiple tiers, commonly a small, middle, and large tier. The creator can also create perks that only channel members have access to, such as badges, custom emojis, member-only streams and videos, and early access to videos. Creators may also earn from Gifted Memberships, where an user pays for a membership on behalf of another.

Super Chat & Stickers

Live streamers can enable access to Super Chat & Stickers, which are forms of paid digital goods. Super Chat is a feature where users can pay a sum of money in order to feature a message in the top of the live chat. The more the user pays, the longer the Super Chat stays. Super Stickers are very similar, but it features an animated sticker.

Super Thanks

Main article: Super Thanks

Super Thanks is a feature where users pay a sum of money to creators, in exchange for an animation that only the buyer sees, and a comment expressing their gratitude that anyone can see. Paying more money affects the visuals of the comment, changing the colors. Super Thanks has similar goals to Super Chats & Stickers, but the former is featured in normal videos.

Merchandising

Creators can set up their own merchandising store feature paid physical goods using a third-party platform, which is enhanced by placing the products in several spots, which can redirect users to their store, which are much more visible than links in the description.

There are several ways for a product to be displayed, such as a 'View Products' button inside of the video, a product shelf below the video and a separate channel tab dedicated to displaying the products.

Creators with more than 15,000 subscribers that are based in the United States can also display Affiliate links in the video. These affiliate links feature products from various different brands from many different business sectors.

AdSense

Main article: Google AdSense

AdSense is a platform that was created by Google on 2003. It is currently known for its use in the YouTube Partner Program on YouTube. By adding an AdSense account, creators allow Google to add and detract payments originating from YouTube.

Third-party services

Due to the relatively late expansion of YouTube's many monetization features, as well as the strict monetization requirements, most creators have resorted to using third-party services. They are not supported by YouTube as additional features, with the exception of certain merchandising platforms.

The most well-known of these services is Patreon. Patreon is a website that lets users make recurring monthly payments to creators, in exchange for several benefits. These benefits may be separated in several different tiers. It is functionally similar to YouTube's Channel memberships.

YouTube Networks/Partners

YouTube partners like Machinima or SocialBlade are networks that give money to their creators, though the creators need to do some requisites. The first YouTube network, Maker Studios, was created on 2010 and is well known though that is considered controversial by many.

YouTube added new rules for partnership in January 2018:

• Your channel must have 1000 subscribers or more to be able to become a partner, and;
• You must have 4000 or more watch hours over the course of the last 12 months.

Then, when Shorts were introduced, YouTube allowed Shorts creators to monetize, with the requirement being 10 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. It serves as an alternative to 4000 watch hours, as Shorts can't receive watch time in the Shorts shelf.

Later, in June 2023, YouTube introduced new requirements for partnership:

• Your channel must have 500 subscribers, and;
• You must upload 3 public videos in the last 90 days, and;
• Your channel must have 3000 or more watch hours in the last 12 months, or;
• You must have 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days.