From Content Creator to Earnings Expert on YouTube

Monetize YouTube Videos | The Ultimate Guide to Ad Revenue

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

Want to make money on YouTube? There are qualifications you have to meet before you can monetize your videos with ads, but you don’t have to have a huge channel.

Here’s everything you need to know to join the YouTube Partner Program and start earning ad revenue:

Qualifying for the YouTube Partner Program
How to Apply for Monetization on YouTube
What is Ad Friendly Content?
How to Get Paid Through AdSense
Which YouTube Videos Get the Highest Paying Ads?
Useful Terminology (CPM, CPV, CPC)

What is the YouTube Partner Program

YouTube’s Partner Program, or YPP, allows creators to monetize their YouTube videos through ads. If you are a YouTube Partner, that means you are earning revenue from the ads being shown before and during your videos.

Before you dive into the below guide, you may need a video editor to start your monetizing on Youtube. Filmora video editor will be the best choice.

Becoming a skilled video editor takes years of practice, but with Wondershare Filmora video editor, you can produce YouTube videos that have a professional look and feel, even if you are new to the world of video editing. This YouTube Video Creator has big icons and an intuitive interface, so those YouTubers who edit videos for the first time can quickly make a video.

Free Download

Qualifying for the YouTube Partner Program

In order to qualify for YPP, you need to prove that you’re creating consistent, original, content and that people are watching your content. YouTube believes that has been proven when you reach these qualifications:

1000 Subscribers
4000 Hours of Watch Time (over the past 12 months)

Not quite there yet? Here’s a list of actionable tips that can help you grow your channel.

If you meet these requirements and are approved for monetization, but then drop below them, your channel will not be automatically demonetized. YouTube may review your content and demonetize you if you seem to have stopped posting videos, but this will not be automatic.

Remember: meeting these milestones does not grant you automatic monetization.

You can apply for YPP when you reach the milestones above, but your channel will still need to be reviewed by a human working for YouTube. Reviewers will be watching for:

Nudity or sexual content
Harmful, dangerous, threatening, or hateful content
Violent or graphic content
Harassment or cyberbullying
Spam, scams, and misleading metadata
Copyright infringement or impersonation
Privacy violations
Fake subscribers
Other guidelines violations

If your content violates any of YouTube’s Community Guidelines you may be denied monetization. Learn more about YouTube’s Community Guidelines here.

How to Apply for Monetization on YouTube

Once you qualify for YPP, applying for monetization is easy.

In the Creator Studio, select Channel > Status and features.
Under ‘Monetization’, click Enable and follow the steps that appear to accept YouTube’s terms.
Wait to be approved.

If you’re approved, you can start earning money as soon as your AdSense account is set up!

If you’re not approved, you can apply again in 30 days.

To make sure you’re approved the next time you apply, review all of YouTube’s related policies (Partner Program policies , Terms of Service , spam policies , and Community Guidelines ) and remove the content that might be holding you back.

In order to start monetizing, you’ll need to link your channel with an AdSense account. You must be over 18 to create an AdSense account. YouTube creators under 18 can link to the AdSense accounts of their parents or guardians.

Here’s how to sign up for AdSense through YouTube:

Under Channel > Status and features in your Creator Studio, look for Paid content. Click where it says ‘active AdSense account’.
On the following ‘Monetization’ screen, click Next to go to AdSense.
You will be asked whether you want to use the Google account you’re already signed in to for AdSense, or if you want to use a different account.
The next step is ‘Your Website’. This will automatically be filled in with your channel. Click Accept association if it’s right.

Note: you can only have one AdSense account. Do not make a second one if you already have one. Duplicate accounts may be banned, which will stop you from monetizing your videos.

What is Ad Friendly content?

Not all content that meets YouTube’s Community Guidelines will be considered ‘advertiser-friendly’. Companies don’t want to run ads alongside content that doesn’t match the values of their brands.

YouTube may disable ads on any video it doesn’t think is ad-friendly. Videos which may be flagged as inappropriate for ads include (but are not limited to):

Videos that cover controversial or sensitive subjects.
Videos depicting the use of drugs or dangerous products.
Videos may encourage harmful or dangerous behavior.
Videos with swearing (but not ALL videos with swearing – quantity and context are factors).
Videos which contain hate speech.
Videos that depict family entertainment characters (i.e. Disney princesses) engaged in inappropriate behavior (even if you’re being satirical).

If you want to make sure all of your content is advertiser-friendly, here are some best practices suggested by YouTube:

Be respectful of your viewers and any people or groups you may include or mention in your video.
Extend this respectful tone to your thumbnails and video titles, and make sure your thumbnails and metadata accurately depict your video’s content.
Don’t try to monetize videos that already contain ads (i.e. paid product placement ).

In order to receive a payment from AdSense, you need to earn at least $100.

For example, if you only earn $10 in a month, you will not receive a payment that month. You will not lose that $10 – you will receive it when your total earnings reach or exceed $100.

You will also need to provide AdSense with tax information and verify your identity and address in order to start being paid.

The most popular way to get paid through AdSense is via an EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer). To receive your payments this way, you’ll need to link your bank account to your AdSense account.

Here’s how:

Log in to AdSense.
Click Settings in the menu on the left, and then select Payments.
On the Payments page, click Manage payment options.
Click the Add payment method.
You’ll be prompted to add your bank account details.
Make sure the name on your AdSense account matches the name on your bank account (if you’re under 18 and cannot make your own AdSense account, this may mean you’re using your parent or guardian’s bank account).

Which YouTube Videos Get the Highest Paying Ads?

Not all ads pay the same, and not all videos will be able to attract the ads that pay the most.

How much money your video has the potential to earn depends on:

The size of your channel
Your niche on YouTube
The specific topic of the video

That the size of your channel matters probably isn’t a surprise. The biggest brands want to run their ads beside videos that are getting more views.

Whether or not your YouTube niche has a high potential for profit will depend on a couple things:

How many other channels are in your niche?

The more people there are making similar videos to you, the thinner the available ads are spread.

How many cheap or expensive products are being advertised in your niche?

If the products are free or inexpensive (i.e. free online games) then that limits your earning ability. In large niches like gaming, the few higher paying ads will go to the most popular channels and the low-paying ads will be spread amongst everyone else.

If you have a very specific niche, i.e. luxury cars, then you will have less competition and the ads available will likely be for more expensive products (and thus the ads themselves will be higher paying).

Even if you are in a large niche, you can still make videos on specific topics designed to attract higher-paying ads and more revenue. Pay attention to the analytics in your Creator Studio to learn which of your videos earn the most. Then, make more videos on similar topics to boost your earnings.

Another factor that can affect what ads appear alongside your videos is the viewing habits of individual viewers. People are shown ads that YouTube believes are more relevant to their interests.

Useful Terminology (CPM, CPC, CPV)

A lot of people think your ad revenue is determined by your view count. This isn’t true – it’s determined by ad impressions.

How much revenue you earn from the ads running around your videos depends on these three things:

CPC: ‘cost per click’. Most of the ads on YouTube are CPC, meaning that an ad impression is only recorded when an ad is clicked on.

CPV: ‘cost per view’. Skippable pre-roll ads are the only ads on YouTube which record ad impressions without clicks. These ads record ad impressions when viewers watch 30 seconds of the ad instead of skipping it.

CPM: ‘cost per mille’ or ‘cost per thousand’. This refers to how much money gets paid out for 1000 ad impressions.

Your CPM will be affected by a multitude of things including the ads themselves and the size of your channel. AdSense has made it a rule that you cannot disclose your CPM to anyone, which makes it difficult to determine what you should expect.

Note: never click on ads near your own videos or instruct your viewers/friends to do so. If your clicks are higher than what AdSense considers normal they may ban you.

Sites like Social Blade provide estimated earnings for any channel you want to look up. Looking up channels that are where you plan to be in the near future could help you set your own expectations.

Are you able to monetize your videos? How many more subscribers or hours of watch time do you need?

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Streamline Videography: An In-Depth Look at YouTube Studio Editor

Create High-Quality Video - Wondershare Filmora

An easy and powerful YouTube video editor

Numerous video and audio effects to choose from

Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel

Try It Free Try It Free

Have you ever wished to modify a video on YouTube? If that’s the case, this guide will show you how. YouTube Studio Editor is built right into YouTube, allowing you to modify videos straight in your browser. You may add text subtitles and outline overlays to your videos to make them more accessible.

This article will lead you through the steps required to edit your YouTube videos and give them the highest quality possible on their platform.

What Is YouTube Studio?

YouTube Studio is a free, cloud-based video production software. It’s the ideal way to create, distribute, and measure the overall success of your films on YouTube, Google+, and the web. It provides powerful editing tools, real-time feedback on how your films are performing, and one-click posting from your PC or smartphone. YouTube Studio provides several features:

1. Manages Multiple Channels

YouTube Studio makes managing a couple of channels a lot easier. You can see all of your channels on one screen and switch from one to the other without difficulty. Simply select Manage Channels from the account icon in the top right corner. When you have a lot of money owing to you, you can modify it.

2. Get Real-Time Data On Your Channels

It’s critical to monitor where your YouTube channel is at all times as a YouTube content creator. If you want to access your YouTube channel analytics and use all of the other equipment and features in the app, go to the analytics section of the menu.

2. Get Real-Time Data On Your Channels

3. Make video edits

The YouTube Studio app is most useful for creating fast, vlog-style videos, but it can also handle other types of material. With titles, photographs and captions, transitions, and even music, it could create a number of videos with different purposes.

4. Scheduled Video Uploads

A few films will need to be posted later, given a content creator’s schedule or habit. When you’re in the publishing section of your project, you’ll see a visibility option that lets you schedule the release of your video.

5. Add more Users

It is possible to add partners to the studio if you are working on a project requiring teamwork. To make this option available, go to your settings and then adjust permissions. Authenticate the account you’re using and click the + symbol to add other users.

How to Edit Videos With YouTube Studio?

Get Started with YouTube Studio

Step 1: Go to YouTube Studio and sign in with your desired account. A menu will appear on the left side of the home screen.

Step 2: Select the video you want to modify by clicking its title or thumbnail.

Step 3: From the left-hand menu, choose Editor, and then click Get Started in the center of the page.

Trim your video’s beginning or ending

1. Go to the Trim button. In the Editor, a blue box will appear.

2. Click and drag the blue box’s sides. Stop when the box encloses the video segment that you want to save. You will eliminate anything from the video that is not in the box.

3. Select Preview to double-check your changes and save your file.

Remove a segment of your video

Go to the Trim menu. In the Editor, a blue box will appear.
Select the blue box at the start of the section you want to delete.
Choose Split.
Drag the blue bar to the end of the part you want to delete by clicking and dragging it.

## Is YouTube Studio editor enough for editing videos?

For film editing, YouTube’s video editor is insufficient. It includes a few basic features, but if you want to do some serious altering, you’ll need a third-party program.

Modern video editing software is fairly complex, and it allows you to make professional-looking movies without a lot of training. Several video editing tools are available that take things to the next level. They can use unique effects, transitions, and even 360-degree rotation to change the scene. Here are a few video editors to choose from.

1. Adobe Premiere Pro

One of the most well-known video editing software programs is Adobe Premiere Pro. It’s been used for professional video editing, design, and rendering by editors. Adobe’s most essential seasoned academic courses will teach you how to utilize the video editing program as well as its advanced features.

Adobe Premiere Pro may be used in a variety of unique ways. It may be used as a simple video editor or a program for editing motion pictures.

2. Filmora

Filmora Video Editor is an easy-to-use video editing program for beginners. Filmora Video Editor is the best solution for you if you are seeking a simple but efficient video editor that will assist you in making your movies seem professional. With this video editor, you can easily create a professional video with no learning curve.

It allows you to make the most beautiful and delicious videos for YouTube, social media channels or posting on many websites such as Facebook, Instagram, Vimeo, and YouTube.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

3. Blender

Blender is a free and open-source 3D computer graphics software tool program. Modeling, rigging, animation, simulation, rendering, compositing, and movement tracking, as well as video enhancement and game development, are all aided by it. Its straightforward and easy-to-use foundation makes it simple for beginners to start improving right away.

4. Hitfilm Pro

Hitfilm is a video editor with a wide range of features and effects to help you make your videos stand out. It has a variety of video editing features, such as the ability to trim and merge clips, making it simple to build personalized motion pictures and add finishing touches. It also features excellent color-correcting, which you can use to give your videos a professional look.

5. Lightworks

Lightworks is a strong, easy-to-use enhancement tool that works with a variety of codecs. It contains equipment that keeps the user in control and is built for speed, performance, and accessibility.

Their basic software package is available for free download and includes a wide range of features. The software program can export to various formats and supports 1080p HD images.

Conclusion

● As you can see, using YouTube Studio Editor to enhance your video is simple. We hope that these suggestions will help you edit and proportion your videos more efficiently in the future. If you liked the piece, please consider sharing it on social media or by email with a friend. Are there any more tidbits or tricks you’d want to learn more about?

Try It Free Try It Free

This article will lead you through the steps required to edit your YouTube videos and give them the highest quality possible on their platform.