How to Make Money on YouTube Shorts in 2026 (Yes, It Actually Pays)

How to Make Money on YouTube Shorts in 2026 (Yes, It Actually Pays)

Let's address the elephant in the room: YouTube Shorts pays a lot less per view than regular YouTube videos. We're talking $0.03–$0.07 per 1,000 views versus $1–$20 per 1,000 for long-form content.

So why is everyone and their dog making Shorts?

Because reach. A Shorts video can hit a million views in 48 hours. A regular YouTube video that hits a million views in 48 hours is practically a viral miracle. The economics of Shorts aren't about getting rich per view — they're about building an audience at a speed that long-form content simply can't match.

But can you make money on YouTube Shorts? And how much? Let's go through all of it.

YouTube Shorts Monetization: How It Actually Works

YouTube Shorts monetization changed completely in early 2023 when YouTube replaced the old Shorts Fund with a proper revenue sharing model. Here's how youtube shorts monetization works now:

Instead of paying individual creators based on performance bonuses (the old way), YouTube now:

1. 1.Pools ad revenue from ads shown *between* Shorts in the feed
2. 2.Allocates a portion to the Creator Pool based on views
3. 3.Pays you your share based on how many Shorts views you contributed to the pool
4. 4.YouTube keeps 45%, you receive 55% — same split as long-form

The big caveat: music licensing. If your Short uses licensed music from YouTube's library, a portion of your revenue share goes to the music rights holders. Shorts using fully original audio keep the entire creator share.

This is why youtube shorts revenue is noticeably lower for Shorts with popular licensed songs versus Shorts using original voiceover or no music at all.

YouTube Shorts Monetization Requirements in 2026

Before you earn a cent from youtube shorts payment, you need to qualify for the right tier. There are two:

Tier 1 — Memberships & Super Thanks Only:

• 500 subscribers
• 3,000 public watch hours in 12 months OR 3 million public Shorts views in 90 days
• Unlocks: Channel Memberships, Super Thanks, Super Stickers, Super Chat (live)
• Does NOT include ad revenue

Tier 2 — Full Ad Revenue (Standard YPP):

• 1,000 subscribers
• 4,000 watch hours in 12 months OR 10 million public Shorts views in 90 days
• Unlocks: Everything in Tier 1 PLUS ad revenue sharing on Shorts
• This is the full youtube shorts monetization requirements package

The Tier 2 Shorts path (10 million views in 90 days) sounds insane, but Shorts virality is very real. One video that catches the algorithm can generate 10 million views in two to three weeks. This path is designed for creators who go big on Shorts volume.

How Much Does YouTube Shorts Pay? The Real Numbers

Here's the number everyone wants: how much youtube shorts pay for 1,000 views.

Average: $0.03 – $0.07 RPM

Breaking that down by niche:

Compare this to long-form YouTube content where finance channels earn $8–$20 RPM and you'll understand why the top creators use Shorts for *growth*, not for direct youtube income from views alone.

How much youtube shorts pay for 1 million views? At average RPM, roughly $30–$70. In a high-CPM niche at peak Q4 rates, you might push $150–$200. For entertainment content, you might see $15–$25.

How much youtube shorts pay for 1 billion views? (The dream, apparently.) At $0.05 average RPM, that's $50,000. Which sounds great until you realise 1 billion Shorts views is not something that happens casually.

Can You Make Money Off YouTube Shorts Without Ad Revenue?

Yes — and this is often the smarter strategy for Shorts creators. If you're not at 1,000 subscribers yet, here are four ways to make money on YouTube with shorts *right now*:

1. Channel Memberships (500 Subscriber Threshold)

Once you hit Tier 1, you can launch a membership. Even 50 members at $4.99/month = $250/month recurring — with zero dependency on views, algorithms, or ad markets.

2. Affiliate Links in Descriptions

No subscriber minimum. No YPP needed. Drop an affiliate link in your Shorts description, pin a comment with the link, and earn commissions when viewers buy. Shorts about product reviews, comparisons, or "best of" lists work extremely well for affiliate monetization.

3. Merch Shelf

Available at 10,000 subscribers. If your Shorts have a consistent personality, brand, or meme — merch converts surprisingly well. The Shorts audience is sticky in a different way than long-form viewers.

4. Drive Traffic to Long-Form Videos

This is the real Shorts money play. Use Shorts to get new viewers, then link to a long-form video in the comments. Long-form videos earn $1–$20 RPM. If your Shorts bring 100,000 new viewers per month and 5% watch your long-form content, that's 5,000 monetisable views at 10× the rate. The math is significantly better.

How to Monetize YouTube Shorts: Step-by-Step

Once you meet the youtube short monetization requirements, here's the exact process to get monetized on youtube shorts:

Step 1: Open YouTube Studio → Click Earn in the left sidebar

Step 2: If you haven't applied yet, click Apply Now and follow the review process (typically 2–4 weeks)

Step 3: Link your Google AdSense account. Create one if you don't have it — it's free and takes 10 minutes.

Step 4: Enable monetisation on your Shorts. Go to Content → select a Short → Monetization → turn on.

Step 5: YouTube's algorithm begins placing ads in the Shorts feed around your content. Revenue accumulates in AdSense and pays out monthly when your balance reaches $100.

One thing to know about monetized youtube shorts: you cannot turn on mid-roll ads on Shorts (they're too short). Revenue comes entirely from the between-video feed ads, which is why the RPM is lower than long-form. This is baked into the model — not something you can change.

YouTube Shorts Strategy: Making the Low RPM Work for You

The creators making serious money from Shorts aren't trying to retire on $0.05 RPM. They're using one of these three models:

Model 1: Shorts as a Top-of-Funnel for Long-Form

Make Shorts that tease your long-form content. "Full breakdown in the video" → link it. Even a 3% click-through from Shorts to long-form turns a $0.05 RPM channel into a $3–$5 RPM effective rate when you count the downstream views.

Model 2: Shorts + Sponsorships

Get to 50,000–100,000 Shorts subscribers and you become attractive to brands for sponsored content. A single sponsored Short from a 100K Shorts channel can earn $500–$2,000. Your Shorts RPM is $0.05; your sponsored short RPM is approximately $50–$200. See the difference.

Model 3: Shorts-Only Creators Going for Volume

Some creators publish 2–5 Shorts per day, aim for volume at scale, and accept the low RPM as the cost of doing business. At 100 million Shorts views per month (aggressive but achievable for viral-focused creators), even $0.05 RPM generates $5,000/month in ad revenue alone, plus membership and affiliate revenue on top.

What Nobody Tells You About YouTube Shorts Revenue

A few things that catch new Shorts creators off guard:

Views don't carry over between 90-day windows. The 10 million Shorts views for full YPP qualification must happen within a 90-day rolling window. If you hit 8 million in one window and 5 million in the next, neither qualifies. You need 10 million in the *same* 90 days.

Shorts analytics are separate from regular YouTube analytics. In YouTube Studio, filter by "Shorts" specifically. Your overall channel analytics mix Shorts and long-form together, which can make both look confusingly mediocre.

You do not get paid for Shorts views that happen before monetisation. All those views your Shorts accumulated before you joined YPP? Not retroactively monetised. Zero. The meter starts when your YPP is active.

Shorts RPM varies month-to-month. Just like long-form, Shorts youtube shorts revenue peaks in Q4 and drops sharply in January. Don't compare your December and January earnings without accounting for this.

Should You Make YouTube Shorts in 2026?

The honest answer: yes, but not primarily for direct ad revenue.

Make Shorts to grow your channel faster. Make Shorts to find out which of your content ideas resonate before you commit to a 15-minute video. Make Shorts to stay visible when your long-form upload schedule gaps. Make Shorts because the algorithm currently favours channels that use multiple formats.

But if you're asking "how do youtube shorts make money" expecting the answer to be "a lot per view" — adjust that expectation now. The money from Shorts is indirect, compounding, and strategic. It's real, just not in the way most people imagine when they hear "YouTube pays creators."

Want to see what your Shorts channel is worth right now in terms of sponsorship potential and estimated earnings? CheckTheWorth.com gives you a free instant estimate — enter your YouTube channel handle and see your numbers.

*Ready to check whether your Shorts channel qualifies for monetisation and what you're worth to brands? Use the free YouTube Channel Worth Calculator — no account needed.*