Whether you’re an aspiring influencer or keen to make money producing user-generated content, joining the YouTube Partner Programme should be on your hitlist. Acceptance in the programme brings everything from ongoing support to monthly revenue. When you read about Mr. Beast’s YouTube business netting $473 million (£359 million) in revenue during 2024, it’s worth remembering his journey started by joining the Partner Programme.
How do you join and, most importantly, how does the Partner Programme make it worth your while? Here’s a peek inside the system.
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YouTube’s whole business model relies on creators continually producing quality content. The Partner Programme helps that happen, with monetisation features to incentivise creators and support tools to help them grow.
As YouTube itself notes: “The YouTube Partner Program [as it’s spelled in the US] is here to provide support when you need it, connect you with the wider Partner community, and help you earn money for the videos you make.”
Consider it a mutually beneficial business arrangement between YouTube and creators. You bring in enough views, and they reward your efforts with income and exclusive features.
1. Monetisation
“Being a YouTube partner opens up a world of monetisation – everything from AdSense to memberships to merchandise and even affiliate sales,” says content creator and YouTube Partner Cassandra Bankson. “Or you can even put your favourite products in a Store shelf.”
Those features allowed YouTube to pay creators over $100 billion (£758 million) in just the past four years. Here’s how each one works.
Ad sharing
Creators get 55% of revenue from ads shown before, during, or after their long-form videos, and 45% for ads shown between Shorts. Experts estimate that works out to around $0.20 (£0.15) to $2.50 (£1.88) per 1,000 views.
Premium subscriptions
An estimated 125 million users have purchased a premium subscription, for which they lose the ads. YouTube shares the subscription revenue generated with the creators whose videos they watch each month.
Super Chat
Fans pay to have their messages highlighted in the chat during livestreamed videos. Each viewer decides how much to spend, with limits of $500 (£376) per day or $2,000 (£1,505) per week.
Super Stickers
Fans pay to highlight their chat message and have an animated image pop up during livestreams. Spending limits match those for Super Chats.
Super Thanks
These are much like Super Chats and Super Stickers, but for animations and customisable comments in standard long-form videos. Viewers may spend between $2 (£1.50) and $50 (£37).
Gifts powered by Jewels
Much like (*cough* clearly inspired by) TikTok Coins, Jewels can be purchased by viewers in bundles, sent to creators during vertical livestreams to show support, and redeemed by creators as Rubies worth approximately 1 US cent (0.7 pence) each.
YouTube Shopping
Creators promote their own products in videos or sell the wares of brands using affiliate links. Here’s how 12 such creators have made money with YouTube Shopping. (It’s worth noting that the same model is available and widely used in the UK.)
Channel memberships
Viewers pay anywhere from £0.99 to £439.99 per month to become channel members and access exclusive benefits chosen by creators.
BrandConnect
Insights-based matchmaking tools allow creators and brands to connect for sponsorships and other paid collaborations.
2. Support
YouTube wants your channel to grow, so it puts a suite of features at your fingertips to ease the journey and proffer advice.
24/7 support
“YouTube’s support team has your back, and as a creator there’s always going to be different challenges or issues that we face,” Bankson says. “YouTube’s Partner team is there to help answer your questions.”
You can get in touch via email or live chat to troubleshoot issues with your account, ask about copyright and policy guidelines, receive technical advice, or talk through strategies to manage your YouTube presence.
Content protection
YouTube’s Copyright Match Tool scans for videos that are the same or very similar to your own. Creators can view matches in YouTube Studio and either request the video be removed or contact the channel directly if a suspected copy crops up.
Once a video is removed, clicking “Prevent copies” in YouTube Studio means future copies of the same content will automatically be prevented from being published.
Personal partner manager
Available on an invite-only basis for six-month stretches, “your own personal YouTube expert” can provide one-to-one support, invitations to community events, and a first look at new creator programmes. It’s there to help unlock a creator’s potential.
Analytics
These help you keep your finger on the pulse concerning all the key metrics YouTube creators need to think about. Beyond standard key performance indicators (KPIs) such as views, watch times, and subscriber count changes, you’ll see data related to audience demographics, how viewers engage with each video, how viewers find your content, and how much you’re earning and where it’s coming from.
3. Community
Events and experiences such as VidCon and Creator Collectives put you in touch with other YouTubers and, as YouTube puts it, “build a strong sense of community, enabling knowledge-sharing, collaboration, and growth alongside other passionate creators.”
“You get to meet a bunch of different people at YouTube,” says creator Xtina Lopez. “You get to connect with people that have similar interests and that are also pursuing content creation.”
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The basic YouTube Partner Programme requires that creators have 500 or more subscriptions, three valid uploads, and 3,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months or 3 million valid Shorts views in the past 90 days.
Unlocking ad revenue requires 1,000 or more subs, as well as 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days.
Channels must also have no Community Guidelines strikes, have two-step verification on their Google Account, unlock advanced features, follow YouTube channel-monetisation policies, and have their channel linked to one active AdSense for YouTube account (or be ready to connect to one).
Joining is easy-peasy once the above mentioned YouTube Partner Programme criteria have been met.
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Click your profile picture in the top-right corner, and then click “YouTube Studio” and “Earn” from the menus on the left.
- Select “Apply” to get started.
- Click “Start” to review and accept the base terms.
- Click “Start” to create your AdSense for YouTube account or link an existing one.
Automated systems and human reviewers check your channel to ensure compliance with policies and guidelines, and then accept or deny your application within about a month.
You can find the full list of eligible countries here. There’s over 100, including the UK, Ireland, the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.