YouTube Shorts Monetization 2023: How to Make Money with YouTube Shorts

The changing social media consumption needs have the left audience asking for more in a lesser time. Be it entertainment or information, it all sells in less than a minute. After Instagram Reels gained much popularity, YouTube came up with a similar feature, ‘Shorts.’ It is a massive opportunity for creators to monetize their ideas and efforts. Youtube Short Monetization is the new way to earn passive income for the creators and has been contributing to the Creator’s Economy for a while now. 

Precisely, if you are creative and you know it, create a Short!

Wondering how to make money with YouTube Shorts?

This article awaits your read…

What is YouTube Shorts?

As the name suggests, Shorts are short videos ranging from 30 seconds to 1 minute under YouTube’s ownership. They provide an aggressive organic reach of approximately 15 billion people a day, speeding up the creator’s growth. Ever since they were launched, there has been a pivotal shift from creating longer videos to something as compact as YouTube Shorts. Want to know why?

In 2021, YouTube launched a $100 Million Fund for Shorts creators which promised to select thousands of creators to be eligible for monetization. As long as the creator fulfills the prescribed criteria, they can be well-positioned with the benefits of YouTube Shorts monetization.

How to Monetize YouTube Shorts?

Once you’re in the YouTube Partner Program, you’re eligible for monetizing your Youtube Shorts. However, if you’re not eligible for the program, you can earn money through Youtube Shorts by either gaining 1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days or gaining 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours on your long-form videos.

There’s also another way to earn money from YouTube Shorts if you’re not eligible for the program:

YouTube created a fund of $100 million for creators who make short videos. They will select thousands of eligible creators each month to apply for payment from the fund. Even if these creators are not part of the YouTube Partner Program, they can still get paid if they meet the criteria. Creators can earn anywhere between $100 to $10,000 a month from this fund if they make great short videos. So, you can try out these methods to monetize your YouTube Shorts.

7 Tips to Consider While Applying for YouTube Short Monetization

1. Check For the Video Duration

The length of the YouTube Shorts is the real deal maker. The length of your video doesn’t need to touch a minute. Before you start creating your labor of vision, consider the following questions:

• How many seconds do I need to share my perspective?
• Is there anything that I may cut short of conveying my idea?

When you get your answers, it will become simpler to tailor your content and maximize the outcome. Remember, the more you’ll learn to value your audience’s time, the more they value your content.

2. Crack a Sponsorship or Brand Deal 

With so many small companies or businesses waiting to be seen by their target audience, partnerships can be a win-win situation for both parties. As a content creator, you must find deals or sponsorships that may be on similar lines to your content. 

Suppose you are creating educational content; a cool stationary supplier or a newbie author can be your successful collaborative party. This way, you can generate an income, and your partner gets its much-deserved promotion. 

However, you must consider the following aspects:

• Is the brand that I am going to promote genuinely?
• Have I had a first-hand product experience or just guesswork?
• What weighs for me: Getting money or promoting authenticity?

Although most creators automatically receive sponsorship requests, in case you are unable to, it’s recommended to pitch your favorite brands directly.

3. Watch Out For Your Thumbnails

How often do we skip videos purely based on how stupid the thumbnail looks? Very very frequently, right? That’s enough for you to focus on the quality of your thumbnails.

Thumbnails play a key role in deciding the viewership of a video. Since YouTube Shorts can be viewed as regular videos (before hovering play) on your channels, it is always good to chew over some attractive thumbnail options.

Here’s what you must take into account before deciding on the thumbnail:

• Does my thumbnail echo the subject of my content?
• What is the color scheme of my thumbnail?
• Is the font size appropriate?

Once your thumbnails comply with your expectations, wait for your Shorts to get viral!

4. Pick an SEO Optimized Relatable Title 

Similar to thumbnails, your title speaks a lot about you. People are more likely to click on videos with creative yet concise titles than wordy ones. We understand for some genres of creators; it is pivotal to choose titles that maintain the mystery of the video content. Even if you belong to that genre, don’t let your titles drift from the content that you are serving. 

While picking up a title, you must get answers for the following:

• Do my title, thumbnails, and content follow similar lines?
• Is the title long-drawn-out?
• Is the title misleading?

A great strategy would be to put yourself in the shoes of your target audience and see what you should avoid.

5. Determine Video Elements

As important as it is to zero in on the external video elements, the internal ones can be a big factor in getting you a step closer to YouTube monetization. No matter what genre creator you are, avoid putting long-form content in the video. Since the purpose of the Shorts is to deliver more in a lesser duration, your audience will focus more on quick and cogent text information. Moreover, if you are using background pictures in support of your content, make sure you don’t go overboard with them.

Here’s what you must glance at quickly beforehand:

• The length of text sentences
• The number of pictures
• The number of emoticons or GIFs, if any
• Slide Show Elements and their timing

6. Double Check Content Originality

With an information overload, the problem of plagiarism is bound to follow. And let us warn you that when it comes to generating income, YouTube has very strict policies regarding the originality of the content published. It’s natural for humans to store ideas in their subconscious from what they see, only to end up thinking that it’s their original idea. 

This happens very frequently with video creators. However, to establish your foot in your preferred genre, your content must be original. Furthermore, if you are planning to upload other creators’ watermarked content, then it’s a big NO!

What to consider, then? 

• Is my content plagiarism-free?
• Does my content have any sentences, dialogues, or links that are not original?
• Have I given the due credit for the external elements used in the video?

7. Consistency is the key

We all wait excitedly for our favorite content creator’s new post. Whether they post daily, weekly, or bi-weekly, the wait makes us long for them even more. Similarly, you must maintain consistency in uploading your Shorts. This is a tried and tested way to keep your subscribers hooked to your account, drives more engagement, boost reach and hence, earn more money! 

A useful tip would be to plan content ahead of your time so that even if you face some avoidable circumstances, you have something for your audience.

For one last time, check on the following points:

• Am I using YouTube Scheduling to schedule my content?
• Does my timely content compromise the quality of the content?

YouTube Shorts are the new 9-5. Consider your audience as your boss, your videos as your work file, and YouTube monetization as your appraisal. As long as you can hold on to your audience with the right content strategies, making money will be a piece of cake for you. So, here’s this wonderful opportunity that no one should miss!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Is making YouTube Shorts cost-effective?

Absolutely. YouTube Shorts ensures that the creators deliver content using cost-effective strategies. All you need is a smartphone and the internet to get started. There is no need to hire any creative agency; it’s free from any third-party hassles. Keep some patience, read everything on Google, and you are good to go!

2. How can I make Shorts stand out on my account?

It’s a fact that ‘Content is King.’ However, if you want to channel your audience towards other pieces of your labor of creativity, it’s best to make use of the ‘Pin’ feature. Under the comment section of your latest Shorts, you can pin your relevant playlist or video as a link. This will allow your audience to identify your other works as well.

3. Can I add music to my YouTube Shorts?

Yes. Adding music to your Shorts makes them all the more appealing and entertaining for the audience. Browse the latest trending music, and use them to increase the reach of your Shorts. However, be mindful that adding music as an irrelevant genre may even pull down your audience engagement in seconds.