YouTube has announce a significant update to its monetization policies, making it easier for small creators to earn money from their content. The YouTube has lower the eligibility requirements for its YouTube Partner Program (YPP) and introduce new monetization methods for creators with smaller followings.
Creators will now be eligible to join the YPP once they reach 500 subscribers, which is half the previous requirement.
Also, the threshold for valid watch hours has been reduce from 4,000 to 3,000, and the number of Shorts views require from 10 million to 3 million.
These changes will initially be implemented in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea as of now and will roll out in other eligible countries with YPP.
As it’s important to note that revenue sharing through the YPP will still necessitate meeting the existing criteria.
So, creators who achieve the higher requirements will not be require to reapply to the program.
YouTube has been actively promoting its ad revenue-sharing program for Shorts, a move aim at encouraging creators to produce short-form content.
YouTube’s decision to expand monetization opportunities follows a similar trend seen on platforms like TikTok.
TikTok also introduce its video paywall feature, Series, which was initially available to creators with over 10,000 followers.
So, the company extend the eligibility to users with 1,000 followers who meet additional requirements.
This feature enables creators to offer premium content that fans can access by paying a fee.
The introduction of monetization features like tipping, paywalls, and shopping affiliations provides small creators with additional avenues to generate income from their content.
These features have become commonplace across various creator platforms and rely on an engage audience willing to support their favorite creators financially.
YouTube’s shopping affiliate program, previously accessible to select creators by invitation only, has also become available to YPP participants in the US with at least 20,000 subscribers, further expanding monetization opportunities for eligible creators.
By lowering the bar for monetization and introducing new features, YouTube aims to empower smaller creators to turn their passion into a sustainable income source.
These changes reflect a broader industry trend toward increasing support for content creators across various social media platforms.
