Have you ever wondered how YouTubers monetize their content? Are you thinking of opening your channel and want it to be profitable? The answer to both questions is the same: be part of the YouTube Partner Program.
Being part of the YouTube Partner Program will give you the opportunity to start earning money, but for this, and in addition to taking into account the requirements to monetize on YouTube, you will have to meet a series of conditions to be a partner.
In this article we will tell you in detail what it means to be a Partner on YouTube and, more importantly, how you can become one, the conditions you must meet and the advice you should keep in mind.
What Does it Mean to be a Partner on YouTube?
In short, being a Partner on YouTube means that the platform will place advertising spots, or YouTube Ads, throughout the videos on your channel, which will provide you with income proportional to the number of visits they receive.
For this, it is necessary to be part of the Youtube Partner Program, a program specially designed by the platform to help content creators monetize their digital products through advertising. This program also includes other ways to generate income, such as exclusive channel memberships or being able to receive donations. Therefore, not all YouTube channel owners can obtain advertising income. That is, if your channel is not included in the program, YouTube may show ads on your videos, but you will not see a penny of that income, it will go directly to the platform.
Benefits of Being a Partner on YouTube
Entering the group of Partners on YouTube comes with many advantages for content creators, but also for companies that have an active channel on the platform and want to carry out video marketing strategies through it.
Among the most significant benefits that you can obtain by being a Partner on YouTube, we can highlight:
- Monetization: YouTube Partners can earn money through ads on their videos, YouTube Premium subscriptions, and features like Super Chat and Super Stickers.
- Greater visibility: the program helps creators to be more visible on the platform, which can increase views and income.
- Brand flexibility: partners do not have exclusivity with YouTube, which allows them to monetize their content on other platforms.
- Additional resources: gives access to more tools and functions to optimize the channel and improve the quality of the content.
- Priority assistance: YouTube Partners receive direct support from the YouTube team to resolve doubts and problems.
- Detailed statistics: the program gives access to detailed information about the performance of the videos and the behavior of the audience.
- Content protection: greater control over copyright and the ability to block content that infringes these rights through its content ID.
- Early access: opportunity to test new functions and participate in pilot programs before other creators.
- Exclusive events: invitations to workshops and events sponsored by YouTube to connect with other creators.
As you can see, these benefits have been thought out and designed to help creators grow, improve their content and, thus, increase their income on the platform.
How to Become Part of the YouTube Partner Program
If you want to start earning money by monetizing the videos on your YouTube channel, you will have to be accepted into the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), which will give you access to YouTube Studio, the platform’s tool that will help you manage the ads that will appear in your videos. For this, as we have been mentioning from the beginning, you will have to check that you meet the requirements set by the platform. Once you do, you can apply to be a YouTube Partner through a simple process.
Conditions to Participate in the YouTube Partner Program
In order to start considering applying to be included in this program to monetize your videos, you will first have to be sure that you meet the following conditions:
- You comply with the policies of YouTube for the monetization of your channel. This is essential if you hope to be able to sign a collaboration agreement with the platform.
- You live in one of the countries or geographical areas where this program is available. Google has a list where you can check if your country is included.
- You do not have any active strikes on your channel, that is, you have not received faults for breaching the Community Guidelines.
- You already have two-step verification activated in your Google account. You can use another password, a phone number, notifications or an Authenticator.
- Check that you can access the advanced functions on YouTube. First you will have to have enough history on your channel.
- You have an active AdSense account or, if you need it, you can create one in YouTube Studio, which will allow you to have access to this application.
Requirements to Monetize your Channel
Among the conditions that we have just seen, the requirements for monetization that the program requires to be a Partner on YouTube are mentioned. In order not to miss this opportunity, activate the “Notify me when I meet the requirements” option in your YouTube Studio account, so you will receive an email when you meet them all.
These requirements focus on you having a certain number of subscribers and hours of viewing, so that:
- If your content focuses on long videos, you need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of public viewing in the last 12 months.
- On the other hand, if you create Shorts, in addition to the 1,000 subscribers, you need 10 million views in the last 90 days.
In 2023 YouTube made a small extension to the program to accommodate smaller creators, allowing them to monetize their content earlier and have limited access to the functions, including those of Shopping.
The requirements for limited access are:
- Long videos: have 500 subscribers, 3 valid public videos in the last 90 days and 3,000 hours of valid public viewing in the last 12 months.
- Short videos or Shorts: 500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the last 90 days and 3,000,000 valid public views in the last 90 days.
How to Apply for Entry into the YouTube Partner Program
Once you meet all the requirements or have received the notification from the platform saying that you do, the next step is to make the formal application to the website to be accepted into the program.
This process is simple, you just have to follow the following steps:
- Open YouTube and log in to your account.
- When you click on your profile picture, a menu is displayed. Select “YouTube Studio”.
- On the left side, select the “Monetization” option. Click on the “Start” button and follow the rest of the steps that the web will indicate.
- Wait for the resolution of the review that YouTube will carry out on the application.
- Start to generate income.
The review procedure takes approximately one month, but if you meet all the conditions explained above, you should have no problems for YouTube to approve your application for the program.
If when entering the “Monetization” option, the only available option that appears is to receive the notification when you meet the requirements, this means that you are still missing some. But don’t worry, you can continue improving your channel until you become a YouTube Partner.
Tips for Becoming a YouTube Partner
Regardless of whether you are an accomplished content creator or if you run your company’s channel, monetizing your videos can be an important source of income, but it will also improve your reputation and give you greater visibility.
If you still do not have the necessary metrics to belong to the Partner program on YouTube, we bring you some tips to help you improve your channel, regardless of the content you upload.
We also recommend you take a look at our article on how to grow on YouTube where you will find a step-by-step guide to improve your presence on this platform.
Be Consistent with Publications
One of the most important factors is to offer valuable and good quality content, that your audience appreciates and finds useful. Try to publish frequently, respecting a calendar.
Optimize your Videos
Study how to position your videos well through SEO on YouTube, using relevant keywords in the titles, in the descriptions, and in the tags. Also place striking thumbnails that attract the public and, if you can, add subtitles to increase the reach.
Get a Good Team
Invest in quality equipment. You don’t need to set up a large setup, you can buy very good basic equipment. At a minimum you will need a camera, a tripod, a microphone, editing software and good lighting.
Personalize your Channel
Dedicate some time to making your YouTube channel attractive. Don’t forget to personalize your channel with an avatar, which will become the image of your brand. Also place an original header.
Use Strategies to Improve Engagement
Create thematic playlists to facilitate navigation for users. Make live broadcasts and include calls to action so that they share your videos and subscribe.
If you want to improve your channel’s strategy or receive advice to become a partner of the platform, from 2btube and as a YouTube agency, we offer you support to boost the monetization of your content, as well as its management and creation. Contact us for more information!