What Is YouTube Shorts Fund?

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The YouTube Shorts Fund was a program that ran from 2021 to 2022. It was a $100 million fund designed to reward creators who made creative and unique Shorts for their contributions to the platform. Creators could earn anywhere between $100 to $10,000 each month based on the engagement and views their Shorts received.

However, as of February 2023, the Shorts Fund has been replaced by a new Shorts monetization system integrated into the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). This means creators can now earn money from their Shorts through both ad revenue and YouTube Premium subscription revenue sharing.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the current Shorts monetization system

Eligibility Criteria

Here are the eligibility criteria for monetizing YouTube Shorts as of October 2023:

1. YouTube Partner Program (YPP) Membership:
You must be a member of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) to be eligible for Shorts monetization. This program allows creators to earn money from their YouTube content through various means, including ads, subscriptions, and merchandise.

To join the YPP, you must meet the following basic requirements:

• Have a YouTube channel in good standing with no active community guideline strikes.
• Have 2-step verification turned on for your Google Account.
• Reside in a country where the YPP is available.

2. Channel Metrics:
In addition to being in the YPP, your channel must meet one of the following two criteria to be eligible for short monetization:

• Option 1:
  – 1,000 subscribers and 10 million valid public Short views in the past 90 days. This option focuses specifically on short engagement.
• Option 2:
  – 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours from long-form content in the past 12 months. This option considers both Short and longer-form videos on your channel.

Key Points:

• Shorts views from the Shorts feed count towards both the Shorts views and watch hours thresholds.
• Watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts feed do not count towards the watch hours threshold.
• Only valid public views are counted. This means that views from private videos, unlisted videos, or videos that have been removed for violating YouTube’s policies do not count.

Revenue Sharing

The current YouTube Shorts monetization system offers two ways for creators to earn revenue: ad revenue sharing and YouTube Premium subscription revenue sharing.

1. Ad Revenue Sharing:
Ads are shown between Shorts in the feed.

• Creator Pool:
  All ad revenue from the Shorts feed is pooled together each month.
• Sharing the Pool:
  A portion of the pool is allocated to cover music licensing costs (if creators use music in their Shorts).
  The remaining pool is then distributed among all monetizing creators based on their share of total Shorts views in each country.
• Your share:
  You receive 45% of the revenue allocated to you based on your viewership percentage.

2. YouTube Premium Subscription Revenue Sharing:
Some YouTube users subscribe to YouTube Premium, which grants them ad-free viewing, background playback, downloads, and access to the YouTube Music app.

• Sharing the Premium Pie:
  45% of the net YouTube Premium revenue allocated to monetizing creators for Shorts is distributed.
  Your share: You receive a portion of this revenue based on your share of YouTube Premium Shorts views in each country.

Key Points:

• Your earnings depend on both ad revenue and Premium subscription revenue, not just one.
• Music usage in your Shorts can affect your ad revenue share through music licensing costs.
• Your viewership percentage in each country determines your share of both ad and Premium revenue.

Further Tips:

• Focus on creating high-quality, engaging Shorts that attract viewers and encourage watch time.
• Build a loyal audience within and outside YouTube to increase your overall viewership and engagement.
• Track your Shorts earnings in the YouTube Analytics dashboard to understand your performance and optimize your strategy.

How does it help creators?

Here are some ways the current YouTube Shorts monetization system helps creators:

Financial incentive

• Earnings potential:
  Creators can potentially earn money from their Shorts content through two channels – ad revenue sharing and YouTube Premium revenue sharing. This provides them with a financial incentive to create engaging Shorts content.
• Sustainability:
  Unlike the temporary $100 million Shorts Fund, the current system offers a more long-term and sustainable way for creators to earn from their Shorts. This allows them to build a career on YouTube Shorts and focus on growing their audience.
• Increased reach and discoverability:
  Shorts feed visibility: By joining the YPP and meeting the Shorts monetization criteria, creators are more likely to have their Shorts featured in the Shorts feed, potentially reaching a wider audience and attracting new viewers.

Motivation to create high-quality content: Knowing they can earn from their Shorts encourages creators to invest more time and effort into producing high-quality content that resonates with viewers, ultimately leading to better engagement and potentially increased viewership on their longer-form YouTube content as well.

Validation and recognition

• Monetization as a milestone:
  Earning money from their Shorts acts as a milestone for creators, showcasing their efforts and talent and validating their creative work. This can be encouraging and boost their confidence to continue creating.
• Community support:
  By being part of the YPP and being able to monetize Shorts, creators gain access to additional resources and support from the YouTube community, allowing them to network with other creators and learn from their experiences.

So, while the specific Shorts Fund program is no longer active, creators can still make money from their Shorts content through the new monetization system. Just keep in mind that you need to be part of the YPP to be eligible for Shorts monetization. The current YouTube Shorts monetization system helps creators by providing them with a path to earning income from their work, increasing their reach and discoverability, validating their efforts, and offering them resources and support from the YouTube community. This can empower creators to focus on creating high-quality content and turn their passion for Shorts into a sustainable career.