YouTube Shorts are literally everywhere. But the real question is simple: how much does YouTube Shorts pay? And is it actually worth it?
Well, the short answer is that Shorts don’t pay the same way long-form videos do. The payment comes from multiple income streams like Shorts ads revenue sharing, brand deals, affiliate links, and creator funds. And each of these pays very differently. Your niche, country, watch time, CPM, and audience behavior matter more than your subscriber count.
In this blog, you’ll get clear numbers and practical tips to increase Shorts income.
Eligibility Requirements for YouTube Shorts Monetization
To start making YouTube Shorts earnings, you need to qualify for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Check out the main YouTube Shorts monetization eligibility requirements to enroll in it:
- 500 subscribers + 3 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days
- A valid channel with no active Community Guidelines strikes
- Your Google account must be verified and secure with two-step verification
How Much Does YouTube Shorts Pay Per 1,000 and 1 Million Views?
Let’s cut to the numbers. On average, YouTube Shorts creators typically make around $0.01 to $0.07 per 1,000 views from ad revenue alone. Some reports even show occasional earnings up to around $0.10 per 1,000 views, but that’s less common.
If your Short hits 1 million views, those cents start adding up. You can expect to earn about $30 – $70 in ad revenue per 1 million.
Remember, these are estimates based on average RPM (revenue per 1,000 views). The real number can swing based on your audience and content. We’ll talk about the factors that affect YouTube Shorts pay next.
Real Examples of How Much YouTube Shorts Pays To Creators
Have a look at some real-life examples of how much creators are actually banking:
1. Ventura
Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/@Ventura419
Niche: Minecraft Skits and Commentary
Earnings: Almost $30,000 in a single month on just one channel
Ventura is a great example of how much variety there is in pay. In this video, he explains how he earned over $5,300 for one massive video with 69 million views:
He explains that using your own voice is still the best option for native content creators because it attracts viewers from the US and UK, which pays a lot more than views from other countries.
2. Joe Sbiti
Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/@JoeSbiti
Niche: Faceless Viral Clips with AI Voice
Earnings: Over $7,000 in a month
Joe’s strategy is all about working smarter, rather than harder. He spent about 150 days growing his channel and eventually hit a point where he was making over $500 in a single day. He also boosted his income by using music deals, where companies paid him an extra $100 to $200 a day just to put certain songs in the background of his videos.
Joe treats his YouTube channel like a snowball rolling down a hill. At first, it took two hours to make one video, but as he got better, it only took 30 minutes. Once the snowball got big enough (hitting millions of YouTube views), it started picking up speed and money all on its own.
3. Kellan Henneberry
Channel Link: https://www.youtube.com/@kellanhenneberry
Niche: Movie Highlights
Earnings: $20,789 per month
Kellan doesn’t even show his face! He finds movies that people already love, writes a fresh script using AI, and adds a voiceover. By being super consistent and posting one to two times every single day, he managed to reach a level where his average day brings in $700 to $800 in profit.
Want to know how much a particular Shorts earn? Grab the video link and paste it to LenosTube YouTube Shorts earnings calculator. Or, just enter the number of views it got. You’ll get a clear earnings report!
Tips to Increase Your YouTube Shorts Income
Have a look at some practical ways to increase your YouTube Shorts earnings, without overthinking the algorithm:
1. Target High-Paying Audiences
Want a bigger paycheck? Target USA and UK viewers because they have a much higher RPM (Revenue Per Mille). You can use an English voiceover (if possible, your own voice) to naturally attract viewers from these wealthy countries where advertisers spend the most money.
2. Keep Hooks to Beat the Swipe Rate Test
To make the algorithm love you, you must focus on your swipe-through rate and audience retention. Aim to keep at least 80% of viewers from swiping away by using a sudden, eye-catching hook in the first second. And use fast cuts and bouncing captions to keep eyes glued to the screen until the very end.
3. Optimize for Second Watch
Design your script so the last sentence connects perfectly back to the first sentence to create an ‘infinte loop’. If a viewer doesn’t realize the video ended, they watch again, which doubles up your retention rate. That makes YouTube push your content to millions more people.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- How much do YouTube Shorts pay per 1,000 views?
There’s no fixed rate. On average, YouTube Shorts pay around $0.01 to $0.07 per 1,000 views from ads. The amount can be higher or lower depending on your country, niche, RPM, and engagement.
- Do YouTube Shorts pay more than long videos?
No. Long-form videos usually pay more because they show ads directly inside the video. YouTube Shorts RPM is lower. But Shorts can reach more people quickly and helps with your channel growth.
- Can I get monetized only with YouTube Shorts?
Yes. You can join the YouTube Partner Program through Shorts if you hit 3 million Shorts views in 3 months and 500 subscribers. Once approved, you can earn from Shorts ads revenue sharing.
Conclusion
Opening your dashboard and seeing $4.50 for 100,000 views can feel like a slap in the face. If you are only looking at the YouTube Shorts pay rate, you will quit before you even start.
But you need to look at that number differently.
In traditional business advertising, you have to pay thousands of dollars to get your product in front of 100,000 people. But with YouTube Shorts, the algorithm is giving you that attention for free.
So, rather than focusing entirely on YouTube Shorts ad revenue, you must try to build a massive audience, and build your own branding in the platform.