Youtube Channel Monetization Requirements in 2021

Hi Youtube Enthusiasts!

Every Youtuber wants his/her Youtube channel to get monetized, hence today we bring you the most simplified guide on the planet to get your Youtube channel monetized fast by correctly abiding all the Youtube channel monetization requirements in 2021.

How to monetize your Youtube channel in 2021 and what are the requirements to monetize Youtube?

Youtube channel monetization requirements in 2021

1. Your channel should have at least 1000 subscribers
2. Your channel should have accumulated 4000 hours of watch time in past 12 months.
3. Your YouTube channel and video should be in observance of YouTube Partner Program policies, YouTube Terms of Service, Copyright policies, YouTube spam policies, AdSense Program policies and Community Guidelines.

Youtube Policies to get your Youtube channel monetized and become eligible for monetization on Youtube

Now step by step let’s go through these policies.

YouTube Partner Program Policies

By signing up for YouTube Partner Program, creators receive access to more exclusive features and resources that include access to Creator Support teams, Copyright Match Tool and monetization features. Minimum Eligibility Requirements to join YouTube Partner Program includes following all YouTube monetization policies, to live in a place where YouTube Partner Program is available, accumulate 4000 hours of watch time in 12 months, have minimum 1000 youtube subscribers and have a linked AdSense account.

YouTube Terms of Service

YouTube updated its Terms of Service on December 10, 2019. Some of the key changes include addition of a link to the Policy, Safety and Copyright Policies, and Advertising on YouTube Policies, which all form part of the Agreement, inclusion of definition of the “affiliates” and addition of a new section that provides additional information about key products and how to use them.

YouTube Spam Policies

YouTube does not tolerate spam, scam or any other sort of information that might mislead the YouTube community. Therefore, misleading metadata or thumbnails, live stream abuse, repetitive comments, suppression of census participation and voter suppression and all such activities lead to violation of YouTube Spam Policies.

Community Guidelines

YouTube has laid down a set of guidelines for creators to follow with regard to the community they have built on trust. Content that intends to scam, mislead, spam, or defraud other users isn't allowed on YouTube. YouTube has clear guidelines around keeping children safe from sex & nudity, and self-harm. Hate speech, predatory behavior, graphic violence, malicious attacks, and content that promotes harmful or dangerous behavior isn't allowed on YouTube as well.

Copyright Policies

According to YouTube’s copyright policy, “Ideas, facts, and processes are not subject to copyright. According to copyright law, in order to be eligible for copyright protection, a work must be creative and it must be fixed in a tangible medium. Names and titles are not, by themselves, subject to copyright.”

AdSense Program Policies

According to AdSense Program policies publishers are not allowed to click on their own ads or use any means to inflate ad clicks. They are not allowed to run ads on content that violate Google Publisher Policies or contain abusive experiences.

YouTube Partner Program Application checklist

Before you can monetize your channel, you have to fulfil some minimum requirements to become eligible for YouTube Partner Program. These include:

1. Follow Youtube guidelines:

   Your YouTube channel should follow all YouTube policies and guidelines to get accepted into the program. You have to remain in observance of all YouTube policies even after you get accepted, as YouTube closely monitors whether your channel follows YouTube policies or not.

2. Subscribers and Watch Hours:

   Your channel should have at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of valid public watch hours in past 12 months. YouTube set this threshold because if you achieve this then your channel must have enough content to help YouTube make an informed decision.

3. YPP Sign up:

   Next thing to do is to sign up for YPP terms. You can ask to be notified when your channel meets the minimum eligibility. Once you meet the eligibility, go to YouTube Studio, then on the top left corner, click on Monetization and if you are eligible, you can start the Review Partner Program Cards. Once you’ve signed the term, it will be marked by Done.

4. Google AdSense:

   Next thing on the checklist is a Google AdSense Account. You can own multiple YouTube channels but all of them will be linked to one single AdSense account. It is prohibited to own more than one AdSense accounts.

5. Review:

   The last step is not for you but for YouTube. The final step of the checklist is the review process. YouTube does a review of your channel by focusing on the main theme of your channel, your most watched videos, your latest videos, biggest proportion of your watch time, your video metadata. Once YouTube is satisfied that your channel is in observance of all its monetization policies, it monetizes your channel.

What not to do as a good Youtuber!

It is no secret that YouTube takes more than a month to review your channel and get back to you with the final verdict. In these 30 days, your job is to keep creating top notch content and keeping working on your YouTube SEO, all the while maintaining consistency with your uploads and interacting with your audience. If you stop uploading in these 30 days, this will reflect badly and harm your channel’s growth in the long run.

Do not try to outsmart the YouTube algorithm by turning to actions like asking a creator to subscribe to your channel in exchange of you subscribing to theirs, or more commonly known as ‘sub4sub’. YouTube has a very strong search engine and it will notice this and might lead to flagging of your channel.

What to do if your application for monetization gets rejected?

YouTube rejects an application only if it finds a significant portion of channel violating or not meeting their policies and guidelines. To apply again for monetization, you have to wait for a minimum of 30 days after you received the rejection mail.

Before applying again, make sure your application is stronger than before. You can do this by carefully going through the rejection mail and to find out which policies have been violated by your YouTube channel. Moving forward, review your video content, title, tags, thumbnail and description against the monetization policies and community guidelines and edit or delete anything that violates the policies.

How can you make money under the Partner Program?

There are multiple ways other than ad revenue by which you can make money on YouTube. Let’s go through all the ways by which you can earn along with their required eligibility.

1. Earn through ad clicks:

   The major portion of revenue earned by YouTubers comes from display, overlay and video ads. Whenever a viewer clicks on your ad, you get paid. To earn through ads, you have to be at least 18 years old or have an adult guardian who can manage the payments via AdSense, also, you have to create content that meets the monetization policies and the community guidelines.

2. Earn by providing channel memberships:

   If you have managed to create a positive energy among your YouTube Community and gain a dedicated audience, you can earn by providing them a few special perks in your channel membership. To earn through channel memberships, you have to be at least 18 years old and have minimum 30,000 subscribers.

3. Earn through selling personalized merchandize:

   You can earn by selling personalized merchandize on your YouTube channel. Your audience can browse the branded merchandize on your watch page. To earn by selling merchandize you have to be at least 18 years old and have minimum 10,000 subscribers.

4. Earn through super chat:

   Super chat and super sticker is a feature that allows a viewer’s comment to remain on top of the chat stream. Super chat comments may remain on top of chat stream for about 5 hours. Many viewer’s pay to keep their comment on top, making it another way you can earn under the YPP. To earn through this feature, you have to be at least 18 years old and live in a region where super chat is available.

5. Earn through YouTube Premium:

   When a user with YouTube Premium Subscription watches your videos, you receive a portion of their subscription’s fee. To earn through this method, you have to create content watched by YouTube Premium subscribers.

Strictly adhering to all YouTube policies including YouTube Partner Program policies, YouTube Terms of Service, Copyright policies, YouTube spam policies, AdSense Program policies and Community Guidelines is very crucial, as when you apply for YouTube channel monetization, the slightest violation could end up in YouTube declining your application. The most important thing to keep in mind is to keep observing these policies while your YouTube channel is under review and even after your YouTube channel gets approved for monetization.

Getting your YouTube channel monetized may seem tricky, but remember the hustling you do in the beginning will reward your YouTube channel in the long run.