How much can you make from 1 million Youtube shorts views?

With the explosion of TikTok, the short-form video format is taking over social media and short videos are clearly on the rise. YouTube had to adapt to the success of other platforms and quickly followed suit by launching YouTube Shorts. While these bite-sized video tidbits were initially not monetizable for creators, YouTube recently changed its policy to remain competitive. Since 2023, the platform finally allows creators to generate revenue from their content. A real game changer that is attracting more and more video creators!

But how much can you actually make? How much can you expect for 1 million views? What factors influence earnings?

Well, in short, 1 million views can generate:

• Between $2,000 and $5,000 for basic content.
• Up to $10,000 for very high-quality content.
• Over $20,000 for some niches.

However, as you can guess, it’s a bit more complicated than that and depends on many things…

In this article, DebugBar will explain to you in detail the YouTube Shorts monetization program and its subtleties. We will look at the conditions to be met and best practices to optimize your earnings with this short format. So let’s see how much your million views could make you!

Quick reminder: what are YouTube Shorts?

YouTube Shorts is a platform to create and view short videos, “shorts”, from 15 seconds to 1 minute, similar to those on TikTok or Instagram. Launched in 2020, this format has met with great success among content consumers and creators alike.

Originally, these short videos were not monetizable, but YouTube has recently changed its mind and opened up its monetization program to Shorts.

Overview of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP)

Until recently, only long-form content creators on YouTube could monetize their videos by meeting eligibility requirements (1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours over the past 12 months).

But in 2023, YouTube extended its monetization opportunities to Shorts, in order to compete with rivals (TikTok and Instagram) and allow creators to benefit from ad revenue.

So what does this new program actually involve? Let’s take a detailed look!

How does YouTube generate revenue from Shorts?

YouTube obviously generates revenue by placing ads on videos. You’ve surely already noticed those ads that can be really long before you can start watching a video or, even worse, during your video.

But with a short format, YouTube clearly cannot show ads in the middle of a video. So like Instagram and TikTok, they’ve placed ads between content while you scroll.

These targeted ads generate money for YouTube through advertisers paying for the visibility. The platform can then share a portion of that revenue with content creators.

Redistributing a Share of Revenues to YouTubers

As you can guess, YouTube makes money from showing ads on its platform and then passes a portion of the generated revenue on to its YouTubers.

How this system works is very simple:

• Ad revenues are pooled together each month.
• This pool is distributed among eligible Shorts creators based on their monthly views.
• Each creator receives 45% of the amount allocated to them according to their views.

Thus, the more views a creator generates, the larger the share of ad revenue they will receive. But how much are we talking about?

What revenue can you expect from 1 million Youtube shorts views?

It’s difficult to give an exact figure because many factors come into play. But here are some estimates based on feedback from early monetized creators:

• Between $2,000 and $5,000 for standard content that retains average attention.
• Up to $10,000 for very high-quality, optimized content in a popular niche.
• Over $20,000 exceptionally for extremely lucrative and competitive niches.

Of course, the higher the view count, the higher the revenue will be too. However, one creator with 1 million views won’t earn the same as another with the same stats because several criteria come into play. Let’s look at what those are.

How is YouTube Shorts revenue calculated?

The revenue generated by Shorts depends on several key factors:

• Ad type
• Viewer region
• Audience
• Topic
• Engagement

Ad Type

The type of ad shown on Shorts directly impacts the revenue generated. Each ad format has its own cost per thousand views (CPM) associated with it.

Video ads and interactive formats that better hold attention tend to offer a higher CPM. In contrast, standard display ads generally earn less. Choosing relevant ads to show is therefore critical.

Viewer Region

The cost per thousand varies significantly based on the geographic location of the audience watching the Shorts. Generally, developed countries present a more favorable cost per thousand views than emerging countries.

This gap is explained by the higher purchasing power in developed regions. Advertisers are therefore willing to pay more to target those audiences, which is reflected in the CPM.

Audience

The demographic makeup of the audience has a direct impact on Shorts revenue. Factors like viewer age, gender, and interests cause CPM fluctuations.

In general, a young audience (13–24 years old) is likely to generate a better CPM since advertisers actively target that age bracket online.

Video Topic

The chosen niche and subject matter of the Shorts also affects potential earnings. Highly competitive topics lead to a lower CPM.

Conversely, less saturated content niches attract more advertisers and offer a better CPM. Identifying the right niches is therefore essential.

Engagement

The more engagement a video generates (likes, comments, shares…), the more it will attract advertisers and the more they’ll pay you. Strong engagement signals relevant, captivating content.

Optimizing these engagement metrics can thus improve CPM and revenue. Video retention rate is also a strong signal.

Now that you understand how much your videos could make, you’ll probably want to know how to start to monetize your channel. DebugBar will explain how – it’s actually quite simple.

What are the requirements to monetize Shorts?

For Shorts to be eligible for monetization, a creator must meet a few conditions. You need to:

• Be 18 years or older.
• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) on the account associated with the channel to prevent hacking.
• Have at least 1,000 subscribers, 4,000 watch hours of content in the last 12 months, or accumulate at least 10 million total views on Shorts published over a 90-day period: This verifies a certain level of popularity and legitimacy.
• Be located in an eligible country: Not all countries are covered by the Shorts monetization program. You need to reside in one of the countries included.
• Comply with community guidelines: To earn money on YouTube, a creator must publish Shorts that adhere to YouTube’s community guidelines.
• Enable advanced settings on your account.
• Connect your channel to AdSense to activate monetization.

Once these conditions are met, Shorts monetization is enabled on your channel, and you can start earning revenue based on the views generated.

How to Optimize Your Earnings with YouTube Shorts?

As you can see, monetizing your Shorts channel is fairly easy but generating enough views to earn decent money is more difficult… So here are some tips to keep in mind to have a chance at being among the most viewed YouTube Shorts of all time and maximize your earnings:

Focus on a Popular Niche

Choosing a theme that naturally attracts advertisers can help boost your revenue.

• Gaming,
• Tech,
• Music,
• Beauty
• And lifestyle are niches favored by brands.

Properly identifying current trends and topics popular with advertisers in your niche is key.

Create engaging content

To maximize your revenue, it is essential to produce quality Shorts that hold viewers’ attention. Aim for a high retention rate by carefully crafting:

• Editing,
• Visual style,
• Music (see our article on How to Add Music to a YouTube Short for guidance),
• Sound design,
• And concept originality.

Don’t hesitate to test various formats like tutorials, storytimes, parodies, to identify what performs best among your subscribers.

Interact with your subscribers and viewers

Responding to comments, hearts, and other viewer interactions is critical for boosting engagement on your Shorts. It signals to YouTube that you have relevant content, which will increase your chances of being recommended and seen by more viewers. Aim for the virtuous cycle: engagement > reach > revenue.

Post frequently

Frequent, consistent posting, for example one Short a day, has several advantages. Firstly, having new content often mathematically increases your chances of generating views. Secondly, it allows you to remain top of mind with subscribers and in YouTube’s recommendations.

Effectively promote your Shorts online

It’s not enough to simply create great Shorts, you also need to promote them to your community and beyond. Sharing your Shorts on other social networks, adding calls to action in videos, and featuring your best Shorts as YouTube teasers can all help expand your reach.

By applying these best practices, you ensure maximizing your Shorts revenue in the long run!

How much money does 1 million YouTube Shorts views make: summary

The YouTube Partner Program allows creators to earn revenue based on their monthly views. With 1 million views, earnings can range from $2,000 to $20,000 depending on various factors. To maximize revenue, it is recommended to:

• Choose a popular niche.
• Create engaging content.
• Post frequently (1 short per day).
• Interact with your community.
• Effectively promote your Shorts.