On June 13, 2023, Amjad Hanif, Vice President of Creator Products at YouTube, announced a series of significant updates to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). These updates are designed to help creators earn more on the platform, regardless of their size or content type.
The first major change is the expansion of YPP eligibility to include creators of YouTube Shorts. This move recognizes the growing importance of short-form content in the digital media landscape. Alongside this, YouTube is introducing Shorts ad revenue sharing, allowing creators to earn directly from the ads displayed on their Shorts content.
The second significant update is the lowering of the eligibility criteria for YPP. Previously, creators needed to have 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in the past 12 months to apply for YPP. The new criteria will enable creators to apply to YPP once they’ve reached a threshold of 500 subscribers, three public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in the past year or 3 million Shorts views in the last 90 days. This change will allow more creators to start earning sooner.
New partners under these relaxed criteria will unlock access to fan funding features like channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and the ability to promote their products with YouTube Shopping. These features provide creators with additional revenue streams, allowing them to monetize their audience beyond ad revenue.
The updated YPP is initially rolling out to creators in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea. However, YouTube plans to expand this to all countries where YPP is available over time. As creators grow their channels and meet the existing YPP eligibility criteria, they will automatically become eligible to earn revenue sharing from ads and gain access to even more benefits.
In addition to these changes, YouTube is expanding its Shopping affiliate program to all eligible U.S.-based creators in YPP with over 20,000 subscribers. This program allows creators to feature products from other brands in their content and earn competitive commission rates on the sales of products tagged in their videos and Shorts. This expansion is in partnership with over 50 brands, including Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Wayfair.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by “Leon Bublitz” via Unsplash
