Earning money from YouTube Shorts is absolutely possible in 2025, and there are now multiple income streams you can tap into. Here’s a breakdown of the best ways:
💰 How to Earn Money from YouTube Shorts in 2025
1. YouTube Partner Program (YPP) for Shorts
Since 2023, Shorts creators can earn ad revenue if:
- Your channel has 1,000 subscribers
- You have 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days
Once in the YPP, you get a share of:
- Ads shown between Shorts
- YouTube Premium views
🔗 Revenue is pooled and distributed based on views and music usage.
2. Affiliate Marketing in Shorts
- Promote products/services using affiliate links in:
- Comments (pinned)
- Video descriptions
- Use platforms like Amazon Associates, ClickBank, ShareASale, etc.
🎯 Tip: Create review-style or tutorial Shorts around trending products.
3. Brand Sponsorships
- Brands pay for product mentions or endorsements in Shorts.
- Requires good engagement, not just views.
- You can reach out or use platforms like BrandConnect, Grapevine, or Collabstr.
4. Selling Your Own Products or Services
- Sell merch, digital products, or even online courses.
- Add product links in the channel bio or descriptions.
- Use tools like Spring (Teespring) or Shopify for merch integration.
5. Fan Funding & Super Thanks
- Viewers can send you “Super Thanks” on Shorts (enabled after monetization).
- You can also use channel memberships and Buy Me a Coffee/Patreon for donations.
6. YouTube Shorts Fund (Retired)
Note: The YouTube Shorts Fund (2021–2022) has been replaced by the ad revenue sharing system under YPP.
📈 Tips to Succeed with Shorts Monetization
- Keep Shorts engaging in the first 2 seconds
- Use trending audio and hashtags
- Post consistently (daily or 3–4 per week)
- Optimize your titles and hook viewers fast
- Reuse content for Instagram Reels or TikTok to grow across platforms
Would you like a step-by-step plan to reach monetization eligibility or a content strategy for Shorts?