Curious how many subscribers you need to make money on YouTube? While reaching millions of subscribers is the goal for many, the truth is, you don’t need a massive following to start earning on YouTube.
In this post, we’ll dive into the specific requirements of YouTube’s Partner Program and explore alternative, often more profitable ways to make money on YouTube. Whether you’re just starting or looking to grow your YouTube channel, there are plenty of opportunities to start earning regardless of your subscriber count. So, without further ado, let’s get started.
YouTube YPP: Monetization Requirements
Before joining the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), most creators wonder how many subscribers they need to monetize. The program utilizes Google AdSense, requiring 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours within 12 months, or 10 million Shorts views. A lower tier opens at 500 subscribers with 3,000 watch hours. Once approved, AdSense lets you choose ad formats and earn revenue from ad views.
But the question is: What are the requirements for approval into the YouTube Partner Program? Keep reading to find the answer.
What Are The YouTube Partner Program Requirements?
Many aspiring content creators often ask: How many subscribers do you need to make money on YouTube? However, the truth is that the YouTube Partner Program has several criteria beyond subscriber count, including:
- Country Eligibility: First, you should confirm that you’re located in a country where the YouTube Partner Program operates (YouTube Partner Program Availability).
- Ad Revenue Thresholds: To unlock ad revenue, your channel needs 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the last year or 10 million Shorts views.
- Fan-Funding Conditions: For fan-funded monetization, smaller channels can qualify with 500 subscribers, three recent uploads, and either 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views.
- Account & Policy Requirements: You’ll also need a linked AdSense account, enable two‑factor authentication, and follow all YouTube rules and community guidelines.
Beyond meeting subscriber requirements, YouTube monetization depends on watch hours and audience engagement. Factors like content type, viewer location, and video length influence ad revenue. Different ad types also have varying CPM (advertiser cost per 1,000 ad views) and CPC (Cost Per Click) rates.
Next, we’ll look at other key metrics that drive revenue beyond subscriber count. Continue reading to unlock the whole picture!
Key Metrics in YouTube Monetization
To effectively monetize your YouTube channel, there are three key metrics that help you measure your channel’s performance:
1. Comments to Views Ratio
Subscriber totals matter, but the comments-to-views ratio reveals how engaged your YouTube channel audience really is. This metric shows whether viewers are watching and interacting — and higher interaction usually means better ad performance. As a rule of thumb, Tubular Insights recommends a healthy comments-to-views ratio of about 5% — i.e., five comments for every 100 views.
2. Likes to Views Ratio
Although engagement matters, YouTube doesn’t set a required likes‑to‑views ratio to be monetized. Eligibility is based on meeting the YouTube Partner Program thresholds, quality content, and genuine growth.
3. Subscriber-to-view Ratio
The subscriber-to-view ratio indicates the percentage of your subscribers who watch each video. Aim for about 14% — roughly 14 views per 100 subscribers. However, keep in mind that ratios often drop as channels grow. Famous YouTube creators may have lower percentages, yet still earn well because total views drive revenue. Treat this metric as a health check: track it over time and optimize content that increases both views and engagement.
Alternative Monetization Paths on YouTube for Content Creators
The YouTube Partner Program isn’t your only path — there are many ways to make money on YouTube without ads. Below are a few:
1. Monetize Your Influence and Sell Your Digital Products
Selling digital products on YouTube is another alternative monetization strategy you can start without worrying about the number of subscribers needed to get monetized.
The best digital products to sell include e-books, PDFs, templates, and online courses. brandID is the ideal platform for YouTube creators who want to sell digital products fast. With its fast, easy online store setup, you can launch an e-commerce micro website in minutes for free.
brandID’s secure built-in payout system, automated delivery, and powerful marketing tools will make your digital selling process simple and scalable. Sign up for free on brandID now and add your unique, branded URL to your YouTube bio or video descriptions to start monetizing your YouTube channel.
2. Join the brandID Affiliate Program to Make Money as an Affiliate
YouTube affiliate marketing is another way to monetize beyond ads. You recommend products, YouTube viewers buy through your link, and you earn a commission.
You can kickstart your YouTube affiliate marketing with brandID. Launch your brandID online store in minutes, showcase all your affiliate links in one branded page, and add the URL of your brandID page to your YouTube bio, so viewers see everything in one place.
You may be new to affiliate marketing and unsure of where to start. With brandID, it is simple. Sign up for free on brandID, enter your dashboard, and tap Discover → Affiliate Products. You can search through millions of affiliate products and trusted brands with preset commissions on your brandID dashboard. Choose offers that fit your niche and target audience, and add them to your brandID page. Then, share your brandID link on your bio. When someone buys through your link, you will earn through brandID’s secure system.
3. Sell Subscriptions & Memberships
Subscriptions enable YouTube creators to convert loyal subscribers into a steady income by offering gated perks, such as bonus videos, behind-the-scenes drops, downloadable resources, or course modules. Member-exclusive access deepens community, smooths revenue beyond ads, and lets you price tiers with clear benefits (e.g., Q&A access, early releases, or file downloads).
With brandID, launching your memberships is fast and easy. brandID is an all-in-one platform for paid subscriptions and recurring revenue, so you focus on content while brandID handles backend processes like billing or secure content delivery.
To use the brandID paid subscription feature, follow the steps below:
- First, upload exclusive videos, audio, podcasts, or PDFs to the “Media Kit.”
- Then go to Discover → Subscription to name your product, set pricing, write a clear description, and optionally add a free trial.
- Your membership site is live for paid members only.
brandID offers key features like tiered pricing (monthly/annual), content locking by level, no-code landing pages, and fast, secure checkout with multiple currencies. You also get built-in analytics and can connect GA or Facebook Pixel to track behavior and optimize growth.
Conclusion
From watch hours to subscriber‑to‑view ratios, we’ve unpacked how many subscribers you need to make money on YouTube and why metrics like comments‑to‑views matter more than subscriber counts. To be monetized on the YouTube Partner Program, you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours or 10 million Shorts views, while a 500‑subscriber tier opens at 3,000 hours.
Real income comes from engaged audiences; content niche, viewer location, and video length. However, there are other ways to monetize your YouTube influence, such as selling digital products, participating in affiliate marketing, and offering memberships, which can often outperform ads.
brandID is the best e-commerce platform for YouTube creators. Sell digital downloads, run affiliate links, and offer subscriptions under one branded storefront. It offers fast setup, secure payouts, and powerful marketing tools that enable you to easily and quickly monetize your YouTube influence.
FAQs
Many ask how many subscribers you need to make money on YouTube, but no exact number guarantees $2k monthly. You need to meet YPP eligibility. Ad revenue at $18 CPM requires roughly 111k monthly views to reach $2k. With high engagement and diversified income, channels around 10k subs can earn $1k–$2k per month.
With 1,000 subscribers, you meet the threshold to join the YPP. At this level, income is modest; smaller channels with engaged audiences earn roughly $1–$3 per 1,000 ad views (around $10–$30 per 1,000 video views). Niche, audience demographics, and video length drive CPM, so the question isn’t simply how many subscribers you need to be monetized on YouTube, but how many views and clicks you can attract. Even with 1,000 subs, you won’t hit $ 2,000 monthly unless your videos consistently draw tens of thousands of views and clicks.
