Getting monetized on YouTube is the goal of almost every creator out there.
It provides access to all of YouTube's monetization features, along with some additional tools. Once you are part of YouTube's Partner Program, you also get access to the copyright tool and to Creator Support teams.
But the topic and question we will be exploring today are about how long it takes to get monetized on YouTube.
This is not about how much time it will take you to meet necessary monetization requirements since that is very individual. It is about how long will YouTube take to accept you into their partner program.
In official YouTube guidelines, YouTube states that a decision is usually made within a month.
Here's everything you wanted to know on how long it takes to get monetized on YouTube, and what you can do to successfully pass this process.
YouTube Monetization Requirements
As you likely already know, YouTube's monetization requirements are about subscribers, watch time and meeting policy guidelines. You need:
- A minimum of 1,000 subscribers to your channel.
- A minimum of 4,000 watch hours within the last year or 10M views on YouTube Shorts in the last 90 days.
- To live in a country where YouTube Partner Program is available.
- Have no community guidelines strikes.
- Have 2-step verification enabled on your Google account.
If you enter YPP by making YouTube Shorts, you will be eligible to put ads on your long-form videos as well and vice-versa.
Do you immediately get into YPP when you meet the threshold?
Unfortunately, no. The process is a lot more manual than people think, and YouTube takes a very good look into each channel, prior to making a decision to accept a channel into the program.
But once you meet the threshold, you will get an invitation.
You Got Invited, Now What?
When you receive the invitation email to YouTube Partner Program, you will have to complete 3 steps:
- Review & Accept Partner Program Terms - These terms outline the program in full detail. They are specific to your country and hold important information in relation to what monetization features you are getting access to.
- Sign Up For Google Adsense - If you have an existing Google Adsense account, then you can use that one. If not, you will have to create your first Google Adsense account.
- Get Reviewed - Once you completed the first 2 steps, YouTube will automatically add your channel to the review queue.
Before you apply for YPP, we advise you to thoroughly go through YouTube's guidelines, in order to make sure you are not violating any specific rules.
If you do violate certain community guidelines, your channel might not get approved for monetization.
YouTube Review Process
As mentioned, the YouTube monetization review process can take from a couple of days up to a month.
From what we've been seeing and hearing lately, YouTube is quite effective in getting through their review queue and most channels get monetized within 7 days.
Delays may happen due to a variety of reasons like a higher-than-average number of applications, system issues, or limitations in resources.
A delay may also happen if your channel is on the edge between getting approved and rejected, and requires multiple people to review and make a decision.
What If You Get Rejected From YPP?
If your channel got rejected, it's likely because the YouTube system flagged your content for breaking certain policies and community guidelines.
YouTube uses a mix of automated systems and human reviewers to detect channel violations and make decisions on whether specific channels meet necessary guidelines.
If the YouTube team decided your content is not eligible for monetization, you will get a rejection email explaining specific policies your channel violated.
The good news is that you can reapply after 30 days. You can use those 30 days to fix videos and content that are breaking YouTube policies.
You can also choose to delete that content (a lot easier option) but you will be losing views and watch hours in that case.
That may change your eligibility to enter YPP, so act wisely.
You could also be making money from YouTube without YPP and even without making videos. That may help your financial situation while you are waiting to get accepted into YouTube's monetization program or take your career in a different direction.
If you want to find out more about that, make sure you read to read our guide on how to make money on YouTube without making videos.
Bottom Line
By knowing what percentage of YouTubers make money, we know that it's a huge success to even get into YouTube's Partner Program.
However, that's not the end. For an aspiring creator, this is just the beginning.
Getting that seal of approval from YouTube and being offered a chance to get an ROI on every person who watches your video is an amazing feeling.
But the road to making a living from YouTube is just getting started for you.
If you want our help, make sure you sign up for our free newsletter, which focuses on helping creators grow their YouTube channels.
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