How to Join the YouTube Partner Program in 2024

Carly

You can make solid money on YouTube. In fact, the average annual pay for YouTube Partners in the US is over $100,000.

So, if you want to monetize your video content, check out the YouTube Partner Program. You’ll earn money and get access to YouTube’s resources and support.

What is the YouTube Partner Program?

The YouTube Partner Program lets creators earn money from ads on their videos and gives access to YouTube's Creator Support teams. Recently, YouTube expanded the program to include features like fan funding and shopping for eligible creators in certain countries.

How do you qualify for the YouTube Partner Program?

Before applying, make sure you:

Follow YouTube’s channel monetization policies.
Live in a country where YPP is available.
Have no active Community Guidelines strikes.
Enable 2-Step Verification on your Google Account.
Have access to advanced features on YouTube.
Link an active AdSense account to your channel.

How to become a YouTube partner program?

Your channel needs to meet one of these thresholds:

1,000 subscribers and 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months.
1,000 subscribers and 10 million valid public Shorts views in the past 90 days.

Note: Watch hours from Shorts views in the Shorts Feed don’t count toward the 4,000 hours.

How do I apply for the YouTube partner program?

On Desktop

Open YouTube Studio. Click Earn in the left menu.

Screenshot of the YouTube Studio Channel monetization page showing current eligibility statistics for subscribers, video uploads, public watch hours, and Shorts views. Options for applying are highlighted.

Hit Get Notified to see if you’re eligible. If YouTube confirms that you are, select Apply Now.

Screenshot of a YouTube Studio dashboard showing channel eligibility criteria for monetization, including subscribers, video uploads, watch hours, and Shorts views.

Check out and agree to the terms. Set up or connect your AdSense to your YouTube account.

On Mobile

Open the YouTube Studio app. Tap Earn in the bottom menu.

A screenshot of a mobile app's Studio dashboard.

Select Apply Now.

Screenshot of the YouTube Studio app showing eligibility criteria for monetization.

Review and accept the terms. Set up or link an existing AdSense for YouTube account.

What happens next?

Once you apply, YouTube will review your channel to make sure it meets their policies and guidelines. This usually takes about a month but can take longer. You can check your status in the Earn section of YouTube Studio.

If your application is rejected, you can appeal within 21 days or reapply after 30 days. If you've been rejected before, wait 90 days before reapplying. Use this time to review YouTube's policies and update your content.

How do you monetize your channel as a YouTube partner?

Once you're in the YPP, you can start making money through:

Watch Page Ads
Shorts Feed Ads
Memberships
Super Chat
Shopping

Just make sure to manage your ad preferences and turn on monetization for your videos. Once you do, you'll get your payments through Google AdSense.

You can also work with YouTube advertising agencies to help you monetize your content better.

And remember, if you don’t upload videos or post on the Community tab for six months or more, you might lose your monetization privileges.

Wrapping up

The YouTube Partner Program is a great way to earn money from your videos. Just meet the requirements, apply, and keep engaging with your audience. Oh, and need an easy way to record and edit YouTube videos? Check out Tella.