How Much Do YouTube Shorts Creators Make?

YouTube Shorts creators commonly earn an estimated $0.01 to $0.07 per 1,000 views, or about $10 to $70 per million views, according to third-party estimates. YouTube publishes no fixed Shorts pay rate, and creators cannot receive Shorts ad revenue until they meet YouTube Partner Program eligibility requirements.

Last verified August 2026.

How much do YouTube Shorts pay per 1,000 views?

YouTube does not disclose a fixed per-view rate for Shorts. Instead, it publishes a revenue-sharing formula under which monetizing creators keep 45% of the Creator Pool revenue allocated to them (YouTube Help — Shorts ad revenue sharing, verified August 2026).

Third-party estimates provide the following rough benchmarks:

Shopify reports an average Shorts RPM of $0.03–$0.07 per 1,000 views (Shopify, publication date not stated; verified August 2026).

Riverside reports an estimated Shorts RPM of $0.01–$0.06 per 1,000 views (Riverside, publication date not stated; verified August 2026).

For comparison, Shopify reports that long-form YouTube RPM can range from $1 to $30 per 1,000 views (Shopify, publication date not stated; verified August 2026). That difference helps explain why Shorts generally generate much less ad revenue than long-form videos with similar view counts.

These figures are third-party estimates, not guaranteed or official YouTube pay rates.

Why is Shorts RPM lower than long-form video RPM?

Shorts ad revenue is pooled and divided rather than tied directly to advertisements on an individual Short.

For long-form videos, creators receive 55% of net revenue from ads displayed or streamed on their public Watch Page videos. For Shorts, advertising revenue generated between videos in the Shorts Feed enters a Creator Pool, which is allocated according to each monetizing creator’s share of eligible engaged views; creators then keep 45% of their allocation (YouTube Help — Shorts monetization policies, verified August 2026).

An individual Short’s value therefore depends on the total pool, the creator’s share of eligible engaged views, music-licensing allocations, audience location, and advertising demand. It is not based on a fixed rate that applies to every view.

For a broader explanation of both revenue shares, see how much YouTube pays and its requirements.

What can YouTube Shorts creators earn per month?

Using the combined third-party estimate of $0.01–$0.07 per 1,000 views, the following table illustrates potential monthly Shorts ad revenue:

The underlying RPM estimates come from Shopify’s $0.03–$0.07 range and Riverside’s $0.01–$0.06 range (Shopify; Riverside, verified August 2026).

This is illustrative math, not a promised payout. Actual revenue can vary with audience location, niche, advertising demand, eligible engaged views, music usage, and the size of the Creator Pool.

The practical takeaway is that Shorts typically need millions of monthly views before advertising revenue alone becomes substantial. These estimates also do not apply until a channel qualifies for YouTube’s Shorts ad-revenue program.

Do you need a minimum number of subscribers to earn from Shorts?

Yes. To qualify for Shorts Feed ad revenue, a channel needs 1,000 subscribers and either 10,000,000 valid public Shorts views in the previous 90 days or 4,000 valid public watch hours from long-form videos in the previous 12 months (YouTube Help — YouTube Partner Program eligibility, verified August 2026).

YouTube also has a lower entry tier requiring 500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the previous 90 days, and either 3,000,000 valid public Shorts views in 90 days or 3,000 valid public watch hours in 12 months. That tier can unlock eligible fan-funding features, such as channel memberships and Super Thanks, but not Shorts Feed ad revenue (YouTube Help — YouTube Partner Program eligibility, verified August 2026).

The full breakdown of both tiers is available in YouTube Shorts monetization requirements.

Can you earn from Shorts before reaching YouTube’s ad-revenue threshold?

Yes. Creators can accept direct fan payments before they meet YouTube’s subscriber and view thresholds.

A link-in-bio page such as FanBell lets fans pay for a private question, personalized shoutout, small service, tip, or project support. FanBell has no follower minimum (how it works, verified August 2026).

FanBell is free to start with no monthly fee and charges a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays (pricing, verified August 2026). Payments and payouts are processed through Stripe (how it works, verified August 2026).

Direct fan payments do not replace Shorts ad revenue after a channel qualifies. They provide an additional income route that does not require 10 million Shorts views. For a broader overview of YouTube income options, see how to make money on YouTube.

Create your free FanBell page and add a paid link to your Shorts description or channel bio — the first payment doesn't need a single ad view.

Frequently asked questions

How much does 1 million YouTube Shorts views pay?

Based on third-party RPM estimates, 1 million YouTube Shorts views may generate roughly $10–$70 in ad revenue. That calculation uses Shopify’s estimated $0.03–$0.07 RPM and Riverside’s estimated $0.01–$0.06 RPM (Shopify; Riverside, verified August 2026).

YouTube does not publish an official fixed payment per view, so the result is an estimate rather than a guaranteed payout.

Why do YouTube Shorts pay less than regular videos?

Long-form creators receive 55% of net Watch Page advertising revenue, while Shorts creators receive 45% of the Creator Pool amount allocated to them (YouTube Help, verified August 2026).

Because Shorts revenue is pooled and distributed according to eligible engaged-view share, it is not directly tied to ads shown on one creator’s individual Short.

How many subscribers do you need to make money from Shorts?

You need 1,000 subscribers plus either 10,000,000 valid public Shorts views in 90 days or 4,000 valid public long-form watch hours in 12 months to qualify for YouTube’s Shorts ad-revenue share (YouTube Help, verified August 2026).

YouTube’s lower tier starts at 500 subscribers, but it unlocks eligible fan-funding tools rather than Shorts Feed ad revenue. FanBell has no follower minimum (how it works, verified August 2026).

Can small Shorts creators earn before qualifying for ad revenue?

Yes. Direct payments for tips, paid questions, shoutouts, or project support do not depend on YouTube Partner Program eligibility.

FanBell is free to start, has no follower minimum, and charges a 12% platform fee only when a fan pays (pricing and how it works, verified August 2026).

How can you get started?

You don't need 10 million Shorts views to get paid by the people already watching. Create your free FanBell page and turn on tips, paid questions, shoutouts, or project support — the first one can be paid the day you share your link.