How Many Views on YouTube to Make Money

On YouTube, the views matter. So much so that they can help you make money! It’s many people’s dream to make enough for it to be a full-time gig or at least a fun side hustle. But you may ask, “How much views on YouTube to make money?” We’re here to answer that!

What is a View on YouTube?

As you probably know, views reflect how many times a video has been watched. However, most people do not know that it takes a bit of playtime before the view is counted. Generally, a view is when you play a video for 30 seconds. This will ensure that a person has watched the video enough to decide if it’s for them.

If a video is under 30 seconds, or is a Short, the time it takes can be only a few seconds. So keep that in mind.

Can Views Help Me Make Money?

You may have questions about getting paid on YouTube, such as: “Does YouTube pay for views or subscribers?” There are many ways that someone gets paid through this video sharing site, but views are the main source of revenue.

How you get paid depends on the revenue source of your choosing, but yes, views do equal money. First, let’s look at the main way you get monetized, the YouTube Partner Program.

The YouTube Partner Program

When you sign up for the Partner Program, you get plenty of additional features you can use to improve your channel. And you gain access to its monetization features, such as putting ads on your video.

How do you qualify for the program? This is where the question “How many views to monetize YouTube?” is answered. There are different qualifications based on whether or not you’re a regular video creator or a Shorts creator. Both require at least 1,000 subscribers. If you’re a regular creator, you need at least 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months. If you’re a Shorts creator, you need 10 million Shorts views in the past 90 days.

If you’re running a little short on views, subs, or watch time, you can purchase these from reputable sites that offer valid views, subscribers, or watch hours. If you buy YouTube views, you might be able to save a little time and resources.

How Many Views Does it Take to Make Money on YouTube?

If you’re monetized through the Partner Program, you can make money through YouTube ads. It’s easy to see how more views equals more money. The more people are watching the ads, the bigger the payout will be.

So, how many views to get paid on YouTube before you start to see earnings? The exact answer is not known, but it’s estimated that the average YouTube channel receives $2-$12 per 1k views. This number may fluctuate depending on your demographics, how many YouTube channels you have, your niche, the types of ads on your YouTube videos, and more.

Most YouTubers do not make that much money just on views alone. Instead, they may make money through other methods. These methods include:

➤ Superchats and Super Thanks

If you stream or you set your video to Premiere, superchats are highlighted messages that users can send. Someone may send you some money via superchat to show their thanks or to get the streamer to notice them.

Super Thanks are similar, but they’re instead found in the comment section. But they function the same, being highlighted comments someone may buy to show thanks or to be noticed.

➤ Channel Memberships

YouTube Memberships are YouTube’s answer to Patreon. You can set up subscription tiers, and someone can pay for that tier. These tiers may give a person access to premium content and exclusive posts.

➤ YouTube Premium Subscribers and Views

YouTube Premium provides an ad-free experience to people who subscribe to it and offers other features, including the ability to download videos. If a person who has a Premium membership watches your YouTube videos, they won’t see any ads, but this still counts towards monetizing your video via views.

Some people have reported having more earnings through a Premium view versus a regular one. Some claim it’s over eight times the amount, but the exact numbers are unknown. But the answer to the question of “How much views do you need to make money on YouTube” is that you need far less if they’re all Premium!

➤ Ways Outside of YouTube Itself

Other YouTubers have different ways of making money outside of the platform. Some may host a merch store where users can rep cool gear made by the YouTuber. Others may use Patreon or Streamlabs’s superchat features. These ways may be good if you don’t qualify for the Partner Program. If you have a small but dedicated fan base, you can still earn some money.

Another way people make money, and perhaps the biggest way for many video essayists, is through sponsors. These are in-video ads in which a YouTuber is paid to promote a product or service.

How Many Views Before YouTube Pays?

On YouTube, you get payouts through Google AdSense. Once you’ve reached the $100 threshold, you get paid once a month. Because views can give different amounts of money, the exact number you need isn’t uncertain. It may also depend on money earned through other monetization methods, too.

How to Get More Views

Now that you know how many views to get money on YouTube you need, you may wonder “How do I get more views?” Besides buying them, as we mentioned before, you should also look to using organic means to get more views. Let’s look at some of them.

➥ Know Your Audience and Niche

This step is the most obvious. Some people upload whatever they want to on YouTube, but this won’t take you far. Instead, you should think of a niche you’re into. Flesh it out to make it as specific as possible. This will attract people whose eyes may be on less competition.

➥ Have a Great Thumbnail, Title, and Description

Have you ever watched a video because the title made you want to learn more, or the thumbnail looked interesting? You want to have a title and thumbnail optimized for your target audience. Research keywords and thumbnail trends and make your own shine.

➥ Keep Them Hooked!

As mentioned, a view counts for about 30 seconds of watch time. While someone may not watch your video from beginning to end, particularly if it’s long, they need to be on that video for at least 30 seconds.

Thirty seconds doesn’t seem like it’s that much time. However, people have short attention spans. If your video doesn’t capture their attention within the first few seconds, they may back away from the video. So, have a good hook to keep them watching!

➥ Promote Your Videos

Use as many social media platforms as possible to share your videos. Go to forums where your target audience may lurk and post them there. You can also spend money to boost your videos usually as ads.

➥ Study the Competition

Even if you cover a narrow niche, you probably create video content that is similar to someone else’s. So watch the most successful YouTube creators from your niche. What are they doing well that you can make better? If you feel like they’re falling behind, why is that? What can you do to make yourself stand out even better?

➥ Post at the Right Times

Your analytics from the YouTube Studio can tell you when your audience is the most active on YouTube. If you upload when your audience is asleep or at work/school, then you may not get as many views as you should. See when your audience is active, and then schedule your content to be uploaded.

➥ Trial and Error

Few people get it right the first time. Chances are, you may start to get views, but it may not be enough. Then, post a video that performs well. So you start making more content like that, but then people get tired of it.

YouTube is a constant hustle of knowing what works and what doesn’t and adjusting to the times. Fame can fade fast on YouTube unless you think of new ways to surprise your audience.

How Many Views Needed to Make Money on YouTube: Conclusion

So, to answer the question of “How many views does a YouTube video need to make money?” it all depends, as ad revenue is all over the place. You also need to qualify for the Partner Program. If your YouTube channel is smaller, you can have other revenue sources, such as memberships, superchats, Premium views, and resources outside of YouTube.

YouTube earnings is a constant hustle, and not everyone can make a full time job out of it. But if you create quality content, YouTube channel can be a great hobby that earns you some side income. Good luck!