How to Make Money on YouTube Shorts in 2026

Shorts get views fast, but views alone pay little. This guide covers what YouTube actually pays for Shorts, the thresholds to reach first, and how creators turn Shorts viewers into buyers of their own products, which you can start long before you're in the Partner Program.

1. Join the YouTube Partner Program

YouTube pays a share of ad revenue only to channels in the YouTube Partner Program. For the Shorts route you need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days (or 4,000 public watch hours on long videos in 12 months). Fan funding, such as Super Thanks and channel memberships, opens earlier at 500 subscribers with 3 million Shorts views in 90 days (vidIQ, June 2026).

2. Understand the 45% Shorts share

Shorts ads play between videos rather than inside one, so YouTube pools the ad revenue, allocates it by each channel's share of Shorts views, and pays creators in the programme 45% of their allocation (YouTube Blog, February 2025). In practice, Shorts earn far less per view than long videos, which is why most Shorts creators earn more from what they sell than from ads.

3. Know where your link can go

Since August 2023, links in Shorts descriptions and comments aren't clickable (Search Engine Journal, August 2023). The places that still work:

• The links on your channel page, which viewers reach by tapping your name.
• Long-form video descriptions and pinned comments.
• A Short's related video link, which can point to a long video that has your link in its description.
• Saying it in the Short itself: "the template is on my channel, link at the top".

4. Make a product your Shorts already sell

The best product is the thing viewers ask for in your comments. A cooking Short leads to a recipe pack, an editing Short to presets, a study Short to notes, a fitness Short to a 4-week plan. Make the Short show the result and the product give the full method.

• Free download: a checklist in exchange for an email, so viewers become a list you can reach again.
• Low-price product: a template or guide under $20 that people buy on impulse.
• Higher-price offer: a course or 1:1 call for viewers who want more.

5. Other ways Shorts creators earn

• Brand deals: brands pay for integrations, often based on views and audience fit rather than subscribers.
• YouTube Shopping: eligible channels can tag products from approved stores and earn commission.
• Fan funding: Super Thanks and memberships once you reach the fan-funding level.
• Licensing: clips that go viral can sometimes be licensed to media outlets.

Selling from your Shorts with Insidemetics

We build Insidemetics, so we're biased. Put your store link in your channel's links, add your products, and viewers pay you directly by PayPal, card or UPI. Files are delivered by email automatically, courses can use unlisted YouTube videos as lessons, and you keep 100% after payment fees. The Free plan lets you sell 1 paid product with no card.