From Fan Funding to Shopping: More ways for creators to earn on YouTube
Jun 13, 2023 – minute read
Last year we shared that big updates were coming to the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) to help more creators make more money on YouTube. And in case you missed it, we’ve recently expanded YPP eligibility to include Shorts creators & also added Shorts ad revenue sharing.
Now we’re expanding the program by introducing earlier access to YPP with lower eligibility criteria that will help you start earning on YouTube sooner by opening up access to fan funding features like channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks, and more. We’re also introducing an update to our YouTube Shopping affiliate program for creators who are further along in their journey!
Supporting creators even earlier in their journey
In the US, the number of channels that earned a majority of revenue from Fan Funding products in December 2022 saw an increase over 20% compared to the prior year.
As creators build their communities on YouTube, our fan funding features give them another way to grow their earnings while engaging with their audience. Creators around the world, like Emily D. Baker, use these features to provide exclusive content and benefits to their fans through channel memberships or shoutout viewers who use Super Chat during their live streams. In fact, in the US, the number of channels that earned a majority of revenue from Fan Funding products in December 2022 saw an increase over 20% compared to the prior year.
Starting today, eligible creators will begin to be able to apply to YPP earlier — once they’ve met a threshold of 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3000 watch hours in the past year or 3M Shorts views in the last 90 days. These new partners will unlock access to fan funding features like channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and the ability to promote their own products with YouTube Shopping.
We’re starting to roll out this new level of YPP to creators in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea, and will introduce earlier access to YPP across all countries where YPP is available over time.
As these creators continue to grow their channel, they’ll automatically become eligible to earn revenue sharing from ads and even more benefits once they reach the existing YPP eligibility criteria, without having to go through the full YPP application process again. These existing eligibility requirements to unlock revenue sharing remain unchanged.
Expanding our YouTube Shopping affiliate program
For creators who are further in their YouTube journey, we’re expanding our YouTube Shopping affiliate program to all eligible US-based creators who are in YPP with over 20,000 subscribers. The affiliate program allows creators to feature products from other brands and creators in their content and be eligible for competitive commission rates on the sales of products tagged in their videos and Shorts.
We’ve partnered with over 50 brands (with more to come!) like Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Wayfair spanning beauty, tech, home and apparel whose products can be featured and tagged on videos and Shorts. That means the next time Andréa Matillano is talking about her favorite new lipstick, she can tag it directly in her video or Short to allow viewers to easily shop and then earn commission from sales generated on that content.
Being part of the YouTube Shopping affiliate program lets creators easily see which products are eligible for commission and track sales through YouTube Studio so they can spend more time creating and less time managing links. And by tagging the products featured in the video, their viewers can quickly scan helpful information, including pricing and product details, without leaving the video while they checkout on the retailer’s site. Eligible creators will see the option to join the affiliate program in YouTube Studio.
More like this
"Every week I share new videos on all things beauty on my channel -- from best drugstore makeup to Sephora must haves under $20. Being part of the YouTube Shopping affiliate program makes it easy for viewers to shop and learn more about the products I'm featuring right along with me. The program itself makes it incredibly easy to see commission rates for products and tag videos so I can spend less time on those details and more time focusing on finding the best products for my viewers." - Andréa Matillano, YouTube beauty creator
We’re excited to discuss these opportunities at VidCon next week and can’t wait to see even more of you earning on YouTube and connecting with your viewers in brand new ways.