Yes, you can monetize YouTube Shorts through the YouTube Partner Program. Shorts creators earn a share of ad revenue from the Shorts feed, and Shorts can also count toward YPP eligibility via 10 million valid public Shorts views in 90 days plus 1,000 subscribers.
Shorts revenue works differently from long-form ads. Revenue from ads between Shorts is pooled, allocated based on creators' share of views, adjusted for music licensing, and creators keep 45% of their allocated amount. Rates per view are typically far lower than long-form. Shorts are excellent for growth and subscriber acquisition, so many creators use them to drive viewers to long-form content where ad revenue per view is higher.
Step-by-step plan
Join YPP through either the watch-hour or the Shorts-view path.
Accept the Shorts monetization module in Studio.
Use original audio or licensed music to protect your share.
Link Shorts to related long-form videos.
Track Shorts revenue separately in analytics.
Why this works
YouTube monetization runs through the YouTube Partner Program. The full ad-revenue tier has required 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days, with a lower fan-funding tier at 500 subscribers. Thresholds and eligible countries change, so confirm the live numbers in YouTube Studio's Earn tab. Reviewers also check that the channel is original, advertiser-friendly and policy-compliant.
Common mistake to avoid
Expecting long-form ad rates from Shorts. Shorts often earn cents per thousand views, so treat them mainly as growth.
Pro tip
Edit Shorts so the last frame flows into the first. Loops lift average views per viewer, which grows your counted Shorts views and signals to the Shorts feed that your video deserves more distribution.
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