Ijharul Islam
YouTube Shorts pay a few cents per 1,000 views. Creators surveyed by Business Insider reported Shorts RPMs of $0.04 to $0.06, which is about $40 to $60 per million views, compared with dollars per 1,000 views for long videos. YouTube doesn't pay Shorts per ad shown: it pools the ad revenue from the Shorts feed and gives creators 45% of the share allocated to them by views.
More on this topic: Video marketing, every guide in one place.
Here is how that pool works, what the numbers look like at 100,000, 1 million and 10 million views, how to qualify, and why most channels treat Shorts as a way to grow rather than to earn.
The short answer
At creator-reported Shorts RPMs of $0.04 to $0.06, 1,000 Shorts views pay about 4 to 6 cents, 100,000 views about $4 to $6, 1 million views about $40 to $60 and 10 million views about $400 to $600. YouTube's terms give Shorts creators 45% of the revenue allocated to them from the creator pool, based on their share of views. Your exact Shorts RPM is in YouTube Studio's Revenue tab.
Key takeaways
- Shorts revenue comes from a pool of Shorts feed ad revenue, split by each creator's share of eligible views (YouTube Partner Program terms).
- Creators keep 45% of their allocated Shorts revenue; long-form watch-page ads pay 55%.
- Creators surveyed by Business Insider (2023) reported Shorts RPMs of $0.04 to $0.06; long-form RPMs in the same survey ran $1.61 to $29.30.
- Eligibility for ad revenue: 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days.
- A Short that sends viewers to long videos usually earns more indirectly than the Short itself.
How much do YouTube Shorts pay per 1,000 views?
Shorts pay about $0.04 to $0.06 per 1,000 views based on the creator figures Business Insider collected, and there's no official rate. Multiplied out:
| Shorts views | At $0.03 RPM | At $0.05 RPM | At $0.10 RPM |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,000 | $0.03 | $0.05 | $0.10 |
| 100,000 | $3 | $5 | $10 |
| 1,000,000 | $30 | $50 | $100 |
| 10,000,000 | $300 | $500 | $1,000 |
| 100,000,000 | $3,000 | $5,000 | $10,000 |
Compare a long video at a $2.30 RPM, the median in a 2026 study of 300 channels: 1 million long-form views earn about $2,300, roughly 40 to 50 times what the same number of Shorts views pays. Our post on how much YouTube pays per 1,000 views has the long-form table. To put your own Shorts RPM next to your long-form RPM, use the free YouTube money calculator.
How is YouTube Shorts revenue calculated?
Shorts revenue is calculated from a shared pool rather than from the ads next to your video. YouTube's Partner Program terms describe the steps in outline:
- Ads run between Shorts in the Shorts feed; their revenue goes into a pool each month.
- Part of that pool is allocated to the creators whose Shorts were watched, based on their share of eligible views (the Creator Pool allocation).
- Each creator is paid 45% of the revenue allocated to them.
Because the pool is split by share of views, your Shorts RPM moves with the whole platform: when more Shorts are watched, each view is worth a little less, and when advertisers spend more (for example before the holidays), it's worth a little more. You can't raise it with mid-rolls or longer videos, which is why Shorts RPMs are so much flatter across niches than long-form RPMs.
How do you get paid for YouTube Shorts?
You get paid for Shorts once you're in the YouTube Partner Program and have accepted the Shorts Monetization Module. YouTube's help page, checked in October 2026, lists two routes to ad-revenue eligibility:
| Route | Subscribers | Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Long-form | 1,000 | 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months |
| Shorts | 1,000 | 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days |
Shorts views count toward the Shorts route but not toward the 4,000 watch hours. Once you're in, Shorts views from then on start earning; views before you joined don't pay retroactively.
Where do you see how much your Shorts earn?
You see your Shorts earnings in YouTube Studio, under Analytics and then the Revenue tab. YouTube's help page on RPM describes the Revenue tab as the place to see estimated revenue across all revenue types, with a revenue sources report for estimated ad revenue. Analytics also lets you look at Shorts separately from long videos and live streams, so you can compare your Shorts RPM with your long-form RPM directly.
| What to check | Why |
|---|---|
| Shorts RPM vs long-form RPM | Shows how much more a long-form view is worth on your channel |
| Shorts views month by month | The pool splits by views, so volume drives Shorts earnings |
| Subscribers gained from Shorts | The main way Shorts pay off for most channels |
| Long-form views from Shorts viewers | Whether the related video link is working |
If your Shorts RPM looks tiny next to long-form, that's normal; judge Shorts by the subscribers and long-form views they bring.
Is it worth making YouTube Shorts for money?
Shorts are rarely worth making for their own ad revenue, but they're often worth making for what they lead to. A Short that gets 1 million views might earn $50 directly. If 0.5% of those viewers subscribe and later watch long videos, the long videos earn far more than the Short did. Shorts also cost little to make when they come from material you already have.
| Way a Short earns | How | Typical size |
|---|---|---|
| Shorts ad pool | 45% of your allocated share | Cents per 1,000 views |
| New subscribers | Viewers who then watch long videos | Long-form RPM on those views |
| Related video link | A link from the Short to a long video | Long-form RPM on the clicks |
| Sponsorships | Brands pay per Short or per package | Negotiated; often more than the pool |
| Your own product | Traffic to a course, service or shop | Depends on your offer |
The cheapest Shorts are clips from your long videos and podcasts: see how to turn a long video into Shorts and 12 ways to get more views on Shorts. Size and length rules are in YouTube Shorts size and length.
How can you earn more from Shorts?
You earn more from Shorts by getting more eligible views and by turning views into long-form watch time:
- Post consistently so the total view count, which is what the pool splits by, keeps growing.
- Hook in the first second and keep the Short tight; see how to write a hook for short videos.
- Caption every Short so it works with the sound off. QuickVeed's auto subtitles transcribe and burn captions in 11 styles, from 2 credits for a 1-minute clip.
- Link each Short to a related long video with the related video option, so interested viewers move to content that pays more.
- Reach other languages with translated captions, which widens the pool of viewers who can follow along.
Frequently asked questions
How much does YouTube pay for 1 million Shorts views?
Roughly $40 to $60, based on creator-reported Shorts RPMs of $0.04 to $0.06. Your own RPM may be higher or lower.
How much do YouTube Shorts pay per 1,000 views?
A few cents: creators surveyed by Business Insider reported $0.04 to $0.06 per 1,000 Shorts views.
Why do Shorts pay so little?
Shorts ads run between videos in the feed, and the revenue is pooled and split by views, with creators keeping 45% of their share. There are no mid-rolls or per-video ad slots.
Do Shorts views count toward monetization?
Yes, 10 million public Shorts views in 90 days plus 1,000 subscribers qualifies you. They don't count toward the 4,000 watch hours.
Do Shorts pay more in some countries?
Generally yes: ad spend differs by country, and the pool reflects what advertisers pay. YouTube doesn't publish country rates.
Are Shorts worth it?
For growth, often yes. For direct ad revenue, rarely; most channels earn more from the long videos Shorts lead viewers to.
How does TikTok's Creator Rewards Program compare?
TikTok pays only for videos over one minute long, to creators aged 18 or over with at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in the last 30 days, per TikTok's March 2024 announcement. It calculates rewards from originality, play duration, search value and engagement, and doesn't publish a rate per 1,000 views, so any TikTok RPM you read is creator-reported. Shorts pay from a shared ad pool with no minimum length; for short clips under a minute, TikTok's program pays nothing at all.
Where do I see my Shorts RPM?
In YouTube Studio, open Analytics and the Revenue tab, then look at Shorts on their own.
Try it with your own video
Caption your Shorts in any of 32 languages so they work with the sound off. Upload a Short, pick a caption style, and judge the result for yourself. QuickVeed plans start at $18/month, and new accounts get a 14-day trial with 250 credits, no card needed. Sign up or see pricing.
Sources
Competitor details in this post were checked against these public pages in October 2026. Products and prices change, so confirm with each vendor before you decide.
- YouTube Help: YouTube Partner Program terms (55% watch page ads, 45% Shorts)
- YouTube Help: YouTube Partner Program overview and eligibility
- YouTube Help: revenue per mille (RPM) and CPM
- Business Insider via Yahoo: what creators earn per 1,000 views (September 2023)
- AIR Media-Tech: YouTube RPM data from 300 channels (updated 1 July 2026)
- TikTok Newsroom: introducing the new Creator Rewards Program (18 March 2024)
