Getting a million views on a short-form video feels incredible, but the payout often leaves creators underwhelmed. If you are wondering exactly how much YouTube pays for Shorts views in 2026, the answer lies in understanding RPM, niche selection, and the sheer volume required to make it profitable.
The 60-Second Shorts Monetization Verdict
- Average Shorts RPM ranges from $0.01 to $0.07, meaning 1 million views typically earns between $10 and $70.
- Premium niches like Finance and Tech can see higher RPMs, occasionally reaching up to $0.30 per 1,000 views [2].
- Eligibility requires massive volume: You need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).
- The Creator Pool model means your revenue is a 45% share of the allocated pool, heavily influenced by whether you use licensed music.
- Scaling is the only path to profit, requiring tools like Koro to automate high-frequency UGC posting without creator burnout.
Is It Possible to Monetize YouTube Shorts in 2026?
Yes, monetizing YouTube Shorts is entirely possible, but the game has shifted significantly from the early days of the "Shorts Fund." Today, Shorts monetization is fully integrated into the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) via an ad revenue-sharing model.
However, because Shorts are fast-paced and users swipe through dozens in a single session, ads are placed between videos in the feed. This means revenue is pooled and distributed based on your share of total views.
The reality is that Shorts pay significantly less per view than long-form content. To make substantial income directly from ad revenue, you need to generate tens of millions of views consistently. This makes Shorts better suited as a top-of-funnel discovery tool for Indian D2C brands and creators, rather than a primary direct-revenue source.
What Criteria Must Your Content Meet For YPP Eligibility?
To start earning from the Shorts feed, you must first be accepted into the YouTube Partner Program. The threshold is notoriously steep for casual creators but achievable for dedicated brands.
You must have 1,000 subscribers and 10 million valid public Shorts views within the last 90 days. Alternatively, you can qualify via the long-form route (4,000 watch hours), but the 10M Shorts views path is often faster for viral-style content.
Beyond the numbers, your content must be 100% original and advertiser-friendly. Re-uploading unedited clips from movies or other creators will result in demonetization. Additionally, YouTube actively filters out bot traffic, so "fake views" will not count toward your 10 million threshold.
How Much Does YouTube Pay For Shorts Views?
The metric that matters here is RPM (Revenue Per Mille), which is how much you take home per 1,000 views. For YouTube Shorts in 2026, the average RPM sits between $0.01 and $0.07.
This means a viral Short with 10 million views might only generate $100 to $700. The exact payout depends heavily on your audience's geography (Tier 1 countries pay more) and your content niche. For example, entertainment and gaming often hover at the lower end of that spectrum.
Conversely, high-CPM niches like personal finance, SaaS, and business can push that RPM higher, occasionally reaching up to $0.30 [2]. If you use licensed music from the YouTube library, the revenue pool is split with the music publishers, further diluting your 45% creator share.
Scaling Production: Hitting 10M Views Without Burnout
Because the RPM is so low, the only way to make meaningful money—or drive meaningful traffic to your D2C store—is through massive volume. Posting 3 to 5 high-quality Shorts per day is standard for top performers.
This creates a severe production bottleneck. Hiring UGC creators for 90 videos a month is expensive and coordinating shipments takes weeks. We've seen a Bangalore-based skincare D2C founder solve this by using Koro's UGC Video tool to generate unlimited talking-head videos with AI actors.
By typing a script, they produce professional, localized Shorts in multiple Indian languages in minutes. With plans starting at ₹999/month, Koro replaces the entire creator coordination stack, allowing brands to maintain the high posting frequency required to hit that 10 million view eligibility mark.
Alternative Monetization: Fan Funding
If relying solely on ad revenue feels discouraging, YouTube offers alternative "Fan Funding" features for Shorts creators. Once you hit a lower threshold (500 subscribers and 3 million Shorts views), you can unlock these tools.
Super Thanks allows viewers to buy highlighted comments on your Shorts, directly tipping you for great content. This is highly effective for educational or highly entertaining niches.
You can also drive viewers toward Channel Memberships, offering exclusive badges or behind-the-scenes content for a monthly fee. For D2C brands, the ultimate alternative monetization is using Shorts to drive viewers to your Shopify or Amazon India listings, where the ROI far exceeds the native RPM.
Key Takeaways for Shorts Monetization
- Expect an average Shorts RPM of $0.01 to $0.07, meaning high volume is essential for profit.
- You need 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days to unlock ad revenue.
- Niche matters: Finance and business content yields significantly higher RPMs than general entertainment.
- Using licensed music splits your revenue pool with publishers, lowering your final payout.
- Automating UGC production with tools like Koro is the most efficient way to scale to 3-5 posts daily.
- Fan funding features like Super Thanks unlock at a lower threshold of 3 million views.
