Creator Blog
A friendly reminder and monetization advice
Thursday, February 21, 2013
We’re always working to bring to you the latest tips and updates so you can make the most of your YouTube experience. One of the benefits of being a YouTube partner is your ability to monetize your uploaded content, and we have a few best practices and guidelines to help you understand the monetization process. Read on to review some of the commonly-asked questions and our suggestions for how you can maximize your YouTube earnings!
Keep in mind these monetization basics:
Create an AdSense account
. You can enable video monetization and display ads without associating an AdSense account with YouTube, but in order to be paid you’ll need to create - and associate - an AdSense account.
Enable relevant ad formats
. Set your monetization
ad defaults
, and allow all ad types that are relevant for your videos.
Look at the monetization symbol next to your video
.
Videos with a grey “$” button are not yet monetized.
Videos with a green “$” button have been enabled for monetization
Videos with an orange “!” symbol next to them indicate that YouTube might need more information to approve your video for monetization. In that case, check your Video Manager and your e-mail.
Make sure you own commercial use rights before you monetize
.
Whenever possible, take the opportunity to be creative - create your own unique audio and visuals!
If you want to monetize a video that contains audio or visuals you didn’t personally create, you’ll need the content creator to provide express written permission for commercial use. If you have written permission to use third-party material, be sure to mention/include it when you publish a video or when asked to provide information for monetization.
Check the licenses for any audio you include, and where possible, use royalty-free music that's licensed for commercial use.
Remember that fair use is a tricky subject. Don't assume you can monetize third-party content because you’ve claimed it as fair use.
Going forward, don’t forget to:
Keep your AdSense account in good standing
. Encouraging viewers to click on your ads, or clicking on them yourself, is strictly prohibited. Learn more
here
.
Do your homework to understand whether you actually own commercial use rights
. Purchasing a song, game, or program may not mean you own the rights to monetize, and there could be consequences for claiming content you don't own.
Create family-friendly content that advertisers want to sponsor
. Keep in mind some advertisers have a family audience and may not want their ads appearing next to content containing profanity, offensive, or derogatory language/images.
Review our policies
. Make sure you’re familiar with our
spam policies
and avoid spamming your viewers.
Follow our audience development best practices
outlined in the
Creator Playbook
to build your fan base and increase views and
watch time
. Using misleading tags, thumbnails, and metadata may give your fans a negative viewing experience, reduce your watch time, and could affect your monetization status.
Thanks again for helping make the YouTube partner community so vibrant. We hope you find these tips useful, and if you have any additional questions, don’t forget about the resources YouTube makes available: monetization tips and audience development best practices abound in the
YouTube Help Center
, the
Playbook
, the
Partner Forum
, the
Creator Hub
, the
YouTube Creators channel
and here on the YouTube Creator Blog.
Vasiliki Kanistra & Devon Storbeck, YouTube Partner Support, recently watched “
Kittens On The Beat
.”
Being a YouTube Creator Just Got Even More Rewarding
Thursday, April 12, 2012
[Update: This blog post was updated at 6:39PM PST on 4/12. Please read more
below
.]
Some videos reach millions of viewers, while others satisfy the appetite of a precise, yet passionate audience. Whether you want to become a
global pop star
, create the
Ultimate Frisbee Channel
,
teach math to students around the world
, or
publicly muse on your daily life
, you can do it on YouTube. Partners are already producing videos that draw large and loyal audiences while building careers for themselves. But we know that there are many more creators out there with talents to share, and we want to empower them to achieve their goals, whatever they may be.
So starting today, we are updating partner eligibility across 20 countries (listed below) where the
YouTube Partner Program
has launched. YouTube uploaders in these countries can become YouTube partners by enabling their YouTube accounts, and
successfully monetizing
at least one of their videos. You can start your journey as a YouTube partner by reviewing the terms and opting in your account
here
. Read
here
for more information.
This change will be in effect today in the countries listed below, and we’ll work to make it more broadly available in countries where the YouTube Partner Program has launched:
Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States
Your journey as a YouTube partner is what you make of it. Whether you’re aiming to score your next million subscribers or just want to learn about the best times to upload videos, there are resources tailored to your needs.
To help you
unlock your creativity and further develop your skills, there’s
:
Next Vlogger
: A few weeks ago,
we asked
you which category we should choose for our NextUp program. You overwhelmingly selected YouTube Next Vlogger. Participants will receive one on one training from YouTube stars and industry leaders like
iJustine
, video equipment valued at $5,000, and global promotion on and off the YouTube.
Apply
by April 18.
Creator Clubs
:
Sign up
for a Creator Club to network and collaborate with other creators in your area. And stay tuned for Partner Meetups to learn new skills directly from YouTube staff and experts.
YouTube Features
: Whether you’re looking to
improve your production quality
or trying to
create fun videos
, you can use YouTube’s growing toolset to make videos the world will love.
To help you
grow larger and more engaged audiences, there’s
:
Partner Promotion
: Certain creators who were partners prior to April 10th may be eligible to receive free advertising on the Google Display Network—websites that cover more than 92 percent of the Internet. Learn more in the
Creator Hub
. We hope to extend this feature to additional partners over time.
Creator Playbook 2
: The YouTube Creator Playbook 2 is the latest version of the definitive YouTube audience development guide. Find it at
youtube.com/playbook
.
Creators On the Rise
: The On the Rise Program offers high potential up-and-coming partners with homepage, editorial and social media promotion. Look out for opportunities to participate every month.
[Update]
We're excited to provide more creators with
the opportunity
to become partners and have access to programs and resources to help them be successful on
YouTube. These programs will be tailored to partners based on their specific needs.
We also recognize that custom thumbnails and banners are sought-after features by many creators. We are working on making these and other features available to more newly-made partners over time, like we have done with long uploads and monetization.
You can stay on top of all creator news at the Creator Hub (
youtube.com/creators
). To help you better discover new opportunities, all partner initiatives will be identified with the new gold play icon. The icon symbolizes the heart of YouTube: you and your content.
If you’re willing to work hard and create videos that entertain, inspire, educate and amaze, then you can find success on YouTube. Whether you’re a novice or a mogul, we’re committed to helping you meet your goals as a YouTube partner.
The YouTube Team
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