How to Make Money with YouTube Shorts in 2026 (Step-by-Step)

1. YouTube Shorts ad revenue. Once monetized (1000 subs + 10M Shorts views in 90 days), you earn a share of ad revenue from the Shorts feed. Typical earnings: $0.03–0.07 per 1000 views.

2. Affiliate marketing. Promote products in your Shorts and earn commissions from sales. Include affiliate links in descriptions. Works especially well for tech, finance, and product review niches.

3. Brand sponsorships. Once you reach 10K+ subscribers, brands will pay for dedicated Shorts or product mentions. Rates: $200–2000+ per sponsored Short depending on niche and audience size.

4. Driving traffic to monetized long-form. Use Shorts as a funnel to your long-form YouTube videos, which earn significantly higher ad revenue ($5–30+ RPM).

5. Selling products or services. Use Shorts to promote your own courses, ebooks, consulting, or merchandise. The content serves as free marketing for your paid offerings.

Step 1: Choose your primary monetization method. Ad revenue is the easiest starting point. Affiliate marketing is the most immediate (no subscriber threshold).

Step 2: Build your channel to 1000 subscribers. Use FluxNote to post daily Shorts. Reach the subscriber threshold as quickly as possible.

Step 3: Apply for the YouTube Partner Program. Once eligible, enable Shorts monetization in YouTube Studio.

Step 4: Layer additional revenue streams. Add affiliate links to descriptions. Pitch brands for sponsorships. Create long-form content for higher RPM.

Step 5: Scale content production. More Shorts mean more revenue opportunities. Use AI to scale from 1 to 3+ Shorts per day.

- Start with affiliate marketing before hitting monetization threshold — it requires no minimum subscribers
- High-RPM niches (finance, tech, health) earn more per view
- Shorts are a funnel, not the final product — drive viewers to long-form or products
- Track your revenue per niche and double down on the most profitable topics
- Diversify income streams — do not rely on ad revenue alone

- Only relying on ad revenue — Shorts RPM is low, you need multiple income streams
- Not including links in descriptions — every Short should have a relevant link
- Waiting for monetization to start earning — affiliate links work from day one
- Ignoring high-RPM niches — entertainment pays $0.02 RPM, finance pays $0.10+
- Not creating long-form content — Shorts viewers who convert to long-form are 10x more valuable