Youtube Partner Programme Updates 2018
Youtube Partner Programme members were hit with another bombshell In January 2017, which did not go down well. As with an update earlier in the year it raised the bar significantly for any Youtube user looking to monetize their channel and videos. Lets look at what these updates entail and try and put things in perspective.
The Youtube Partner Programme (YPP) allows its members to A. link their channel to an associated website and B. to earn money from ads placed on their videos. Associating a website with a channel means that tools like cards and endscreens can be used to redirect viewers away from Youtube. Ad revenue from a viral video or very popular channel can be very lucrative. So it’s a good place to be but not so easy to get there anymore.
Originally there were no joining restrictions for the Youtube Partner Programme other than to have an account in good standing. In October of 2017 however things changed. Youtube announced that a channel now needed 10,000 views to qualify. Whilst this was a bit of a blow for anyone who just started a channel, it wasn’t a huge deal. 10K views is not all that hard to achieve over time with consistent work.
Youtube Partner Programme – The Bar Has Risen
The latest update to the Youtube Partner Programme however was much more significant. To qualify for the programme now you need 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of watch time. That raises the bar quite high for a lot of people. It’s mainly going to effect channels that are looking to monetize via ads. To be fair though a lot of views are needed anyway to make any significant money. Ad revenue generates about $1 per 1000 views. So basically no big deal for the big guys but quite daunting for small to medium sized channels.
The good news for a channel that qualified for the earlier update (10,000 video views) Is that they will still be able to use the associated website tools. That’s a bigger issue for my own channel and for many like mine. As an affiliate marketer its much more important to be able to send viewers to related content and offers using cards and endscreens. Youtube have said they will be revising the criteria for associated websites in future but at present it’s situation normal for current partners.
Can’t Join the Youtube Partner Programme?
So worst case scenario: You are just starting a Youtube channel. Aside from being unable to monetise with ads, you’ll actually just be in the same boat that everyone was in pre Youtube Partner Programme. You will have to use keywords, meta data, descriptions, links and tags properly. Calls to action in your videos will need to direct viewers to links in your description and you will need to get serious about your channel.
Youtube has put these measures in place for good reasons. They want to deter “Bad Actors” as they put it that game the system to get more views. They want their users to have a great experience. Longer watch times means that videos are more engaging and provide a better experience for viewers as do more subscribers. This is a clear signal to video creators, which says, make better videos and make more of them. It makes clearly defining your audience and offering them a ton of value even more important than ever before. Youtube are not alone in sending these signals. Other platforms like Facebook are making similar changes to their algorithms and guidelines. I think this is good for everyone in the long run and for Internet marketing in particular.
