How do you get paid on YouTube? The precise answer depends on your YouTube monetization strategy (exclusive resource in the post ⬇️)
But there’s one core metric that’s the foundation of all YouTube monetization strategies. And that is watch time.
In this post, we’re going to dive deep into:
- What is watch time on YouTube?
- How much watch time required for YouTube monetization?
- How can you quickly get the hours you need to start making money?
So, without further ado, let’s get started!
Table of Contents
What is watch time on YouTube?
Watch time is one of the primary YouTube stats. Fundamentally, it refers to the amount of time that people have spent watching your videos. It’s not the same as views or audience retention.
You get a view on YouTube when someone watches your video for more than 30 seconds. You could give views to your own video multiple times – that’s certainly not an issue.
Along the same lines, audience retention refers to the percentage of videos watched by the viewer. By default, the higher, the better.
Contrary to this, watch time refers to the total number of minutes of the video actually watched by someone. For example, if you have three videos on your channel, each of them 10-minutes long. And I watch two minutes through each of these videos, your total watch time on YouTube would be six minutes.
If you want a visual demo for better understanding, watch this tutorial: How to check watch hours on YouTube?
How much watch time required for YouTube monetization?
According to YouTube Partner Program, you need about 4000 watch hours to monetize your YouTube channel. You also need about 1000 subscribers. Plus, these watch hours should be accumulated in 12 consecutive months.
If you gained 1000 hours of watch time three years ago and recently gained your remaining 3000 hours of watch time, YouTube will not consider you eligible for the Partner Program. You must get 4000 hours of watch time on YouTube in 12 consecutive months.
Once you hit the 4000 watch hours and 1000 subscriber milestone, you can apply for YouTube Partner Program (YPP). YouTube will review your channel before monetizing it.
According to YouTube’s current monetization policies, it’s okay if your watch hours do not continue to increase at the same pace while your channel is under review or after it’s approved for the YPP. However, if YouTube observes there’s no increase in your channel’s watch hours or subscribers after approval, they may withdraw monetization after six months. For that very reason, it’s essential to continue posting and gaining watch hours as well as subscribers.
How much does YouTube pay for 4000 watch hours?
Technically, YouTube doesn’t pay for 4000 watch hours. It pays for the ads that your audience will watch through your YouTube videos after your channel is monetized.
Currently, YouTube’s pay rate per ad view ranges from $0.01 – $0.03, meaning you can make $18 per 1000 ad views. For beginner YouTubers, earning $18 might be a challenging task. But if you produce incredibly unique and quality content for a popular niche, you can make up to $2000 – $3000 per month with a million ad views.
Alternatively, you can see this as $3 – $5 per 1000 video views. It might sound a bit demotivating for all the effort you’re going to invest in growing your YouTube channel.
But know that, this income will be absolutely passive. Imagine receiving around $300 – $500 per month in your bank account without doing anything. In the long run, the figure will only increase if you continually upload quality content on YouTube. Plus, you can brand out to other digital earnings, such as affiliate programs and courses.
How to increase watch hours on YouTube?
The quickest way to increase watch hours on YouTube is to buy the watch hours. Yup, you read that right. There are several businesses like Easy Viral that offer packages for acquiring watch hours and subscribers required for monetizing your YouTube.
Although it’s quick and easy, it’s not the smartest way. That’s because you can buy fake watch hours and subscribers to get approved for YPP. But how will you retain your watch hours and subscribers after being approved? If you continue to pay for these services, you’ll be spending instead of earning – which is, of course, a very bad deal.
Hence, we recommend focusing on organic growth. You should focus on growing your YouTube channel organically by producing quality content. There are a few things (or you can call them hacks) that can up your content quality instantly. I’ve listed them below.
Before you hop in, here’s a value-packed tweet from Adam Del Dulca:
Ready to exercise this strategy on your YouTube channel? Well then, read on. Integrate the hacks given below with Adam’s advice – and you will be a YouTube superstar in no time!
#1. Give a quick summary in the first 15 seconds.
The first 15 seconds of your video can either make it or break it. These 15 seconds decide whether the viewer will watch the entire video or not.
We recommend giving a quick overview of what you’ll teach or share in the YT video in these first 15 seconds. It will help the viewer make an informed decision about whether they wish to view the entire video or they wish to leave. You will also grow your YouTube channel and its viewership on more solid grounds.
Here’s a good example of how to make a clear YouTube intro: The Key to English Fluency (and 5 Ways to get there)
It is also a good idea to start your YouTube video with a funny movie clip or meme that’s relevant to the content of your YouTube video. Check out how a YouTuber with 115K subscribers did it:
If you don’t know how to pick and pair the right meme or movie content with your YT videos, you can collaborate with creative video editors and leave the job to them. Where will you find such creative video editors? At editvideo.io, of course. 😊
#2. Brand your content. Become recognizable.
Branding is powerful. If we say cold drink right now, there’s a 90 percent chance you’re instantly going to visualize Pepsi or Coca-cola. If we use the term electric car, you’ll most likely visualize a Tesla instead of a Nissan.
The same phenomenon comes into play when you create content to brand your services or products. Whether you’re a solopreneur, the owner of a small company, or a SaaS founder – you can become recognizable in the sea of videos on YouTube with a consistent choice of colors, fonts, and even music.
Make sure you use your logo somewhere in the frame of your YouTube video. It could be in the intro or outro as well. Also, it’s a good idea to opt for a color palette and set of fonts and stick to them.
Apart from your video frame, it’s essential to brand your YouTube thumbnail since that’s the first thing your audience will see when your video appears in search results. With that said, here’s a guide to creating awesome YouTube thumbnails: How to create the best YouTube thumbnails?
Give it a read, and feel free to connect with editvideo.io for any sort of help or questions. Here’s another resource that’ll help you in your journey: Top 10 Fonts for YouTube thumbnails.
#3. Maintain a Posting Schedule
Posting videos consistently is the best YouTube watch time increase free hack. YouTube recommends posting more than once a week to increase your views and watch time. However, if you’re building a YouTube channel for a reliable source of income, we recommend posting at least thrice a week.
It’s best to maintain a schedule. You can pick certain days and times when your target audience is most active on YouTube and post at these times. In this way, your audience will know when to expect content from you and if it’s worthy enough, they might even wait for it.
With that said, we’re not lost to the fact that producing three quality YT videos each week is truly a challenge. To tackle this, we recommend creating your video content at least one month before you publish it. Keep it recorded and edited. Then, publish as per schedule.
Ping us if you need help with video editing. A couple of our clients went from 0 subscribers to 5K YouTube subscribers in a month, simply because they were able to consistently put out quality video content on their YouTube channels with our help. At editvideo.io, a dedicated video editing expert manages one client at a time and manages them thoroughly (from consultation to editing) and in this way, the process speeds up.
#4. Optimize Meta Data
How to get YouTube watch time? Go all in on YouTube SEO.
Here’s how you can optimize your YouTube video:
- Title: Keep it 45 characters and use the keywords at starting.
- Description: Use keywords in the first 157 characters and use bullet points to tell what’s in the video. Also, share links to resources that you talk about in your video.
- Tags: Some people say YouTube tags are useless in 2022, but that’s not entirely true. It’s best to optimize this by adding related keywords.
#5. Reply to Comments
In the social media world, you cannot grow with one-way communication. There’s no point in putting out content if you’re not engaging with your audience and building a community.
So, when you upload a YouTube video, make sure you respond to the comment immediately. It’s best to type a text reply instead of only reacting. Your reply may bring them back to your next video.
Final Words
So, how much watch time required for YouTube monetization? 4000 hours. And how to get 4000 watch hours? Implement the strategies and tips given above! Let us know how things unfold for you in the comments below!
And if you wish to get genuine subscribers on YouTube as soon as possible, send us a raw video of yours with your YouTube channel goals at support@editvideo.io. We’ll send back an awesome edited video along with a few video marketing strategy tips!
