The revenue pool, step by step
- 1Ads shown between Shorts in the feed generate revenue.
- 2That revenue is pooled across all monetising creators.
- 3Music licensing costs are paid from the pool first.
- 4What remains is allocated to creators by their share of eligible Shorts views.
- 5Creators keep 45% of their allocated amount.
Realistic Shorts RPM
| Audience | Typical Shorts RPM | Earnings per 1M views |
|---|---|---|
| US-heavy | $0.05 – $0.20 | $50 – $200 |
| Western Europe | $0.04 – $0.15 | $40 – $150 |
| Global mixed | $0.02 – $0.08 | $20 – $80 |
| Predominantly low-CPM regions | $0.01 – $0.03 | $10 – $30 |
A million Shorts views is roughly worth what ten to twenty thousand long-form views are. Shorts are a reach channel, not a revenue channel.
How to actually earn from Shorts
- Use Shorts to drive subscribers, then monetise those viewers with long-form content
- Sell your own product — Shorts reach converts far better to a landing page than to AdSense
- Brand deals priced on reach, where Shorts numbers look excellent
- Affiliate links in pinned comments and the channel page
- Fan funding, which the early-access tier unlocks at 500 subscribers
Compare what the same audience is worth as Shorts views versus long-form views.
Free earnings calculator