YouTube has announced lower eligibility criteria for its YouTube Partner Program, the latest in a series of updates to make the program more accessible to more creators. The goal is stated to support content creators “even earlier in their journey” and help them make more money on the platform.
The new eligibility requirements allow creators to apply to the program once they have at least 500 subscribers, three “valid” recent uploads, and either 3000 watch hours within the last year or three million views on their Shorts in the last 90 days. Once accepted into the program, they will gain access to “fan funding” features such as memberships, paid chat, and YouTube Shopping features that allow them to promote their own products on the platform.
Once creators accepted into the program meet the old eligibility criteria, they are automatically given access to revenue sharing from ads, without the need for them to go through the application process again.
YouTube Shopping Affiliate Program
YouTube’s announcement also detailed the expansion of their YouTube Shopping affiliate program that allows creators with more than 20,000 subscribers to tag products from other brands or creators in their videos or Shorts and earn commission from sales generated from their content.