How much a YouTube creator earns for 1,000 views can change based on a variety of factors, from the type of content they make to whether they do short-form or long-form video.
Insider has spoken with dozens of creators to understand their YouTube income per 1,000 views, otherwise known as their RPM rate (revenue per mille).
Eight YouTubers who make long-form videos shared their YouTube income per 1,000 views, which ranged from $1.61 to $29.30.
At the highest end was YouTuber Josh Mayo.
"It's grown to this massive business that is very lucrative, and I'm very thankful for all of it," Mayo said, adding that his RPM rate went from around $6 in October 2021 to $29.30 in October 2022, growth that he attributed to creating creating more content around personal finance. (Read more about Mayo's business.)
Check out a detailed breakdown of how much the 8 creators earned per 1,000 views
To get started making money on YouTube and qualify for the program, a creator must have at least 500 subscribers, three public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3,000 watch hours in the past year, or 3 million YouTube shorts views in the past 90 days.
For long-form videos, YouTube pays creators 55% of the revenue from the ads that play in their videos.
In 2023, YouTube began sharing revenue from shorts ads in place of the shorts fund with creators. In this case, YouTube pools revenue from ads on Shorts. YouTube pays an undisclosed amount to record labels for music licensing, and creators get 45% of the remaining money based on their percentage of the total shorts views on the platform.
Seven YouTubers shared their YouTube income per 1,000 views from shorts. Their RPMs ranged from $0.04 to $0.06.
"Perspective is key here," YouTuber Riley Lemon said. "Yes, right now, you wouldn't be able to quit your full-time job from shorts alone, however, it presents a unique opportunity to grow your personal brand on YouTube at a rate that hasn't been achievable for most creators." She made $383.13 in a month for 7 million views on shorts.
Read a full breakdown of how much money YouTubers earn per 1,000 views from shorts
Creators on YouTube typically have a number of income streams, including sponsored content.
Here's more about how YouTubers make money, and how much they earn:
- Jack Neal, who had over 2 million YouTube subscribers, shared what he earned from 7 revenue streams
- 4 YouTubers with over 1 million subscribers explained how much money they made
- Manny Ortiz, who had 660,000 YouTube subscribers, shared what he earned in a month from 4 revenue streams
- James Tilk, who had 18,000 YouTube subscribers, shared what he made from 4 income streams
