THE FUTURE MARKETACADEMY
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School of Creators

YouTube Business: monetisation and channel systems

Step 7 of 8 in Creator Studios

Next in your path: 4.6.3 Podcast Growth: audience and monetisation

Results vary. Most channels grow slowly, and this course makes no income promises. YouTube's programs, thresholds and terms change often: re-check the linked help pages before you rely on any detail. This course is education only, not legal, tax or financial advice. Ask a licensed professional about your own situation.

What you'll be able to do
  • Map every way YouTube lets a channel earn, and the entry rules for each.
  • Read the Revenue tab and explain estimated revenue, CPM and RPM correctly.
  • Check a channel against YouTube's monetization policies and ad suitability rules.
  • Handle a sponsorship honestly, with the paid promotion label and your country's disclosure rules (with Canadian examples).
  • Manage music, claims and strikes so rights problems do not stop your income.
  • Set up team access with the lowest role that fits each job, and write simple channel systems.
  • Keep money records and know the questions to ask a tax professional in your country (with Canadian examples).
Words in this course 61Open the Vocabulary Hall
01

The map of ways to earn on YouTube

In simple words

A shop can earn money in more than one way: selling things, charging for a club, or getting paid to show another shop's sign. A channel is the same. Each way has its own door, and each door has its own key.

Before this course: YouTube Growth: content strategy and analytics (course 4.3.2), which builds on YouTube Channel from Zero (course 4.3). You already have a channel with a series plan, you read your analytics, and you know the basic YouTube Partner Program (YPP) thresholds from course 4.3, lesson 6. This course goes one step deeper: how a channel works as a small business.

Key facts

YouTube Help lists these ways to earn through the YouTube Partner Program:

Way to earnWhat it isEntry rule listed by YouTube Help
Advertising revenueAds on Watch pages and in the Shorts feed1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 qualified long-form watch hours in 365 days or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days
ShoppingSell your own products or tag other brands' productsMeet the subscriber threshold, or be an Official Artist Channel (check the page for the current number)
YouTube Premium revenueA part of a Premium subscriber's fee when they watch your contentAccept the relevant contract modules
Channel membershipsRecurring monthly payments for perks500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, and either 3,000 qualified long-form watch hours in 365 days or 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days; viewers must be able to join; you must be 18 or older
Super Chat and Super StickersFans pay to highlight a message or an animated image in live chatNo subscriber threshold listed; 18 or older; accept the Commerce Product Module
Super ThanksFans pay for an animation and a highlighted commentNo subscriber threshold listed; 18 or older; accept the Commerce Product Module; not for music channels under the SRAV category
  • YouTube Help does not state revenue share percentages on this page. Do not quote a percentage unless you have found it on a current official page.
  • The updated YPP terms start on February 1, 2027. To keep fully monetizing, existing partners must review and accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027. (See course 4.3, lesson 6, for the new entry thresholds.)
  • Sponsorships and brand deals are not a YPP feature: you make them directly with a brand (lesson 4).
  • Joining YPP does not guarantee income.
Step by step
  1. Open YouTube Studio and click Earn.
  2. Write each earning feature that is listed for your channel.
  3. For each feature, write its entry rule from the table and your current number (subscribers, watch hours or Shorts views).
  4. Mark each feature as Open, Close (within reach) or Far.
  5. Check your 18+ and country requirements for memberships, Super Chat and Super Thanks.
  6. Note the January 31, 2027 terms deadline in your calendar.
  7. Check: you have a one-page "earning map" that lists every feature, its rule and your status.
Watch on YouTube
Changes to the YouTube Partner Program and new ways to earnCreator Insider · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01The map of ways to earn on YouTube
LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:00
Read the video script
[Host] "A channel can earn in several ways. Each one has its own rules."
[Text on screen: Ads, Shopping, Premium, Memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks] "Ads, Shopping, a share of Premium, memberships, Super Chat and Super Thanks."
[Screen: YouTube Studio, Earn tab] "Open Earn in Studio. It shows which doors are open for your channel."
[Host] "Write down each rule and your own number. Joining is not a paycheck guarantee, so plan with what you can control."
Try it now

Make your one-page earning map and mark which feature is closest to being open for your channel.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "YouTube Business: monetisation and channel systems" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "The map of ways to earn on YouTube".

What the lesson teaches:
- Way to earn - What it is - Entry rule listed by YouTube Help
- Advertising revenue - Ads on Watch pages and in the Shorts feed - 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 qualified long-form watch hours in 365 days or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days
- Shopping - Sell your own products or tag other brands' products - Meet the subscriber threshold, or be an Official Artist Channel (check the page for the current number)
- YouTube Premium revenue - A part of a Premium subscriber's fee when they watch your content - Accept the relevant contract modules
- Channel memberships - Recurring monthly payments for perks - 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in 90 days, and either 3,000 qualified long-form watch hours in 365 days or 3 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days; viewers must be able to join; you must be 18 or older
- Super Chat and Super Stickers - Fans pay to highlight a message or an animated image in live chat - No subscriber threshold listed; 18 or older; accept the Commerce Product Module
- Super Thanks - Fans pay for an animation and a highlighted comment - No subscriber threshold listed; 18 or older; accept the Commerce Product Module; not for music channels under the SRAV category

The exercise I'm working on:
Make your one-page earning map and mark which feature is closest to being open for your channel.

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "The map of ways to earn on YouTube" from the course "YouTube Business: monetisation and channel systems".

Here's what the lesson says:
A shop can earn money in more than one way: selling things, charging for a club, or getting paid to show another shop's sign. A channel is the same. Each way has its own door, and each door has its own key.

The activity:
Make your one-page earning map and mark which feature is closest to being open for your channel.

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Open Claude
Sources
My notes
02

Reading revenue numbers: estimated revenue, CPM and RPM

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

03

Monetization policies and ad suitability

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

04

Sponsorships and honest disclosure

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

05

Rights: music, claims and strikes

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

06

Team systems: access, roles and checklists

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

07

Money admin (with Canadian examples), and your channel business plan

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

++

Final project

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

??

Quiz

  1. Which metric is calculated after YouTube's revenue share: CPM or RPM?

  2. Where does estimated revenue for all sources appear?

  3. By when must existing partners accept the updated YPP terms to keep fully monetizing?

  4. What is "inauthentic content"?

  5. What can you do if you disagree with an automated ad suitability decision?

  6. What does selecting the paid promotion option do?

  7. Name two material connections to disclose.

  8. Is tagging a brand or posting a discount code enough disclosure on its own?

  9. What is the difference between a Content ID claim and a copyright strike?

  10. Which role hides revenue data but lets a person edit and publish?

  11. Why give permissions instead of sharing your password?

  12. Why check your country's rule for when to register for sales tax?

EX

Final exam

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.

CE

Certificate

This lesson is part of full access: every course and every level for one payment.