How Shorts monetization works
Shorts have their own path into the YouTube Partner Program, counted over a rolling 90-day window: 3 million Shorts views (plus 500 subscribers) unlocks the fan funding tier, and 10 million views (plus 1,000 subscribers) unlocks ad revenue sharing. Watch hours from Shorts don't count toward the long-form 4,000-hour path — the two routes are completely separate.
Once you're in, Shorts revenue works differently from long-form: ad money from the Shorts feed goes into a shared pool, gets split by view share (after music licensing costs), and creators keep 45% of their allocation. Typical Shorts RPM lands around $0.05–$0.15 per 1,000 views — far below long-form, which is why many Shorts channels use their reach to funnel viewers toward long-form uploads or fan funding.
Reading your numbers honestly
The 90-day window rolls forward every day: views from 91 days ago silently drop off as new ones arrive. A viral spike helps for exactly 90 days — sustained daily views are what carry you over the line. Our projection assumes your current daily pace holds, so treat it as a direction, not a promise.