How many YouTube watch hours do I need to make money?

[ryan570]

Hey everyone! I’m trying to get my YouTube channel monetized and I keep hearing about needing a certain number of watch hours. How many are required?

Also, is there a time limit for hitting that number? I’m posting regularly, but it’s a grind. Would love to hear from anyone who recently hit the requirement or has tips to speed things up. Thanks!

[Hamish]

Hey! To get monetized through the YouTube Partner Program, you need 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months and at least 1,000 subscribers. It has to be within that 12-month window, so older watch time won’t count if it’s outside that period.

If you’re finding it slow, a few things that help speed it up:

Make longer videos (8-12 minutes) so you rack up more watch time per viewer, focus on searchable topics (how-tos, reviews, etc.), and try livestreaming — those hours add up fast

Promote on other social channels and buy YouTube views to give your content an initial push (just make sure they’re high-retention views so they count toward watch hours)

Keep at it! Once you pass that threshold, YouTube reviews your channel and approves you for ads.

[Author]

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