YouTube relaxes the eligibility criteria for its Partner Program to 500 subscribers

YouTube has made it easier for its creators to join its Partner Program, which allows them to earn money from their videos and access various fan funding features.

Instead of requiring 1000 subscribers and 4000 watch hours in the past year, YouTube now lets creators apply for the program with 500 subscribers, 3 public uploads in the last 90 days, and either 3000 watch hours in the past year or 3M Shorts views in the last 90 days.

The YPP allows creators to earn money from their videos and access various fan funding features, such as channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and YouTube Shopping.

“We’re starting to roll out this new level of YPP to creators in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Taiwan, and South Korea, and will introduce earlier access to YPP across all countries where YPP is available over time,” YouTube said in a blog post.

Creators who join the YPP earlier will still have to meet the existing eligibility requirements to unlock revenue sharing from ads and other benefits, but they will not have to go through the full YPP application process again.

YouTube also announced that it is expanding its YouTube Shopping affiliate program to all eligible US-based creators who are in YPP with over 20,000 subscribers. The affiliate program allows creators to feature products from other brands and creators in their videos and Shorts, and earn commission from the sales of products tagged in their content.

YouTube has partnered with over 50 brands, such as Nordstrom, Sephora, Ulta Beauty, and Wayfair, whose products can be featured and tagged on videos and Shorts. Creators can see the commission rates for products and tag videos easily through the program.

“Being part of the YouTube Shopping affiliate program makes it easy for viewers to shop and learn more about the products I’m featuring right along with me,” said Andréa Matillano, a YouTube beauty creator. “The program itself makes it incredibly easy to see commission rates for products and tag videos so I can spend less time on those details and more time focusing on finding the best products for my viewers.”

YouTube said it is excited to discuss these opportunities at VidCon next week and can’t wait to see more creators earning on YouTube and connecting with their viewers in new ways.