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YouTube will now let creators make money from Shorts

It recently announced ad revenue-sharing for creators — an obvious jab at TikTok — without ever mentioning "TikTok."

YouTube Shorts player

YouTube is rolling out ad revenue-sharing for Shorts.

Photo: YouTube

Tuesday's “Made On YouTube” event was basically a competition to see how many ways creators and YouTube execs could talk about beating TikTok without actually saying the word “TikTok.”

YouTube is rolling out ad revenue-sharing for Shorts and lowering the barrier to join its partner program, which execs said will bring more “sustainability and inclusivity” to creators. Previously, both TikTok and YouTube paid short-form creators through a set fund.

  • Ads will run in between Shorts, similar to the way ads appear as standalone videos between TikToks. Creators can earn 45% of the ad revenue collected on Shorts.
  • This is the first time creators can earn ad revenue from short-form video, a change that influencers like Hank Green have called on TikTok to implement.

The announcement is an obvious jab at TikTok, which has been a frontrunner in the short-form video race. And by the way, YouTube didn’t mention the word “TikTok” once.

  • Execs instead emphasized that they don’t want creators to be “multiplatform,” meaning they hop from TikTok to YouTube depending on what video they make or audience they intend to reach. They want creators to be “multiformat,” which means they do everything on one platform.
  • “This is a huge incentive for me to put all of my work into one place, which means my audience doesn't have to jump between apps to see all of my videos,” said Kris Collins, who originally found fame on TikTok, during the event.

Will YouTube’s moneymaking strategy for Shorts turn people away from TikTok? It’s likely too soon to tell, and many new creators have already built huge communities on TikTok. But if people can make money from short-form video elsewhere, don’t be surprised if they start flocking to Shorts. “Other platforms are focused on getting people their 15 seconds of fame, which is great. But YouTube is taking a different approach,” Collins said.

A version of this story appeared in Wednesday's Source Code. Sign up here to get it in your inbox each morning.

Sarah Roach

Sarah (Sarahroach_) writes for Source Code at Protocol. She's based in Boston and can be reached at sroach@protocol.com

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