Where Shorts revenue comes from
Shorts ads appear between videos in the Shorts feed rather than inside an individual Short, so YouTube pools the feed's ad revenue every month instead of paying per video.
How the pool is divided
- Advertising revenue from the Shorts feed goes into a creator pool.
- A portion pays for music licensing on Shorts that include music.
- The remainder is shared among monetizing creators according to their slice of all engaged Shorts views.
- Creators keep 45% of the revenue assigned to them.
Since 2025 YouTube counts each play of a Short as a view, yet revenue sharing and Partner Program thresholds are still based on engaged views.
Why Shorts RPM is lower
A Short is watched in a few seconds and has no ads of its own, so Shorts RPM is often just a few cents per 1,000 views. A long video with mid-rolls can earn many times as much from the same number of views.
Getting the most from Shorts
- Use Shorts for discovery and connect each one to a related long video.
- Choose original or licensed audio so less of your share goes to music.
- Check how your monthly report divides revenue between Shorts and long-form.
See how your Shorts share affects earnings in the calculator.