YouTube Monetization Setup

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YouTube pays some creators. The bars are higher than a disclosed blog link, and two official pages I opened on October 27, 2026 do not print the same threshold. I'm leaving the difference visible. This is the setup, not a report of what I've earned. Offers change by country and by account. If a number isn't on the official page, I don't guess it.

Want the map first? Read How to start affiliate marketing in 2026.

In this article

• The two Partner Program levels on the creators page.
• The stricter line on the Help page, and the apply path in YouTube Studio.
• Shopping affiliate, and where those links are not allowed.
• The paid-promotion checkbox, which does not replace a spoken disclosure.

Two official descriptions

YouTube for Creators, checked Oct 27, 2026, lists two levels:

YouTube Help, checked the same day, describes how you become eligible with the 1,000-subscriber line only: 4,000 qualified watch hours in 12 months, or 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. It also requires the monetization policies, an available country, no active Community Guidelines strikes, 2-Step Verification, advanced features, and one AdSense for YouTube account created or linked inside YouTube Studio. Shorts views don't count toward the watch-hour total.

Meeting the number does not auto-accept you. The review is typically about a month, and it can take longer. Updated Partner Program terms start February 1, 2027, and partners need to accept them by January 31, 2027. Apply from YouTube Studio, Earn, Apply now.

I am not averaging the two pages into one subscriber count. Read the number on the page that matches the button you are about to press, and read it again in your own Studio screen.

What I check before Apply now

• The channel is in a country the Help page lists as available. I don't copy a country table into this post.
• There is no active Community Guidelines strike.
• 2-Step Verification is on.
• Advanced features are on.
• One AdSense for YouTube account is created or linked inside Studio, not a second AdSense you hope will attach itself.
• The uploads that count are public. Private drafts don't do this job.
• I can explain the difference between watch hours and Shorts views without mixing them.

If Studio does not show Apply now, I treat that as "not offered yet," not as a link I can borrow from a stranger.

YouTube Shopping affiliate

The help page says you must already be in the Partner Program, meet "the subscriber threshold for YPP," be in an eligible country (the United States is on the list), and not be a music channel or a Made for Kids channel. It does not print a separate subscriber count. The creators page lists Shopping under both levels above. Joining is YouTube Studio, Earn, Programs, Join now. Tag products inside Studio.

Sharing those Shopping affiliate links off YouTube, including on a blog, is against that program's terms. Until Shopping is actually available on your channel, the honest route is a disclosed blog link in the video description, with the disclosure in the video too, not only in the description. Amazon's rules still apply to an Amazon link. (YouTube Help, checked Oct 27, 2026)

That means two different links can exist, and they are not interchangeable:

• A Shopping tag inside Studio, which stays on YouTube.
• A blog link in the description, built in that program's own tool, with "(paid link)" beside it, and the same idea spoken in the video.

I don't move a Shopping affiliate URL onto a blog post. I don't type a price next to either one.

Want the Amazon link shape? Read Amazon Associates basics and rules.

The paid-promotion checkbox

In YouTube Studio, open the video, Show more, and check "My video contains paid promotion like a product placement, sponsorship, or endorsement," then Save. On mobile the path is Show more, Products, Paid promotion and brands, then Yes under Paid promotion. YouTube shows a label at the start. The same help page says you are still responsible for a clear, prominent disclosure. (YouTube Help, checked Oct 27, 2026)

Say it in the video. A line I use:

This video includes a paid link. I may earn a commission if you buy through it.

Put the same words on screen near the start. If the video is long, say it again when the link matters. The description still gets "(paid link)" next to the URL. The checkbox does not replace those words. The FTC pages say a platform label is extra.

Want the full disclosure examples? Read Disclosure rules when you post.

What goes in the description

A description is a second place to disclose. It is not a second Shopping catalog, and it is not a price list.

• The blog URL, built in that program's own tool, with "(paid link)" in the same line.
• One sentence a viewer can hear even if they never open the description.
• No typed price and no star rating.
• No Shopping affiliate URL copied off YouTube. The help page forbids sharing those links off YouTube, including onto a blog.
• The paid-promotion box checked when the video has a paid relationship.

If Studio's Earn tab and the creators page still disagree on the day you apply, write both numbers in your notes and follow the screen that shows Apply now. I am not picking a winner between the 500-subscriber level and the 1,000-subscriber level. Both are printed on official pages I opened on October 27, 2026. The Help page I opened the same day describes only the 1,000-subscriber line.

Keep the platforms separate

YouTube's partner program is not Facebook's Content Monetization, and it is not TikTok Shop. An invite or a threshold on one platform does not unlock another. Facebook and Instagram have their own follower numbers, and I keep those on their own page so I don't mix a 500-follower Stars rule with a 1,000-subscriber YouTube rule.

A disclosed link on your own site still works when Studio says you are not eligible yet. That link follows the program you joined, not YouTube's Shopping terms, unless you are actually in Shopping and you keep that tag on YouTube.

Want Facebook and Instagram? Read Facebook and Instagram monetization setup.

Want TikTok Shop? Read TikTok and TikTok Shop for beginners.

Before you apply

• Write down which official page you are using, and the date you opened it.
• Separate watch hours from Shorts views.
• Turn on 2-Step Verification and advanced features first.
• Link one AdSense for YouTube account inside Studio.
• If you use a product link, decide whether it is a Shopping tag or a blog link. Don't treat them as the same URL.
• Say the paid relationship in the video, and check the paid-promotion box.
• Don't type a price or a star rating into the description.

Nothing here is a timeline for a paycheck. Check your own Earn tab before you trust a number from a blog, including this one.