From Shorts to Six Figures: Best Ways to Monetize YouTube Shorts

Making money on YouTube is tough.

Most people will never make money on this video platform because they don’t understand that YouTube is a business and they need to approach it that way.

How do you think that every single YouTube star and channel owner becomes so successful?

They have a good understanding of what their audience wants, they know what to post, and they’re always in the right place at the right time.

And right now, the trendiest thing on YouTube that every creator should jump into is Shorts.

And according to many so-called gurus, Shorts are an easy way to make money.

No, they are not.

On the contrary, Shorts are hard to monetize.

And in this article, I will talk about the truth about Shorts and money.

Key Takeaways

• YouTube is using Shorts to compete with TikTok.
• Shorts can be used to get your new audience.
• You need to post this short-form content to get the most out of YouTube.
• You cannot monetize Shors like standard videos, you need to use different methods.

Why Should You Upload Shorts Videos

You probably know that Shorts are short-form video formats that are gaining popularity on this platform.

They offer quick and easy production that can be done from anywhere.

This is the perfect format for new creators who are looking to get a foothold in the industry.

But the most important fact about Shorts is that YouTube is at the moment in direct competition with TikTok. Not with Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, but with TikTok.

And Shorts are a way to take back the audience YouTube has lost because of TikTok.

In other words, YouTube is pushing its short-form content as much as it can.

This is the main reason why people are trying to create short-form content, and in this article, I will show you why it is not so easy to make money with YouTube Shorts and what should you try instead.

Make Money With YouTube Shorts

Making Shorts is easy, and with the recent features that YouTube has introduced to us, everyone can make them.

You can easily make a clip from any video on YouTube and create a short version from them. You can also use the music from the video and use it in your Shorts.

It is a messy situation right now, and the competition is huge.

Almost everyone is doing them.

So, if somebody tells you that making money with Shorts is easy, then he is lying.

When it comes to making money with Shorts, it can be quite complicated.

You perhaps know that YouTube is not using the same advertising methods as standard videos.

On the contrary, they are still trying to find the optimal way to monetize them.

And in my opinion, it will take many more months or years before they find the most optimal way to satisfy themselves as well as content creators.

That is why, as content creators, we have to help ourselves.

The Best Way To Monetize YouTubeShorts

And the best way you can monetize Shorts on YouTube is, in my opinion, by using affiliate marketing.

Affiliate marketing on YouTube is one of the most profitable money-making methods.

And it works like a charm. But not with Shorts.

You know, when you want to promote an affiliate link on YouTube, you are putting the link into the video description.

Affiliate Marketing vs Shorts

According to statistics average conversion rate on a standard YouTube video ranges from 2% to 5%.

But Shorts are a bit different.

Firstly, many people have almost no idea where the description of Shorts is. It’s quite complicated because you need to click on the three-dot menu, which is a bit hidden.

And the second reason is even more obvious.

People who consume short-form content are watching more videos at a time and are just scrolling through videos without reading video descriptions.

In other words, people are not clicking on affiliate links when watching Shorts on YouTube.

So, the question is, how can you monetize Shorts and earn significant money?

There are many ways you can make significant income by posting Shorts on YouTube.

However, all of them require patience and consistency.

I know that’s not what you wanted to hear again, but it’s just the truth.

I have never said that making money on YouTube is easy.

I’m not like other YouTubers who constantly talk about how easy is to earn cash this way. I’m a person who looks at things from both sides.

Who is talking about good and bad at the same time?

Use AI Tools to Create YouTube Shorts

Let’s say you know how to make YouTube Shorts; if not, there are a few tools that can assist you in making this type of short content in a matter of minutes.

I like to use Pictory AI, which is a text-to-video AI editor. You can also use inVideo, which is almost the same. Both are paid tools, but if you want to create Shorts for free, Canva’s free plan allows you to do that.

1. Use Shorts to Promote Your Long-Form Videos

Now, that you know how to make these videos, you should understand one important fact.

There is no need to create a separate channel for Shorts and another for standard video content.

This is because YouTube already cross-promotes your videos, so people who subscribed to you from the Shorts feed can see even your standard content.

This is important because you can use Shorts to get more subscribers and then serve them your other content and make money through ads on standard videos and affiliate links in the description of these videos.

2. Master Community Posts on YouTube

Another indirect method is by using community posts.

As you probably know, YouTube has a feature that every creator with over 500 subscribers can access. This is called the Community tab and in this section, you can post images, articles, videos, or polls to your audience.

The cool about this community feature is that it can reach more than your audience, and you can easily share affiliate links you post.

This is a secret income method, many Shorts only channels won’t talk about it, but they’re making money with it these days.

They are leveraging their community tab to engage with their subscribers and promote recent videos, create engaging polls, and promote their various products.

For me, the community tab is the most popular way to monetize channels who is posting only short-form content on YouTube.

However, I recommend you include Shorts even if you have a channel where you upload standard videos because you can attract a different audience and even promote your long-form content on your channel.

And don’t forget, that Shorts has the same video dimension that is used on other social networks. So, you can use the same video on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and mainly on TikTok.

This can multiply your audience reach and can help you drive traffic to your affiliate link.

3. Use Shorts to Build Your Email List

While promoting affiliate links is a good way to make money, most advanced marketers know one huge secret.

They know that email marketing has the biggest ROI in the marketing industry, so they are collecting the email addresses of people who are interested in their niche and then sending them emails with affiliate links.

When you own a large email list, you can make money from those people for years.

You can easily promote various products to these people, you can promote your courses and your business.

You can improve your income.

And all this can be started even with Shorts.

Yes, instead of promoting affiliate links, promote your landing page where you offer people a lead magnet… ebook, cheatsheet, course.

This is a great method to build an email list.

I’m currently doing it for every one of my channels, I’m using a free plan on Systeme.io to automate this task and you can too.

This is a way to earn more money and increase your revenue to build a significant income.

Final Thoughts

That said if somebody tells you that he found a simple method you can to make money online, use common sense.

At the moment, Shorts are a new and interesting way to promote your content and build your brand. 

YouTube is trying to use this type of content to attract back audiences from TikTok.

And TikTok, on the other hand, is trying to attract people to longer, 10-minute videos to compete with YouTube.

The future will show us which platform will win, but right now, content creators can only benefit from this war.