YouTube launch exclusive, paid Shorts content
YouTube Shorts are getting a little more exclusive as YouTube introduces Members Only content for paying fans.
YouTube are celebrating one year of sharing Shorts revenues with their creators. Shorts now average over 70 billion daily views and offers many creators a fresh source of engagement and revenue after YouTube stepped into the short-form video format in 2021.
Now they’re looking to provide creators with more ways to make money from their Shorts content. YouTube have launched Members Only Shorts, exclusive content that fans can view via channel subscriptions.
Creators can now select “Members Only” whilst uploading their Shorts. This will make it available exclusively to fans subscribed to your channel, offering an incentive to subscribers and giving creators a new way to connect with their biggest fans.
Viewers will be able to distinguish Members Only Shorts by a star icon on the thumbnail. Members Only Shorts will appear in subscriber’s Subscription feeds as well as in their Shorts feed and in the Membership tab.
YouTube write: “[Members Only Shorts] lets you take advantage of your already-planned content, and can be especially beneficial for your members if your Short features a special announcement product drop, or limited-time deal. Try using members-only Shorts for Q&As behind-the-scenes looks, or clips of upcoming content.”
More than 25% of creators on the YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) now earn revenues from Shorts content. On top of that, more than 80% of those who met YPP eligibility via the Shorts thresholds are earning revenues with other monetization options like Premium and fan funding.
The impact of Shorts has grown so much that it has become a primary revenue source for some creators. Creator Sydney Morgan writes: “I didn’t know what to expect with Shorts revenue share but I am very comfortably making a living off that revenue alone full time unlike any other platform.”