YouTube Watch Time: How to Monetize Your Channel

Contrary to popular belief, YouTube monetization isn’t just about making money – it’s about doing what you love while building towards something bigger. Sure, being able to monetize videos brings in income, but it also pushes you to create better content, stay consistent, and grow your community. But before any of that happens, there’s one major hurdle to cross: watch time. 
 

Let’s take a deep dive into why it matters so much and how you can use it to pave your way to YouTube monetization.

What is YouTube watch time & why does it matter?

Your YouTube watch time represents the total number of minutes or hours people have spent watching your videos. This is not just another statistic to glance at in your analytics dashboard – it’s a clear sign of good engagement and content quality, which is why it plays a huge role in the YouTube algorithm.

Think about it this way:  the more watch time you accumulate, the better your chances of getting your videos pushed to a wider audience. 

Besides the boost in visibility, a strong watch time also increases your chances of getting into the YouTube Partner Program, and starting to earn money from your videos. 

What is the YouTube Partner Program?

The YouTube Partner Program is a program built by YouTube to help creators generate revenue from their videos through ads, channel memberships, Super Chats and more – in other words, your ticket to turning creativity into real cash. 
 

Since this program offers a lot of perks, it also comes with a set of requirements – such as a minimum number of watch hours and subscribers. Basically, YouTube asks that you hit certain milestones as a way to prove your content is engaging and worth pushing to a larger audience. 

When can you start to monetize your channel?

Once you’ve got your channel up and running, started creating quality content, and decided to finally turn your passion into a paycheck, you’re probably wondering: how soon can you start making money from your videos?
 

Well, the bad news is there’s some groundwork to be done. The good news is, it is totally achievable with a healthy dose of patience and dedication.  

These are the main things you'll need to check off the list if you want to qualify for YouTube monetization:

• Location
  You must live in a country where the YouTube Partner Program is available. Thankfully, the list of areas with YouTube Partner Program availability is quite extensive, so you have a good chance to find yours on the list.
   
• Audience size and watch time 
  The second biggest requirement for qualifying in this program is related to your audience size and watch time. Essentially, you need to have at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months. Alternatively, if you’re going down the viral route, you might also qualify with 1,000 subscribers and 10 million public views in the last 90 days.
   
• AdSense account
  You’ll also need to have an AdSense account linked to your YouTube channel. AdSense is Google's own advertising, and it’s what allows you to earn money from ads.
   
• Security
  The program requires you to enable Two-Factor Verification on your account to add an extra layer of protection to your channel.
   
• Rules & guidelines
  To be admitted into the Partner Program, you need a clean record with no Community Guidelines strikes. You also need to constantly keep your content advertiser-friendly, which means no inappropriate content or anything that violates their terms.
   

Once you hit all these milestones and meet all the requirements, then you’re allowed to apply for the YouTube Partner Program. Your channel will be closely reviewed and if everything checks out and you pass with flying colors, you'll be all set to start earning money from your content. 
 

How to increase YouTube watch time

As you keep sharing videos, your watch time will naturally go up, but why leave it to chance? It’s better to be intentional about it and take proactive steps to keep viewers hooked and coming back for more.

Organize your videos 

Captivating as your videos may be, some people just don’t have the time or patience to sit through an entire video (for example, a step-by-step tutorial or an unboxing video) just to find the part they actually need. 

To avoid them dropping off too soon – and cutting their watch time short – you could add chapters to your videos, so viewers can jump directly to the section they want. In the spirit or organization, you might also try grouping videos by playlist to encourage viewers to watch more of your videos in one sitting.
 

Find your video length sweet spot

A 10-minute video full of valuable information usually has a better chance to perform well than a 3-minute video that feels rushed – but it all depends on what story you want to tell. With longer videos, you risk outgrowing your audience’ attention span, while shorter videos get to the point faster.
 

P.S. Longer videos also allow for more ad placements, so keep that in mind as you’re trying to find the ideal video length for you. 

Use end screens & info cards wisely

Once you have a number of viewers on board, it’s best to not let them slip away! Instead, guide them from one video to another using end screen suggestions and strategically placed info cards. This keeps the momentum going and allows people to discover more of your content, in a way that feels natural and genuinely helpful.

Add scroll-stopping thumbnails 

One of the best ways to boost your watch time is to encourage more people to click on your videos. To make sure you nail your first impression, add some eye-catching thumbnails to your videos. Bright colors, expressive faces, and bold text can easily make your videos stand out in a crowded feed. 
 

Remember to keep a consistent style across all your content, so people can instantly recognize your videos in their feed or recommended section and click on them more often.
 

Share video teasers on other social media platforms

You don’t have to focus all your marketing energy on YouTube alone – other platforms can also help you accumulate more watch time with very little effort. 

You can always create shorter teaser clips using a handy web editor like Flixier, share them on other social media channels (especially video-focused platforms like Instagram and TikTok), then direct viewers to YouTube for the full video. 

Create curiosity

Focus on your attention on content that sparks curiosity and keeps viewers watching till the end. Tutorials, behind-the-scenes moments, vlogs, and storytelling videos tend to do this best, but every channel and audience is unique. Try experimenting with different formats and see what your audience responds to most.

Create evergreen videos 

In today’s fast-changing online climate, it might be risky to rely only on trends to create attractive content and build up your watch time. So, as you’re drafting your YouTube strategy, remember to integrate some evergreen videos as well.
 

These clips can answer frequently asked questions, provide step-by-step guidance, or cover timeless topics related to your industry, niche or product. As opposed to trend-based, viral posts, these videos can grow overtime and constantly add more hours to your total watch time without you having to update them in any way. 

Stay consistent with uploads

While content quality is crucial for boosting your watch time, consistency matters just as much. Having a set uploading schedule and publishing videos frequently signals to the algorithm that your content is valuable and worthy of attention – which makes YouTube push it to more people.
 

Before you figure out an ideal upload schedule, you might also want to check out the best times to post on social media, to make sure you’re in sync with your audience.

Level up your video quality

To make people really connect with your videos, upgrading your production quality might be the way. Proper lighting, crisp audio, and smooth editing make for a very enjoyable viewing experience and shows that you care about your content – which can make a big difference in keeping viewers interested and eager to see more.

If you’re on a mission to level up your editing, Flixier’s got your back. With our browser-based video editor, you can easily enhance your video quality, add sleek transitions to make your stories flow better and achieve peak audio quality with the AI sound enhancer. 

Work on your personal brand

In some specific content niches or industries, such as lifestyle or travel, people no longer simply watch the videos to get useful information, they follow creators they connect with or relate to. 
 

So, if you want to create and grow a loyal community and increase your watch time, try building your personal brand through a unique tone, a distinct way of telling stories or signature catchphrase – something that sets you apart from others. 

Types of video content that can increase YouTube watch time

If you’re actively working towards monetization, then you’re probably wondering: what are those types of videos that will help you get to 4,000 YouTube watch hours faster? 
 

Well, here’s a few ideas you could try, and see what works for your channel: 
 

• Listicles / roundups 
  It's a known fact that people love list-based content! “Top 10” or “Best of” videos are highly bingeable (sometimes, even addictive) and easy to follow – so if this type of video content works for your channel, you should definitely give it a try. 
   
• Tutorials 
  Tutorials and how-to videos are a great way for people to learn new skills in a no-pressure environment, at their own pace. A well structured tutorial can keep your viewers engaged from start to finish – that is, if you provide value every step of the day, so people can find no reason to drop off early.
   
• Video series
  To fully capitalize on the bingeable aspect of video content, you can create a video series – centered around a specific event, product feature or theme. Instead of packing everything into one long video, you can strategically break it up into multiple parts and share it gradually to keep viewers curious for more.
   
• Personal experiences
  If, for instance, you’re an influencer with a YouTube channel that revolves around your personal life,  then sharing authentic, real-life experiences might be the key to accumulating more watch time. Do keep in mind that this works best when you’ve already built a strong, engaged community that cares about you as a person beyond just your content.
   
• Reaction / commentary videos
  One of the best ways to take advantage of viral topics or trends is to do a reaction video on the subject. These types of videos tend to spark a lot of interest – whether they’re controversial or not – because viewers are curious to see your take on something trending.
   

Types of metrics to monitor for your monetization goal

To check if you’re on the right track towards monetization, monitoring your YouTube watch time is (as you can tell from this article) absolutely crucial.
 

You can find your watch time data in the Overview tab of the Creator Studio, and watch how it  fluctuates from one day/week/month to another. If you click on the See More you can unlock more insights, including the total number of watch time hours your channel has generated so far – which makes it very easy to see when you’re reached your 4000 hours watch time milestone. 
 

But what about other key metrics that help you measure your progress?
 

Subscribers growth

When you’re on a mission to qualify for monetization, tracking your subscriber growth isn't just a vanity check. Not only are you seeing in real time how your community is growing, but you’re also actively checking how close you are to hitting your 1000 subscribers goals and getting your ticker into the YouTube Partner Program. 

Audience demographics
Understanding who watches your videos is key for creating relevant content that people want to keep watching. Their age, gender, location, and interests are all important to aspects to monitor over time.
 

For instance, if you discover that your videos appeal to viewers in a certain region, you might try tweaking your content to make it more suitable for that viewer segment: adding captions in different languages, making cultural references relevant to them, or even sharing videos in their native language. 

Views 

A high view count on your videos will always signal that your content is attention-worthy and engaging. By checking which videos are getting the most views, you can figure out what types of content works for your audience, and focus your efforts on creating more of that content.
 

Traffic sources

People can find your videos in many different ways – and it’s important to know your traffic sources so that you can double down on the strategies that work best, like optimizing your video titles for YouTube search through specific keywords, promoting your videos across different social media channels, or collaborating with other creators.
 

Do YouTube shorts count toward total watch time?

The short answer is yes and no. If your Shorts are watched directly from the Shorts tab, they won’t contribute to your total watch time in the same way as long-form videos. Even when they're viewed outside the Shorts tab, they still add minimal watch time to your overall amount of watch hours.
 

This is why the Program offers an alternative for creators that share Shorts frequently. Instead of the usual 4,000 watch hours requirement, creators can qualify for the YouTube Partner Program with 10 million public views on Shorts within the past 90 days.