How to Make Money on YouTube Without the Partner Program

Yes — you can earn on YouTube without the Partner Program through sponsorships, affiliate links, products, memberships, services, licensing, newsletters, crowdfunding, and direct fan payments. YouTube ad revenue requires at least 1,000 subscribers, but none of those off-platform income streams carries any YouTube subscriber, watch-hour, or approval requirement.

YouTube’s lower-threshold fan-funding pathway is a separate option, but it sits inside the Partner Program and does not include ad revenue. For the eligibility numbers in one place, see how much YouTube pays and what it requires.

Why might a channel be outside the full YouTube Partner Program?

Full YouTube Partner Program ad-revenue access requires at least 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 valid public watch hours during the previous 12 months or 10 million valid public Shorts views during the previous 90 days (YouTube Partner Program overview and eligibility). Both parts of that threshold must be met, so a 50,000-subscriber channel with only 2,000 valid public watch hours still does not qualify.

Approved YouTube partners receive 55% of net revenue from ads displayed on their watch pages and 70% of net revenue from channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks (YouTube partner earnings overview). YouTube then issues that money only once the balance clears the payment threshold, which is $100 in the United States.

YouTube reviews every applicant against its monetization policies, so hitting the numerical thresholds does not guarantee approval, and YPP is offered only in supported countries and regions.

Being outside full YPP means YouTube ad revenue is unavailable; it does not prevent a creator from earning through independent sponsorships, affiliate programs, products, services, memberships, or direct audience support. Creators building a following on other platforms with their own payout gates face a similar situation — see how to make money on X without the Creator Revenue Program for a comparable non-program approach.

Is YouTube’s fan-funding tier available before full ad-revenue YPP?

Yes, but only inside the Partner Program. YouTube opens selected fan-funding features to channels with 500 subscribers, 3 valid public uploads in the previous 90 days, and either 3,000 valid public watch hours in 12 months or 3 million valid public Shorts views in 90 days (YouTube, “Minimum eligibility requirements to turn on monetization features”). That is a lower YPP tier, not a non-YPP method.

The lower-threshold pathway requires:

• At least 500 subscribers
• At least 3 valid public uploads during the previous 90 days
• Either 3,000 valid public watch hours during the previous 12 months or 3 million valid public Shorts views during the previous 90 days

These thresholds can provide access to eligible features such as channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks, and Shopping, subject to each feature’s requirements. Even on that tier, YouTube keeps 30% of fan-funding revenue: creators receive 70% of net revenue from memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks.

Meeting the 500-subscriber fan-funding threshold does not unlock ad revenue. Full ad-revenue access still requires the 1,000-subscriber threshold and the applicable watch-hours or Shorts-views threshold.

Creators between 500 and 999 subscribers should check this pathway while also building income sources outside YouTube. Creators below 500 subscribers can use the methods covered in making money on YouTube under 1,000 subscribers.

What income streams work without YPP?

True non-YPP monetization happens outside YouTube’s payment system: the creator uses YouTube to reach an audience, but a brand, customer, member, licensee, or supporter pays through a separate arrangement. Every money-making feature YouTube runs itself — Shopping, the affiliate program, and the Creator Partnerships brand marketplace — requires YPP membership, which is precisely what makes off-platform income the route open to smaller channels.

The gating is explicit in YouTube’s own documentation: promoting your own store products requires being in YPP and meeting the YPP subscriber threshold, the YouTube Shopping affiliate program requires YPP membership, the YPP subscriber threshold, and residence in one of 14 listed countries, and the Creator Partnerships brand-deal marketplace requires YPP membership, an age of 18 or over, an available country, and no active Community Guidelines strikes.

One mechanical constraint applies to every off-platform method below: YouTube makes URLs in long-form video descriptions clickable, but URLs placed in Shorts descriptions and Shorts comments are not clickable (YouTube, “Clickable links overview”).

How can creators earn from brand deals and sponsorships?

Brands can sponsor a video on any channel, because a sponsorship is a contract between the creator and the advertiser rather than a YouTube monetization feature. YouTube publishes no subscriber minimum for accepting paid promotion; it requires only that the creator declare the commercial relationship using its paid-promotion setting (YouTube, “Paid product placements, sponsorships and endorsements”).

What does carry a hard threshold is YouTube’s in-house brand marketplace: Creator Partnerships (formerly BrandConnect) is limited to creators who are in the YouTube Partner Program, are at least 18 years old, live in an available country or region, and have no active Community Guidelines strikes. Outside that marketplace, each advertiser sets its own standards for audience fit, engagement, subject expertise, geography, deliverables, and budget, so the practical minimum varies by brand rather than by follower count.

A practical sponsorship pitch should include:

• The channel’s topic and intended audience
• Relevant subscriber, view, retention, or engagement data
• Two or three recent videos that demonstrate audience fit
• The proposed deliverable, such as a 60-second integration or dedicated video
• The publishing schedule and requested fee
• Any usage, exclusivity, revision, or content-licensing terms

For example: “I create weekly home-espresso tutorials for new machine owners. My proposed package is a 60-second product demonstration in one tutorial, one description link, and 30 days of category exclusivity.”

The US Federal Trade Commission requires endorsers to disclose material connections clearly and conspicuously, placed with the endorsement itself rather than hidden on a profile page or behind a “more” expansion (FTC, “Disclosures 101 for Social Media Influencers”). Those obligations come from the Endorsement Guides at 16 CFR Part 255, which the FTC last revised in June 2023 to add platform-specific guidance for influencers.

Ticking YouTube’s paid-promotion box is a separate obligation from the FTC disclosure and does not replace it; YouTube’s policy applies to videos, video descriptions, comments, live streams, and Shorts. Brand-deal links are also the one link type YouTube keeps clickable on Shorts, and YouTube requires such a link to lead directly to the website of the brand the creator is partnered with.

How can creators earn from affiliate links?

Third-party affiliate links need no YPP membership: YouTube’s External links policy states plainly that “affiliate content doesn’t violate YouTube’s Terms of Use,” and restricts description links only where they point to material that breaks the Community Guidelines, such as malware, phishing, or pornography (YouTube, “External links policy”).

That is the opposite of YouTube’s own affiliate product, which is invitation-based and requires the channel to be in the YouTube Partner Program, to meet the YPP subscriber threshold, and to be based in one of 14 listed countries.

Commission rates are set by the merchant, not by YouTube. Amazon’s US Associates program pays fixed rates by category — 10.00% on Luxury Beauty and Amazon Explore, 5.00% on digital and physical music, Handmade, and digital videos, 4.50% on physical books, kitchen, and automotive, 3.00% on toys, home, pets, and sports, 1.00% on grocery and health, and 4.00% for all other categories.

Affiliate content works best when the recommendation naturally matches the video, such as:

• Camera links below a filming tutorial
• Software links below a workflow demonstration
• Ingredient or equipment links below a recipe
• Book links below an educational video
• Replacement-part links below a repair guide

An affiliate relationship counts as a material connection under the FTC’s Endorsement Guides and must be disclosed clearly and conspicuously near the recommendation or link. A short statement such as “I may earn a commission if you buy through these links” should appear where viewers are likely to notice it, not only at the bottom of a long description.

What products can a YouTube creator sell?

Creators can sell physical merchandise, digital downloads, templates, presets, ebooks, courses, or workshops through their own storefront regardless of YPP status, because the transaction never touches YouTube’s payment system. YouTube’s thresholds apply only to its own Shopping surface: tagging and selling your products inside YouTube requires being in the Partner Program and meeting the YPP subscriber threshold.

An external storefront charges its own fee instead. Gumroad, for example, publishes a flat 10% plus $0.50 per transaction on sales made through a creator’s own profile or direct links, and 30% per transaction when a new customer finds the product through its Discover marketplace (Gumroad pricing).

Digital products can be particularly compatible with educational channels because the same expertise used in a video can become a structured resource. Examples include a spreadsheet from a finance tutorial, a pattern from a craft demonstration — how calligraphers make money covers this path for lettering and hand-lettering channels — a preset from an editing lesson, or a course that expands a video series.

Physical products require manufacturing, inventory, shipping, returns, and customer support. Digital products avoid shipping but still require accurate sales pages, delivery, updates, and customer service.

Can memberships and paid communities work without YPP?

Yes, and the fee comparison is usually favorable. YouTube channel memberships are YPP-only and return 70% of net revenue to the creator, a 30% cut, while Patreon is open to any creator and charges 10% of the income earned on the platform on its standard plan, plus payment processing (Patreon pricing).

Possible member benefits include:

• Bonus videos or extended tutorials
• Private livestreams or group calls
• Early access to public uploads
• Downloadable resources
• Community discussion and accountability
• Behind-the-scenes production updates

A recurring membership works best when the creator can deliver continuing value on a predictable schedule. It should not promise access or output that the creator cannot sustain — see how ASMR creators make money for a niche where this membership model is common.

Can creators sell consulting or professional services?

Yes. YouTube can function as a public portfolio for consulting, coaching, freelancing, speaking, design, editing, tutoring, or other professional services, and because the client pays the creator directly rather than paying for video access, YouTube takes no share and applies no eligibility test. The only deduction is the payment processor’s: Stripe’s published US rate is 2.9% plus $0.30 per successful domestic card transaction.

Service offers should define the scope, price, delivery format, turnaround, revision policy, and boundaries. A software educator might offer implementation consulting, while a music channel might offer remote lessons or custom production — the same model applies to how nutritionists make money online through paid consultations built on a video audience.

Can creators license their videos?

Yes, and uploading to YouTube does not give the license away. YouTube’s Terms of Service state that “you retain ownership rights in your Content” and that the license granted to YouTube is worldwide, non-exclusive, and royalty-free, so the same footage can still be licensed to news organizations, documentary producers, brands, or publishers.

Before licensing content, confirm that you control the relevant rights. Music, stock footage, recognizable artwork, private-property footage, or third-party clips can affect what rights you are able to grant.

Can a newsletter make money from a YouTube audience?

A newsletter lets creators own the audience relationship outside YouTube and charge for it with no follower gate at all. Substack, one common option, takes 10% of each paid transaction, on top of Stripe’s 2.9% plus $0.30 card fee and a 0.7% billing fee on recurring subscriptions.

Beyond paid subscriptions, a newsletter can also generate revenue through sponsorships, affiliate recommendations, product sales, or service leads.

The strongest newsletter offer usually gives viewers a clear reason to subscribe, such as a weekly summary, downloadable resource, research notes, deals, templates, or material that is more useful in written form.

Can creators use crowdfunding for a project?

Yes, and campaign platforms charge nothing unless the project funds. Kickstarter states that it collects a 5% platform fee on the funds raised by a successfully funded project, plus payment-processing fees of roughly 3% to 5%, and that “if funding isn’t successful, there are no fees”. Unlike an ongoing membership, a campaign has a defined goal, timeline, budget, and reward set.

Creators should explain what will be produced, how funds will be used, when delivery is expected, and what could delay or prevent completion.

How do direct fan payments work?

Direct fan payments let a viewer pay for one defined thing — a private question, a shoutout, a tip, project support, or a creator service — with the money moving straight from the fan to the creator’s payment account. Nothing in this route passes through YouTube, so no subscriber count, watch-hour total, or program approval applies.

Disclosure: FanBell publishes this page, so the FanBell figures below are first-party terms taken from our own public pricing and how-it-works pages rather than independent research. Treat them as our stated terms and check the linked pages for the current version.

With FanBell, creators can offer paid private questions, personalized shoutouts, creator services, tips, and project support. Creators set the offer, price, and stated turnaround, and the fan pays the full price upfront before the creator delivers (how FanBell works).

FanBell’s published beta terms are $0 per month with a 12% platform fee charged per paid transaction, with payment-processing fees deducted separately from creator earnings (FanBell pricing). For comparison, YouTube keeps 30% of channel membership, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks revenue.

FanBell states no minimum subscriber or follower count, and creator earnings pay out to a bank account through a connected Stripe Express account.

A creator can place the payment-page link in a YouTube description and direct interested viewers to it. This form of paid fan interaction can operate independently or alongside YouTube’s fan-funding and ad-revenue programs.

For implementation, read adding a paid fan link to your YouTube description and turning subscribers into paying supporters.

Which non-YPP monetization option is best?

There is no single best option: the right one depends on what the audience already asks for, what the creator can reliably deliver, and whether the goal is recurring, transactional, or project-based income. The one measurable difference is the gate — every YouTube-run earning feature requires Partner Program membership, and every off-platform route in the table below requires none.

The published cut each route takes, is the fastest way to compare them: YouTube keeps 45% of watch-page ad revenue and 30% of fan-funding revenue; Patreon charges 10% on its standard plan; Gumroad charges 10% plus $0.50 per transaction on direct sales; Substack charges 10% per transaction; Kickstarter charges 5% of a successfully funded total; FanBell charges 12% per paid transaction under its own published beta terms; and a direct sponsorship or licensing deal has no platform cut at all, only the processor’s 2.9% plus $0.30 on a domestic card (Stripe pricing).

Brand deals can produce larger individual payments but require outreach, negotiation, disclosure, and dependable delivery. Affiliate links are easier to add but depend on purchasing intent. Products and courses can scale, although they require development and support. Consulting can work with a smaller audience but consumes the creator’s time.

Memberships, communities, and newsletters are designed for an ongoing relationship. Crowdfunding is better suited to a defined project. Direct fan payments are useful when viewers already request advice, feedback, shoutouts, or other specific interactions.

What should a creator do next?

Work with the channel and audience you have now rather than postponing every income stream until you clear 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours (YouTube Partner Program overview and eligibility). Pick one transactional offer and one audience-building asset, disclose any commercial relationship, and measure the result before adding a second offer.

1. Identify existing audience demand. Review comments, emails, and frequently asked questions for recurring requests, product questions, service needs, or project interest.
2. Choose one transactional offer. Test a sponsorship pitch, affiliate recommendation, digital product, consultation, or paid fan interaction.
3. Choose one audience-building asset. A newsletter, membership, or community can reduce dependence on YouTube distribution over time.
4. Check lower-threshold YPP eligibility. If you have 500 to 999 subscribers, verify whether you also meet the upload and watch-hours or Shorts-views requirements.
5. Disclose commercial relationships. Put sponsorship and affiliate disclosures where viewers can see and understand them.
6. Measure the result. Track clicks, inquiries, conversions, fulfillment time, refunds, and repeat purchases before expanding the offer.
7. Add direct payment access. Give viewers a clear description link where they can see what is available, what it costs, and what they will receive.

If you already receive YouTube ad revenue and want to diversify, see monetizing YouTube outside AdSense. For a wider overview, see how to make money on YouTube.

Frequently asked questions

Can I apply for the full YouTube Partner Program later?

Yes. A creator who does not qualify today can apply after reaching the current subscriber and watch-hours or Shorts-views thresholds. Using sponsorships, affiliate links, products, services, memberships, or direct fan payments in the meantime does not itself prevent a later YPP application.

Does the 500-subscriber fan-funding pathway count as YPP?

Yes. The lower-threshold fan-funding pathway is part of the YouTube Partner Program. It can unlock selected fan-funding features, but it does not automatically grant full ad-revenue access.

Do I need subscribers before accepting direct fan payments?

No. FanBell states no subscriber or follower minimum in its own published terms, and the same is true of independent affiliate programs, direct sponsorships, and external storefronts, none of which YouTube gates. Earning still depends on whether viewers understand and value the offer.

Can I combine several monetization methods?

Yes. A creator can combine YPP features with sponsorships, affiliate links, products, services, memberships, licensing, newsletters, crowdfunding, and direct fan payments. The practical limit is the creator’s ability to disclose, manage, and fulfill each offer reliably.

How can you start earning without waiting for eligibility?

The neutral summary first: nothing outside the Partner Program requires 1,000 subscribers, 4,000 watch hours, or YouTube’s approval. Affiliate links are allowed under YouTube’s External links policy, sponsorships need only a paid-promotion declaration and an FTC disclosure, an external storefront or newsletter charges its own fee, and a direct payment page sits alongside all of them. Pick whichever route matches what your viewers already ask you for — several cost nothing to test.

If that route is direct fan payments, Create your free FanBell page, add a paid offer or two, and put the link in your YouTube description today.