Are YouTube Shorts worth making for monetization?
Short answer
Shorts pay 10–100× less per view than long-form, but they 5–20× faster subscriber growth and audience discovery. The math: use Shorts to grow, monetize on long-form. Pure Shorts strategy rarely beats $0.10 RPM blended.
Direct Shorts payout is weak: $0.04–$0.10 pooled RPM. A 1M-view Short usually pays $40–$100. The same niche's long-form typically earns 20–100× more for the same view count.
But Shorts grow channels fast — many full-time creators built initial subs entirely from Shorts, then converted that audience to long-form watch hours.
| Segment | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shorts direct RPM | $0.02 | $0.06 | $0.30 |
| Long-form same niche | $1.50 | $8 | $40 |
| Sub growth per 1M Shorts views | 300 | 1,500 | 8,000 |
Caveats
- Shorts-heavy channels often see lower long-form CTR — algorithm trains audience to expect Shorts.
- Many of the highest-RPM niches (finance, B2B) get poor Shorts engagement anyway.