Why is my YouTube RPM so low?
Short answer
Low RPM is driven by 5 things: niche (entertainment/gaming = low CPMs), audience country (Tier-3 = low CPMs), Shorts-heavy mix (pool dilution), video length (under 8 min = no mid-roll), and season (Q1 ad spend drops 30–50% vs Q4).
RPM is downstream of CPM × monetized rate × revenue share. The most common reason RPM drops is audience geography — a US viewer is worth 10–20× a Tier-3 viewer to advertisers.
The second-most common reason: format mix. Adding Shorts can crush channel RPM because pool-based payouts dilute the long-form average. A channel pulling $8 RPM on long-form often drops to $2–3 blended once Shorts views dominate.
| Segment | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 audience (US/UK/CA/AU) | $4 | $8 | $25+ |
| Tier-2 audience (EU, JP, KR) | $2 | $4 | $10 |
| Tier-3 audience (LatAm, SEA, India) | $0.30 | $1 | $2.50 |
| Shorts-only RPM | $0.04 | $0.06 | $0.10 |
| Q1 (Jan–Mar) | −40% | −30% | −15% |
| Q4 (Oct–Dec) bump | +15% | +30% | +60% |
Caveats
- RPM lags 24–48 hours in Studio — don't panic on a single bad day.
- Demonetization on a single video can drop channel RPM noticeably for weeks.
- Switching to 8+ minute videos with mid-rolls is the single biggest lever most creators ignore.