In a nutshell

  • You can start earning money before reaching 1,000 subscribers through YouTube’s updated Partner Program eligibility for certain monetization features.
  • AdSense revenue varies greatly and depends on factors like your niche, RPM and engagement levels, but YouTubers can expect to make about $5 to $7 per 1,000 ad impressions.
  • Besides AdSense, other revenue streams include affiliate marketing, Patreon support, selling merchandise and obtaining sponsorships.

Depending on your YouTube journey, it can take months or even years to gain 1,000 subscribers. Aside from claiming the 1K milestone, this is also the point when you can start monetizing your content through AdSense. But how much money do you make on YouTube with 1,000 subscribers?

In this article, we will discuss just how much money you can make with 1,000 subscribers. We will also show you varying methods of making money through YouTube.

When can you start making money through YouTube?

For years, the 1K subscribers milestone has been — and still is — a coveted achievement for YouTubers. This is because you need to cross the 1K subscriber threshold to apply for YouTube’s Partner Program and start making money off the ads that play during your videos. However, it turns out that you can now begin monetizing your content through YouTube before you hit 1K subscribers.

In 2023, YouTube lowered its Partner Program eligibility slightly for some monetization features: paid chat, tipping, channel memberships and some shopping features. So, now you can start making money from YouTube before you hit the 1K threshold.

Here’s how the eligibility breaks down:

Fan funding and certain shopping features

  • 500 subscribers
  • 3 valid public uploads within the last 90 days

And either:

  • 3,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months
  • 3 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days

Revenue sharing from ads and YouTube Premium

  • 1,000 subscribers

And either

  • 4,000 public watch hours in the past 12 months
  • 10 million valid public Shorts views in the last 90 days

How much money do you make on YouTube with 1,000 subscribers through AdSense?

While there are various ways to make money with your YouTube channel on and off YouTube, the primary way most YouTubers earn money is through AdSense. AdSense gives you a cut of the revenue YouTube makes when it runs advertisements alongside your content. The amount you receive will depend on how many views the ad gets and the amount advertisers pay to run their ads. This is commonly calculated using CPM, or Cost Per Mille, which is Latin for cost per thousand. YouTube also pays you 55 percent of the ad revenue generated through channel views and takes 45 percent for itself.

Say an advertiser agrees to pay YouTube $1 for every 1,000 views, and your video gets 1,000 ad impressions. You will receive 45 cents of the $1 earned. That may not seem like much, but imagine getting one million views on a video, or even 20 million views. One video could net you in the thousands.

So, how much money do you make on YouTube with 1,000 subscribers through AdSense? Ultimately, what you make through AdSense will vary greatly depending on your niche, your RPM (the amount you make for every 1,000 ad impressions) and engagement. According to Tinkific, YouTubers make about $5-7 per 1,000 ad impressions in 2024. Also, according to SEOStudio, the average subscribers-to-views ratio is 8 to 14 percent, meaning the average view count for a 1K subscriber channel is between 80 and 140, falling far short of 1,000 ad impressions. Again, though, this will vary depending on the factors listed above.

Other ways to make money with 1,000 subscribers

If AdSense isn’t cutting it, don’t worry. There are other ways you can leverage your channel to increase your bottom line. Let’s take a look at a few options.

Whenever you review, unbox, or share a product in one of your videos, you can make a cut of the sale if your viewers buy the product using an affiliate link. To get started with affiliate marketing, read through YouTube’s content guidelines and the Federal Trade Commission guidelines on affiliate marketing. After, you can sign up for affiliate marketing programs. The most common program YouTubers use is Amazon, but there are also programs through eBay, Shopify and so on. Once you’re signed up, include the affiliate links in your video’s description. You should also mention that you’ve left affiliate links in the description and disclose they are affiliate links in the video itself.

Sign up for Patreon

If your viewers are willing to support you directly through donations, Patreon is a great option. Typically, creators offer extra benefits to their viewers if they support them on Patreon. For instance, you can offer early video releases to your Patreon supporters. This type of benefit is ideal because while you are giving your viewers an incentive to support your Patreon, you aren’t paywalling the viewers who don’t pay. While increasing your revenue at this stage in your career is important, increasing your engagement and viewership is just as important (if not more so). More views and subscribers lead to more revenue down the line.

Sell merch

Once you have 1,000 subscribers, you have a large enough community to start selling channel merch. Popular merch companies in the creator community include Teespring, Printify and Fourthwall. So, if your audience seems ready and willing to purchase your channel merch, it could end up being a great way to boost your revenue.

Get sponsored

Brands are constantly on the lookout to sponsor YouTubers with engaged communities. While you may think that brands wouldn’t be willing to work with anyone with less than one million subscribers, that’s far from the case. Brands often care more about a channel’s views and engagement rate than they do about its subscriber size. So, if you have high engagement rates and lots of views on your videos, you have a chance to land a sponsorship deal with a brand. When brands are willing to work with you, they could pay you to make a sponsored video or post promoting their products. They may even send you their products for free. So, reach out to potential brand partners and see if they’d be interested. It will take some time, so don’t be discouraged. Also, be sure to include a business email in your channel’s description so brands can contact you if they’re interested in a partnership.

Start monetizing your hard work

So there you have it. We hope this article has helped you think of ways to monetize your growing channel. Use this information to generate an income through videos that advertisers are looking for. Best of luck.