How to Monetise

YouTube

with UGC

If there’s one thing we know for sure about social media, it’s that you can always expect to see new features, how to engage your audience, and ways to monetise your content.

YouTube Shorts have recently increased in popularity, and more brands are discovering how to make the most of the new content style on the platform, and learning how to optimise their earning potential.

Want to start monetising your own YouTube Shorts? We’ve found the perfect duo to get you started: Shorts and UGC.

We’ve outlined everything you need to know and how Newsflare’s own team has been doing it.

April growth trends for Newsflare Shorts

+144%

views

+120%

subcribers

+117%

monetisation

What are Youtube Shorts?

Launched September 2020, YouTube Shorts were the platform's answer to mobile-first viewing. 

YouTube Shorts are the 60 second (or less) vertical videos that users can shoot and share on the traditionally horizontal-form platform.

What is UGC?

User-Generated Content is content created by someone who is not part of your business or brand.

They come in many forms, including video and photos, and are usually shared on social media.

UGC will sometimes take shape as product reviews, while other times, it may be an authentic moment caught on film, that is then used by a brand for their own brand messaging.

Click to discover some of Newsflare’s best-selling user-generated videos.

How do YouTube Shorts work?

Before you start, bear in mind the rules for creating Shorts: 

  • You must have 1,000 subscribers.

  • They can be up to 60 seconds in length. This can be multiple 15-second videos combined or one continuous video.

  • Videos must be short in vertical orientation with a 9:16 aspect ratio and 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels resolution.

  • You may use audio from YouTube’s library or other videos for up to 60 seconds.

How do you monetise a Short?

There are two ways for you to become eligible for the program:

Gain 1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days.

Or,

Gain 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours on your long-form videos.

If you’re looking to monetise your Shorts, know that your earnings are based on the number of views you get, your geographical location, and how many music tracks you use.

So, what makes them the perfect combo? And how are we using UGC to monetise our Shorts?

Videos that grab a user’s interest in less than 30 seconds will need to be authentic and relatable. This is why UGC works so well here, you need real life, real events and real drama to resonate in such a short timespan.

You will also likely need to do some testing to see what works for your audience, pivoting is difficult when you’re producing your own content but much easier when you are testing with licensed UGC.

How to get to 10 million views

Consistency, post regularly. The algorithm likes this.

Focus on the posts getting most views, with at least 100% watch time, to find the trends that work for your audience.

Videos of up to 30 seconds have been working well recently, sometimes even as short as 15 seconds.

Volume is key. Post as many videos as you possibly can.

The YouTube algorithm takes a while to get going. Be patient for results as it might take a few months to see uplifts.

Wait and see, some Shorts perform well after 60 days. Keep a long-term view on your Shorts strategy and you’ll see revenue uplifts.

“ Volume is key “

“ Consistency, post regularly “

“ Keep a long-term view “

UGC themes we’re seeing growth from

Pets and animals

Fails and funnies

Top tip: Don’t feature anything dangerous, stick to positive themes.

License the perfect bundle of videos with our exclusive Shorts Bundle.

Talk to our team to start building your package.