YouTube Announces New Eligibility Requirements and YouTubers are Not Happy, But there is Hope

YouTube started sending emails out last night stating that if your channel had less than 1,000 subscribers and less than 4,000 hours watched in the past 12 months, that channel was no longer eligible to monetize videos until those numbers have been reached. This is a slap in the face to many content creators but may be better for those who are passionate about making videos in the long run. Here's why.

This is from the email YouTube sent out.

Under new eligibility requirements announced today, your YouTube channel, [CHANNEL NAME], is no longer eligible for monetization because it doesn't meet the new threshold of 4,000 hours of watchtime within the past 12 months and 1,000 subscribes. As a result, your channel will lose access to all monetization tools and features associated with the YouTube Partner Program on February 20, 2018 unless you surpass this threshold in the next 30 days.

The numbers YouTube requires aren't impossible to reach by any means. I have a personal YouTube channel and it took me about a year to get to 1,000 subscribers. It's achievable. 4,000 watch hours is the tough one, but for good purpose. There are so many click bait channels out there. When someone clicks on one, they see it's not what they were expecting and leave after a couple seconds. Without those watch hours, those channels will fail, and rightfully so.

It still makes you feel a little bad, as if it's YouTube saying your channel isn't good enough, but that's not the case at all. Keep plugging away, do it for fun and, down the road, if you make a little money from it, all the better.

And it's not just about money!

If you do videos that show make-up tutorials, reach out to make-up companies. Some may send you free products to try. Or if you do videos about skateboarding, maybe you can find a sponsor. Just a few random ideas.