RPM vs CPM
Two metrics get mixed up constantly:
| Metric | What it measures | Who it's about |
|---|---|---|
| CPM | What advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube's share | Advertisers |
| RPM | What you earn per 1,000 views, after YouTube's share, across all revenue sources | You |
RPM is the number that answers "how much do I make per 1,000 views?" It's always lower than CPM, because not every view shows an ad and YouTube keeps its share. YouTube explains both in YouTube Help.
What YouTube pays (published shares)
From YouTube's partner earnings overview:
- Long-form watch page ads: 55% of net revenue to the creator.
- Shorts Feed ads: 45% of the revenue allocated to you from the Creator Pool, based on your share of engaged views.
- Channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Stickers, Super Thanks: 70% of net revenue.
Because Shorts revenue comes from a pooled allocation, a Shorts view and a long-form view are not worth the same, and you can't compare them one-to-one.
You have to qualify first
Ad revenue sharing starts once you join the YouTube Partner Program. YouTube lists two routes to eligibility: 1,000 subscribers with 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers with 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days. Channels also go through a review, which YouTube says typically takes about a month.
Why RPM varies so much
- Audience location: advertisers pay different amounts in different countries.
- Niche: topics like finance, software and business tend to attract higher-paying advertisers than general entertainment.
- Seasonality: ad spend usually rises near major shopping periods.
- Video length: YouTube's creator site notes that videos 8 minutes or longer can include mid-roll ad breaks.
- Ad suitability: content that isn't advertiser-friendly earns less or nothing.
- Format mix: a channel with mostly Shorts will usually have a different RPM from a long-form channel.
The most-read Reddit thread on this topic, "How much do YouTube creators actually make per...", shows how widely real creators' numbers differ. Treat any single figure you see online as one channel's experience, not a benchmark.
How to find your own number
- Open YouTube Studio and go to Analytics, then Revenue.
- Look at RPM over the last 90 days, not a single day.
- Compare RPM for long-form and Shorts separately.
- Check which videos have the highest RPM and what they have in common.
Ads are only one income stream
For many small creators, the money isn't in AdSense at all. Coaches, consultants and businesses use YouTube to win clients; one customer can be worth more than months of ad revenue. Sponsorships, affiliate links, memberships and your own products also add up. That's why the question "is editing worth paying for?" often depends more on your business than your RPM. See is paying for video editing worth it.
How editing affects earnings
Editing doesn't change your RPM directly, but it affects how many people watch and for how long. Tighter edits with captions and visual changes can help keep viewers watching, and watch time influences how much YouTube recommends a video. If you want help with that part, DoneEdit, our own service, edits talking-head videos in 48 hours.
Step by step: finding your RPM
- Open YouTube Studio.
- Go to Analytics, then the Revenue tab (only available once you're in the YouTube Partner Program).
- Look at RPM, revenue per 1,000 views.
- Compare long-form and Shorts RPM separately.
Why your number will differ from others'
Creators share RPM figures in communities, but they're hard to compare. Audience location, niche, video length, time of year and the mix of long-form and Shorts all change RPM. Your own Studio numbers are the only reliable ones for your channel.
Ways to earn beyond ads
- Channel memberships, where YouTube Help lists creators' share as 70% of net revenue.
- Sponsorships and affiliate links.
- Selling your own products or services.
Key takeaways
- RPM is what you earn per 1,000 views; CPM is what advertisers pay.
- YouTube Help lists creators' share as 55% of watch-page ad revenue and 45% of the Shorts pool allocation.
- You must join the YouTube Partner Program before earning from ads.
- Your own Studio RPM is the only reliable number for your channel.