Is your YouTube channel still under review for monetization?
If you want to make money on YouTube, getting approved for monetization is crucial.
This will allow your channel to make money from ads.
However, a lot of creators are facing issues with getting their channel approved for monetization.
Some channels that have hit the minimum requirements are still under review for monetization.
It can be frustrating because you’re leaving money on the table.
In fact, Dream, a popular YouTuber made $0 from 4 viral videos (more than 2 million views) because he channel was not yet monetized.
That number of views can potentially mean thousands of dollars in ad revenue.
Hence, it’s best to find out why your channel is still under review and how to potentially speed up the process.
If your YouTube channel is still under review for monetization, read on to find out why.
Why Is My YouTube Channel Under Review for Monetization?
Your YouTube channel is under review for monetization either because you haven’t hit the minimum requirements, you don’t have enough public videos, or there are a limited number of policy specialists.
To be monetized on YouTube, you need to get accepted into the YouTube Partner Program.
The YouTube partner program allows creators to monetize their videos with ads, direct support, and more.
However, you need to hit the minimum requirements to get accepted into the program.
Next, if the majority of your videos are private, you may not be accepted into the YouTube Partner Program.
This is because there aren’t enough videos for the policy specialists to review.
Lastly, there are a limited number of policy specialists on YouTube.
This means that you have to wait for a longer period of time for your application to be approved or rejected.
Here are 3 reasons why your YouTube channel is still under review:
- You haven’t met the minimum requirements
- You don’t have enough public videos
- There are a limited number of policy specialists
1. You haven’t met the minimum requirements
Minimum requirements: 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours.
The first reason why your YouTube channel is under review for monetization is that you haven’t met the minimum requirements for it.
Your channel needs to meet all of the minimum requirements to get approved in the YouTube Partner Program.
Even if you’ve only missed one requirement, you won’t be able to send the application.
The two main requirements to get monetized on YouTube are:
- A minimum of 1,000 subscribers.
- A minimum of 4,000 public watch hours.
Other than 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 public watch hours, your channel needs to follow all the YouTube monetization policies to be accepted.
If your channel has primarily adult content, it may not be eligible for monetization as it violates YouTube’s policies.
Some countries are ineligible for the YouTube Partner Program as well, so you need to be in an eligible country to get into the program.
In addition, make sure to review all the policies and check if you’ve violated any.
If your channel isn’t approved for monetization, you can make changes to your content and apply again.
Once you’ve hit all of the minimum requirements, YouTube will send you an email that you’re eligible for monetization.
2. You don’t have enough public videos
Make sure to set your videos to public (especially the ones that have a lot of views).
The second reason why your YouTube channel is under review for monetization is that you don’t have enough public videos.
YouTube allows its creators to change the privacy settings of their videos.
If you happened to have a lot of private videos, your application may be rejected.
This is especially so if you have a lot of watch time from your private videos.
Having a few private videos is fine, by you need to make sure that the majority of the videos on your channel are public—especially the ones that have a lot of views.
Otherwise, your channel may not be reviewed at all.
Similarly, if you deleted a lot of your old videos, it will negatively affect your watch time.
If you have many private videos with a lot of views, consider changing their privacy setting to public.
This will allow YouTube’s policy specialists to review your channel’s videos.
Here’s how you can change your private YouTube videos to public:
- Open the YouTube app.
- Tap on “Library” on the bottom navigation bar.
- Find the private video that you want to change to public.
- Tap on the three dots next to the video’s title > Edit.
- Tap on “Private” > “Public” > Back > Save.
After you’ve changed your private videos to public, your channel can then be reviewed.
3. There are a limited number of policy specialists
As there is a limited number of policy specialists, delays can happen.
Lastly, due to the limited number of policy specialists, it may take a while for your YouTube channel to get approved for monetization.
According to YouTube, a high number of applications can delay the reviewing process.
This is because each application is reviewed by a real person, and not a bot.
Hence, if there’s a large volume of applications, YouTube might take a longer time to approve your channel.
In addition, some channels may require multiple reviews if more than one policy specialist thinks that the channel is not suitable for monetization.
Lastly, system issues might occur which will delay the reviewing process as well.
Based on all of these reasons, you may have to wait for up to a month to get your application reviewed.
If your channel is still under review, your best bet is to be patient and wait for the process.
How long does a YouTube monetization review take?
A YouTube monetization review typically takes no more than 30 days.
Every application is put in a queue and reviewed by policy specialists.
In some cases, the reviewing process might be delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.
These circumstances include a high volume of applications, system delays, and a shift in resources.
Can you speed up the review process?
According to YouTube, their teams cannot speed up the review process as each application is put in a queue.
However, you can try speeding up the process by sending them feedback via YouTube Studio.
Here’s how you can speed up the review process:
- Go to YouTube Studio on a desktop.
- On the left sidebar, click on “Send Feedback”.
- Explain that your channel has met the minimum requirements but you haven’t been approved for the YouTube Partner Program yet.
Some creators who’ve used this method managed to get approved in the next day.
Conclusion
Getting approved for the YouTube Partner Program can be a frustrating process.
In fact, some creators waited for months without approval.
This might scare some creators into thinking that they will never get monetized.
However, most creators got their applications approved in less than 30 days.
Hence, it’s very likely that you’ll receive an update to your application in less than 30 days.
If your application is rejected, make sure to check if your videos are in line with YouTube’s policies.
Further Reading
How to See Who Subscribed to Your YouTube Channel
