---
title: 'Why Big YouTubers Are Going Broke'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=XX4GynsRHiM'
video_id: 'XX4GynsRHiM'
date: 2026-09-29
duration_sec: 97
channel: 'Think Media Podcast'
---

# Why Big YouTubers Are Going Broke

> Source: [Why Big YouTubers Are Going Broke](https://youtube.com/watch?v=XX4GynsRHiM)

## Summary

This video debunks the myth of YouTubers getting rich from views alone, revealing that 1 million long-form views pay only $2,000–$3,000 and Shorts pay about $50. It distinguishes between making money from YouTube (ads) and with YouTube (promoting products), emphasizing that the latter can start on day one.

### Key Points

- **YouTuber Bank Accounts Are Small** [00:01] — Contrary to popular belief, most YouTubers do not have massive bank accounts from ad revenue alone.
- **Long-Form Ad Revenue** [00:15] — 1 million views on long-form videos typically pays $2,000–$3,000, which is difficult to achieve consistently.
- **Shorts Ad Revenue Is Negligible** [00:29] — 1 million views on YouTube Shorts pays only around $50, barely covering dinner.
- **Two Ways to Make Money** [00:43] — First is making money 'from YouTube' — direct ad revenue. Second is making money 'with YouTube' — promoting your own or affiliate products.
- **Start Making Money with YouTube from Day One** [00:57] — You don't need monetization to promote products; you can start earning immediately as an affiliate or with your own product.

### Conclusion

The key takeaway is that true YouTube income comes not from ad revenue but from leveraging the platform to sell products or services, which can start immediately regardless of subscriber count.

## Transcript

YouTubers actually have some of the smallest bank accounts? Here's why. How much money does YouTube actually pay you for your views? Well, on average, let's say you get a million views on long-form videos on your YouTube channel. That's
typically going to pay out two to $3,000. Not bad money, but difficult to do consistently. And that's for long-form views on YouTube. If we're talking about YouTube Shorts, 1 million views is going
to pay you around $50. That barely covers dinner. And here's what most people don't realize. There's two big ways to make money with YouTube, and they're not the same thing. The first one is making money from YouTube. That
is YouTube paying you directly for views. It's from ads playing on your videos, from the different features on the platform itself. But the second big strategy is making money with YouTube. What does that mean? That
promote a product or service that you've created, or as an affiliate for somebody else's product. And what's crazy about this is you can start making money with YouTube from day one of starting a channel without YouTube monetizing you
you actually want to learn a little bit more about how to make money with YouTube specifically, step-by-step, just click the related video. It'll take you to a free training right here on YouTube that goes into much more detail. And
follow for more of our 21-day YouTube reset. If you want to watch the past Shorts. Just click through, find them, scroll back, and you can watch [music] scroll back, and you can watch [music] them all. But I'll see you tomorrow.