3 New Ways to Make Money on YouTube in 2026

[00:02] YouTube priorities for 2026. We have new ways to make money and AI tools that are being used by over a million channels. Here's what you need to know. If you're a creator looking to grow or make money this year, this affects you directly.

[00:14] Let's start with the stuff that actually impacts our channels. First is the new ways to make money on YouTube. YouTube is expanding how we as creators can make a living. Shopping is going to be even smoother for viewers. Now, our viewers

[00:27] the YouTube app. This applies to both physical and possibly digital goods. brand deal tools that they already have in place. One of the biggest changes is that we will be able to swap out sponsor segments and older videos once a brand

[00:42] deal ends. That will turn old videos into even more recurring revenue sources, and that means that we can charge more for baked in brand deals on content than ever before. They're also doubling down on shorts monetization and

[00:54] fan funding features like jewels and gifts, making it easier than ever to make money multiple ways on YouTube. And while creators can make more money, they also mentioned how YouTube creators are the new stars and studios of Hollywood.

[01:06] YouTube is basically saying the era of dismissing content creation as just user generated content, cat videos, is over. They're pointing out that creators have been able to buy studio lots in Hollywood. They're producing TV quality

[01:18] shows and these creators are approving the shows themselves. No studio needed. YouTube is also doubling down on kids and teens. They're giving more parental controls, easier account switching, and parents can even set short scroll time

[01:30] to zero. This matters since younger viewers might have habits changing on the platform, which could in theory affect your views on YouTube shorts. YouTube is also mentioning AI. And with over a million YouTube channels already

[01:43] using YouTube AI creation tools daily, they're adding more tools and cracking down on AI slop, which is just lowquality, repetitive AI content. And that's a good thing. This can be found especially in shorts. Now, speaking of

[01:56] shorts, YouTube has said there are 200 billion daily shorts views. That's billion with a B. YouTube just announced they're integrating image post into YouTube Shorts feeds. This is huge. When we as creators don't always feel like

[02:10] being on camera, we could just share a quote, a meme, or an image. One image could now tap into the biggest attention span on the YouTube platform. This just shows that YouTube is going even more in on YouTube shorts. The data backs this

[02:24] Marcus Jones, recently looked at analytics from over 500 channels and found something interesting. If we think back to 2024, the YouTube homepage had two rows of long- form videos, about 10 slots for content. Now you're looking at

[02:39] two or three long form videos and then a massive wall of shorts taking up the rest of your screen. Interestingly, it's the same thing on mobile. The same thing is happening in search. And YouTube is clearly betting big on short form. I

[02:51] mean, with 200 billion daily views, it's easy to see why. And for creators who are ready to capitalize on that, there's a real opportunity right now. Here's the have time to film separate shorts content on top of everything else

[03:05] they're doing. That's where repurposing becomes essential. If you're already making long- form content, then you're sitting on a gold mine of shorts. You just need to extract them. And that's exactly what OpusClip does. You take

[03:17] Opus Clip uses AI to find the most engaging moments and turn them into ready to post shorts. Then, with Agent Opus' motion graphics tool, you can use AI like with YouTube tools to take things even further creatively. So,

[03:31] while YouTube is pushing shorts harder than ever, you don't have to work harder. You just have to work smarter by turning one piece of content into many. Now, while you may have many pieces of content, it's just as important to know

[03:43] that shorts historically have been harder to monetize. Lower ad revenue, sponsor rates, etc. However, with YouTube shopping features, monetization announcements matter so much. Easy shopping means viewers can buy without

[03:57] leaving the YouTube app/shorts experience. That's a huge win for us as creators and for conversion. YouTube specifically mentioned that they've paid out over $100 billion dollars to creators in the last four years. YouTube

[04:10] and OpusClip know that the creator economy only works if creators can actually build a sustainable business. So, while YouTube Shorts reach is exploding, YouTube seems focused on making sure that the money follows. And

[04:22] if you can consistently show up in the Shorts feed without burning out, you're growth. So, what do you actually do with all this? If you're a Shorts creator, the reach is there. 200 billion daily

[04:34] views. This is not a small number, but don't rely on ad revenue alone. Use the new shopping features and brand tools to build real income streams. If you're a normal long- form creator, competition for homepage real estate is tighter than

[04:47] ever. Your packaging matters more now than ever. Your titles, thumbnails, hooks, well, they have always mattered, and this is a reminder that every click counts. You should also consider that your long- form content can fuel your

[05:00] short strategy. Repurpose your best moments. Stay visible in the shorts feed and let that drive new viewers to your YouTube channel. If you're doing both, that's probably the smartest play. Use shorts to build an audience and drive

[05:13] discovery. Then let long form do the heavy lifting for monetization. Tools like Opus Clip make that workflow way more sustainable so you're not constantly creating from scratch. The creators who will win in 2026 are the

[05:25] headed and build their strategies around it. The question is, are you ready for it. The question is, are you ready for it? If so, check out that video on