Can You Lose YouTube Monetization? (Explained) -

Many people make a living off of YouTube, and if you plan to do the same there are many things you need to know. Can you lose your income in the blink of an eye?

In this blog post we will go over whether or not you can lost your YouTube monetization.

Short Answer to the Question Can You Lose YouTube Monetization

You can lose access to YouTube monetization if you or your content violates the platform’s policies. You also have to first qualify for monetization by gaining at least 1,000 subscribers and having a minimum of 4,000 hours of watch time.

Those minimums have to occur over the period of a rolling year in addition to other content requirements. This article will review the various reasons you can lose YouTube monetization. Let’s get started!

You can also lose your monetization privileges for the following reasons:

You post content that violates copyright policies. This includes content you do not own or have the rights to, such as studio-produced films and music.
You monetize videos that do not meet YouTube’s advertiser-friendly guidelines.
YouTube issues you repeated warnings about content that is considered hate speech or demeaning.
Your content violates YouTube’s spam or monetization policies.
Your content goes against the platform’s general terms of service.
You don’t follow YouTube’s AdSense program stipulations.

YouTube may also pause monetization on your channel or content if you have not connected an approved AdSense account.

If you do lose monetization privileges, you can reapply 30 days after those privileges are revoked. However, you will probably need to make changes to your channel before monetization is restored.

What Reasons Make You Lose YouTube Monetization?

Although we’ve already listed the general reasons you can lose monetization on your YouTube channel, let’s delve into some of the specifics.

Unoriginal Content

You’ve probably seen some channels have unoriginal content posted that contains a Fair Act or copyright disclaimer. In YouTube’s eyes, this is not enough to count. Your channel must contain 100% unique content to monetize it.

Do you upload gaming content that displays actual video game footage? This is also considered unoriginal content. Showing live video game footage is a slippery slope, even if the developer gives you permission and/or you’re offering original tips or commentary about it.

Paid Traffic

You also have to authentically attract subscribers to your channel. Some content creators try to take shortcuts by buying followers or using the follow/follow back method.

With the follow/follow back method, you gain subscribers by first subscribing to their channel and asking them to subscribe to yours as a favor. If they don’t, you end up unsubscribing from theirs. These practices are frowned upon by YouTube.

Spam Messages

Sending out spam messages to get people to come to your channel or click on your content is a no-no. Just don’t do it. Build your audience organically by using social media to share and tag your posts. Also, do some keyword research and include viable keywords in your content.

Terms of Service Violations

Are you uploading violent content or messages that advocate for violence? Posting misleading information or commentary that could be interpreted as defamation can also violate YouTube’s terms of service.

Refrain from posting content about illegal drug use, alcohol, and guns or weapons.

What Happens if I Drop Below the Monetization Threshold?

If you drop below the monetization threshold of 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours in a 365-day rolling period, you won’t automatically lose out. YouTube will not necessarily remove monetization from your channel.

However, YouTube may remove monetization if your channel becomes inactive or you haven’t uploaded any new content or community posts for six months.

The best thing to do is to keep an eye on your subscribers and watch hours. This may be more critical in the early stages of your channel. Still, it is possible to lose a good chunk of subscribers because they become disinterested in your content.

Keep subscribers engaged with community posts, interactive content, and open up your channel for feedback. You may need to survey your subscribers about what they want to see or analyze likes versus dislikes and comments.

Does YouTube Take Away Your Monetization if You’re Inactive?

Maybe. YouTube states it reserves the right to take away your monetization if you’re inactive. Still, that doesn’t mean your monetization will be automatically revoked.

As stated in the previous section, you’re not at risk if you’re inactive for less than six months.

If You Make All of Your Videos Private, Do You Lose Monetization?

You could lose monetization if you make all your videos private. That’s because only public videos count toward your watch time thresholds.

Based on YouTube’s practices, it’s safe to say you won’t automatically lose your monetization. However, YouTube may remove it at their discretion since your account will appear inactive.

You can make your account active again and meet your watch time thresholds by uploading new public content. But be prepared to lose your monetization and reapply once you’ve hit the 4,000 hours watch time threshold again.

Does Monetization Stay If You Delete All Your Videos?

When you delete all your videos, your account and channel become inactive. You may still keep your monetization privileges for a time since YouTube doesn’t automatically remove them from inactive accounts.

But if you don’t add any new content for six months or more, you risk losing monetization. Plus, you may need to gain another 4,000 hours of watch time quickly to keep monetization.

Unless you have a compelling reason to delete all your videos, it’s recommended you don’t. If you want to delete a few, be sure you’re not falling below the 4,000 hours watch time threshold.

Again, you could start to add new content and keep your monetization after deleting all your videos. However, most content creators do not do this unless they plan on becoming completely inactive on the platform.

Conclusion

YouTube monetization comes with several sets of rules and compliance requirements. Other stipulations, including engagement thresholds, can determine whether you qualify for and lose monetization privileges.

Content creators and channels that violate YouTube’s terms of service, monetization policies, and AdSense requirements could instantly lose the ability to monetize channels and individual content.

Monetization may also be removed at YouTube’s discretion due to inactivity on the channel.

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