American Marketing Association Professional Certified Marketer (PCM) Content Marketing Practice Exam

Which of the following statements about YouTube monetization is TRUE?

1. Every channel can be monetized immediately.

2. You need a certain number of subscribers to apply for monetization.

3. Monetization is not affected by content type.

4. You can monetize only your own original content.

The correct answer is: You need a certain number of subscribers to apply for monetization.

The statement that monetization on YouTube requires a certain number of subscribers to apply for is correct. YouTube has specific eligibility criteria for its Partner Program, which includes both a minimum number of subscribers—1,000—and a minimum watch time of 4,000 hours on the channel over the past 12 months. This ensures that channels have a substantial audience and engagement before they begin to earn money from ads and other monetization features. The other statements do not accurately reflect YouTube's monetization policies. For instance, a channel cannot be monetized immediately as it must meet the eligibility criteria first. Also, content type does play a role in monetization since some types of content may violate YouTube's guidelines or may not attract advertisers. Finally, while you can monetize your own original content, there are also avenues for monetization such as user-generated content that doesn't necessarily have to be completely original, provided it adheres to YouTube's policies.