DOES YOUTUBE PAY MORE FOR LONG VIDEOS OR SHORTS IN 2025 ?
YouTube has become one of the most powerful platforms for creators to earn money online. With billions of monthly users it offers different content formats such as long-form videos and YouTube Shorts. Many new creators often wonder Which format pays more ? Do longer videos bring in higher revenue or can Shorts compete in 2025 ? The answer lies in how YouTubes ad system works and the opportunities available in each format.
How YouTube Monetization Works
YouTube monetization is based on advertising revenue sponsorships memberships and other earning sources. However the main factor is still ad placement. Advertisers pay YouTube a certain amount (known as CPM Cost per Mille) for every 1,000 ad impressions. Creators then earn a share of that revenue, called RPM (Revenue per Mille) after YouTubes 45% cut.
The more ads a video can display the higher the revenue. This is why the length and type of video matter so much when comparing Shorts with long form content.
Earning from Long Form Videos
Long form videos are the traditional YouTube format They usually range from 8 to 20 minutes or more.
Because of their duration they allow creators to insert multiple ads including:
With more ad slots the potential revenue per video increases On average in 2025 long form videos earn $5 to $15 per 1k views depending on the niche and audience location. In high value niches like finance technology or software the rate can go as high as $30 per 1k views.
This makes long form videos the backbone of YouTube income for most full time creators.
Earnings from YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts were introduced to compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels.They are short clips under 60 seconds designed to grab quick attention and boost engagement. Shorts have become incredibly popular for growing audiences fast but when it comes to monetization they lag behind long form videos.
Until 2023 creators relied mainly on the YouTube Shorts Fund which offered limited rewards. In 2023 to 2024 YouTube rolled out ad revenue sharing for Shorts but the payout is still far lower than long videos.
Most creators report that Shorts pay only a fraction of what long videos generate.Some even earn less than $0.05 per 1k views on Shorts. While Shorts are excellent for building subscribers and reach they cannot match the revenue of traditional long form videos.
When Shorts Can Be Useful
Although Shorts dont pay as much they are not useless. Many creators use Shorts as a growth tool.Shorts can quickly go viral reaching millions of viewers in a short time. This visibility often translates into new subscribersc which later boosts the performance of long videos.
For example a channel may attract 100,000 subscribers through Shorts and then monetize those viewers through 10 min videos that generate far higher income. In other words Shorts can act as a funnel to build an audience while long videos are the engine that generates real revenue.
