How to Do a YouTube Giveaway: Rules, Ideas & Picking a Winner
Step-by-step guide to running a YouTube giveaway: clear rules, YouTube’s contest policies, prize ideas, and how to pick a random winner from comments fairly.
Estimate what a channel could earn from ads based on its views and RPM — with honest, realistic ranges.
RPM = what you earn per 1,000 views after YouTube’s share. Find your real RPM in YouTube Studio → Analytics → Revenue and type it above.
Estimates only. Real earnings depend on audience country, season, watch time, ad blockers and whether your channel is in the YouTube Partner Program.
How much can a YouTube channel earn? The honest answer is a range, not a single number – and this calculator shows that range. Enter your daily views, pick a niche (or type your own RPM), and see what ad revenue could look like per day, month and year.
Earnings = Views ÷ 1,000 × RPM
RPM (revenue per mille) is what you receive for every 1,000 views after YouTube’s share. It already accounts for views where no ad was shown, which is why it is lower than the CPM advertisers pay.
| Channel | Daily views | RPM | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaming channel | 10,000 | $1 – $4 | $300 – $1,200 | $3,650 – $14,600 |
| Small how-to channel | 1,000 | $4 – $10 | $120 – $300 | $1,460 – $3,650 |
| Shorts creator | 100,000 | $0.02 – $0.10 | $60 – $300 | $730 – $3,650 |
The Shorts example shows why views alone do not tell the story: 100 times more views can earn about the same as a small long-form channel.
| Niche | Rough RPM (USD) |
|---|---|
| General entertainment, gaming | $1 – $4 |
| Lifestyle, vlogs | $2 – $6 |
| Education, how-to | $4 – $10 |
| Tech and reviews | $5 – $12 |
| Finance and business | $8 – $20 |
| YouTube Shorts | $0.02 – $0.10 |
These are commonly reported ranges, not promises. Two channels in the same niche can differ a lot.
You need to be in the YouTube Partner Program. The level that unlocks ad revenue requires 1,000 subscribers and either 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days. A lower level opens fan funding (memberships, Super Thanks) earlier. Rules change, so confirm the current numbers in YouTube Help.
For many channels, ads are not the biggest income. Sponsorships, affiliate links, channel memberships, Super Thanks and your own products or courses often pay more – especially in a focused niche with a loyal audience. A channel with 20,000 engaged subscribers in a specialist topic can out-earn a much bigger entertainment channel.
Earnings follow views, and views follow clicks. Make every video easier to click with the thumbnail preview tool and the title counter. For a deeper look at real payouts and what affects them, read how much YouTube pays.
What you earn per 1,000 views is your RPM. For long videos it is commonly between $1 and $10, and higher in finance, business and tech; for Shorts it is usually only a few cents. Your exact RPM is in YouTube Studio → Analytics → Revenue.
CPM is what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube takes its share. RPM is what you actually receive per 1,000 views of your videos, after YouTube’s share and including views without ads. RPM is the number to use for earnings.
Divide 1,000 by your RPM and multiply by 1,000. With an RPM of $4 that is 250,000 views a month, or about 8,300 views a day. With an RPM of $1 you would need a million views a month.
After you join the YouTube Partner Program. The ad-revenue level needs 1,000 subscribers plus either 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months or 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days. YouTube changes these rules from time to time, so check YouTube Help.
Shorts ads are shown between videos and the revenue is pooled and shared among creators, so each view is worth far less than a view of a long video with its own ads. Many creators use Shorts to gain subscribers and earn from long videos.
It is an estimate. Real earnings depend on your audience’s country, season, watch time, ad blockers and the type of content. Type your own RPM into the calculator for the most realistic numbers.
Step-by-step guide to running a YouTube giveaway: clear rules, YouTube’s contest policies, prize ideas, and how to pick a random winner from comments fairly.
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What YouTube really pays per 1,000 views, the difference between RPM and CPM, why earnings vary so much by niche and country, and how Shorts revenue works.