The same recipe video paid $605 on Facebook, $453 on TikTok and 27 cents on YouTube Shorts.

Side Hustle Close Up showed one recipe video earning $605 on Facebook, $453 on TikTok and 27 cents on YouTube Shorts. This week was about where the money is moving: YouTube is raising its entry bar for new applicants, while Instagram and TikTok are paying for longer video.

YouTube's new money rules

YouTube doubles monetization thresholds for new applicants from Feb 1, 2027

Tube Talk Media says new applicants will need 1,000 subscribers plus either 8,000 qualified watch hours in the first 365 days or 20 million qualified Shorts views in the previous 90 days, up from 4,000 hours and 10 million. Creators already in the program won't lose long-form ad eligibility for falling below the new entry thresholds. If you're working toward monetization, reset your target to the new numbers.

"You also need to have either 8,000 qualified watch hours during the first 365 days or 1 year or 20 million qualified shorts videos during the previous 90 days." (Tube Talk Media)

▶ Watch at 3:41 · YouTube Monetization Just Changed. Here's What It Means for You

Shorts pool needs 10M views in 90 days from February 1

Side Hustle Close Up explains that Shorts revenue goes into a pool and creators keep 45% of their share. From February 1st, a channel needs 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days to get any pool money, and under that the next million views pays nothing. If your Shorts channel is small, plan for another income source or a move into long form.

"And from February 1st, a channel needs 10 million qualified Shorts views in 90 days to get any pool money at all." (Side Hustle Close Up)

▶ Watch at 2:15 · 1 Million Views Paid $27 on TikTok. On YouTube? $2,770

YouTube tests a $20 minimum payout instead of $100

vidIQ Podcasts says YouTube is temporarily running an experiment that lowers the minimum payment threshold from $100 to $20, or the local equivalent. The hosts say smaller creators sitting just under $100 currently wait extra months for payouts. If you earn small amounts each month, this could mean getting paid sooner, though the test is temporary.

"it's so much easier to hit the $20 threshold than 100" (vidIQ Podcasts)

▶ Watch at 33:12 · This YouTube Update Pays Small Creators FASTER and Instagram Testing Long Form Video?

YouTube Shorts to favor original content over simple re-uploads

Socialvora Academy reports that YouTube says Shorts recommendations will further prioritize original content and reduce reach for simple re-uploads with no meaningful added value. If you repost or lightly repackage clips, expect lower Shorts reach. Add something of your own to each Short before you publish it.

"YouTube says Shorts recommendations will further prioritize original content and reduce reach for simple re-uploads with no meaningful added value." (Socialvora Academy)

▶ Watch at 0:08 · YouTube Shorts Algorithm Update 2026: Original Content Gets Priority

Getting paid for long video elsewhere

Instagram offers some YouTubers $50,000 to $500,000 for long-form video

India Global Review, on The Palki Sharma Show, reports that Instagram is paying select creators between $50,000 and $500,000 to publish on Features, its new product that supports videos up to 90 minutes. Some deals reportedly ask creators to upload their YouTube videos to Instagram on the same day, and Instagram has no comparable revenue sharing system for it yet. If you have an established long-form library, it may be worth negotiating direct payment for putting it on Instagram.

"Instagram is paying YouTube creators up to half a million dollars. Why? To post longer videos on its platform." (India Global Review)

▶ Watch at 0:08 · Instagram Is Paying YouTubers $500,000. Is It Coming For YouTube? | The Palki Sharma Show | IGR

TikTok pays up to $500 per 5-minute-plus video

Con Culture Podcast says TikTok pays a $100 base when a video reaches 5,000 views, plus an extra $400 if it passes 50,000 views. Payouts max out at $10,000 a month and come on top of the existing TikTok creator reward program. The thresholds are low enough that a small creator could earn from a first long video.

"You get a $100 base pay if your video reaches 5,000 views and an extra $400 on that post if it makes it past 50,000 views." (Con Culture Podcast)

▶ Watch at 4:20 · Instagram Is Paying Some Creators $500K. Just Not You.

Instagram adds 90-minute video and lets Reels link to long-form

Jerry Potter covers Instagram's announcement of horizontal uploads up to 90 minutes, plus a TV-viewing version of the app. Per VP of product Tessa Lyons, you'll be able to link your Reels to your long-form content, so a clip from a longer video can point back to the full thing. Instagram previously allowed feed uploads of up to 60 minutes that rarely got watched, so test it with clips before moving full videos.

"You're going to be able to link your Reels to your long-form content." (Jerry Potter)

▶ Watch at 0:57 · UPDATE: Instagram's Long Form Video: Why It's Good for Your YouTube Channel

Same recipe video paid $605, $453 and 27 cents on three apps

Side Hustle Close Up showed one creator's recipe video earning $605 on Facebook, $453 on TikTok and 27 cents on YouTube Shorts, on 2,600 views. The video was the same, but each platform has its own rulebook for which views count. Don't compare view counts across platforms; compare what each one paid.

"Facebook, $605. TikTok, $453. YouTube Shorts, 27 cents. on 2,600 views." (Side Hustle Close Up)

▶ Watch at 3:00 · 1 Million Views Paid $27 on TikTok. On YouTube? $2,770

Landing brands and ads

Send brands a video pitch by LinkedIn DM instead of email

Justin Moore says email pitches are getting buried under AI-written ones. He recommends recording the ROPE pitch (relevant, organic, proof, easy to execute) on video, uploading it unlisted to YouTube, and sending it by LinkedIn DM with something like 'I saw you ran a Black Friday campaign last year, I had a quick idea.' A face on camera and a visible channel are easier to stand out with than a templated email.

"Video pitches are the antidote to AI slop email pitches." (Justin Moore)

▶ Watch at 2:28 · I Spoke with 100+ Creators at VidSummit. Here's What's Working with Brand Deals RIGHT NOW

Meta releases Andromeda 2.0, with claims of faster ad training

Andrew Brennan Smyth says the October 28th, 2026 update adds Gem, which understands the buyer, and GenRex, which reads your funnel, copy and landing page, on top of Andromeda. He says it now checks over a billion ads per second, a 100x lift over the 2024 system, and claims new ads may need a day or less to train instead of a couple of weeks. If that holds, you may not need weeks of testing before a new ad finds its audience, so check it against your own results before relying on it.

"It now checks over a billion ads per second." (Andrew Brennan Smyth)

▶ Watch at 1:22 · META Just Changed Its Whole Ad System AGAIN. Whats Changed With Andromeda 2.0

Try this week

Record a short ROPE pitch for one brand, upload it unlisted to YouTube and send it by LinkedIn DM, as Justin Moore recommends. Mention a specific campaign they ran, like the Black Friday example he gives.

Every week, the most useful things creators said on YouTube, summed up. Forward this to a creator friend.