You are wondering how to get the 4000 hours of viewing to access the YouTube partner program. On YouTube, you can actually make money from your videos, but without the right method, reaching 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours can take a long time.
Here is a simple but very effective strategy, used by creators like MrBeast, Squeezie or Amixem, which has significantly increased the viewing time of many channels and propelled them towards monetization.
1. Conditions and purpose
If you publish long videos, access to monetization goes through 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours of viewing. This is achievable with an adapted method that maximizes traffic to your long content.
The « detonator » method: a Short that triggers the explosion of traffic
At the end of 2023, YouTube added the ability to link a Short directly to another video on your channel, including a long video.
Principle: capture attention with a “wow » excerpt (short, punchy), then redirect to the long one.
Why “detonator »? Because the Short acts as a trigger that blows up the traffic to the source video.
2. How do the big creators proceed
They recycle strong passages from their long videos to make Shorts.In the description of the Shorts, they add the link to the original video.
Examples :
Squeezie publishes Squeezie offers the world record to Mister V, excerpt from I had giant and extreme objects made. Amixem does the same with the worst thieves, a double cheese with that, extracted from The Worst Thieves. Number 4.
Field feedback: why it’s not magic (and how to optimize it)
Example 1 – Samuel: modest increase without solid teasing
On three long videos, his Shorts generated ~3,400 views, with +3 %, +1,1 %, +2,3 % on the long views. Little traffic has really switched over from the Shorts tab: getting out of the stream is difficult because the user who came for quick formats rarely clicks to a long one.
Key: work the Shorts like a real advertisement (hook, promise, teaser), not a random excerpt. This requires time, analysis and know-how.
Opportunity cost
The time spent making very thoughtful Shorts is time not spent producing quality long ones, yet essential for the 4000 hours. So you have to balance according to your strategy.
Example 2 – David: positive pace and impact, but different audience
Publication of a long one on Sunday, then a Short excerpt on Thursday. The result: several thousand views on the Short, an increase in the viewing times of the long, hundreds of subscribers gained.
Nuance: subscribers coming from Shorts are not always interested in long ones. On the same channel, short and long formats often attract two different audiences; some long ones can stagnate even if the Shorts explode, and vice versa.
3. Should we use the « detonator »?
Yes, if you integrate it into the overall strategy of your channel and if you accept that it is not a miracle solution: it requires work and does not replace the creation of neat long videos. Limit: these Shorts point to a specific video; in 3 years, they will still send to an old one.
The « magnet » method: refer everything to the last long video
Very powerful variant: link all your Shorts to your last long video, even if the subject has no link. No need to manually update each Short with each new long: we can do it automatically.
This is what MrBeast uses: all the Shorts direct to the latest video, creating a network that drains the audience to the flagship content of the moment.
4. Conclusion
To reach the 4000 hours faster, the detonator method (Short → long original) works, but requires a real teasing work and a balance with the production of long. The magnet method (all Shorts → last long) is even more effective: it transforms all your Shorts into a network that continuously feeds your main content, and accelerates the accumulation of viewing hours. By combining targeted updating (free of charge) and, if necessary, automation, you can structure a sustainable flow to your long videos and access monetization faster.