How to Make Money on YouTube Shorts in 2026

YouTube Shorts is the most underrated place on the internet to build an audience right now. The algorithm still pushes brand-new channels to tens of thousands of viewers, the format rewards consistency over production value, and — unlike a long-form channel — you can start today with nothing but a phone.

The catch: the Shorts Fund and ad revenue share pay almost nothing. A Short with 100,000 views might earn you a few dollars from YouTube directly. The creators actually making money from Shorts aren't relying on the platform to pay them. They're using that free reach to drive affiliate income.

Here's how to do the same.

Why Shorts is a goldmine for affiliates specifically

Three things make Shorts unusually good for affiliate marketing:

• Cold reach is free. Most Shorts views come from people who don't follow you. That's a constant stream of new potential buyers, not the same audience seeing your tenth promo.
• Intent is high on "how" and "which" content. A Short answering "which budget microphone should you buy?" reaches people who are actively deciding. That's the moment a tracking link converts.
• The format forces clarity. You have about three seconds to hook and thirty to deliver. That discipline makes for punchy, benefit-led content — exactly what drives clicks.

Step 1: Pick a niche with buyable products

Views don't convert; relevant views convert. Before you film anything, decide what you'll eventually recommend.

The strongest Shorts niches for affiliates are ones where people constantly ask "what should I buy?" — tech and gadgets, beauty and skincare, home and kitchen, fitness gear, software and apps, and hobby equipment (photography, gaming, coffee, gardening).

If your channel is pure entertainment with no product angle, you'll get views and earn nothing. Tie your content to a category where recommendations feel natural.

Step 2: Build the "problem → product" content loop

The Shorts that convert almost always follow the same shape:

1. Hook with a problem or curiosity gap. "Stop buying the wrong [thing]." "I wasted $200 before I found this."
2. Show, don't tell. Demonstrate the product solving the problem in real time. Screen recordings, before/afters, quick demos.
3. Deliver one clear takeaway. Don't cram five tips into thirty seconds. One product, one benefit, one reason to act.
4. Point to the link. "Link's in the description and pinned comment."

Make five to seven of these a week. Volume is how you find the format that works for your audience, and the algorithm rewards the consistency.

Step 3: Get the link where people can actually tap it

This is where most Shorts creators leak money. YouTube's Shorts UI buries the description, so you need multiple paths to your link:

• Pinned comment. The single most effective spot. Pin a comment with a short line and your tracking link the moment you post.
• Description. Put the link near the top so it shows before the "…more" cutoff.
• Channel link / bio. For your hero offers, add them to your channel's link section so every viewer can find them.
• Verbal + on-screen cue. Say "link in the pinned comment" and put it as a text overlay. Assume nobody reads the description unprompted.

Always use a proper tracking link, not the raw store URL — otherwise the sale won't credit to you. With Cashoy, you generate a tracking link for any offer in one tap and drop it straight into your pinned comment.

Step 4: Use sub-IDs to learn what's working

If your platform supports sub-IDs (Cashoy does), tag your Shorts links so you can see which video drove which conversion. After twenty or thirty Shorts you'll spot a pattern: a specific product, hook style, or topic is doing the heavy lifting. That's your signal to make three more like it.

Most creators discover that a small handful of their Shorts produce the overwhelming majority of their affiliate income. You can't predict which ones in advance — but you can double down fast once the data tells you.

Step 5: Disclose the affiliate relationship

Recommending products for commission means you need to disclose it — it's required by the FTC, ACCC, and ASA depending on where your audience is, and it's built into YouTube's own rules. A simple "#ad" or a spoken "these are affiliate links" is enough. It also builds trust, which is the thing that actually drives conversions over time.

A realistic picture of the money

Let's be honest about the numbers. A brand-new Shorts channel posting consistently in a decent niche can reach 10,000–100,000 views a week within a couple of months. If even a small slice of those viewers tap through and a fraction of those buy, you're looking at meaningful, compounding affiliate income — often far more than YouTube's own Shorts payouts for the same views.

But it's a volume-and-iteration game. Your first ten Shorts might do nothing. Your fortieth might explode. The creators who win are the ones still posting in month three, using the data to get sharper each week.

Your first-week Shorts plan

• Day 1: Pick your niche and the first three products you'd genuinely recommend. Sign up to Cashoy and generate their tracking links.
• Day 2–3: Film five "problem → product" Shorts. Keep them under 35 seconds.
• Day 4: Post your first one. Pin a comment with your link immediately.
• Day 5–7: Post one per day. Add sub-IDs so you can track which converts.
• End of week: Check clicks in your dashboard. Getting views but no clicks? Your call-to-action isn't clear enough. Getting clicks but no sales? Try a higher-intent product.

Shorts rewards the patient and the consistent. Give it a focused month, let the data show you your winners, and let the affiliate income do what YouTube's Shorts payouts never will.

Turn your Shorts views into income with Cashoy →