Under £300
Start-up cost
A laptop and internet are the core kit. Editing software £0–£25/month, AI voice (e.g. ElevenLabs) £5–£22, stock and AI visuals £0–£30, thumbnail tool free. Costs only climb when you outsource editing.
1,000 subs + 4,000 watch hours
Monetisation threshold (YPP)
The YouTube Partner Programme long-form route: 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million valid Shorts views in 90 days. You earn nothing before this.
£0 for months, then £200–£5,000/mo
Realistic earnings
RPM varies hugely by niche: story/narration £0.50–£2, how-to/education £3–£8, finance/business/tech £8–£20+ per 1,000 views. A channel doing 500,000 views/month at £4 RPM earns roughly £2,000/month in ad revenue. Most channels earn little.
Own, transformative, disclosed
Rules & tax
YouTube requires content to be your own and transformative, not reused or repackaged. Music, clips and images must be licensed or royalty-free; label AI/synthetic content and disclose sponsorships and affiliate links under ASA rules. Register with HMRC; VAT applies above £90,000 turnover.