In this article, I’m going to talk about everything related to YouTube Watch Time, how long it takes to get 4000 Watch Hours which is required for YouTube Monetization.
To be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program which enables you to make money from your videos, you need to get 1000 Subscribers and 4000 public watch hours in the past 365 days.
If you’re looking for how long it takes to get 1000 Subscribers on YouTube, I have an article on that, make sure to read it.
The center of it all is creating videos that stand out, that are engaging, and that retain your audience.
Let’s take a look at my recommendations that’ll help you get to 4000 Watch Hours on YouTube Quickly.
Keyword Research
This may not seem like the number 1 pick but it is, you need to create videos on topics that users on YouTube are searching for, most especially if you have less than 10,000 Subscribers.
Typically, the more Subscribers you have, the higher the number of notification opt-ins which means that more people will get your latest uploads.

Before you pull up your YouTube Equipment, make sure that you’ve done your keyword Research, the idea is to find low competition keywords with decent monthly search volume ( > 1000 ).
Tubebuddy remains the best freemium tool that’ll help you through your Keyword Research Process. I currently use the premium version and it takes me an average of 2 months to skyrocket my channels.
You can also use the YouTube Search box to see what your potential audience are searching for, you can do this by entering your seed keyword(s) then adding each letter of the alphabet, “seed keyword a“, YouTube will pull up suggestions and you can add them to your list.
Remember to switch to Incognito mode before doing this, so that your search history will not impact the suggestions.
High-Quality Videos
Your YouTube Videos should be of high quality, people consume YouTube Content on TVs now and if your content is not looking good, they won’t watch till the end and definitely won’t subscribe.
To Create High Quality YouTube Videos, you need a Camera, Microphone, Unique Backdrop, Video Editing Laptop amongst a few list of other items.
Before you even create your YouTube Channel, do bear in mind that you’re going to start a business and not some sort of money-making machine, it’s your business so treat it as such.

Invest in your Business by purchasing a few or all of these Recommended YouTube Equipment. This equipment helped me a lot, that’s why I recommend them to my readers who want to make a passive income from YouTube.
After Recording your Videos, the next job is to edit, then upload them on YouTube, am assuming you have basic knowledge of Video Editing for YouTube.
Even if you don’t, do check out the best Video Editing Software for YouTube Creators.
Some Video Editing Software requires large processing power so you need to powerful Laptop to match, that’s why I’ve made a list of the best Video Editing Laptops for YouTubers.
Click Through Rate
Should you be told that your Impressions Click Through Rate on YouTube needs to be improved? I don’t think so… If you create outstanding and engaging content and people don’t click on it, your efforts and time are as good as wasted.
For some of us who are new to YouTube Creator Lifestyle, Click Through Rate is the percentage of impressions that leads to a click, Videos can show up anywhere on YouTube from Search to Suggestions.

To improve your Click Through Rate on YouTube, you need to work on your Thumbnail Design skills as well as your Headline writing.
Improving your CTR can influence your Channel’s growth overnight, if you wish to learn everything about optimizing your YouTube Videos Click Through, and READ THIS ARTICLE.
Cross-linking
It’s literally what the header means, as a Creator, you’ll grow to notice that not all YouTube Videos will do well, also note that not all videos do well in The first 30 days of publishing, some videos need time to pick up momentum.
That being said, you should use the YouTube Description to link out to more related content on your Channel. This helps viewers who may have found a video of yours and enjoy it, navigate to the next video seamlessly.
You should also use the Teasers and End Screens feature to link to your Channel’s Videos and Playlists, so you’ll grab a couple of watch hours.
FAQs
Is 4000 Watch Hours Hard?
It’s quite easy to get 4000 Watch Hours on YouTube if you consider quality over quantity and create engaging videos that are optimized to rank using Tubebuddy.
Back in the day, it took me 1 video which was around 15 minutes long to get around 6000 Watch hours in 3 months, the video got around a 100,000 views.
How do Increase your YouTube Watchtime?
If you want to Increase your YouTube Watchtime, you have to perform keyword research, so you can find videos people are looking for, then you should create high-quality and engaging videos.
Try to deliver information as fast as possible, people are searching for sharp tutorials these days, so don’t beat around the bush like most YouTube Creators do.
Can I buy YouTube Watch Hours?
There are several platforms that sell YouTube Watch Hour even though it’s against YouTube’s policies, desist from buying YouTube Subscribers, views or watch time as it can affrect your channel’s growth and possibly get you banned.
Can YouTube Shorts Increase Watch Time?
YouTube Shorts contribute to watch time on your channel but they aren’t counted for YouTube Monetization, it’s recommended you focus on using YouTube Shorts to get more Subscribers.
Final Thoughts
After Reading this article, I hope you were able to understand how you can get to 4000 watch hours as fast as possible, just use my recommendations and you should be good.
In all, creating High-Quality YouTube videos and optimizing them to rank for a carefully researched keyword will make a great difference and take your YouTube Channel to the next level.
If you have any questions or suggestion on getting 4000 watch hours on YouTube, feel free to tell us in the comments.