YouTube slashes subscriber threshold to just 500, but could that open doors for spam marketing.
YouTube has once again slashed its subscriber threshold for its shopping affiliate programme to just 500.
This marks the third reduction in a year, dropping from 5,000 down to 1,000 earlier in 2026, and now landing on 500.
“By lowering this threshold, we’re unlocking earning potential earlier than ever,” YouTube explained in a statement.
“Eligible creators can now diversify their revenue by tagging products from favourite brands across shorts, VOD [video-on-demand], and live content. Whether your audience is watching on mobile or in the living room, they can now shop your recommendations seamlessly.”
The move opens up a revenue stream for creators, now able to monetise engagement from more niche and engaged communities. However, it would open the door for the potential of lower-quality, spammy affiliate advertising.
Social media platforms have a poor history with scams and fraudulent advertising practices, meaning affiliate marketers and brands must be cautious when partnering with platforms to protect their brands.
The programme is becoming more accessible for smaller creators, outlining YouTube’s strategy to encourage more casual users to invest time into the platform, especially as it has encountered fierce competition from rivals TikTok and Meta.
The TikTok affiliate creator programme currently requires 1,000 followers, and creators must have a TikTok account ‘in good standing’ – meaning any accounts with suspicious activity or policy violations will be restricted from affiliate access.
Products eligible for affiliate promotion must also comply with TikTok’s category rules, and restricted items are not allowed under affiliate rules.
Meta recently announced a new Facebook affiliate partnership programme feature, which allows creators to tag shoppable products directly inside reels and posts instead of redirecting users to comments, bios, or third-party storefronts.
This partnership includes brands like Amazon in the US, as well as Shopee in Brazil, Taiwan, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore. It’s expected that more partners will be added in the coming months, like Mercado Libre in Brazil and Mexico, as well as eBay and Temu in the US.
