How Much Does It Cost to Get 1,000 YouTube Subscribers With Ads?
It depends mostly on where your viewers are. In one of our worldwide campaigns, 7,381 people subscribed for $891 of ad spend, about $0.12 each, so 1,000 subscribers cost roughly $120. Aim only at the US or UK and the same math lands in the thousands. One catch before you budget: YouTube doesn't count subscribers from ads toward the Partner Program's 1,000.
- In one worldwide campaign of ours, a new subscriber cost about $0.12, roughly $120 per 1,000.
- Targeting only the US or UK raises the cost per subscriber sharply, because each view costs far more.
- Subscribers from ads are real people, but YouTube doesn't count them toward Partner Program eligibility.
- No legitimate service can guarantee a subscriber count; subscribing is always the viewer's decision.
The formula
Cost per subscriber comes down to two numbers: what each view costs, and how many ad viewers it takes to get one subscriber.
In our worldwide campaign, Google Ads delivered 3,599,140 views for $891, and YouTube Studio recorded 7,381 new subscribers. That's about one subscriber for every 490 views, at about $0.00025 per view: roughly $0.12 per subscriber. You can see both sides of those numbers in the campaign report.
What 1,000 subscribers costs at different targeting
| Targeting | Cost per view | Views per subscriber | Cost per 1,000 subscribers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Worldwide (our real campaign) | about $0.00025 | about 490 | about $120 |
| US or UK only, same subscribe rate | $0.01–$0.03 | about 490 | about $4,900–$14,700 |
The second row is an illustration, not a quote. It assumes the same one-in-490 subscribe rate, and subscribe rates change with the country, the video and the campaign goal. Campaigns set to look for likely subscribers (the “Audience growth” goal in YouTube Promote) can raise the subscribe rate, though those viewers can cost more per view. The only reliable number is the one your own first campaign produces.
What raises your subscribe rate
- Promote a video that represents the channel. YouTube's own advice for subscriber campaigns is to pick a video that shows viewers what kind of content they'll get.
- Win the first 30 seconds. On skippable ads, a viewer who doesn't stay that long usually doesn't subscribe either.
- Give them a reason to stay. A channel page with several videos on the same topic converts better than one video on its own.
- Target people who already like the topic. Relevant interests beat the broadest possible audience for subscribers.
The monetization catch
Subscribers from ads are real people, and they show up in your subscriber count. But YouTube's Promote help page says only organic subscribers count when it checks Partner Program eligibility. If your goal is the 1,000 subscribers for monetization, ads won't get you there directly. We explain the full rule in do views from YouTube ads count toward monetization?
Why guaranteed subscriber packages are a red flag
Nobody can make a real person subscribe. A package that promises an exact number of subscribers is describing bot accounts, which YouTube's fake engagement policy prohibits. See can you buy YouTube subscribers? and 7 red flags of a bot-selling service.
Related reading
- Do Views From YouTube Ads Count Toward Monetization?
- How Much Does It Cost to Promote a YouTube Video With Google Ads?
- Can you buy YouTube subscribers?
FAQ
Can I buy 1,000 subscribers to get monetized?
How do I see how many subscribers came from my ads?
Are subscribers from ads real?
Is cost per subscriber the best way to judge a campaign?
Want to see what your channel's real cost per subscriber is?
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