How to Earn Money on MSN: The Complete Guide for Video Creators

For many people, MSN is still associated with the classic news homepage or even MSN Messenger from the early 2000s. But over the past decade, Microsoft’s ecosystem has evolved into something much bigger.

Today, MSN is part of Microsoft’s content network, where millions of people discover news, entertainment, lifestyle content, and videos every day across platforms like MSN, Microsoft Start, Bing, Microsoft Edge, Copilot, and other Microsoft surfaces.

For creators, this creates an opportunity that many still don’t know exists.

Instead of relying solely on YouTube for monetization, creators can distribute their existing videos across Microsoft’s ecosystem and generate an additional revenue stream without creating extra content.

But how exactly do creators earn money on MSN?

Let’s break it down.

How Does MSN Monetization Work?

Unlike subscription platforms, MSN monetizes (video) content through advertising.

When your videos are distributed across the Microsoft Network, advertisements are displayed around and inside your content, similar to how YouTube serves ads.

These can include:

• Pre-roll ads (before the video)
• Mid-roll ads (during the video)
• Ads around the video player
• Other display and native advertising formats, depending on where the video appears

Microsoft shares a portion of this advertising revenue with its publishing partners, who then pay creators according to their revenue-sharing agreement.

In short:

More watch time = more revenue.

Do You Start Earning Immediately?

One of the biggest differences between MSN and many creator platforms is that there are no public monetization thresholds like minimum subscribers or watch hours.

Once your brand has been approved, your MSN channel is live, and monetization has been enabled, every newly published video is eligible to generate advertising revenue from day one.

That means you don’t have to spend months unlocking monetization before your content starts earning.

How Much Can Creators Earn on MSN?

This is the question everyone asks, and understandably so.

The honest answer is:

It depends.

Some creators earn a few hundred dollars per month.

Others generate several thousand dollars.

Some established creators even earn tens of thousands of dollars per month from MSN alone.

There is no guaranteed income because every channel performs differently. Your niche, audience, watch time, advertiser demand, and distribution all influence your results.

The good news is that MSN creates an additional revenue stream from content you’ve already produced, rather than replacing your existing YouTube income. This cinematic travel creator, for example, had a 3x increase in earnings from MSN.

Many creators assume earnings are based purely on views.

Views certainly matter, but they’re only one part of the equation.

Microsoft’s advertising system assigns value based on the advertising revenue generated around your videos. In practice, several factors influence how much your content earns.

1. Watch Time

Watch time is one of the biggest revenue drivers.

The longer viewers continue watching your videos, the more advertising opportunities can be created throughout the viewing session.

Generally speaking:

• Longer watch sessions often generate more ad opportunities.
• More consumed video time typically means greater revenue potential.

This is why content that keeps viewers engaged often performs better financially than videos that simply attract lots of clicks.

2. RPM (Revenue Per Mille)

RPM stands for Revenue Per Mille, or the amount earned per 1,000 monetized views.

There isn’t one universal MSN RPM.

Instead, RPM changes depending on several variables, including:

• Viewer location
• Content category
• Advertiser demand
• Seasonality
• Overall advertising market

Some niches naturally command higher advertising prices than others, meaning two creators with the same number of views may earn very different amounts.

3. Audience Geography

Where your viewers are located has a major impact on earnings.

Audiences from countries with mature advertising markets generally generate higher advertising revenue.

Examples include:

• United States
• Canada
• United Kingdom
• Australia
• Western European countries

A smaller audience in one of these markets can sometimes outperform a much larger audience elsewhere.

4. Advertiser Demand

Advertising prices constantly fluctuate.

When advertisers compete heavily within a niche, the value of each monetized view often increases.

Finance, technology, business, and certain lifestyle categories frequently attract stronger advertiser demand than lower-value categories.

The result is a higher earning potential, even with similar view counts.

5. Content Category

Different categories attract different advertisers.

Educational content, documentaries, technology, travel, lifestyle, and how-to videos often perform well because they appeal to broad audiences and remain valuable over time.

Entertainment, sports, DIY, food and gaming can also perform very well depending on audience engagement and advertiser demand.

6. Evergreen Content

One advantage of MSN is that older content can continue generating revenue long after publication.

Videos that stay relevant over time, often called evergreen content, can continue attracting viewers months or even years later.

Examples include:

• Educational videos
• History
• Documentaries
• Travel
• Tutorials
• Lifestyle
• DIY

Instead of earning only during the first few days after upload, evergreen videos can continue building watch time over time.

Ready to Start Earning on MSN?

If you’re already creating videos for YouTube, there’s a good chance your content could be reaching an entirely new audience across the Microsoft Network.

The best part? You don’t need to create new content or manage another platform yourself. Once your channel is approved and live on MSN, your existing and future videos can begin generating additional advertising revenue while you continue focusing on what you do best: creating great content.

At MakersTV, we’re a Microsoft Preferred Publisher and help creators through the entire process, from reviewing your channel and submitting your application to Microsoft, to setting up your MSN channel, publishing your videos, and continuously optimizing your content for long-term growth.

Whether you’re an established creator or just looking to diversify your revenue beyond YouTube, we’ll guide you every step of the way.

Ready to see if your channel is a good fit for MSN? We’d love to help.