I Paid for My Silver Play Button (Legitimately) – Here’s How Much It Cost

YouTube Growth
Written By Zbey

The YouTube Silver Play Button is one of the most sought-after creator milestones. For most people, it takes years of hard work to reach 100,000 subscribers. But I got there in just two months—and yes, I paid for it.

Not in a shady, bot-buying way. I spent money legitimately on YouTube ads to grow my channel. But was it worth it? And more importantly, how much did it actually cost?

Let’s break it down.

How I Paid $3,000 for 100K Subs (Legitimately)

I started my faceless YouTube channel with a clear goal: grow fast and test YouTube ads. Since I wasn’t putting my face out there, I had to rely on content quality, strategy, and—yes—money.

During Black Friday, I saw that Google Ads was offering a promo:

  • Spend $3,000 and get $3,000 in ad credits.

  • Effectively doubling my ad budget to $6,000.

I decided to go all in.

I targeted low-cost countries like India, South Africa, and the Philippines, maximizing my reach while keeping my ad costs low. And it worked—by the time I spent my first $3,000, I had already hit 70K+ subscribers.

Once the free credits kicked in, I pushed past 100K, then 150K, and now 180K subscribers.

So, in total, I only spent $3,000 out of pocket to get my Silver Play Button.

Did I Just Buy My Silver Play Button?

You could say that. But not in the way some people think.

I didn’t buy fake subscribers or use black-hat growth tactics. I used YouTube’s own ad system, just like brands do when promoting products.

But here’s the catch:

Subscribers don’t equal monetization. Even with 180K subscribers, I still need 4,000 public watch hours to get monetized—and ads don’t help with that.

That’s the real challenge.

Was It Worth It?

If you’re asking whether I’d do it again, the answer is yes—but with some changes.

  • I would focus more on engagement instead of just subscriber count.

  • I would test longer-form content from the start to boost watch hours.

  • I would spend smarter and not just rely on ads for fast growth.

Right now, my biggest hurdle is getting enough watch time to qualify for monetization. That’s why I’m shifting my focus to longer videos, music content, and audience engagement.

Final Thoughts: More Than Just a Play Button

At the end of the day, this Silver Play Button isn’t just an award—it’s a reminder.

A reminder that I can actually do this. That growth is possible with the right strategy. And that every day, when I see it on my shelf, it pushes me to create more content, experiment more, and keep going.

This is just the beginning.

Watch the Full Breakdown Here

If you want to see exactly how I got 180K subscribers in 2 months, the mistakes I made, and what I learned along the way, check out my full YouTube video here:


Would I recommend paying for growth? Let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Zbey