YouTube is rolling out new features designed to reward channel members in a way that’s similar to how subscribers are rewarded on Twitch.
The new perks could incentivize more users to sign up for paid memberships, which equals more revenue for creators.
Here’s more about YouTube channel memberships and the new perks being added.
YouTube Channel Membership Milestones
Before we get into the news update let’s clear up some confusing verbiage.
What is a YouTube Channel “Member”?
YouTube channels that are part of the company’s monetization program are eligible to offer paid memberships to supporters.
A channel “member” refers to a supporter who’s paying a monthly fee in exchange for exclusive content.
This is different from a channel “subscriber,” which is someone who follows the channel for free.
On Twitch the word “subscriber” means the exact opposite, referring to someone who pays a recurring monthly charge to support the creator.
What Does a YouTube Channel Member Get?
Both YouTube “members” and Twitch “subscribers” get a set of perks are becoming more on par with each other as time goes on.
Currently, channel members get custom badges and emojis, exclusive videos, members-only livestreams, and access to a feed of community posts.
YouTube is now adding membership milestones as a perk for those who keep their membership active from month to month.
A membership milestone allows a user to send a highlighted message during a livestream which showcases how long they’ve been a member for.
Twitch offers a similar perk to recurring subscribers, allowing them to send one highlighted message for free with every subscription renewal.
There is value in this to supporters, as it normally costs money to send highlighted messages during live chats.
Other options to send a highlighted message during a YouTuber’s livestream include Super Chats and Super Stickers, both of which users have to pay for.
This feature is available to members who are in at least their second consecutive month as a member.
Members can send one special highlighted message per month during a livestream each month that they remain active.
Membership milestone messages will be highlighted in live chats similar to how new members are currently celebrated.
They’re highlighted in green and pinned to the live chat ticker for a certain period. They will also appear in the viewer activity tab in the live control room.
How Can This Help Creators?
For YouTube creators, this feature can help drum up more channel members
Once people start seeing the membership milestone messages in the chat they may feel motivated to sign up themselves.
The goal of launching this feature, the company says, is to increase the value offered to a channel members with no additional effort from the creator.
This may help increase the number of members and incentivize them to stay for a longer period of time.
For more on how to make money on YouTube, see:
Source: Creator Insider
Featured Image: aslysun / Shutterstock
