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Everything You Need To Know About YouTube Channel Memberships- Net Influencer

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Everything You Need To Know About YouTube Channel Memberships

YouTube is a video-sharing platform that has enabled many influencers and content creators to build successful and lifelong careers. As the platform continues to grow and transform, many influencers wish to build stronger connections with their audiences and build more sustainable revenue streams in the process. YouTube Channel Memberships are a new feature within the platform that allows fans to gain exclusive content with a paid subscription. Netinfluencer has everything you need to know about YouTube’s latest feature.

What are YouTube Channel Memberships?

In 2018, YouTube announced the launch of its new feature, Channel Memberships. This feature is dedicated to fans who wish to support their favorite influencers as well as gain additional content. Put simply, fans pay a monthly subscription to an influencer’s YouTube channel and in return, they receive a collection of benefits. 

The memberships are segmented into various different tiers, meaning that fans can subscribe to a level that suits them. By clicking the ‘Join’ button on an influencer’s home page, fans can see the wide range of perks on offer and choose the price they wish to pay. The minimum starting price for a Channel Membership is $4.99 each month.

Everything You Need To Know About YouTube Channel Memberships

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What perks can YouTube Channel Memberships offer?

The main selling point of YouTube Channel Memberships is the fact that die-hard fans can access additional content that non-paying members would not be able to see. Described below are the collection of perks that accompany a YouTube Channel Membership.

Custom emojis

Channel members are offered access to a customized emoji created by their favorite YouTuber. These are unique to each channel and can be used freely in a creator’s live chats. As an influencer gains members, they can add more emojis. For example, when an influencer reaches 100 members that can create up to 14 custom emojis. 

Badges

Badges signify how long an individual has been a paid member to a select channel. There are six badges in total with each one denoting a significant period of time. They range from new members to those who have been a member for two years. YouTube offers an assortment of default badges, but influencers also have the opportunity to upload their own customized badges for their fans to enjoy. 

Members-only community posts

YouTube offers a personalized Community tab within each creator’s channel. This is a space for them to post messages, updates, and photos to their wider audience. With a Channel Membership, creators can post updates that only members can see, creating a more niche community within their fan base. In turn, this creates a tighter community of members within an already devoted audience.

Members-only live streams

YouTube’s live stream feature was introduced fully in 2017 and has become a popular asset to the platform ever since. Channel memberships allow influencers to produce live streams that can only be watched by paying members. Additionally, creators can also select what type of member is allowed to watch the stream. As such, different tiers can access different types of live streams, depending on how much they decide to pay each month. 

Everything You Need To Know About YouTube Channel Memberships

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Members-only live chat

The members-only live chat feature follows a similar process to the live stream feature. This perk means that anyone can view a creator’s live stream, but only channel members can post messages in the chat. YouTube enabled this feature to help with community building, allowing non-paying members to still access their favorite influencer’s content.

Access to exclusive content

This is the true benefit of the YouTube Channel Memberships, giving paying viewers the chance to see additional content that non-paying members do not have the privilege to see. Creators can now post videos that are made just for their most devoted subscribers, giving them a more personalized viewing experience. Influencers can also make existing videos applicable for members-only, which also helps to gain more traction around their memberships.

How to qualify for YouTube Channel Memberships

As with monetization on YouTube, the Channel Memberships also have a rigorous qualification process. Originally, YouTube Channel Memberships were only available for those with a minimum of 100,000 subscribers. This has now been scrapped in order to make the feature more accessible to smaller creators.

Thus, creators must now have a minimum of 1,000 subscribers in order to access the Channel Memberships feature. Plus, influencers must also be a part of the YouTube Partner Program, meaning that their channel is already monetized and able to receive Adsense revenue

It is also paramount that an influencer works and lives in a country that is a part of Youtube’s list of approved territories. This is a safety precaution that allows YouTubers to be taxed appropriately and ensure that high levels of fraud are not taking place. 

Another key factor to consider when applying for YouTube Channel Memberships is to ensure that your content is not set to ‘Made For Kids’. In 2019, YouTube brought in a large set of restrictions that meant that if children are the primary audience of your content, then you were not allowed to access certain features. 

These include: channel watermarks, memberships, cards or end screens, playback in the mini player and more. These restrictions were brought in to protect children and deter them from viewing inappropriate content. 

Everything You Need To Know About YouTube Channel Memberships

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How much can you earn per month using YouTube’s Channel Memberships?

Monetization on YouTube has always been a complicated issue, meaning that many influencers’ earnings fluctuate each month. YouTube Channel Memberships mean that influencers have a set income each month, giving them more stability overall. 

As stated previously, YouTube Channel Memberships start at $4.99 per month but can reach a maximum of $49.99 per month. This gives creators a lot of space to cater their content to their chosen tiers. These prices are pre-determined by YouTube and creators cannot sway outside of this range.

It must be noted that YouTube deducts a 30% share of your overall revenue. This, of course, leaves you with 70% of your earnings. Therefore, if you have 1000 members each paying a minimum of $4.99 per month, your net earnings will be $4990 per month. YouTube will then take their share of 30%, meaning they will deduct $1497. As such, this leaves you with $3493 per month just from Channel Memberships. 

What are the benefits of using YouTube Channel Memberships?

YouTube Channel Memberships have been praised for their ability to give fans a nuanced space where they can better support their favorite creators. This feature has also been commended as it allows even the smallest creators to gain more stability over their finances. With a substantial wage coming in each month, influencers are more motivated to create members-only content and encourage others to join their channel

Moreover, these unique features also allow creators to show off their creative skillset. Influencers have the opportunity to create customized badges and emojis, allowing inside jokes and catchphrases to be immortalized in a visual format. Furthermore, many creators encourage members of their community to commission designs for emojis or badges. This creates a positive knock-on effect that means that more creatives gain access to work through the YouTube platform.

Lastly, the biggest advantage of YouTube Channel Memberships is that they are able to create an enhanced sense of community. This is very important on YouTube as a creator’s audience wants to feel validated and appreciated, especially if they are paying for additional content. A larger community means that more people are likely to view the channel, creating higher amounts of revenue for the creator. 

Everything You Need To Know About YouTube Channel Memberships

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What type of creators should use YouTube Channel Memberships?

Many creators are eligible for YouTube Channel Memberships, making it a versatile asset for all influencers. But it seems that some creators benefit more from this feature than others. For example, educational channels such as Big Think have the ability to create more specific videos for their paying members. As such, viewers can gain more personalized content for just a small price. Moreover, the use of Channel Memberships means that exclusive content can reside behind a paywall, meaning that this type of content is less likely to be imitated or reproduced unfairly.

YouTube Channel Memberships are just one of the features the platform has released in order to create a more personalized experience for its users. In turn, creators have been able to make a more stable source of income as well as have a deeper connection with their viewers. To discover more about how you can boost your earnings on YouTube, visit our website.

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Melody Day is a UK-based copywriter, working in developing industries such as travel, beauty, and lifestyle. She creates digestible copy that is fully optimized for SEO and gains positive engagement from readers. They are able to create engaging blogs and website copy for a range of unique brands.

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