When YouTubers hit 500,000 subscribers, significant changes often follow. According to Bangaly Kaba, a director of product management at YouTube, this milestone marks a tipping point in both growth and revenue. “We saw a disproportionate growth in earnings,” Kaba explains, even though most creators are below this threshold. As channels grow, they gain more views, which leads to more recommendations, further boosting visibility and revenue. To help smaller channels experience similar growth, YouTube is introducing a new feature called Hype.
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This system aims to promote emerging creators by allowing users to hype videos, with the most-hyped content appearing on a leaderboard. Unlike the Trending tab, Hype specifically highlights smaller channels, relying on viewer engagement rather than just video views.
YouTube began developing Hype in early 2023 as part of its effort to foster community-building on the platform. Through user feedback, the YouTube team learned that viewers wanted to feel more involved in the creative process and have a greater influence on their favourite creators’ success. Viewers also expressed a desire to discover new content that may not be recommended by the platform’s traditional algorithm.
Hype offers viewers the chance to support creators they love in a more impactful way. Each user can give three hypes per week to videos from channels with fewer than 500,000 subscribers. Videos can only be hyped within the first seven days of posting, and hypes for smaller channels are worth more points, ensuring they have a fair chance of making it to the leaderboard.
The leaderboard is country-specific and dynamic, with the top 100 videos featuring prominently. YouTube plans to eventually personalize the Hype experience for each user, introducing topic-specific leaderboards and refining recommendations based on user preferences. While Hype won’t alter the core YouTube algorithm, it will bring attention to content that might otherwise go unnoticed.
To ensure that the leaderboard reflects genuine support, each hype is a strong signal of interest, and there’s no option to “un-hype.” The feature also includes badges and a weekly roundup showcasing how users’ hyped videos performed, adding a sense of achievement and engagement.
For creators, Hype offers numerous benefits, from increased visibility to potential monetary rewards. When a video receives hype, the creator earns a monetary bonus, though users aren’t informed of the amount. YouTube is also exploring paid hypes, allowing users to purchase additional hypes to support their favourite creators.
