YouTube Hype Explained: The New Feature Boosting Visibility for Small Creators
YouTube has recently introduced a new feature called "Hype" aimed at supporting smaller creators and helping them gain visibility on the platform.
What is YouTube Hype?
Hype is a new way for viewers to support and promote videos from smaller YouTube creators. It allows fans to "hype up" videos they enjoy, which can increase the visibility of those videos to new audiences.
How Hype Works
- Viewers can hype videos from channels with fewer than 500,000 subscribers
- Only videos published in the last 7 days are eligible to be hyped
- Users can hype up to 3 videos per week for free
- Hyped videos earn points and compete for spots on a weekly top 100 leaderboard
- Each country has its own Hype leaderboard
Benefits for Smaller Creators
- Increased visibility to new audiences
- Potential to reach the Hype leaderboard and gain more exposure
- "Small creator bonus" gives extra points to channels with fewer subscribers
- Hyped videos receive a special badge
- Creators can see which content resonates most with fans
Key Features
- Hype button appears after liking a video
- Hype leaderboard showcases top 100 hyped videos weekly
- Operates independently from YouTube's recommendation algorithm
- Future plans may include paid hypes as an additional revenue stream
Current Availability
Hype was initially beta tested in Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil. YouTube plans to expand the feature to more countries in the coming months based on feedback and results.
YouTube's introduction of Hype demonstrates its commitment to supporting smaller creators and providing more diverse content discovery options for viewers. As the feature rolls out more widely, it has the potential to significantly impact how emerging creators grow their audiences on the platform.
