YouTube has rolled out an important update for its new “Hype” option to help amplify smaller creators.
First announced at its “Made on” event in September, Hype will enable fans to allocate “hype points” to videos from emerging YouTube channels, which will then help those clips achieve more reach.
According to YouTube:
“If a video’s been out less than 7 days from a creator with under 500,000 subscribers, you can “hype” it, and go beyond liking and sharing. The more hype it gets, the higher it climbs on a new leaderboard with the top 100 hyped videos from the week.”
YouTube has revealed that it is now experimenting with a new option for viewers to pay to hype the videos of creators, in addition to the option to hype free of charge three times a week.
It is thus an excellent way to highlight rising artists and identity new talent in the competitive social media landscape. Top hyped videos get a special badge, showing everyone that they are fan favourites.
However, it is not just about the leaderboard – it’s also a way for viewers to let creators know what content they’re interested in “vibing with” the most.
“Hype” is still a long way off from being available to all users. However, YouTube has revealed that it is testing the option with “a small number of creators in Brazil during the testing phase”, which will provide the social media platform with more feedback on the process and allow them to enhance their existing system to maximize its potential.
Thus, an expanded rollout will potentially be in effect from the new year. YouTube has confirmed that they will keep users posted on their learnings as they expand to more creators.
