At the latest Made on YouTube event, we introduced several new features designed to spark creativity, grow businesses, and enhance connections on the platform. One of the most exciting updates is Hype, a new feature aimed at supporting rising creators. Here’s a look at how Hype was developed and why we’re so enthusiastic about it.
YouTube is home to a diverse range of creators, covering everything from cooking to gaming, music to makeup, and beyond. Every day, new creators break through on the platform. However, we’ve heard from smaller creators that, despite having loyal fans, expanding their reach can be challenging.
That’s where Hype comes in.
What is Hype?
Hype is designed to help emerging creators grow by connecting them with fresh audiences. If a video has been live for less than 7 days and is from a creator with under 500,000 subscribers, users can “hype” it – going beyond just likes and shares. The more hype a video gets, the higher it climbs on a weekly leaderboard showcasing the top 100 hyped videos. Each user can hype up to three times a week, with future plans to let fans purchase additional hypes, opening a new revenue stream for creators.
Importantly, hyping won’t affect your recommendations or search results.
Benefits for Creators
When viewers hype your video, it earns points that help boost your ranking on the leaderboard for your country. This increases visibility and could introduce your channel to an entirely new audience. To make sure smaller creators have a fair shot, we’ve included a “small creator bonus” that multiplies points for channels with fewer subscribers.
Hype is more than just a leaderboard—it’s a way for viewers to show what content they’re enjoying the most. Top-hyped videos will also earn a special badge, marking them as fan favorites.
During the first four weeks of beta testing in Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil, over 5 million hypes were given across 50,000 unique channels. Notably, 18 to 24-year-olds made up over 30% of beta users.
How We Built Hype
The idea for Hype emerged from a simple insight: fans want to actively contribute to the success of their favorite creators. When we surveyed over 2,500 viewers in the US, Japan, and Germany, more than 75%—and over 80% of Gen Z viewers—said they’d love to help small and medium creators grow their channels.
Creators in early testing shared similar enthusiasm, with one stating, “I love that I can directly support the creators I care about. It feels like I’m part of their journey.”
With this in mind, we dove into a user-centric design process, talking to both creators and viewers to fine-tune the concept. Initial ideas, such as allowing viewers to sponsor specific segments of videos or cheer their own comments with animations, were fun but felt overly complex. Ultimately, users wanted something straightforward—so we landed on the 7-day window and the Hype leaderboard, offering a simple, flexible way to support creators.
Ensuring Fairness
We also considered concerns from smaller channels about competing with larger ones for leaderboard spots. That’s why the “small creator bonus” was added to level the playing field and ensure creators of all sizes have a chance at the spotlight.
With Hype, we aim to make the YouTube experience more interactive and meaningful, giving viewers a new way to engage with creators and helping channels grow.
What’s Next for Hype?
We’re thrilled about the future of Hype and are planning to roll it out in more markets, using insights from the beta tests in Brazil, Taiwan, and Turkey. As always, your feedback will continue to shape how we evolve the feature.
At its core, Hype is about giving fans a chance to contribute to the success of the creators they love. So, go ahead and find some great channels to hype up. It’s a win-win: you get to discover awesome new content, and creators get a chance to grow their audience and rise up the leaderboard.
Source: YouTube Blog YouTube Hype feature news
Read also: Introducing YouTube Communities: A New Way for Creators and Fans to Connect | like YouTube Hype feature same day announced.
What do you think of YouTube Hype feature?