Channel memberships allow you to connect more deeply with your most loyal viewers and unlock a new revenue stream. Viewers can make a monthly payment to access exclusive perks that may include badges, emojis, early access to your videos, members-only content, and more.
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If you are eligible for channel memberships, it’s very easy to turn on and manage this feature. When launched, fans can sign up to your channel membership program straight from your channel or video pages by clicking to join your offering.
Taking time to properly design and plan your channel memberships program is the best way to support a solid launch and sustainable growth.
Planning phase
- Consider the motivations that drive your viewers to become members. Doing so allows you to design perks and a tiered pricing structure that taps into what your fans value most.
- When selecting your perks, consider how costly or time-consuming it will be to deliver them. Create a schedule to manage your time and workload effectively.
Launch phase
- Upload an announcement video to share the value of your memberships offering with your community. Make sure they know what memberships are, why you are launching, and what you are offering to those who join.
- Upload an intro video for viewers who click the join button, with the goal of converting interested viewers into members. Use this to quickly explain your perks and what members can expect once they join.
- Prepare a range of members-only posts and content for new members to enjoy.
Post Launch phase
- Promote channel memberships in your public uploads. Don’t forget to add /join links in your default upload descriptions.
- Publish members-only-content or enable early-access in future uploads.
- Engage with new members through posts via the membership tab.
- Use YouTube Studio to monitor which levels have the most members, acquisition, and retention data.
To solve the issue of climbing production costs during a time of high popularity, The Boys used channel memberships as a cost-effective way of keeping hardcore fans engaged with new content while benefiting from the extra revenue.
We recommend
- Sharing your motivation: Talk about why you are launching your program and what goals you hope to accomplish. Viewers are more likely to support you if they see how passionate and motivated you are.
- Providing reassurance: Let viewers know that nothing will change for them if they don’t become members. Think of framing your memberships program as an added value for your most loyal viewers, instead of something that your regular viewers will “miss out” if they choose not to join.
- Being transparent: You can explain how members’ money will be used. This builds trust and gives viewers a reason to support you in the long term.
- Consistent promotion: Don’t forget to continuously promote your channel memberships offering. Did you know that creators who regularly mention memberships in their videos usually have twice as many members than those who don’t?