Succeeding with channel memberships
Channel memberships are a powerful tool for creators in the YouTube Partner Program, offering exciting opportunities to earn more and engage your community.
Let's dive into how memberships can be a valuable addition to your YouTube strategy.
Reward fans with special perks, such as members-only content.
Connect and celebrate with your most loyal fans.
Opportunity to earn more monthly.
Select a topic below
Why launch channel memberships?
Connect and celebrate with your fans
Build a closer relationship with your audience by offering them special access to members-only content and experiences.
Reward fans with special perks
From members-only videos to custom badges and emoji, show appreciation for your fans with perks they receive by being a member of your channel.
Opportunity to earn more monthly
Channel memberships provide an additional revenue stream, giving you the chance to increase your earnings on a recurring monthly basis. You keep 70% of the revenue after taxes and fees, including app store service fees.
Control and customize your membership
You have full control to design your membership levels and choose the perks that best fit your channel, allowing you to create an experience that resonates with your audience.
Grow your community and earn monthly with channel memberships
Resources to help you grow
Resources to help you grow
We help connect creators with new potential members by featuring your members-only content on the YouTube homepage and in watch next recommendations for fans of your channel.
You can engage with your members in the memberships tab and easily find their comments on public content using filters in YouTube Studio.
YouTube Studio provides you with data and insights to help you analyze your memberships, monitor which levels have the most members, and review acquisition and retention data.
Each month, eligible creators can gift 10 memberships - free of charge - to fans on your live streams and Premieres, giving fans one-month of access to your channel memberships perks.
Up next: Structure your membership
Structure your membership
If you are looking for the creative freedom and flexibility to design memberships in a way that best suits your channel, here are some helpful tips on the most valuable perks to offer your members.
What to offer, and how to decide.
When designing your perks, it’s important to think about what will deliver the most value to members while still providing a good return on your time investment. Be sure that your plan is sustainable in the long term as well.
There are many types of perks that you can offer members. Here are three categories of perks to help frame your thinking:
Recognition perks
Recognition perks
Recognition perks allow members to visually showcase their membership status, providing a sense of both ownership and identity within your community.
Channel badges give your members visual icons that showcase their status. Design badges that make your members proud to be part of your channel. You can use default badges or create up to nine custom badges that fans unlock the longer they stay members
Learn more about content and perk guidelines
Emoji are a great way for your members to express themselves. Think about what you commonly say or do in your videos - common reactions, catchphrases, or emotions - could make great emoji. These special emoji can be sent via video comments, posts, or live chats.
The member recognition shelf is a way to publicly thank your channel members and show others how much you appreciate your members by featuring their avatars in a shelf at the top of your channel page. Featured members are randomly selected and will change often to give more members the chance to shine.
Members-only content perks
Members-only content perks
Members-only content is the number one requested membership perk from viewers. Members receive notifications for new members-only posts, videos and live streams.
Creators that upload two or more members-only content videos on average, per month, observed 15x more new members than those that did not1.
When planning members-only content, consider the
following:
When planning members-only content, consider the following:
Giving members a 3-7 day head start before a video’s public release creates a sense of exclusivity and makes their membership feel truly special. Choose how long in advance and when you want the videos to go public for a low effort, high value perk!
Share your behind-the-scenes, uncut versions, vlogs, bloopers, and deep dives.
You can live stream to your members from your desktop or mobile device. Consider diving into topics that matter to them, such as Q&As and gameplay.
Keep your members engaged with a variety of members-only Shorts, from quick, snappy updates and “trailer” previews of your public content, to fun behind-the-scenes glimpses and sneak peeks into your real life. Creating these on the go is an easy way to connect with your members.
Connection & interaction perks
Connection & interaction perks
Use YouTube community features to connect with members in a deeper, more meaningful way. When planning these types of perks, consider aligning these with your channel’s theme and content.
Use the Community tab to share content with your members only. If you have multiple membership levels, you can also share Community posts with members at specific levels.
During public live streams, you can make the chat available to members-only. Everyone can still view the live stream, but only members can post chats.
Highlight the contributions of your members by prioritizing member comments on your posts.
Publicly acknowledge your members, either on-screen or verbally in your content, to foster a sense of community and shared ownership of your channel's growth.
Milestone chats allow channel members to send one special highlighted message per month in a live chat. While only channel members can send milestone chats, the chats are visible to all viewers.
Levels & pricing
Levels & pricing
Different viewers have varying levels of engagement and budgets. By designing a tiered offering, you can cater to these different motivators at various price points. It's important to consider both the potential earnings from multiple pricing levels and their long-term sustainability. Here are some pricing tips:
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We recommend you start with two or three levels.
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You can set up to six different levels, each with its own price point, and offer different perks at each price. Members at higher levels are automatically eligible for perks offered at lower levels.
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Memberships are priced differently for viewers depending on their country/region.
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Viewers can sign up at any level and upgrade or downgrade between levels at any time.
Location
Africa, Europe, & Middle East Pricing
Caribbean & Latin America Pricing
Learn more
- Would you attract twice as many members at $2.99 as you would at $5.99? If not, you may earn more revenue by starting the price at $5.99.
- Take note that you can edit the perks of every level at any time, but not the pricing. Once a level has been approved, you cannot edit its price. To modify pricing you must delete the level, and create a new one.
Remind members occasionally about the perks available at higher levels should they choose to upgrade. Don’t underestimate what your biggest fans might be able to contribute!
Make sure each level is offering real value to your members. Once again, think about your viewers’ motivations and assess whether the levels justify those.
What to offer vs. your time investment
What to offer vs. your time investment
When selecting your perks, consider how costly or time-consuming it will be to deliver them. Make sure your plan is scalable and sustainable in the long run.
Time management
Time management
While rewarding, maintaining your channel membership could also add to your workload. It’s key to have a schedule that helps you manage your time efficiently to avoid burnout.
You can always add more levels, perks, and content for your members later on.
Bloopers, uncut versions, and early access to regular uploads are a great way to offer value to members with less additional work.
Design perks that are easy to maintain as your membership grows. This ensures you can handle the workload even as more members join.
Have dedicated time slots in memberships-related work such as replying to comments and creating members-only videos.
Up next: Launch and promotion
- (Global, 2023)
Launch and promotion
So you’ve drawn up a comprehensive plan for your channel membership and are ready for your big debut. Let’s talk about the components of a successful launch!
Announce your launch
Announce your launch
A video announcement is one of the best ways for sharing the value of your membership offering with your community. Think of the announcement video as an elevator pitch, which can be reused on your membership offer screen. Here are some tips to prepare for your video debut:
Communicate what your members will receive, such as special content, early access to videos, special badges, and emoji. Keep your explanations simple and focused on the unique perks members will enjoy.
Talk about why you are launching memberships and how your members’ contributions will be used. Viewers are more likely to support you if they understand your passion and goals.
Assure viewers that nothing will change for them if they don’t become members. Frame memberships as added value for your most loyal fans, rather than something that your regular viewers will “miss out” on if they choose not to join.
Welcome new members
Welcome new members
Giving new members a warm welcome is crucial to increasing loyalty and member satisfaction in the long term. Let’s explore some ways you can effectively onboard new members.
Creators whose members watched members-only content in their first month of membership had over 20% fewer cancellations, on average, compared to creators whose members did not2.
Many members head straight to the memberships tab to check out your offerings after they make a purchase. Make sure it is up to date and inclusive to both existing and new members.
Make new members feel valued by sending welcome messages or giving them shoutouts in your videos. For larger communities, consider appointing active members as “community leads” to help welcome new members.
Continue the conversation
Continue the conversation
Acquiring new members at launch is a great start, but keeping the momentum going needs consistent effort. When you actively update your audience on your offering you can increase the following things.
Creators who mentioned memberships in their videos saw 3x more members on average than those who didn’t3.
Awareness
Continue raising awareness of your memberships offering beyond an announcement video.
Value
Clearly demonstrate the value of your membership to engage hesitant viewers.
Clarification
Clarify any doubts viewers may have about joining.
Up next: Grow with members-only content
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June 2024, Global
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June 2024, US, CA, GB, IE
Grow with members-only content
Grow with members-only content
Members-only content is the number one requested membership perk from viewers. Let’s take a look at some members-only content best practices and how it can help you maximize your membership.
Creators that upload two-or-more members-only content videos on average, per month, observed 15x more new members than those that did not4.
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Easily share your videos with members first before they go public by selecting “From members-only to public” when uploading new videos in YouTube Studio.
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Create members-only Shorts that will be discoverable for members in their Shorts’ feeds.
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Live stream to your members from your mobile device.
Embrace less-polished or behind the scenes content that’s easier to create
Top fans who aren’t members can discover your members-only content on their YouTube homepage and watch next recommendations. This increases their opportunities to become a member and get access to perks, resulting in more opportunities for you to grow your membership.
Members-only content can help keep your growing base of members engaged. Members can discover and engage with your members-only content across YouTube – on their YouTube homepage, by receiving notifications, and more.
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Greater exposure for your content means more chances for non-members to become members and for current members to engage with your content, resulting in more growth opportunities for your channel.
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Understand the impact of members-only content by tracking insights of transactions under the ‘Earn’ tab on YouTube Studio.
Content tips & strategies
Content tips & strategies
Members-only content doesn’t have to be highly polished or time consuming. Members love to peek behind the scenes and see the raw version of you. Here are some content strategies to keep in mind:
Raw or candid content makes members feel closer to you by revealing the less-staged side of your life. Share quick life updates via members-only Shorts or phone-recorded vlogs.
Members-only live streams let you interact directly with your audience in a more personal setting. Whether streaming to members from your desktop or mobile phone, you’re giving fans a unique opportunity to engage with you and stand out.
Offer extra content that complements or expands upon your primary channel offerings. Explore new formats, share tutorials, workshops, or “director's cuts.”
Pressed for time? Make your existing content go further by thinking through ways to repackage and repurpose.
Up next: Evolve and expand
- (Global, 2023)
Evolve and expand
As your channel and audience develop with time, it is important to look out for opportunities to grow and evolve your channel membership. Creators should be looking at analytics and evaluating member feedback to manage their memberships. This ensures you consistently deliver value to your members and adapt your membership for long-term success.
Focus on managing your membership with these three areas in mind: acquisition, retention, and evolution.
Managing your memberships performance
Managing your memberships performance
Monitor your membership performance in your YouTube Studio Earn tab and YouTube Analytics Revenue tab. These tools help you track growth, understand viewer engagement, and adapt your offerings to keep your memberships thriving. Focus on some of these key metrics below:
This refers to all current members with access to perks, including those who have canceled but are still within their billing cycle.
This count excludes canceled members, focusing on those actively enjoying membership perks.
Track new member sign-ups during your selected timeframe.
Monitor members who have canceled but retain access until their billing cycle concludes.
This shows the number of members whose access has expired due to non-renewal or cancellation outside of the billing cycle.
Acquisition of new members
Acquisition of new members
Acquisition is about converting viewers into paying members. Here are some strategies:
Talk about memberships in your public videos and live streams, and remind viewers they can become members by clicking to join.
Create a public community post with information about your membership to persuade viewers to join.
Gift memberships during public live streams and Premieres (you get 10 free-of-charge each month!).
Create members-only content to incentivize viewers to join
Retention of existing members
Retention of existing members
Retention means keeping your members happy and reducing cancellations. Just as you work hard to deliver great videos to your subscribers, it’s important to engage and appreciate your members. Here’s how:
- Public shoutouts to members go a long way
- Add a member-recognition shelf to your channel
- Recognize fans who gift memberships on your live streams and premieres
- Create members-only posts and polls
- Offer priority replies in comments
- Enable members-only chat during live streams
Offer members-only content to keep members
engaged. Your members will be notified when
you post new members-only videos, and will see
these videos across
their YouTube homepage, Watch Next
recommendations, and more
Evolution of your channel
Evolution of your channel
As your channel and audience evolve, so should your membership. Here’s how to sustain and enhance your offering.
Quantity and value:
evaluate the number and value of perks. Revisit your viewers’ motivations and align perks accordingly.
Feedback:
gather feedback from members about the perks through comments, polls and the Community tab.
Quantity and revenue:
evaluate the number of levels and their revenue contribution. Ensure the membership's revenue is proportionate to your investment.
Monetization potential:
determine if there’s room for additional levels.
Feedback:
understand members’ opinions on current pricing levels and their ability to capture different income groups.
Inform in advance:
notify your members early about upcoming changes. Explain the reasons and encourage them to tune in for detailed updates.
Announce updates:
clearly communicate the changes with an update video.
Follow up:
regularly check in with your members to gauge their response and adjust if needed.
Up next: Inspiration from membership creators
Inspiration from successful membership creators
While every YouTube channel is unique, hearing from other creators can be really valuable. Take a look at the stories of successful channel membership creators below to gain insights and inspiration for your own membership.
"You don't have to have a ton of subscribers to have a thriving community on YouTube."
“Memberships has allowed me to build deeper relationships with my community.”
“Memberships allowed me to become a full-time creator.”
"It just makes sense that my memberships live on YouTube"
Grow your community and earn monthly with channel memberships
