Can YouTube’s ‘Hype’ Help Small Creators Succeed?
Regardless of what social media platform small creators choose to use, they often find themselves in an uphill battle against algorithms that don’t prioritise them. This forces creators to choose between making authentic content or trying to cater to an algorithm that may change within a month.
Now, YouTube is attempting to address this issue with a new feature called ‘Hype’.
Hype is designed as a way for audiences to discover smaller creators who may otherwise get overlooked by the typical algorithm.
Bangaly Kaba, a director of product management at YouTube said that when comparing smaller creators to those with 500,000+, “we just saw a disproportionate growth in earnings, even though most of our creators are smaller than this.”
Hype is an entirely new feature, there is a new button for ‘hyping’ a video, and the most-hyped videos will appear on a platform-wide leaderboard. It’s somewhat similar to YouTube’s Trending, but Hype focuses specifically on smaller channels and what users choose to recommend rather than just what they watch.
In order for a video to be ‘hyped’ it must have less than seven days old, and be from a creator with under 500,000 subscribers. Every week the leaderboard showcases the top 100 hyped videos, and top videos recieve a special badge. Currently, users can hype up to three times a week, and creators earn a monetary bonus for each hype they receive. YouTube mentioned that they are planning to allow users to purchase more hypes as a way to unlock an additional revenue stream for creators.
YouTube emphasised that Hype should not be seen as another metric or algorithm small creators need to try and ‘win over’. Instead, it’s an opportunity to see what viewers are best responding to. If a certain video style generates more hype, it could indicate what the audience wants, which in turn, could help creators grow their channels.
“We really wanted the fans to lean in as community members, to help support their favourite creators,” Kaba said.
YouTube has been working on Hype since 2023 after the company spoke to users and realised people wanted more involvement and interaction with the platform and creators. So, YouTube decided to shift its focus to building and uplifting communities on the platform.
In a blog post, YouTube stated, “When we surveyed over 2,500 viewers ages 18-45 from the US, Japan, and Germany, over 75% of respondents and over 80% of Gen Z viewers said they would like to help small and medium-sized creators grow their channels.”
This isn’t just good news for smaller creators; it’s also promising for brands. As they now have a tool to discover smaller, niche creators with highly engaged audiences, offering a great opportunity to partner with creators who deliver strong ROI.
And YouTube’s efforts to foster community on the platform don’t stop there.
The platform also introduced YouTube Communities, a feature similar to Reddit and Discord, which allows viewers and creators to interact with each other in a manner more direct than comment sections. It reminds me of Instagram’s Broadcast Channels, but with the added ability for subscribers to interact as well. However, this feature won’t be widely available until next year, as YouTube is still working to ensure proper moderation.
In an era where terms like 'community,' 'connection,' and 'authenticity' dominate discussions around the creator economy, it’s refreshing to see a platform actively working to uplift smaller creators. While there’s still uncertainty about how Hype and Communities will perform in untested markets, YouTube’s commitment to fostering real interaction and growth offers hope for a more supportive environment for creators of all followings. Only time will tell if these initiatives live up to their potential, but they represent a promising step toward levelling the playing field for smaller voices in the digital space.