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  • Hey, creators

  • let's talk about Channel Memberships

  • a feature that lets your most loyal fans support you

  • by joining your channel for a monthly membership fee.

  • They can help you earn more money

  • and in return, you can offer exclusive member-only perks

  • like badges, emoji, members-only videos, and more.

  • We've seen all types of creators be successful with memberships

  • no matter what type of content they create

  • how big their subscriber base is, or where they're located.

  • Remember, that turning on memberships doesn't mean you need to change your channel

  • or your relationship with your viewers.

  • It's just an extra benefit for your fans

  • who most want to support you and your awesome content.

  • So, let's walk through how to set up and manage Channel Memberships

  • and some best practices for using them.

  • First, how can you set up Channel Memberships for your channel?

  • To set up Channel Memberships, your channel first has to become eligible.

  • You must have over 1,000 subscribers, be in the YouTube Partner Program

  • be over 18 years old, be in an eligible country

  • and your channel cannot be made for kids.

  • You can check out the full list of eligible countries and requirements

  • in the Help Center article linked in the description.

  • Once you're eligible, you can turn on Channel Memberships

  • by going to the monetization page in YouTube Studio

  • then Memberships

  • where you'll be led through a Getting Started flow.

  • What do you need to set up Memberships?

  • First, you'll need to set up your membership offer

  • with the levels and perks that will be available for your members.

  • You can add up to five levels with different names

  • and each level will have a different monthly price that you set.

  • We recommend having at least three price-point options

  • for potential members

  • low, middle, and high, but the choice is really up to you.

  • Be sure to pick your lowest price carefully.

  • For example

  • would you attract twice as many members at $2.99 as you would at $5.99?

  • If not, you may earn more revenue by setting the price at $5.99.

  • Within each level you set

  • you'll need to have between one and five perks.

  • Note, that perks build on each other

  • meaning the highest level members will have access to the perks available

  • from previous levels as well.

  • For perks, you can offer things like exclusive videos and live streams

  • members-only community posts, live chats, or polls

  • member milestone chats, and shout-outs.

  • You can also get creative with third-party platform integrations

  • who offer members-only perks, like members-only chat rooms

  • or tools to engage with your members.

  • Just keep in mind that you're responsible for delivering on the perks that you offer

  • so consider what's feasible for you and still valuable for your fans.

  • Many creators start off slow

  • and then add new perks based on the feedback from their community.

  • Your levels and their perks will need to be reviewed before going live

  • which takes about a day.

  • Once the review is done

  • you'll see it update in the Memberships Tab in Studio

  • and you'll receive an email confirmation.

  • Keep in mind that once your levels are approved

  • you won't be able to change their pricing.

  • Instead, you'll need to create a new level.

  • Note, that you can delete levels

  • but doing so will cancel all existing memberships at that level.

  • With memberships, you can also create custom badges and emoji

  • that only your members can use.

  • Badges show up next to members' usernames

  • and help them stand out in comments and live chats.

  • You can add up to six personalized ones

  • that will update depending on how long they've been members for.

  • Custom emoji are a great way for members to express themselves.

  • They're exclusive for your members

  • and can be used in video comments, posts, or live chats.

  • The more members you have, the more emoji you can upload.

  • When designing badges and emoji, choose visuals that are personalized

  • and relatable to your audience

  • that will make members feel more connected to you.

  • Visual consistency also helps

  • so think about having them designed by the same artist.

  • If you're not sure where to start with designing

  • services like Fiverr, Upwork, or Freelancer can help connect you to design experts.

  • Once everything is set up and ready to go

  • we suggest you promote your memberships on your channel.

  • You can create a dedicated announcement video

  • to raise awareness of your offerings, and get your fans excited about joining.

  • Or you can mention memberships in your regular uploads

  • add it to the description of your videos, talk about it in the Community tab

  • or promote it across your social media.

  • We found that creators who regularly talk about their memberships

  • to their audience, do a better job of getting viewers to become members.

  • Even thanking your current members

  • helps promote Channel Memberships to your audience.

  • You can also add /join to the end of your channel URL

  • to create a link to your membership offer window.

  • As a final step

  • we encourage you to create a few members-only community posts

  • that fans can see as soon as they join.

  • You can thank your new members for joining

  • or post a behind-the-scenes, or sneak-peek photo you think they'll enjoy.

  • These posts will give new members a warm welcome

  • and will help show the value of their membership right away.

  • Once you're all set up, you can turn on Memberships.

  • Your viewers will now see a "Join" button at the top of your channel

  • and members will be directed to the dedicated Memberships tab

  • on your channel homepage, once they sign-up

  • where they can keep track of their exclusive perks.

  • Now that you know what's required for set-up

  • let's go through some best practices for Channel Memberships.

  • First, make sure your offering is scalable.

  • Getting more members is great

  • but not if it means you can't deliver your perks.

  • So, be sure to dedicate some time to properly design and plan your offerings

  • and avoid offering perks that will take too much of your time

  • to deliver as you get more members.

  • Next, make sure your offering is valuable.

  • Think about what would motivate your viewers to become members.

  • For example

  • if a viewer's motivation is to feel closer to you

  • they might find members-only Q&As or personal shout-outs and videos valuable.

  • Or, if they just love your content, consider giving them early access to videos

  • or, exclusive videos just for members.

  • Knowing your viewers' motivations will allow you to design the most relevant

  • and valuable perks for your channel members.

  • Next, remember that perks are recurring.

  • Members pay every month and can cancel at any time

  • so, make sure you keep them happy for the long-term.

  • Be sure to use existing YouTube Community features

  • and think about how your perks can sustain members' interest and satisfaction

  • while making sure they can be delivered on time

  • on a monthly basis.

  • And finally, don't be afraid to experiment.

  • Members-only videos won't affect the performance of your regular videos

  • so, don't be afraid to experiment and get feedback from your members.

  • You can also do members-only polls to ask them what they want to see more of

  • and get their thoughts on things you've never tried before.

  • Finally, let's walk through some basics on how to manage Channel Memberships.

  • Once memberships are turned on for your channel

  • you can manage them and track their performance in YouTube Studio.

  • On the monetization page in Studio

  • the dedicated Memberships tab

  • will allow you to manage your memberships program.

  • Here, you can update your membership offering at any time.

  • You can also choose to add an intro video

  • which shows with your membership offer when viewers click "Join".

  • With your intro video, you can give viewers a quick overview

  • of what they'll get to access when they join your channel.

  • Remember, lots of viewers might only click the "Join" button out of curiosity

  • so make sure to grab their attention

  • get them excited

  • and let them know why they should become members.

  • With this Management tab

  • you'll also get a quick glance at how your memberships are performing.

  • You'll see your revenue over the last billing period

  • and its growth rate

  • see your total number of members

  • and see recent sign-ups and cancellations in the last billing period.

  • If you want a more in-depth look at your memberships' analytics

  • click to see more.

  • You can also see the number of members per level you set.

  • With this tab

  • we'll also show you some information about your members.

  • You'll see videos that members joined on, and you'll see recent comments by them.

  • And if you click to see more, you'll be led to the Comments Page in Studio

  • that will be filtered by member status.

  • For even more information about memberships

  • check out all the links in the description below.

  • Thanks for watching!

Hey, creators

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