YouTube adds a new way to support content creators

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YouTube viewers will soon have a new way to give their support and money to their favorite content creators, as a new tool called Super Thanks is now being tested that allows you to guide creators on the platform, as this feature allows users to clap for the content creator by choosing from Four price points between $2 and $50 (or the equivalent in regional currency).

When a user purchases one of these four options, they will see a festive animation on the screen and a colorful caption with their name appears below the video in the comments section. The creators themselves will be able to respond to these messages in the same way they would respond to regular comments.

YouTube has been testing the tool under the separate name "Viewer Applause" for the past year. Now named Super Thanks, it's available in beta in 68 countries on desktop, Android, and iOS.

Super Thanks is the fourth option YouTube has added for direct paying creators. The platform also offers channel memberships, which allow creators to offer monthly subscriptions. Then there are Super Stickers and Super Chat, which allow viewers to leave tips in the chat during the live broadcast. But when Super Stickers and Chats work on live feeds, Super Thanks can be used across all eligible uploads.

Barbara MacDonald, product manager for paid digital goods at YouTube said, while launching the feature with four-set payment amounts to choose from, the ability to manually enter other dollar amounts is definitely something we'd like to look forward to.

During the previous testing phase, there was originally only one price point, but the creators told the company that viewers want more options when showing their support for a channel they enjoy.

YouTube pays eligible content creators a portion of the advertising revenue that is displayed in front of their videos. But this stream of income is not always reliable, and it has shrunk dramatically at times when advertisers have pulled out of YouTube during controversies. Giving creators options to earn money directly from viewers provides a potential backup revenue stream so that they are not completely dependent on ads.

Creators must be part of the YouTube Partner Program to gain access to Super Thanks.

MacDonald said the beta release will be a random rollout before coming to all Partner Program members later this year.