YouTube's new 'Hype' feature lets you support smaller creators
YouTube just rolled out "Hype," a new feature aimed at boosting smaller creators (those with under 500,000 subscribers).
Now live in 39 countries—including the US, UK, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and India—Hype lets users boost up to three videos per week from their favorite rising creators.
These hyped videos show up on a special leaderboard in the Explore menu, making it easier for fresh talent to get discovered.
Users will soon be able to buy extra hypes
When a video gets hyped, it earns a badge and starts climbing the leaderboard. Fans can filter their feeds to see what's trending among smaller channels and collect monthly "hype star" badges themselves.
Creators can track their hype stats right in the YouTube Studio app. Plus, YouTube plans to let users buy extra hypes soon—opening up new ways for fans to support creators and for small channels to grow.