Did you see a join button beside a subscription button on YouTube recently?
If you did, you might be wondering what the button is for, and why YouTube introduced it.
You might also be wondering why some channels have the join button and others do not.
Social media platforms like YouTube constantly introduces new features, so you’ll have to stay updated on them if you don’t want to miss out.
In this article, you’ll learn what does the “Join” button mean on YouTube, how to get it, and more.
By the end of the article, you should be able to know what the “Join” button on YouTube is all about.
Table of Contents
- What Does “Join” Mean on YouTube?
- How to get the “Join” button on YouTube
- How to become a channel member
- What perks does a channel member get?
- How much does YouTube take from membership?
- Conclusion
What Does “Join” Mean on YouTube?
The Join button on YouTube is a call-to-action (CTA) button that leads you to a membership page of a channel when you click on it.
The Join button on YouTube is a monthly subscription where you can become a member of a channel in exchange for membership perks.
If you’re familiar with Twitch, the “Join” button on YouTube is similar to the “Subscribe” button on Twitch.
If you’re familiar with Twitch, the “Join” button on YouTube is similar to the “Subscribe” button on Twitch.
Back in 2018, the “Join” button has popped up in some YouTube channels.
Unlike the subscribe button on YouTube, joining a channel as a member is not free.
The feature allows you to support a channel by paying a monthly subscription.
In exchange, you can receive channel membership perks such as loyalty badges and custom emojis where you can use in the comments and live chat.
However, these perks are only available if the YouTuber has added it to their channel.
Otherwise, you won’t be able to get any perks from becoming a channel member.
For example, if you joined a channel like PewDiePie, you’ll have a loyalty badge beside your name when you comment on a video or in a live chat.
PewDiePie has three tiers to his channel membership—Tier 1, Tier 2, and Tier 3.
Each tier has different perks including the ones from the previous one.
If you were to subscribe to a tier 2 membership, you’ll have access to his discord channel, early access to new videos, and more.
However, if you joined a channel like MrBeast, you’ll only get a loyalty badge beside your name, and nothing else.
So before you join a channel as a member, make sure to check the perks beforehand.
But why did YouTube add channel memberships?
YouTube introduced the “Join” button to enable YouTubers to earn a greater income from YouTube besides ads.
A comedy YouTuber, Mike Falzone claimed that he had tripled his revenue from channel memberships alone.
How to get the “Join” button on YouTube
You have to hit certain minimum requirements on YouTube to get the “Join” button and add memberships to your channel.
Not all channels have the “Join” button on YouTube as you need to hit certain minimum requirements in order to add channel memberships.
To get the “Join button on YouTube, your channel first needs to be in the YouTube Partner Program.
Your channel must also have more than 30,000 subscribers (1,000 for gaming channels), you must be 18+, and you’re located in one of the available locations.
If you didn’t manage to hit one or more of the minimum requirements, your channel won’t be eligible for memberships.
Once you’ve hit the minimum requirements for YouTube memberships, go to the memberships page on your channel using a desktop.
Then follow the on-screen instructions to enable memberships for your channel.
During the setup process, you’ll be able to enter perks, add badges, add emojis, prepare an announcement, and create members-only posts.
How to become a channel member
To become a channel member, tap on the “Join” button on a channel.
To become a channel member, tap on the join button beside the subscribe button on a YouTube channel and follow the on-screen instructions to complete your purchase.
Do note that some channels do not have the channel membership feature as they are either ineligible for it or they disabled it.
The join button is located beside the subscribe button on a YouTube channel.
Once you tapped on the “Join” button, there’ll be a membership pop-up box where you can see the different membership tiers.
Some channels have only one membership tier, while others might have two or more.
Do note that some channels do not have the “Join” button on the channel.
This is because they are either ineligible for channel memberships or that they disabled the feature.
That being said, you won’t be able to become a member on certain channels if they do not have the “Join button”.
After you tapped on the button, follow the on-screen instructions to complete your purchase.
There are no refunds, so be sure to look at the membership perks before you decide to subscribe.
What perks does a channel member get?
A channel member can get one or multiple perks depending on what the YouTuber has set.
A channel member can get access to one or more perks depending on what the YouTuber has set.
Make sure to read the perks that you’re going to get thoroughly before joining as a member on a YouTube channel.
Typically, a channel member will get a loyalty badge and custom emojis to use in comments and live chat.
Other perks that you can get are access to members-only community posts, videos, live streams, and live chat.
Some YouTubers have included perks that are out of YouTube’s scope (e.g. discounts on merch).
For example, being a Tier 2 member on PewDiePie’s channel gives you access to his discord channel.
On the other hand, being a channel member on the “the Hacksmith” gives you discounts on their merch.
So, before joining as a member on a channel, make sure to read the perks that you’re going to get on the membership pop-up box first.
How much does YouTube take from membership?
70% of YouTube’s membership revenue goes to creators while 30% to YouTube.
If you’re part of a Multi-Channel Network, your membership revenue share might be lower.
YouTube takes 30% from a YouTube membership subscription.
On the other hand, YouTubers (creators) receive 70% of membership revenue.
However, if you’re part of a Multi-Channel Network (MCN), your revenue share might be lower than 70%.
Make sure to check with your MCN regarding this.
Conclusion
The introduction of the channel memberships feature has enabled YouTubers to generate more income from YouTube besides ads.
It also increases YouTube’s revenue as they take a 30% share of membership revenue.
If you want to support your favorite channel, you can now do so by tapping on the “Join” button to become a channel member as of Jun 22, 2018.
Unlike subscribing to a channel, joining a channel is not free and you have to pay a fixed monthly price to remain as a channel member.
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Author: Lim How Wei is the founder of Followchain. Feel free to follow him on Instagram.
