YouTube announces new 'applause' feature that allows users to pay creators directly

One of the best YouTube features for creators looking to get paid is the “Super Chat.”

According to the online video giant, YouTube will soon expand ways for YouTubers to monetize their content with its brand new “applause” feature.

Currently, viewers can give one-off payments to their favorite YouTubers, sort of like a tip to thank them for the content, via a Super Chat. The amount one can make from a Super Chat is not tied to how many people watch a video, as it is with advertisements. So it enables creators who have a small yet dedicated fanbase to earn a decent income.

The one issue with Super Chats is that it’s a feature that's available only on livestreams. If a creator often uploads pre-made, edited content like most YouTubers do, they cannot take advantage of the feature.

However, that’s going to change soon with YouTube’s applause feature, which is currently being tested and will roll out broadly to creators later this year.

With this feature, YouTubers who are eligible and have monetization enabled will be able to receive one-time payments from their viewers for pre-recorded content they've uploaded.

When the feature is activated on a YouTube channel, an “Applaud” button shows up below a video. When a viewer clicks on it, they're given the option to tip the video's creator via a one-time $2, $5, $10, or $50 payment. Once a user pays, they will see an applause animation over the video. A comment will also be posted to the video letting the creator know they applauded the video.

Users can spend up to $500 per day on Super Chats and applause. YouTube takes a 30 percent cut of the revenue from both features.

It’s unclear exactly when this feature will roll out to more creators.

YouTube also announced additional features for creators coming down the pipeline. The company will be rolling out automation for its chapters feature, which allows YouTubers to segment their videos if they enter timecodes for each section they want to split up.

On the monetization front, YouTube is currently looking to integrate more e-commerce opportunities for creators such as allowing users to make purchases directly on the platform.

The company also says it will expand the current beta roll out of Shorts, the company’s TikTok competitor which is built into the YouTube platform, in the U.S. over the next few weeks.

As for the company’s streaming platform, YouTube TV, a new “add-on” package will soon be released allowing subscribers to watch content in 4K as well as download shows for offline viewing. This package will also include an unlimited number of in-home users meaning everyone in your household can watch different programming simultaneously.

Disclosure: The author of this piece has previously made money via the Super Chat feature.