Joining a channel offers sponsors some advantages. For example, sponsors can enhance their video comments with icons and emojis personalized by the channel owner, so those visiting the comment section can see who sponsors the channel. It is also possible to get discounts: These can be discount codes for the YouTuber’s store, or reduced prices for events that the YouTuber is attending. Some YouTubers even give members free or discounted access to courses or the chance to meet them in person.
In addition, the name of the sponsor is displayed in green in live streams with a small red camera behind the name. This ensures that the audience knows that this person has joined the YouTuber’s channel. YouTube seems to have copied this principle from the livestream platform Twitch, in which sponsors are highlighted in live chats using symbols.
If you join a channel, you pay around $5 per month. According to YouTube, the creator receives a 70 percent share of this amount, which is around $3.50. However, taxes are also deducted from this money. This makes YouTube relatively expensive compared to dedicated crowdfunding platforms such as Patreon and GoFundMe. The latter takes 5 to 10 percent of the fees – so the project creator receives 90 to 95 percent of the donations.
However, YouTube offers a greater reach than other platforms. And thanks to YouTube sponsorship, a fan who wants to sponsor one of their favorite channels no longer has to go to an external crowdfunding project page that the YouTuber has linked to, where they then have to create an additional account. The YouTube sponsorship program enables the entire business and support model to run on one single platform. This convenient way to donate could be the deciding factor for many fans, since it means they can support their favorite YouTuber in just a few clicks and with only a small donation.
Thanks to the YouTube sponsorship program, the YouTubers themselves can theoretically forego time-consuming cross-platform work, so that they have more time for their actual work: creating content (although it may be useful to use multiple platforms – if you have enough time to maintain different accounts on different platforms). At the moment, however, a YouTuber needs at least 100,000 subscribers in order to be able to partake in the membership program in the first place. As with every new feature on YouTube, it will probably be tested to see which functions and sponsoring models are most useful for which number of sponsors. YouTube is likely to make a few tweaks here and there in the years to come until the sponsorship program really kicks off.
If you operate a YouTube channel, you should inform yourself about YouTube membership so that you can get on board in good time. The earlier you start (as soon as you are approved), the more likely you are to win the “early adopters” as sponsors and therefore not only earn more money, but also increase your reach.
The biggest disadvantages of YouTube sponsorship in its current form are undoubtedly the relatively high fees and that the minimum number of followers is 100,000.