With nine in 10 marketers planning to use YouTube in their 2021 marketing strategy, information technology's more important than e'er to capture your audition's attention. One of the best means to practice this is past creating a connectedness with your viewers through fostering community.

YouTube's ain creator academy says it best: "A loyal community of viewers can help promote your videos to new viewers through their own social networks, and requite you instant feedback on what they do and don't like."

While building these relationships doesn't happen overnight, it's rewarding to see your channel grow.

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The community tab is one important way that YouTube helps creators build relationships with their audition. Read on to learn how to go your own YouTube Community Tab, and how to utilise it to build relationships, increment subscriptions, and boost watch time.

What is the YouTube Customs Tab?

The YouTube Community Tab is a tool that creators can employ to interact with their audience in a more conversational style beyond video. This stream of updates, which tin include text, gifs, polls, and images, is a lightweight way to stay engaged with fans in-between video uploads.

Fans tin annotate and like or dislike posts, and share them with their friends. And just like that, a functioning customs is created.

Community is an important part of our man experience. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the way we participate in our communities has changed.

According to SproutSocial, YouTube has stepped into this position. "Viewers are connecting with YouTube content in a way that helps them feel similar they're living what they're watching. After a year in a global pandemic, this is a necessary way to help people notwithstanding feel connected to their passions, hobbies, and normal life activities. "

For the ultimate guide on all things YouTube Customs Tab, and mastering your ain channel'south Community Tab strategy, bank check out our video here:

How to Get a Community Tab on YouTube

To become a Community tab on YouTube, your channel will need to have over 1000 subscribers, and it tin can have upwardly to one week after passing that number to come across the Community tab appear.

Note that if your channel has over m subscribers, but the Community tab pick is non notwithstanding visible on your aqueduct, you'll need to enable custom channel layouts to display the tab.

How to make a Community postal service on YouTube

Once yous accept admission to the Community tab, it'due south time to start posting and engaging with your audience. Creating a post is simple and similar to posting on any other social media feed.

To create a Community post:

  1. Sign in to YouTube.
  2. At the top of the page, select 'Upload' so 'Create postal service.'
  3. Blazon a bulletin to create a text post or choose to add together a video, poll, gif, or image to the post. You tin can likewise mention other channels using the @ symbol followed by the channel name.
  4. Click 'Post.'

Once your post is published, your subscribers will come across information technology in their feed. They may besides get a notification that you lot've posted something new.

Where is the YouTube Community Tab?

You tin find each creator's Customs tab on their homepage, if they accept it enabled.

On desktop, click on a channel name to go to their dwelling page.

Example of the YouTube Community tab

From there, click on Community in the center of the screen. Here, you'll observe all their most recent posts where you tin annotate and collaborate with them.

On mobile, you'll need to utilise the official YouTube app to see the Customs tab, equally it won't show up in the mobile browser. Once you've opened YouTube, visit a channel's home page. You'll be able to click on the Community tab on the height of their folio.

7 Ways to Utilize the YouTube Community Tab

Appointment is one of the most important YouTube aqueduct analytics. When your audience is more engaged they will watch more than videos, share more, and go along coming dorsum. If you utilise the Community tab to its full potential, you can grow your audience and build a community effectually your content and brand. Here's how.

1. Post behind the scenes footage and updates.

While your videos might be advisedly produced, scripted, and put together, many viewers crave actuality from creators. Your Community tab is where you can show more than casual updates. Use this format for sneak-peaks or personal updates.

Example of behind-the-scenes YouTube footage

ii. Centre ❤️ and answer to comments.

When reviewing your community comments, employ a eye ❤️ to prove appreciation for a viewer'southward comments.

The viewer may get a notification (depending on their settings), and they'll be able to see that you liked their annotate.

An example of a YouTube heart.Responding to comments starts a conversation, and builds a stronger connection with your viewers. Don't get likewise caught upward in replying to all of the comments on your channel, simply taking the fourth dimension to heart and respond to a few volition show that you're paying attention.

YouTube audience engagement example

3. Pin a top comment.

When a comment really tickles your fancy, it's from a VIP, or just something that you want to promote, you can pivot it to the top of the comments. It will be the commencement thing other viewers see when they check out your customs posts.

iv. Promote a collaboration video with a fellow creator.

Are yous actually a YouTuber until you've done a collaboration with some other creator? Once you've uploaded your shared creation, make sure both of you post nigh information technology on your Community tab. It'southward a great style to drive traffic to your channel and expand your audition.

Example of a YouTube collaboration.

v. Poll your audience on what blazon of video they want to see next.

Find out what your audience wants from your channel. Ask them for feedback on your upcoming videos, or poll them near an upcoming competition.

Sportsnet has over 124,000 votes on their latest poll almost the 2021 Rocket Richard Trophy.

Example audience poll on YouTube Poll the audience example

vi. Shoutout to a fan or beau creator using an @mention.

Mention a fan or another creator to share the honey or get more eyes on your videos. Pop channels will often select a fan to shout-out to at the end of their video. The Community tab is another place where you can make these connections.

7. Share 'members only' posts.

If you lot offer Channel Memberships (a paid subscription to your aqueduct where "viewers make monthly payments in substitution for access to sectional badges, custom emojis, and other perks"), y'all tin can choose to create posts that are exclusive to your channel members.

This is a peachy style to give thanks them for their back up and give them fifty-fifty more than opportunities to engage with your channel.

Building a Community on YouTube

Ane of the things I noticed when trying to find examples for this post is that many creators aren't using the Community tab to its full potential.

The power of beingness able to postal service updates and notify subscribers is huge! You've got a convict audience, and then make sure to update them regularly, even when yous don't have time to upload a full video.

Stay engaged with what your fans want, and you'll build a loyal following quickly.

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Originally published Apr 13, 2021 1:12:eighteen PM, updated May 24 2021