YouTube is great at providing awesome features that help you build your channel. As your channel grows, YouTube unlocks advanced features to help you promote your videos and engage with your subscribers.
The “Community” tab is one of these advanced features. But what is the Community tab on YouTube?
The “Community” tab is a YouTube feature that lets you interact with your subscribers outside of video. Through this tab, you can post texts, images, GIFs, polls, queries, and behind-the-scenes videos to keep your Community updated. It is an advanced feature, only eligible to creators whose channel meets certain criteria.
Read on to discover what the “Community“ tab on YouTube is.
What Is the “Community“ Tab on YouTube?
For most, creators interact with their audience through the videos they upload. The audience can like, dislike, or comment on the video, while the creator can respond to these engagements. However, this interaction is not intimate.
As your YouTube channel grows, you gain a substantial following. These subscribers become a Community.
The Community tab on YouTube provides an intimate way to interact with your subscribers. You can show them a part of you that’s more personal than the video persona to build a stronger sense of belonging.
When subscribers click on your “Community” tab, they see your Community posts. These include temporary texts, promotion images for upcoming premieres, GIFs, and behind-the-scenes clips.
Who Is Eligible for the “Community“ Tab on YouTube?
Not every creator has a “Community” tab. YouTube reiterates that the “Community” tab is an advanced feature you must unlock. So, who is eligible for the Community tab?
The “Community” tab is available to creators who’ve enabled access to advanced features on YouTube. A creator has three options to access these features:
- Channel history.
- Video verification.
- A valid ID.
For channel history, YouTube considers when you created your channel, the number of uploaded videos, and the subscriber count.
If your channel is relatively old and has sufficient history, you don’t need to take action to unlock the “Community” tab.
However, new channel owners must verify their accounts to access the “Community” tab. You can verify the legitimacy of your channel through a verification video or by producing a valid ID.
If your channel content is made for kids, the “Community” tab will be there, but only you will see it. You also can’t make posts on the “Community” tab if the content is made for kids.
What To Include in the “Community“ Tab on YouTube?
Now that you have the “Community” tab to engage your audience, how do you use it? What are the best practices for YouTube Community posts?
Create Polls
One way to get ideas for your next videos is to ask the audience their preferences. Create polls and let the viewers choose their preferred video.
Besides making the audience part of your creation process, polls help you determine the most salable video ideas.
Post Quizzes
The Community post doesn’t always have to be about your channel and what to do next. You can use quizzes to start a discussion among your subscribers. Such engagement is good for your channel visibility and creates a loyal fan base.
For example, if you review tech products, you can post quizzes about the latest iPhone to create a heated discussion among followers.
Upload Short Clips
Most viewers appreciate the video-making process and are intrigued by random behind-the-scenes clips.
It is a fun way to let your followers into the creation process to see the work you put into your videos. Great candidates for such clips include recipe videos, vlogs, music videos, and pranks.
Share Images and GIFs
The “Community” tab offers a great way to promote upcoming videos and other projects. You can post still pictures and GIFs from a recent shoot to create anticipation for the video.
You can also post random, real-life images to give your audience a sneak peek into your personal life.
Create Witten Posts
Unlike Facebook and Twitter, the only time you engage your YouTube audience with written posts is in the video description and comments.
Suppose you have an upcoming course, webinar, or product you want to share with your audience. You can create a written Community post that talks about it. Written posts also allow you to attach external links to your website or online store.
Wrapping Up
The Community tab on YouTube lets you engage with your subscribers outside the regular video uploads. To interact with your channel members, you can upload texts, links, images, GIFs, short clips, and polls in your Community posts.
It is a great feature to grow your channel, ramp up engagement, and create a sense of Community among your subscribers.
