YouTube Memberships and a New Stream of Creator Income

Published on 14.08.2025 by Chizoba T

Let’s be honest, earning a living as a content creator has never been easy. Even when content creation has become so common, filming new content isn't as easy as it looks. Plus, you’ll still have to keep engaging your audience even after making a post. Then, finding a way to earn some revenue from your posts is a whole other issue.

Brand deals and ad revenue used to be the way to go for many creators, but over time, monetization has become unpredictable. Ad rates have started fluctuating, and algorithms are changing more than ever. Your sponsorships may even end overnight.

That’s where YouTube Memberships step in. It stands out as a solution for creators who want more stability and a stronger connection with their audiences.

This membership plan can sustainably support one’s creative work. It also allows creators to establish stronger links with their fans.

As you read on, you’ll learn how YouTube memberships work and how they can be used for you. For many creators, this feature is more predictable and a stable way to earn from their content.

Why YouTube Memberships Are Different From Other Monetizations

For many years, monetizing YouTube content revolved around a few main pillars. These included AdSense revenue, affiliate marketing, and occasional sponsorships. While it was a way to make good money, it was something that wasn’t accessible to every creator.

These income streams are still valid and can be used by creators, but they all share a big weakness apart from accessibility. They are dependent on external variables that a creator cannot control.

Ad revenue depends on the budget of advertisers and whether your content can be deemed advertisement-friendly. On the other hand, sponsorships are all about marketing priorities of brands, and this isn’t something that content creators can do much about. Even merch sales begin by putting in a big investment, and that’s not something many content creators can do.

When scrolling through YouTube channels, you might’ve come across a Join button. You may have also seen that some fans have special badges for different communities. Those are all features of YouTube memberships.

YouTube memberships are made for the benefit of creators as they offer a more direct line of fan support. Instead of relying on other income streams, you can invite your most engaged viewers to watch you freely with exclusive perks, and these perks come with a monthly fee.

Memberships are different from other streams because they bring a sense of loyalty and community. Fans do not just watch your content; they can also choose to be a part of a closer and more intimate community.

The Advantages of YouTube Memberships

One of the key reasons why a lot of creators want YouTube memberships is because of their ability to create predictable income streams. While ad revenue can swing wildly and unpredictably, membership fees are recurring.

But if it’s not about the money, then YouTube memberships still have you covered. They offer a set of benefits that go beyond just a paycheque.

Community-Building

YouTube memberships help in community-building and creating a sense of trust within your fan base. These memberships can deepen your bond with viewers who care the most about your work.

Having YouTube memberships lets your fans feel more important and seen. This is done through the special badges and exclusive content that can be given to them once they sign up for different tiers of the membership.

Independent of Algorithm

YouTube’s algorithm can be difficult to have in your favor, but with a YouTube membership, that won’t matter. Once you have fans signing up for your membership plans, your video’s performance no longer relies on the algorithm. You’ll already have the closest and most loyal fans showing up as soon as you’re posting.

Incentivization

Through a YouTube membership, you can focus on providing incentives to your audience. These incentives can include special shout-outs and exclusive content that won’t be available to everyone. These kinds of incentives help get more fans to sign up to be a part of your channel’s membership.

What You Need to Know Before Launching Memberships

To be able to launch memberships for your YouTube channel, there are a few things that you need to be aware of. This includes meeting a criteria list and having a plan in mind.

Turning on Fan Fund Features 

Before YouTube memberships, you’ll need to meet the requirements to start getting fan funding opportunities. This includes:

  • Being at least 18 years old
  • Having your channel accepted into the YouTube Partner Program
  • Basing your channel in a region where fan funding on YouTube is available.

The countries that allow fan funding features can be found on YouTube’s page for membership info. Remember to go and check the list to ensure that your country is eligible for these features.

Turning on YouTube Memberships

Once you’re eligible to start earning from fan funding features, you’ll have to focus on meeting the requirements for YouTube Memberships.

This includes:

  • Having more than 1000 subscribers
  • Having more than 4000 valid views in the last year
  • Living in the countries eligible for this feature (same as fan funding countries)
  • Videos aren’t primarily set for kids
  • YouTube Channel isn’t set for kids
  • Your account doesn’t primarily have videos that are ineligible to earn from fan funding
  • Videos which are set for kids are ineligible to earn from fan funding
  • Videos dealing with music claim issues are ineligible to earn from fan funding
  • Your account follows YouTube’s terms and policies

Having a Membership Plan Set Up

Apart from meeting the criteria lists, you need to have a plan in mind. When setting up a membership, you’ll have the chance to offer your fans perks. Memberships also come with different tiers, and this means that each tier will have different perks.

The first thing you’ll have to consider is whether your perks are promising enough to get people to start signing up. But perks aren’t the only factors to think about, as YouTube membership tiers also need a pricing strategy. Your pricing tiers should feel accessible and valuable for every fan. 

If you choose to offer more than one tier, it can help you appeal to viewers with different levels of commitment. You can also give out more exclusive content based on the tier, which brings in more fan subscriptions.

Setting Up YouTube Memberships For Your Account

Once you feel that you’re ready to start setting up your account’s memberships, you’ll need to follow the following steps:

Step 1 – Enabling Memberships

To enable memberships, you’ll have to meet the requirements that we talked about in the previous section.

Step 2 – Creating Tiers and Pricing

YouTube gives you the luxury of offering up to five membership tiers to your fans. Each can have its price and set of perks. For example, your tiers can be set up like:

  • Tier 1 ($2.99/mo): Provides fans with loyalty badges and exclusive emotes
  • Tier 2 ($4.99/mo): Provides fans with exclusive community posts
  • Tier 3 ($9.99/mo): Provides fans with chances of live Q&As or meet-ups

To set up a tier list that gets a lot of sign-ups, you’ll have to ensure that you:

  • Keep first-tier prices low enough to reduce friction
  • Create higher tiers that are worth the subscription
  • Avoid adding too many tiers that don’t provide the value they should

Step 3 – Designing Loyalty Badges and Emojis

These visual perks help members stand out in the community. YouTube provides creators with templates they can choose from, but you can also upload custom designs that fit your branding and style.

Consider adding badges that evolve the longer someone stays subscribed. This keeps older fans engaged with your subscription plans.

Step 4 – Planning Members-Only Content

You’ll need to start providing consistent, exclusive content to fans who sign up for your membership tiers. This means dealing with an additional workload that’s different from the content you already make.

Most creators choose to provide:

  • Exclusive live streams
  • BTS videos and content
  • Earlier access to uploads
  • Members-only posts
  • Exclusive resources

Step 5 – Announce and Promote

Once your memberships go up, you’ll need to let your audience know. This is the chance to get some traction for your channel.

Many creators opt for uploading videos that explain their membership plans. They also choose to talk about the membership plans in many of their videos, which keeps reminding your viewers that they can subscribe to these plans.

You’ll also find many creators sticking to a visual that pops up from time to time in their videos. This helps prevent any unnecessary breaks that people will want to skip over.

Turning Membership Insights Into Growth For Your Channel

Memberships don’t just provide revenue for you. They also give you data about your most engaged and loyal fans. Through this, you’ll be able to keep track of which perks are the most popular. 

You’ll also be able to find what type of content your fans prefer the most and what would get them to subscribe to higher tiers. These analytics can help you refine your YouTube memberships.

Final Thoughts

YouTube Memberships aren’t like any other monetization tool you find on social platforms. This feature doesn’t just act as an income stream; it also stands as a bridge between you and your most loyal fans.

YouTube memberships allow you to provide your viewers with a real sense of belonging. Through tiers which provide perks and exclusive content, you can focus on giving your fans a special way to interact with their favorite YouTuber.

Setting up a YouTube membership plan isn’t just about asking people to pay. It’s about showing them what they can get by being a part of your closer community. Once you can give them the value they deserve, your fans will be more likely to join.

Through this subscription plan, creators no longer have to worry about unpredictable income streams. Here, all they’ll get is predictability and a transparent monetization opportunity.