The YouTube homepage is turning into a social media feed. Open the mobile app, and you’ll see that in addition to videos, there are extra posts from creators you’re subscribed to. These may be:

. They’re not just on the homepage of the app; you can also find them on a channel’s Community tab.

Unlocking Your Channel's YouTube Community Tab

In the past, YouTube required channels to have more than 1,000 subscribers to access the Community tab feature. But that's about to change, as YouTube is making the social feed more accessible to creators with smaller audiences. Starting October 12, 2021, you will only need more than 500 subscribers to access the YouTube Community tab.

If you haven't reached 500 subscribers, don't worry. YouTube has a plan to help you engage with your audience as well.

"For channels under 500 subscribers, we are working to bring Community posts to you in the future," Rob of Team YouTube writes in a 

Why You Should Post on the YouTube Community Tab

Once you've unlocked Community posts, you can use them to connect with viewers and increase your channel’s exposure. 

Consider this, for example. What if you could reach your core audience multiple times a day without posting a video – only polls, GIFs, images, and text? What if your next poll gets 50,000 votes because YouTube’s algorithm promotes it across the app?

How to Use The Community tab in YouTube Studio

That’s what’s happening right now. Our vidIQ polls receive a jaw-dropping number of votes. The exposure introduces our channel to thousands of viewers we’ve never reached on YouTube.

Can the same thing happen to you? Absolutely.

Reaching a New Audience with YouTube Community Posts

Every Wednesday, we host a live stream on the vidIQ channel. One of our viewers, the 

, asked an important question during the Q&A session: 

Should creators use the Community tab, and how does it affect channel growth?

. To prove it, we voted on one of ChessGeek’s polls. Our theory was that, when someone engages with a Community post, they’ll see more posts from that channel.

Guess what happened less than 24 hours later? The morning following that live stream, a Community post from the ChessGeek was on our homepage. It nearly covered the entire screen.

Days later, we saw more Community posts from this creator, and we never watched a single video of theirs.

So we proved our theory. On YouTube, it’s possible to:

Encourage the algorithm to show more posts to that viewer.

Watch our video below for more examples of how the Community tab fuels your growth:

Does the YouTube Community Tab Have Its Own Algorithm?

Beating the YouTube algorithm is something we’d never encourage you to do. It’s virtually impossible, and there are better things to focus on. Building an audience is more rewarding than chasing dozens of viral videos.

Still, we’re curious about the algorithm behind YouTube’s Community posts. Is it a separate algorithm or is it the same one that recommends videos to viewers? It feels like there’s an independent algorithm for both.

"At this point, every creator with more than 1,000 subscribers should be posting something on their Community tab." – vidIQ

But if that’s true, it means a user is just as likely to see Community posts as they are videos. And we know which one takes longer to create. 

You can spend two minutes crafting a Community post. A videos takes hours.

We’re not going to say Community posts will get you more views. But we can’t deny that the exposure could lead to more views and subscribers for your channel. At this point, every creator with more than 1,000 subscribers (and soon, 500) should be posting 

Videos and Community posts are very different, but they both have their place on YouTube. That’s why it’s smart to post each type on your channel. If you’re making videos while never posting on the Community tab, you’ll miss a chance to connect with viewers. In fact, sometimes Community posts get 

For example, we posted a Community poll about whether YouTube should hide dislikes on videos. A whopping 29,000 people voted. There were hundreds of comments and more than 2,000 likes. 

We received all this by posting one question and two emojis.

Engaging with a Community post is simple. It often takes one tap. With a video, viewers have to watch for several minutes before seeing something they can comment on – if they decide to comment at all.

To get the most engagement from your Community posts:

Never over-promote your videos; that’s what YouTube recommendations are for.

If you’re doing polls, let one of the answer choices be “Other - Comment Below.” That should help you get more comments.

As with anything on YouTube, provide value.

Connecting with your audience helps you grow your YouTube channel. Before you do that on any other platform, learn how to use the Community tab.

Have you passed 500 subscribers on YouTube? You can gain even more by posting on the Community tab. Keep reading to learn how.

YouTube Community Tab: The Underrated Growth Tool You NEED to Use


Receiving full monetization for a YouTube video just got easier. After receiving feedback from creators and advertisers, YouTube has decided to 

expand monetization for three video types

: educational, controversial, and content containing adult themes.

YouTube’s advertiser-friendly guidelines

. Traditionally, the rules help creators avoid revenue loss. YouTube knows the guidelines can be restrictive, though, and wants to help creators make good, advertisable videos.

How to Get Full Monetization for Your Gaming Videos

; they range from no ads to full ads that support complete monetization. In the YouTube studio, each one is represented by a color:

Gray: You turned off advertising by choice.

Red: Your video can’t be monetized because there’s a copyright claim.

Yellow: Advertising is turned on, but limited ads will be shown.

Green: Your video meets YouTube’s advertiser guidelines; it’s eligible for most ads.

These labels appear beside your videos. It can be frustrating to see lots of red and yellow, but don’t worry. YouTube’s update will help your videos go from yellow/red to bright green. Keep reading to learn more!

Educational content includes several video types on YouTube. If you upload documentaries or news content, for example, your content falls into this category.

YouTube is expanding monetization for these videos, and the changes are centered around violence and drug-related themes. One example includes violence between civilians and law enforcement. If you were a filmmaker documenting the racial unrest of 2020, you’d be eligible for full monetization today.

Other sensitive events are eligible too. If you’re educating viewers about a topic, it's likely you're in the clear.

Have your videos been demonetized for including controversial topics? YouTube is making a change in this area too. You can now upload 

 about controversial issues happening today.

Objective is the key word here. Your video should be well-rounded with the intent of sparking conversation, not hate or violence. If the video condemns certain groups to the extent of racism or organized crime, that’s not OK.

YouTube typically uses intent to judge videos. Even with these monetization updates, that logic will probably still stand.

Comedians of all backgrounds, listen up and take notes because this update is just for you. YouTube is expanding monetization for adult themes filmed in the context of humor. That means you can crack more jokes and earn more money at the same time.

Which adult themes are OK to post? Romance and dating humor are two safe examples. However, unless your intent is to inform or educate, highly sexualized themes may still lead to limited advertising.

YouTube has taken a second look at profanity too. Typically, the platform frowns upon curse words at the beginning of a video, and this is still somewhat true. The difference now is that you can use moderate profanity early on. Now words like bitch and shit are acceptable in the first 30 seconds of a video. YouTube is expanding monetization for these cases, whereas 

 like hell and damn used to be the "safe" standard.

Need more information about these updates? Watch 

 video about everything we’ve listed in this blog:

Ready to earn more ad revenue? YouTube is expanding monetization for these three videos.

YouTube Is Expanding Monetization for These 3 Video Types

Real-time subscriber counts are fun to watch. As the numbers tick up and down, for a few seconds, you can imagine what it feels like to reach your next subscriber milestone.

 a few years ago, but now it’s back. There’s a new page for viewing live subscribers, which feels like a nod to the old feature and an expansion at the same.

See a timeline of your subscriber count over the years

Want to see how many subscribers you have right this second? Keep reading to discover how.

How to See Your Live YouTube Subscriber Count in 2021

As with many YouTube features, you’ll find the live subscriber page in the YouTube Studio.

Look for the real time section on the right side of your screen. This section shows your live subscriber count, but to see a bigger, streamable screen, click 

Watch our video tutorial to get all the steps right:

Here’s what our live subscriber page looks like in the YouTube Studio:

As you gain or lose subscribers, this number will tick forward or backward to display an accurate count.

Below the live counter, there’s a graph showing your subscriber history. This is a cool feature because you can use the period selector to see how many subscribers you had at any point in your YouTube journey. Selecting the 

option gives you a complete numerical history, as shown above.

Public Subscriber Counts Are Still Abbreviated

Remember when YouTube decided to abbreviate public subscriber counts? Well, that rule still applies if you have more than 1,000 subscribers. Eight hundred seventy-seven subscribers will appear as 877 on your channel. Three thousand forty-six subscribers will be displayed as 3.4K.

YouTube’s new subscriber page is simply an add-on. That means the public count, unfortunately, will still 

There’s a positive side, though. If you miss the old days of live streaming your subscriber count, now you can relive those moments. Simply identify your next milestone, plan a live stream, and celebrate the win alongside your viewers.

Are you about to reach 1,000 subscribers? 10,000? 100,000? If so, it's time to live stream your big moment with YouTube's new, updated subscriber page.

How to See Your Real-Time YouTube Subscriber Count

If you're a regular, 9-to-5 employee, you have rules to follow. You’re expected to start work at a specific time, take breaks of a certain duration, and submit time-off requests before going on vacation. If you’re a woman with kids, the list gets longer. Planning for maternity leave or finding a babysitter are extra tasks to manage alongside work.

Things are different when you’re self-employed, especially on YouTube. You still have a boss, but he or she doesn’t control your day-to-day activities. Instead, you’ll answer to viewers looking for helpful or entertaining videos – and they don’t mind if you take a day off unrequested.

That’s why YouTube is a powerful platform for women. It helps them earn more money, close the 

 podcast, wants more women to seize this opportunity. She invites female creators on the show to share their experiences, which inspires other women to create on YouTube.

 and knows what the life of a creator entails. We sat down with her to learn how women benefit from treating YouTube like a serious, high-paying business.

Q: What inspired you to celebrate female creators on your podcast?

It happened in 2019 during the Social Media Marketing World conference. When they announced their speakers for the YouTube panels, they were all men – 

, and some other guys. I was really disappointed because about 

, and it was a conference for marketers. Rather than get mad, I figured I would try and do something about it.

I reached out to some women friends who do YouTube and asked if they’d be interested in doing a panel at Social Media Marketing World. They were like, yeah, sure. We're going to be there anyway. I pitched the idea of a “women of YouTube” panel to the guy in charge of booking. He liked the idea, but there was no space available.

He suggested doing it as a live stream instead. So he reached out to TubeBuddy to be the host, and they were in support of it. The live stream was successful, and a lot of people asked me to do more with it. Eventually, we launched the Women of YouTube podcast at VidSummit in 2019. Since then, we've been telling the stories of female creators to inspire and motivate women on YouTube.

Q: You’ve had so many women on the show. Motorcycle enthusiasts, beauty influencers, real estate agents…

I reach out to a lot of people. Yesterday I talked to Marielle of 

. She's a French-Canadian woman who is a mermaid. So she teaches people how to be a mermaid, and her business objective is to open mermaid schools around the globe.

; she's a fellow YouTuber. I spoke with a craft lady. I have 

, who talks about getting a job at Amazon. That's what her whole YouTube channel's about, so there are lots of different verticals.

Q: What have you learned from your podcast guests about growing on YouTube?

The number one thing is that they had a purpose on YouTube. It wasn't to become a famous YouTuber or whatever dumb reason some people join the platform for. They had figured out what a business looks like through YouTube because once you hit a certain growth point, that’s what it becomes. It's like, how do you 

, sponsorships, affiliate marketing, and things like that? Seeing the different ways people make money is really interesting.

What's also interesting to me is that some women have trolls and crappy people comment on their videos. One woman, literally, was being harassed and stalked by a man. She had to hire someone to reverse engineer his IP address, and she had her lawyer send him a cease and desist letter. She had to go through some seriously savage, deep web stuff to get this person to leave her alone.

Do I think men get harassed and have to deal with crappy things? Absolutely. However, I think it’s more widely done to women. There's a safety concern I never thought about before, and all of this came to light while hosting the podcast.

Q: What makes your guests successful on YouTube despite those challenges?

Because where there's one shitty thing, there are a hundred awesome things. People will straight up comment, "Why are you so fat?" on my channel. At the same time, I will have hundreds of people comment, "This was so helpful. Thank you so much. This was direct, to the point, and exactly how I wanted to consume this content."

Q: Why did you decide to start a YouTube channel?

I got on YouTube because my husband was moving overseas. We were a military family, Air Force specifically, and I needed to have a way to keep getting leads to my social media agency. Not just because it gave me money. It provided money for the military spouses that worked with me. There was a clear objective to this. I grew up a military kid, and I became a military spouse.

One of the biggest things we deal with in the military spouse community is unemployment and underemployment. It's like this combination of two things. Our unemployment is high and our underemployment is high because you get to these points where you’re doing whatever you can to make money. Selling cookies. Watching kids. Taking shitty jobs in the town you live.

I'm looking forward to teaching both of my children, especially my daughter, that you can forge a path of your own making without relying on someone else to give you money.

Q: How do women benefit financially from being on YouTube?

My advice to women who want to invest their money, buy a home, travel, or have the freedom to take six months off of work is to start a YouTube channel.

Anything you’re doing as a job, you can do on YouTube and make additional money. It’s more sustainable than driving for Uber or delivering groceries. YouTube provides longevity and growth, so starting a channel now is investing in your future. I have three-year-old videos that still bring me money.

My daughter is Latina, and I always think of ways to make the world better for her. With everything I’m doing, I'm showing her that she can live a good life and control every part of it. My income starts and stops with me – not with getting a job or relying on an algorithm to give me AdSense dollars. If I want more advertising revenue, I’ll make videos that target my demographic better or choose a high-paying vertical. You can future-proof your income on YouTube.

Q: Who are some female YouTubers inspiring other women to create on the platform?

. They’re from different backgrounds and they all talk about the power of YouTube.

Jessica Stansberry just hit 100,000 subscribers. She teaches women to build a life and a business of their own making, and that evolved from YouTube education. Our girl Meredith talks about YouTube, but she does it from a side hustler’s perspective. Trena, she's all-in on YouTube education. Diana talks about live streaming and camera gear, and Salma shares YouTube education and video marketing tips.

Q: What are some books people can read to grow on YouTube?

." I like it because it’s for the advanced use of YouTube. "

" by Amy Schmittauer is what got me on track, though. Lilly Singh's book, "

" by Sean Cannell and Benji Travis is an option. Also, my book, "

Q: Any advice for those who want to start a channel but need ideas?

There are lots of topics to cover. You can sit down right now and write 10 things you could talk about without any problems. That's 10 videos, which equals 10 weeks of content. From there, you'll be so surprised at all the other ideas you discover. More topics will come to you as you write or research video ideas.

Are you a woman looking to start a YouTube channel? In this Q&A, Desiree Martinez of the Women of YouTube podcast offers tips and inspiration for getting started.

‘Women of YouTube’ Q&A: Building Careers, Passive Income, and More

YouTube has finally launched Shorts beta, an in-app camera for recording, editing, and posting TikTok-style videos, in the U.S. The rollout was announced on March 18 via the official 

“Starting today and over the next several weeks, we’ll gradually expand our Shorts beta to the U.S.,” YouTube Shorts Product Lead Todd Sherman writes. “We plan to introduce more features as we continue to build Shorts alongside creators and artists.”

The new features will help creators make better short-form videos. External audio, a text tool, and even Shorts monetization could be just around the corner for many creators.

Our first impression of this news mirrors what we’ve been saying all along. If you weren’t making Shorts before, now is a good time to start. These new Shorts features, which we discuss in the video below, confirm that short content is here to stay on YouTube.

This is it, creators. Shorts are about to get fancier, which means the competition around vertical, less-than-a-minute videos will be steep. Here’s what you need to know about the latest features heading your way.

YouTube is adding text controls to Shorts, and it's similar to what you’d see on TikTok or Instagram Stories. This is something most YouTube creators haven't used yet, so it’ll be interesting to see what they do with it.

Text controls are an add-on to original Shorts tools (which Indian creators received in the first rollout), including:

2. Add Audio From Other Shorts to Your Shorts

Soon, you’ll be able to add external audio to your Shorts. That means you can sample sounds from other creators’ Shorts as you’re editing your own content in the Shorts camera.

This is a fresh, creative opportunity. YouTube has billions of videos, and you can use the audio from any one of them to put a creative spin on your content.

“trying your hand at a creator's latest recipe”

For now, creators can opt-out if they don’t want their videos to be remixed by others. Does that mean everyone is opted in by default and must remove themselves from video sharing if desired? Maybe so, but YouTube hasn’t clarified yet.

3. Add Songs From Major Music Labels to Your Shorts

In other copyright news, YouTube is making music from major labels and publishers available for Shorts use. The platform has strict guidelines around 

, so this feature may inspire some changes, especially if Shorts monetization becomes a thing. How will music copyright be treated going forward? Will there be a revenue split between YouTube, musicians, and video creators? We'll have to wait and see.

4. Seamless Viewing Experience For Shorts

YouTube wants to help viewers find more of what they enjoy via Shorts. In the coming weeks, you can expect new features for discovering music, video creators, and artists. If you’re a creator looking to get discovered, this news is for you.

On the YouTube homepage, there will be a row of content for Shorts, as shown below. 

Also, viewers will be able to swipe up to see one Short after another in some areas of the app. And YouTube is testing a Shorts mobile tab that supports one-tap viewing.

Additionally, music-based creation and listening will improve. If you hear a song you like while watching a Short, YouTube will help you find the full song or music video. There will also be a create button to make your own Short using that audio.

YouTube’s Shorts player is mostly good, especially as a carousel of short content. One thing it’s lacking, however, is a way to switch between watching short and long videos. That’s an update we’d love to see, especially for creators who make longer, more traditional videos.

5. YouTube Shorts Monetization Is a Strong Possibility

Are you ready to make money from Shorts? Well, we've got good news. YouTube recognizes the power of mobile content and is thinking about paying Shorts creators.

“Over the last three years, YouTube has paid out more than $30 billion to creators, artists, and media companies," Sherman writes in the Shorts update blog. "We are deeply committed to supporting the next generation of mobile creators with Shorts, and are actively working on what monetization options will look like in the future.”

Still, Shorts monetization could be months away. The earliest we’d expect it is sometime near the end of 2021. When it does arrive, we’re wondering how YouTube will attribute Watch Time and subscribers earned from Shorts. Will it all go toward the 

requirements? Will there be a new monetization program for Shorts? It’s hard to predict what will happen next.

. Now that figure has doubled to more than 6.5 billion. That’s the equivalent of every person on the planet watching one Short each day.

This may be your last chance to earn some of those views before millions of U.S. creators do the same. Shorts have been 

, so if you’re interested, create and post your first Short today.

You can expect a seamless viewing experience, music from major labels, and in the distant future, perhaps Shorts monetization. 

These 5 YouTube Shorts Upgrades Will Help You Make Better Content

Do you live outside the U.S. and make money on YouTube? If so, you have a new tax responsibility this year. Creators in this group must submit tax information to Google or potentially have 24% of their revenue deducted for taxes.

As an example, let's say you make $100 on YouTube. If you don’t submit your tax information, the platform may automatically deduct $24 from your revenue. 

That's less likely to happen if you submit the appropriate information. In that case, Google will only deduct taxes from the income you earn from U.S. viewers. So if you earn $100, and only $20 comes from U.S. viewers, taxes will be withheld from the $20 portion – not the entire $100.

This isn’t a YouTube rule, per se. Google is doing this to comply with a U.S. tax law. On this 

, the platform posted the following update:

“Google has a responsibility under Chapter 3 of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code to collect tax info, withhold taxes, and report to the Internal Revenue Service (the U.S. tax authority, also known as the IRS) when a YouTube Partner Program creator on YouTube earns royalty revenue from viewers in the U.S.”

For more information, watch our video summarizing the new tax requirement:

Worried about your YouTube revenue? Here’s what you need to do to keep your taxes in check.

Submit Your Tax Information In Google AdSense

Non-U.S. creators may see taxes withheld from their revenue as early as June 2021. To avoid a general, 24% withholding, submit your tax information on Google AdSense by May 31, 2021.

Scroll down to the U.S. tax info section. Hover your mouse over the pencil icon and click 

Complete the questionnaire to determine which tax form you need to fill out. You can do this online, and the form will be available in the language of your AdSense account.

Need help reaching this section? Watch this video from 

Typically, individuals will fill out form W-8BEN and businesses will complete form W-8BEN-E. Before you do anything, speak to a licensed tax professional about your specific situation.

If you’re part of a multi-channel network, you still need to log in to AdSense and complete these steps.

How much you’ll be taxed depends on three things:

Whether your country has a tax treaty with the U.S.

Whether you’ve submitted your tax information to Google

How much of your revenue comes from U.S. viewers

If you submit tax information, you’ll see the withholding rate in the payments section of your AdSense account. This number is between 0% and 30% and will be applied to all U.S. revenue. That includes income from 

You may owe fewer taxes if your country has a tax treaty with the U.S. For example, creators in the United Kingdom and Canada could have a tax rate of 0%, thanks to treaty laws. In countries like Mexico or Korea, your rate could be 10%.

Living in a treaty location doesn’t qualify you for a tax benefit. But if you submit your tax information now, you have a chance to claim the benefit and reduce your tax responsibility.

Do Taxes Outside the U.S. Still Apply to YouTube Revenue?

Yes! You will still be taxed on income earned in your country, so do your research and plan ahead. Everything in this blog applies to the U.S. aspect of your taxable income.

Editor’s note: The information in this blog is not legal tax advice. If you need guidance, speak to a licensed tax professional.

Google will soon withhold taxes from your YouTube revenue. This only applies to non-U.S. creators, and there's a penalty for not submitting your tax information.

Non-U.S. Creators: Do This to Avoid a 24% Tax on YouTube Revenue

Of all the new viewers on your YouTube channel, how many return to watch more videos? If a large number of people keep coming back, that’s a good sign. On the flip side, having thousands of unengaged subscribers means you have some work to do.

This year, YouTube is helping creators bridge the gap. The platform has released a new feature that tracks both new and returning viewers to a channel. With these metrics, you can gauge long-term growth instead of temporary wins, such as going viral.

Here’s what it looks like in the YouTube Studio:

There are two new lines (metrics) on this graph. The blue one represents new viewers and the purple one shows how many viewers returned to your channel. When the purple line grows upward, so does your overall audience.

If the YouTube algorithm were something to beat, this would be a major cheat code. Keep reading to learn why returning visitors are worth more than subscribers and how you can leverage this new data.

How to See the Number of Returning Viewers to Your YouTube Channel

On the channel analytics page that shows views, Watch Time, subscribers, and estimated revenue, click the 

Next, you’ll see an audience graph tracking unique visitors and subscribers. But by default, you should land on a new section that shows new and returning viewers.

Need help finding this graph? Watch our video tutorial below:

How to Analyze Returning Viewer Data on YouTube

Getting more subscribers is great, but attracting viewers who keep returning is impactful. When you gain a subscriber, that means someone liked your content enough to digitally “bookmark” it. The best scenario is when that subscriber returns to watch more videos.

We can see the difference between both behaviors on the 

 channel. Here is our audience data for new and returning viewers within the past three months:

In the beginning, we attracted 15,519 returning viewers daily. By the end of this time period, our returning viewer count increased to 24,217.

As more viewers returned to watch our content, other metrics improved. Daily channel views increased from 58,604 to 89,593 views. And now YouTube’s algorithm is finding more viewers to watch our content. We can tell by looking at our daily impressions, which nearly doubled in that same period.

Our new and returning viewer data hasn’t always been positive, though. We posted a few videos about 

Are viewers returning to your YouTube channel to watch more content? Here's how to find out.

Posts Written By Lydia Sweatt

YouTube Community Tab: The Underrated Growth Tool You NEED to Use

YouTube Is Expanding Monetization for These 3 Video Types

How to See Your Real-Time YouTube Subscriber Count

‘Women of YouTube’ Q&A: Building Careers, Passive Income, and More

These 5 YouTube Shorts Upgrades Will Help You Make Better Content

Non-U.S. Creators: Do This to Avoid a 24% Tax on YouTube Revenue

YouTube Cheat Code Unlocked: How to Track Returning Viewers on Your Channel

Do This One Thing to Increase YouTube Shorts Views

7 Beliefs You Need to Have to Grow a YouTube Channel

3 Reasons to Upload YouTube Shorts Before the Competition Gets Tough

Make These 4 YouTube Videos to Get Your First 1,000 Subscribers

How to Use YouTube's Video Editor [2021 Update]