YouTube Communities are the new space to connect with creators and fellow fans

Key Takeaways

• YouTube is introducing a new ‘Communities’ feature for creators and fans to engage directly on the platform.
• Creators can build communities, fans can rally behind them and build connections in the meanwhile.
• Communities allow fans and creators to share posts, photos, and comments, with creators having control over who can initiate posts on their Community page.

Platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram allow content creators to establish communities and engage with fans, and now YouTube has its sight set on a similar path.

For content creators on YouTube, this means that they don’t have to rely on a separate platform to engage with those that support them, and for fans, a space to discuss topics, rally behind their favorite creator, and build connections with other fans, can now be accessed directly on the platform itself.

The new Communities feature, different from a similarly-named Community Posts feature, was announced today at a Made on YouTube event in New York City.

According to the tech giant, the current Community Posts feature revolves around a creator’s latest videos and posts, and not around raw discussion. “We wanted to build a space where, for the first time ever, subscribers can chat with each other and the creator directly,” wrote YouTube in a blog post, and the new Communities feature strives to do just that.

The tech giant suggests that it garnered feedback from creators and their fans to understand what exactly they’re looking for, and it came down to three primary points:

1. Creators and fans want more ways to connect with each other.
2. Fans have a desire to belong to a community of like-minded peers where they feel included and understood.
3. Creators want more control over their communities.

The new Communities space will be linked to creator channels and offer a safe space to share posts, including photos, and will allow users to comment on other fans’ posts, as seen in the image above. Creators will be able to regulate who can initiate posts on their Community page. For reference, to start, only subscribers will be able to initiate posts.

The streaming giant also shared examples of communities that are already live and thriving, including Sydney Cummings Houdyshell’s fitness community, Bake With Shivesh’s cooking community, and Mogswamp’s gaming community. “Across all these communities we’re seeing deeper conversations and the formation of lasting connections,” suggests YouTube, with users sharing their fitness progress, creators challenging their fans to try out new recipes, and fans engaging in friendly gaming challenges.

It’s worth noting that Communities is still in its experimental phase, and will slowly roll out to more creators over time. If you don’t see a Community page on your favorite creator’s channel, fret not, the streaming giant suggests that it will expand its test to more creators this year, before expanding access to more channels in early 2025.