YouTube has begun rolling out its fan-powered ‘Hype’ feature globally, aiming to help creators with under 500,000 subscribers get noticed and grow their audiences faster.
Now Live In 39 Countries
The Hype feature was originally introduced at Google’s Made on YouTube event in late 2024 as part of a broader push to support emerging content creators. As of this week, YouTube has announced that Hype is now live in 39 countries, including the UK, US, Japan, South Korea, India, and Indonesia. This marks a significant expansion of what was previously a limited test.
What Is Hype?
The feature allows viewers to “hype” up to three videos per week from smaller channels. Each hype earns the video points, thereby helping it rise on a new ranked leaderboard visible in the Explore tab of the YouTube app. In a blog post announcing the launch, Jessica Locke, Product Manager at YouTube, wrote: “We created Hype to give fans a unique way to help their favourite emerging creators get noticed, because we know how hard it can be for smaller channels to break through.”
To make the process more equitable, YouTube has introduced a multiplier effect, i.e. creators with fewer subscribers receive a proportionally larger boost when their videos are hyped. This is designed to increase the visibility of lesser-known creators who may otherwise struggle to stand out against more established channels.
How Does It Work and Who Is It For?
The Hype button is a new interactive tool that now appears just below the Like button on videos made by eligible creators. Anyone watching a video from a channel with fewer than 500,000 subscribers will see the option to “Hype” it. If a viewer chooses to press the Hype button, they’re essentially voting to support that video and help it get noticed more widely. Each user can hype up to three different videos per week, and their support contributes points towards that video’s overall “Hype score.”
Videos that gather enough points may appear on a new, publicly visible Hype leaderboard, found in YouTube’s Explore section. This leaderboard ranks the most-hyped videos at any given time, helping fans discover rising creators and helping creators gain more visibility.
In addition to the leaderboard, videos that have received Hype show a “Hyped” badge, and viewers can filter their Home feed to only display hyped videos. Regular fans can earn a “Hype Star” badge for supporting emerging talent, and YouTube sends notifications when a video a user hyped is close to reaching the leaderboard.
For creators, Hype analytics are now integrated directly into the YouTube Studio mobile app. A new Hype card in the analytics dashboard shows how many hypes and points a video has received, and creators can view these metrics as part of their weekly performance summaries.
Why Now?
YouTube’s decision to expand Hype globally reflects a growing demand for better discovery mechanisms on the platform. For example, with more than 500 hours of content uploaded every minute, new and lesser-known creators often face an uphill battle to gain visibility. Therefore, by giving fans a tangible way to promote creators they believe in, Hype is intended to introduce an additional layer of community-driven discovery.
YouTube also noted a behavioural shift among viewers. In Locke’s words: “We saw that passionate fans wanted to be a part of a creator’s success story.” The feature builds on this insight by letting viewers become active participants in content promotion, rather than passive consumers.
It seems that there’s also a strategic angle to Hype’s expansion by YouTube. For example, while Hype currently remains free, YouTube has confirmed that it is testing paid hypes in Brazil and Turkey. This could eventually create a new revenue stream for the platform, allowing fans to pay to promote content they care about. Though monetisation is not yet part of the global rollout, the inclusion of paid elements may help YouTube compete more directly with platforms like TikTok, Twitch, and Patreon, where fan support and tipping already play a major role in creator income.
The Implications
The global expansion of Hype could alter how creators approach audience growth, particularly in niche content categories. Smaller UK-based creators in areas like educational content, music, gaming, or local business insights may find themselves newly empowered to build momentum through fan advocacy rather than solely relying on YouTube’s algorithm.
For fans, the new feature provides a way to champion creators they believe in. This aligns with broader trends in digital fandom where audiences seek more meaningful engagement with content and creators. Unlike Likes or Comments, Hype carries a clear purpose, i.e. boosting visibility, and adds a layer of gamification with badges and leaderboards.
From a business perspective, brands that collaborate with up-and-coming creators can benefit from the added exposure that Hype brings, particularly if their partner creators climb the leaderboard. SMEs experimenting with influencer marketing may find more value in supporting creators at an earlier stage, when Hype-driven growth is most effective.
The feature may also have algorithmic implications, though YouTube hasn’t confirmed how Hype influences its wider recommendation system. Still, a ranked leaderboard based on fan input offers an alternative discovery channel that could shape content visibility beyond traditional engagement metrics.
Some Concerns
Despite its promise, the Hype rollout has raised a few concerns. For example, there’s the issue of fairness. While the multiplier system is designed to level the playing field, creators close to the 500,000-subscriber threshold may benefit more than micro-channels with only a few thousand followers. The leaderboard system, while exciting, could also incentivise superficial hype campaigns rather than genuine fan support.
Also, as the platform explores monetising Hype, there is potential for the feature to be co-opted by those with deeper pockets. If paid hypes become widely available, YouTube may face criticism for favouring creators with access to financial resources or marketing support.
There are also privacy and transparency questions. For example, YouTube has not disclosed full details on how it weights hype points or whether other behavioural signals factor into rankings. Without clearer criteria, creators may find it difficult to strategise around the feature.
From a platform governance standpoint, Hype also appears to have introduced a new layer of complexity. It remains to be seen how YouTube will moderate attempts to game the system or coordinate artificial hype activity, and whether the feature could be exploited by coordinated fan groups or bot accounts.
Competing For Creator Loyalty
Essentially, for rival platforms like TikTok, Twitch, and Instagram, YouTube’s latest move highlights growing competition over creator loyalty. As platforms continue to experiment with new ways to support emerging talent, Hype may pressure competitors to introduce similarly visible fan-based discovery tools or expand existing monetisation schemes.
What Does This Mean For Your Business?
Hype’s global rollout marks a clear change in how YouTube is choosing to support growth on its platform, particularly for creators who sit outside the high-subscriber bracket. By allowing fans to play a more active role in surfacing content, YouTube is not only encouraging deeper engagement but also attempting to redistribute visibility in a way that isn’t entirely governed by its recommendation algorithm. This could prove especially valuable in the UK, where independent creators often struggle to cut through without agency backing or brand partnerships. Giving those creators a clearer route to discovery may level the field in meaningful ways, though much will depend on how equitably the feature is managed in practice.
For UK businesses, particularly those investing in influencer marketing or building long-term creator partnerships, the implications are also significant. Hype offers a clearer mechanism to identify rising talent before they hit mainstream levels, potentially allowing brands to support authentic voices at an earlier stage. That could translate into stronger brand alignment, reduced campaign costs, and longer-lasting creator relationships. However, if Hype becomes pay-to-win, those benefits may become harder to access without budget, pushing smaller businesses back to the sidelines.
While YouTube has long been considered the platform of choice for long-form video, rivals like TikTok and Instagram have been far more aggressive in promoting viral discovery. Hype reintroduces a sense of fan-driven momentum to YouTube, something it has arguably lacked in comparison. Whether this translates to sustained user behaviour change or wider business value remains to be seen, but it clearly marks a deliberate effort by YouTube to retain creators who might otherwise be tempted to move elsewhere.
However, transparency around how hype points are calculated, the potential for artificial manipulation, and the risk of monetised hype distorting genuine support will need to be addressed if trust in the system is to hold. For creators, brands, and viewers alike, it may offer a welcome new pathway, but only if it stays true to its original purpose.