One of the most important foundations that support social networks are the content creators: essential to attract and retain users. Hence the importance of creating new tools that facilitate the work of content creators.

For some time now, and especially in recent years, YouTube has been one of the favourite platforms for influencers and creators to unleash their creativity. Therefore, to ensure its pre-eminent position and to respond to the changing trends and needs of creators, YouTube is launching Super Thanks. Let’s take a look at what it’s all about.

 

Getting to know Super Thanks

 

Super Thanks is the latest product launched by YouTube, aimed at content monetisation.  This new tool adds to the list of “Paid Digital Goods”, to encourage the creation of content and provide creators with a reliable means of earning income.

Super Thanks would be the fourth of the video platform’s monetisation tools, following Super Chat (2017) and Super Stickers (2019), as well as YouTube memberships. At first glance, Super Thanks is similar to the other two means of monetisation discussed, and is mainly oriented towards interaction between creators and their users. But with one difference: Super Thanks is not suitable for live broadcasts, but is designed for regular video content.

This new tool offers fans the opportunity to support their favourite youtubers by purchasing Super Thanks. They will have 4 different costs: $2 or €1.70, $5 or €4.24, $10 or €8.48 and finally $20 or €16.95. Thus, with each purchase of a Super Thanks by a follower, a GIF will appear and a featured comment will be generated automatically.  These comments can then be referred to by the creators, thus allowing for deeper interaction with users.

 

The development of Super Thank You

 

YouTube’s efforts to develop this new monetisation format, platform, go back a long way. Competition with other social networks has been a spur to create new things to maintain a cutting-edge position. For example, in the case of Twitch, this platform has attracted a large part of the gamer community to Google’s video app.

With Super Thanks, it all started as a quiz, responding to the initiative for youtubers’ followers to show their support by clapping for them.  But based on the comments of the participants in this test, it ended up becoming what is now public. 

However, like so many other new tools that have emerged in other environments, Super Thanks is still in the testing phase. But unlike other features in testing, Super Thanks is available to a wider range of users, and continues to be developed to provide better features for creators. It is currently available only to creators and users in 68 countries, including Spain, and can be accessed on computers and mobile devices.

In a press release issued by YouTube, Super Thanks is presented as a very practical and effective means of monetisation, according to Nicholas Ashbaugh, product manager. He reportedly participated in beta testing of the new tool, achieving a higher revenue stream from it. 

The figure obtained in the test was revealing: the revenue achieved through Super Thanks represented 15% of the content creator’s total earnings. Not bad, is it? We’ll have to wait a little longer while the tool continues to be perfected. A wait that looks like it will be worth it.

 

 

 

 

 

Lectora voraz desde que era niña, aprendí pronto a contemplar el mundo con la mirada entre curiosa y soñadora de quienes aman los libros.