- Look at this, you've learned something new about me.
I can juggle.
And you know what, I think that's worth of at least
(cash register ringing)
$10.
(upbeat electronic music)
Do you think I can juggle for the whole of this video?
Let's find out.
Now then, hey folks, I'm Rob.
Welcome back to vidIQ,
educating you on your YouTube journey as always.
And today's lesson is all about
how you could potentially earn a lot more money
from your videos via a tool that YouTube teased ages ago.
Back then it was known as Viewer Applause,
and it allowed viewers to donate money to creators
on a video by video basis.
But this was all over a year and a half ago,
and boy, hasn't the world changed a bit since then.
And so has Viewer Applause.
Not only does it have a brand new name,
but it's also ready for a full release.
Ah, dammit.
Super Thanks joins Super Chats and Stickers
as part of your monetization features
within the YouTube platform.
So obviously, you do need to be part
of the YouTube partner program,
and you may need to accept new agreements
as you can see on screen.
Once you've done that, and as of time of recording,
it's a very simple toggle called Super Thanks,
which you can turn on within the monetization screen
in the YouTube Studio.
As far as I'm aware, this will turn on this feature
for all of your video on demand content.
When you go to the monetization screen
for individual videos,
there does not appear to be any Super Thanks toggle.
But of course, this could change in the future.
I want another go at this.
(ding sound) (click)
So that's how you turn Super Thanks on
from a creator's point of view.
But what does it look like for the viewer?
On the desktop viewing experience,
you'll see this button below the video,
which allows you to donate a set amount to the creator.
I'm not entirely sure if these amounts vary
between currencies and when you go to donate
through one of these options, you do need to be aware
that there may be a little bit of tax
added on top at the end.
(ding sound)
The mobile experience is almost identical.
You'll see a Thanks button below the video,
and once you've gone through the payment process,
two things that will happen.
First, you'll get a funky little onscreen animation
thanking you for the donation.
And a comment is automatically added to the video,
indicating the viewer who donated
and the amount they donated.
As far as I can tell, you can't edit the comment
of the Super Thanks and you can't send
a Super Thanks anonymously.
It feels like two upgrades
that YouTube may wanna consider it in the future.
As mentioned earlier, this feature has been available
in a beta state for a very long time.
And as proof of concept, YouTube shared how this channel
was able to create a brand new revenue stream
through Super Thanks,
that now accounts for 15% of their total income.
Super Thanks is now rolling out to all of these countries.
I can't be bothered reading them all out,
that would be boring and I'm too busy juggling.
But if you want to read up on more information
about this new tool, then check out the links
I've left in the video description
just below the Like button.
As for Super Thanks and YouTube Shorts,
(buzzer sound)
I'm afraid that's a big fat no.
But hey, let's not get too negative about this, right?
Because any opportunity to further maximize
the monetization potential of your content
that's seamlessly integrated into YouTube,
is surely a good thing, right?
Well, let me explain what I mean.
From the viewer perspective, the Super Thanks feature
makes it appear as if you are donating a selected amount
to the creator.
But in reality, only a percentage of that
goes to the creator thanks to YouTube's revenue split.
Now this is not a new thing.
Revenue split has existed in AdSense for a decade,
and it also applies to Super Chats and Stickies.
And the split currently is 70 30 in the creators favor.
But what I feel a little uncomfortable about here
is the context.
I feel as if the intent of a Super Chat
and Sticky is twofold.
Yes, you do want to donate something to the creator,
but you also want to get your comments highlighted
at the top of live chat.
But a Super Thanks feels very different to me.
As far I'm aware, these special thanks comments
can't be edited and they're not prioritized
at the top of the comments list.
So it doesn't feel as if it's a way to grab attention
for the commenter.
This by its very name is a digital tip jar.
It is a way for the viewer to say to the creator,
thank you for the content that you provide.
But YouTube is gonna charge a 30% tax on that thanks.
Now don't get me wrong, it doesn't make sense
for 100% of the Super Thanks to go to the creator
because YouTube needs to make this financially viable.
But I had to do quite a bit of digging to discover
that there was a revenue split on this feature.
So I'm assuming most people who actually use this
will have no idea that there's money
going both to the creator and YouTube.
I think YouTube should be more open and transparent
that this Super Thanks is going to be split
between both YouTube and the creator.
And it feels like more of a 85,
15% split would be fairer in this case.
Now that's just my personal opinion
on how I think a Super Thanks is communicated
to those who are gonna use it.
I'd love to hear your thoughts
because I could be completely off base with this.
And again, let's not get too negative about this
because up until this point,
video on demand content on YouTube
has relied solely on AdSense revenue,
which is quite unreliable.
The fact that you can retroactively add this
to all of your existing content is fantastic.
And just imagine how people
are gonna try and leverage this in the future.
Up until now, creators have used engagement tactics.
If we get 5,000 likes on this video,
I'm gonna do this in the next video.
Well, now you can monetize that.
If we can raise $100 on this video,
I'll do the next one entirely as Ironman.
And you know how people are always asking for shout-outs?
Sure, let's monetize it.
Oh, Rando Channel 784 now does exist.
It will likely be sometime
before we learn the true potential
and impact of Super Thanks on YouTube.
And instead of sending one of those Super Thanks to us
in this video today, we prefer it if you just write
thank you in the comments as this video's codeword.
And if you think I've been juggling for all this time,
then you've just been owned by my video editing skills.
(hip hop music)