YouTube is testing a new feature that works like the popular “collabs” feature on Instagram and TikTok. This indicates that the company has a deeper understanding of how the creator economy works and how people work together. This experimental tool, currently available only to a small group of creators, officially tags collaborators on a video. This may seem like a small change, but it could have a big effect on how creators work together and how viewers find new content.
YouTube collaborations have been mostly casual for years, with creators mentioning each other in video titles and descriptions or giving shout-outs. This method has worked somewhat, but it hasn’t had the official, built-in feel of similar features on other social media sites. Instagram and TikTok have long made it easier for creators to collaborate on content by highlighting tagged collaborators and making viewers’ profiles easy to find.
This seems to be how YouTube’s new “collabs” feature works, too. Influencer marketing consultant Lindsey Gamble shared a screenshot of the feature, which appears to let a creator add other accounts as collaborators on a video. Once the invitation is accepted, the collaborators’ names will appear in the channel next to the main creator’s name. For videos with more than one person, clicking the “…and more” link shows a full list of everyone who contributed, with a “Subscribe” button next to each name.
It looks like this simple addition could benefit both creators and viewers. It’s clear what the benefits are for creators:
- Better Discoverability: When collaborators are officially linked, YouTube’s algorithm can better suggest each other’s content to each other’s audiences. This can lead to both natural and targeted audience growth.
- Improved Crediting: This feature makes it easy to credit everyone who worked on a project, ensuring they are recognized for their hard work.
- Promoting a More Collaborative Ecosystem: YouTube is fostering a more connected and helpful creator community by making it easier for people to collaborate.
For viewers, the new feature will offer a more transparent and user-friendly experience:
- New Creators Are Easy to Find: While watching a video, viewers can easily find and subscribe to new creators they might like.
- A Better Experience with Content: The new feature will make it easier to see the network of people who made a video, giving you a fuller picture of the creative process.
As with any new feature, there are still things that need to be explained. It’s not clear what level of access collaborators will have to the video’s analytics and performance data. The “collabs” feature will only be successful if it is liked and used by the creator community, just like any other platform change.
YouTube is being cautious for now, waiting for feedback from the first group of testers before deciding to roll out to more people. However, if the feature is as popular and useful as similar ones on Instagram and TikTok, it could become an important tool for creators on the world’s biggest video platform who want to build their careers and reach more people.
It’s clear from YouTube’s move that the company is not only listening to its creators’ changing needs but also ready to learn from its competitors in the ever-changing social media landscape.
