Membership Perks
Membership perks are the exclusive benefits a YouTube creator offers viewers who make recurring monthly channel-membership payments or receive temporary gifted access.
Perks can include badges, emoji, posts, early access, exclusive videos and Shorts, live streams, chat access, recognition features, and other creator-provided benefits that follow YouTube's membership policies.
Common YouTube Membership Perks
| Perk | What Members Receive |
|---|---|
| Loyalty badges | A public badge beside the member's name in channel comments and live chats |
| Custom emoji | Channel emoji for comments and live chat |
| Members-only posts | Exclusive text, images, GIFs, polls, videos, and updates |
| Early access | Videos available to members before becoming public |
| Exclusive videos and Shorts | Content restricted to qualifying membership levels |
| Members-only live streams | Live broadcasts restricted to qualifying members |
| Members-only live chat | Chat participation during otherwise public streams |
| Member Milestone Chats | Highlighted monthly messages beginning after the first consecutive month |
| Recognition shelf | Public member avatars on the channel when the creator enables the shelf |
| Other creator perks | Additional scalable benefits that comply with policy |
How Membership Levels Work
YouTube currently allows a creator to build up to six membership levels with different prices.
Each level must include between one and five perks.
Perks Stack Upward
Higher-priced levels automatically include the benefits assigned to lower-priced levels.
Example:
| Level | New Perks at This Level | Total Access |
|---|---|---|
| Supporter | Badge, emoji, members-only posts | Supporter perks |
| Insider | Early access and monthly live stream | Supporter plus Insider perks |
| Producer | Quarterly group workshop | All lower perks plus Producer perk |
A creator cannot use the normal tier system to remove lower-level benefits from higher levels.
How to Add Levels and Perks
- Open YouTube Studio on a computer.
- Select Earn.
- Open Memberships.
- Edit the levels and perks section.
- Add the level name, price, and one to five perks.
- Publish the program changes.
- Wait for YouTube's policy review.
YouTube says the level and perk review generally takes about one day.
What Makes a Strong Perk?
YouTube recommends perks that are:
- Valuable: Members understand why the benefit matters.
- Scalable: The perk still works when membership grows.
- Recurring: Members receive continuing value rather than a one-time promise.
- Sustainable: The creator can consistently deliver it.
Lightweight vs. High-Effort Perks
| Lightweight Perks | Higher-Effort Perks |
|---|---|
| Badge and emoji | Original exclusive video series |
| Early-access videos | Monthly workshops |
| Members-only polls | Detailed project critiques |
| Chat access during an existing stream | Separate live events |
| Behind-the-scenes posts | Custom physical fulfillment |
YouTube recommends keeping the basic level easy to deliver and reserving labor-intensive benefits for higher levels.
Why Viewers Become Members
Members may be motivated by:
- Supporting the creator
- Feeling closer to the community
- Recognition
- Exclusive content
- Early access
- Direct participation
- Access to a smaller discussion
Not every supporter expects a large volume of exclusive work. A simple, honest membership can outperform an unsustainable promise.
Perks YouTube Prohibits
YouTube's current membership policies prohibit perks including:
- Downloads of content, including music, available on YouTube
- In-person one-to-one meetings
- Randomly awarded benefits for only some members, including contests, lotteries, and sweepstakes
- Perks marketed, directed, or targeted to children
- Perks that may be attractive to or inappropriate for children
- Perks encouraging children to ask parents to join
These restrictions apply whether or not the perk is written in the official membership window.
Why Random Giveaways Are a Problem
A creator cannot make membership itself an entry into a random prize drawing for only selected members.
This differs from giving the same guaranteed benefit to everyone at a level. Creators must also follow YouTube's broader contest rules and applicable law for any public promotion.
Can You Offer Downloads?
YouTube prohibits offering downloads of content available on YouTube, including music, as a members-only perk.
This prevents a creator from advertising "download my members-only YouTube videos" as the benefit. Separate original resources require careful rights, policy, and legal review and should not be presented as a way to bypass YouTube's restriction.
Can You Offer One-on-One Calls?
YouTube's policy specifically prohibits in-person one-to-one meetings as a membership perk. Other coaching, consultation, or group-access models require separate review for scalability, safety, local law, and YouTube policy.
Do not advertise a perk before confirming that its exact format is permitted.
Members-Only Content as a Perk
Content perks can include:
- Members-only videos
- Members-only Shorts
- Members-only posts and polls
- Members-only live streams
- Early access to public videos
- Extended cuts and behind-the-scenes material
The creator should state whether content is permanently exclusive or becomes public later.
Recognition Perks
Recognition can include:
- Badges that reflect membership tenure
- Custom emoji
- Member Milestone Chats
- New-member messages during live streams
- The Member Recognition Shelf
- Group acknowledgements in videos or posts
Member status and channel name may be publicly visible or shared with approved third-party tools.
Gift Membership Access
A recipient of a Gift Membership receives access to the applicable membership perks for up to one month.
Gift access does not automatically renew or charge the recipient. Promotional gifts funded by YouTube do not generate creator revenue.
Membership Perks and the Commerce Product Module
The Commerce Product Module governs creator earnings from channel memberships and other covered fan-funding products.
Accepting the module does not remove the need to meet channel-membership eligibility or deliver the promised perks.
Perk Review and Approval
YouTube reviews levels and perks before they go live. A perk can be rejected or later removed if it violates policy.
Creators remain responsible for:
- Accurately describing the benefit
- Delivering it consistently
- Complying with relevant laws
- Updating the membership offer when circumstances change
- Handling member expectations transparently
What Happens If a Level Is Removed?
YouTube says removing a membership level deletes the members in that level. Those members lose perk access immediately and receive a refund of their last month's payment.
Do not remove a level casually when a price or perk adjustment could be handled through a less disruptive program change.
Can Perks Change?
Creators may update the membership offer, and YouTube tells viewers that perks can change over time.
Best practice is to:
- Give advance notice
- Explain why the change is necessary
- Replace removed value where reasonable
- Update the Join and See Perks descriptions
- Avoid retroactively changing a promise without communication
How to Choose Membership Perks
- Identify why the audience wants to support the channel.
- Choose one simple entry-level offer.
- Estimate the monthly time and cost.
- Make the benefit repeatable at ten times the current membership.
- Use a public or members-only YouTube poll for feedback.
- Set a clear delivery schedule.
- Review policy before publishing.
- Track retention and member feedback.
Perks and Membership Retention
Membership retention depends on both emotional support and delivered value. Useful indicators include:
- Total and active members
- Cancellations
- Members by level
- Membership revenue
- Attendance at exclusive streams
- Views of exclusive content
- Poll and post participation
- Direct member feedback
A Sustainable Example
A simple program might include:
- Level 1: Badge, emoji, members-only posts, and early access
- Level 2: All Level 1 perks plus one monthly members-only live stream
- Level 3: All lower perks plus a quarterly group workshop
The creator should avoid adding a level merely to increase price. Each level needs a clear, deliverable reason to exist.
Common Membership-Perk Mistakes
- Creating too many levels at launch.
- Offering more than five perks in one official level description.
- Forgetting that higher levels inherit lower-level perks.
- Promising labor-intensive benefits at a low price.
- Running members-only lotteries or random giveaways.
- Offering downloads of YouTube-hosted content.
- Failing to deliver recurring benefits.
- Removing a level without understanding the refund consequences.
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How many membership levels can a channel have?
YouTube currently allows up to six levels.
How many perks can each level list?
Each level must have between one and five perks.
Do higher levels receive lower-level perks?
Yes. Perks automatically stack upward.
Can membership include a random giveaway?
YouTube prohibits perks where only selected members randomly receive a benefit, including contests, lotteries, and sweepstakes.