YouTube Levels Up: Polls, Views & Super Chat Goals
YouTube has been busy making some fun updates! They’ve added a new poll sticker option for Shorts, tweaked the way “Views” are displayed to better reflect the popularity of Shorts, and are testing out a new gamified twist on Super Chat.
Polls for Shorts: Get Your Viewers Talking!
First up, YouTube has made it easier for creators to ask their viewers for opinions directly through poll stickers on Shorts.
Before, if you wanted to poll your audience, you had to create a separate poll post or ask viewers to comment on your video. Now, with the new poll sticker, creators can let their audience tap an option to vote right on the Short. Super simple, right?
And, for creators, you can see the percentage of votes for each option, plus the total number of votes cast on the sticker itself. It’s a great way to drive more engagement, especially since Shorts are now pulling in 70 billion daily views! This poll feature is being rolled out to all creators within the next week, so keep an eye out for it.
New Views Display: See What’s Clicking
YouTube is also tweaking how Views are displayed, adding a format filter to show the breakdown of views by content type. Given the surge in popularity of Shorts, this will help creators see exactly where their views are coming from—whether it’s Shorts, long-form videos, or live streams.
This update will be available on both desktop and the mobile app, making it easier for creators to decide where to focus their creative energy to grow their audience.
Super Chat Gets Gamified
YouTube is also experimenting with a little gamification for Super Chat during live streams and Premieres. Now, creators can set Super Chat goals, which show an on-screen counter that ticks down to a target.
What’s cool is that creators can offer a reward when the goal is reached, encouraging viewers to chip in and hit that target. It’s a fun way to boost engagement and revenue, especially for creators with dedicated communities. Plus, when the goal is reached, there’s a celebratory animation!
For now, this feature is being tested with a selected group of creators who have Super Chat enabled.
Ad Block Controls: Keep Things Relevant
Lastly, YouTube’s added a new feature for creators to block specific categories of ads from showing up on their content, directly within YouTube. While channels could always do this via AdSense, it’s now easier and more accessible right from the platform.