YouTube rolls out its Hype mode that lets fans support small creators

YouTube has officially introduced its Hype feature worldwide recently. The latest update gives users across 39 countries the power to actively support emerging creators with a subscriber count of less than 500,000.

Originally unveiled at Google's Made On YouTube event in 2024, according to a TechCrunch report, Hype introduces a separate button beneath the standard "like" option, allowing fans to spotlight videos they love. 

Hype is now available in 39 countries, including the US, UK, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, and India. We’re also introducing new features to fuel fandom and help creators get recognized, including a hype button, star badges, and more. Get all the details → https://t.co/hbDrM8dlwF pic.twitter.com/mTBjVkglQr

— Updates From YouTube (@UpdatesFromYT) August 26, 2025

By promoting smaller creators and helping their content gain visibility, the feature aims to democratize content discovery, give rising talent a greater opportunity to reach new audiences, and grow their presence on the video-sharing platform.

Everything we know about YouTube's all-new Hype feature

YouTube's latest Hype mode has been designed to empower fans to actively support emerging creators with fewer than 500,000 subscribers. It lets viewers choose a maximum of three videos weekly to hype, according to a report by Dexerto. Later, these content pieces score points, leading to a new ranked leaderboard accessible via the Explore tab. 

To give smaller creators a fair advantage, videos from channels with fewer subscribers receive a larger boost. It helps them gain traction more quickly. Hyped videos are marked with a visible badge, making it clear which content has received fan support.

Users can also customize their Home feed for just the hyped videos and get notified when a video they supported reaches the leaderboard. Participants hyping others will be rewarded with a monthly Hype Star badge for their ongoing engagement, as the outlet confirmed. Meanwhile, YouTube creators can monitor hype activity using a dedicated Hype card and receive a summary on the YouTube Studio mobile app.

YouTube now aims to expand leaderboard categories by niche, including popular areas like gaming, lifestyle, and more. The key focus is to provide additional opportunities for creators to be discovered. Additionally, the platform is experimenting with paid hypes in markets such as Brazil and Turkey. Its agenda is to enable admirers to support their favorite creators financially.

Introducing YouTube Hype:

Viewers can ‘Hype’ up to 3 videos per week for YouTubers with less than 500K Subs

The goal of Hype is to give Small Creators a bigger boost

For the first 7 days after you upload a video, viewers will see the option to Hype it

When a video is Hyped,… pic.twitter.com/aEe6t6B8jT

— Muaaz (@mws) August 27, 2025

Currently available in the U.S., U.K., India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, and 33 other countries, Hype aims to democratize content discovery. It combines engagement, visibility, and community support to smaller channels with an enhanced chance to reach new audiences.

With the Hype mode, fans have a huge role to play in the YouTube landscape. They are no longer just viewers. Instead, they can actively shape which creators get noticed and push new voices to thrive on the platform.