YouTube’s 2021 plans: what launched and how it works now

In early 2021 YouTube announced Shorts, buying products directly from videos, an “Applause” feature and redesigned apps. Here is what became working tools.

Shorts

The Shorts beta launched in India in September 2020 and in the US in March 2021, then expanded to more than 100 countries in July 2021. Creators in the Partner Program now earn a share of revenue from ads shown between Shorts: revenue goes into a shared pool, is allocated by views, and creators keep 45% of their allocation. Eligibility rules change, so check the current requirements in YouTube Help.

Shopping on YouTube

The shopping announcement became YouTube Shopping. Partner Program creators connect a store and tag products in videos, Shorts and live streams, and viewers in supported countries buy through the channel store, the description and the product shelf. Supported countries and channel requirements are listed in YouTube Help.

“Applause”

The feature was tested as Viewer Applause and launched in July 2021 as Super Thanks, which lets viewers pay to thank a creator under a video.

What this means for businesses

• Shorts work for reach: a quick answer, a product demo, a clip from a longer video.
• Long videos remain the core format for tutorials and reviews that people search for on Google and YouTube.
• YouTube Shopping makes sense when your store and channel meet the requirements and your sales country is supported.

Sources

• Variety: YouTube Shorts global launch (2021)
• YouTube Help: Shorts monetization policies
• YouTube Help: YouTube Shopping
• YouTube Blog: Super Thanks (2021)