YouTube Creator Awards: Tips for Getting Your First Play Button

Intro

YouTube introduced Creator Awards to appreciate the efforts of creators on the platform. Achieving a certain subscriber's milestone qualifies you for your first YouTube Play button.

Are you a YouTube creator, who wants to get your first YouTube play button? You need to make some exceptions on the platform. The more valuable and informative content you create, the more love you get from viewers. So, it helps you reach the targets promptly.

This article is a detailed account of what are the YouTube Creators Awards. We have also compiled effective tips, assisting creators in attaining these titles. So, let’s begin your Creators Award-receiving journey here!

What exactly the YouTube Play Button is?

The YouTube play button is a series of awards. YouTube creators receive these awards when they cross the defined milestones of subscribers. Receiving these awards is a gesture of acknowledgement of the creator's endeavours.

Achieving certain awards helps creators become the most influential profiles on the platform. As a result, the YouTube algorithm promotes your content across the platform. It helps you expand incredible recognition and gain more YouTube subscribers.

Once you receive your first play button, you open the doors to other awards. The more you hit subscriber's milestones, the more you unlock your career potential.

Types of YouTube Play Button?

So, you’ve got what YouTube awards or play buttons are. Now, is the time to explore the different types of YouTube play buttons:

1. YouTube Silver Play Button

YouTube Silver Play Button is the first creator's award. Creators can apply or receive it after reaching 100,000 subscribers. Around 300,000 YouTube channels or creators have become eligible for this award. Many creators received a collection of this award.

2. YouTube Gold Play Button

This is the second award or milestone to unlock success potential on YouTube. Creators who reach 1 million subscribers are eligible to receive this award. Over the platform, around 30,000 channels accomplished this feat.

Achieving the YouTube Gold Play Button is the biggest achievement. Channels with this achievement are recognized as the most influential and powerful sources.

3. YouTube Diamond Play Button

Earning a YouTube Diamond Play Button is a corner, where things start becoming a bit more elite. Reportedly, only 1000 YouTube Diamond Play Button recipients are in the world. Some examples of such achievers include Ninja, NikkieTutorials, Tedx Talks, and Mr. Bean.

The limited number of recipients indicates that it is hard to achieve this target. Most channels in this space are with 3,500 videos. Yet, there is no rule of thumb. You just need to put effort into creating compelling content. So, it will make you attract more audiences.

4. YouTube Red Diamond Play Button

YouTube comes with another big achievement - the Red Diamond Play Button. Content creators or businesses with 100 million subscribers are eligible for this award. Currently, only a few YouTube channels have received this award. These include PewDiePie, MrBeast, T-Series, Cocomelon, Like Nastya, Vlad and Niki, and SET India.

Who is eligible for the YouTube Play Button?

You may have obtained a complete idea about the YouTube awards or play buttons. Now, is the time to know the eligibility criteria to order or receive the awards.

Remember that only covering the subscriber's milestone is not enough. You have to meet certain other requirements to be eligible. Check these requirements carefully to avoid any disruption in receiving your honours:

• You must pass a defined subscriber milestone.
• You have an active YouTube account or channel with uploads within the last six months.
• Your channel must not have active Community guideline violations. Or, you must not received any violation indications in the last 365 days.
• Your channel must obey all the terms of service, proposed by YouTube.
• Your channel must not be suspended from the YouTube Partner Program before.
• Your channel must not be terminated or linked with an account that has been terminated.
• Your channel must not contain restricted content, including spammy, deceptive, or scam.
• Your channel must contain original content.

Besides this, YouTube creators must belong to the countries that are eligible for this program. YouTube Creators Award is not eligible for the following countries:

• Belarus
• Cuba
• Iran
• North Korea
• Russia
• Somalia
• Sudan
• Syria
• Ukraine

Tips for getting your first YouTube Play Button?

So, we have discussed the YouTube Creator Award and its types. You may also have learned the complete eligibility criteria. Now, is the time to start creating YouTube content or marketing strategy.

This strategy or tips are proposed by YouTube marketing professionals. With the help of these tips, you can easily reach the milestone to earn your first YouTube play button.

1. Focus on quality and originality

To set or achieve every single milestone on YouTube, content is the basic need. Without content, no strategy can be implemented. Whether you are an individual creator or an organization, you need to produce quality and original content, unlocking your success potential.

Ensuring quality and originality requires a delicate balance of research, creativity, and technical skill. Defining a unique voice and style is crucial to distinguishing your channel. Thorough research ensures authenticity and value. Proper planning ensures a coherent and engaging narrative.

However, investing in quality equipment and gripping on video editing skills, elevate the production value. The overall process offers viewers visually appealing content, leaving a professional impression.

2. Show consistency

While starting to work as a YouTube creator, remember that consistency is the key to success. Keep in mind that the YouTube algorithm rewards consistency. Creators must develop a content calendar they can adhere to realistically. You can create a daily, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly calendar or schedule - what suits you best.

Uploading content regularly not only keeps the audience engaged. It also signals platform that your channel is active and deserves increased visibility.

If uploading content daily is a hard task, you can use the tools to schedule it. with the help of this feature, you can upload content at one time and it will go live at the set time. It can help you save time to perform other tasks.

3. Optimize your channel or videos

To get quick recognition on the platform, you need to optimize your video for YouTube search. The more your content will be discoverable, the more engagement it will get. Thus, it will ensure better reach and interactions.

To optimize your content, find most relevant SEO target keywords which have problems on SERP. Put these keywords wisely into your video title, description, and tags. Never forget the importance of content description. Write a detailed description that summarises the context of your content

Other tips to optimize your content include creating a playlist and compelling thumbnails. Ensure you follow all these practices carefully as they showcase relevancy, leading to increased visibility. The more you become visible, the more subscribers you get, leading to achieving your first YouTube play button.

4. Interact with your audience

Showing interaction with your audience is crucial as it develops strong bonds. Experts revealed that social media engagement goes both ways. Youtube creators who show better interaction with their audience, have more potential to earn Creators Awards.

Experts reveal several ways to maintain a better relationship with your audience. Replying to users' comments is the most preferred way. You must appreciate users who appreciate your content in the comment section. You must also guide users who ask queries related to content.

Other ways to engage with your audience are to go live, show your work routines, talk about upcoming products, and teach them how to accurately use your products. You must also get feedback from users, indicating your improvements and weaknesses.

5. Cross-promote your content

Do you ever think of cross-promoting your content to other social media channels? If yes, it sounds good. If not, let us explain to you why you should follow such a practice. Promoting your content to other social channels will increase your audience, helping cover the target of earning a YouTube play button quickly.

People who do not consistently watch YouTube may find you on Instagram, Facebook, or TikTok. It will surely help you increase YouTube views and subscribers. Ensure that you have business profiles on other social media channels. Promote your content consistently on those profiles.

You can also take advantage of influencer marketing. This mood of marketing has become the most influential way to market your business. Indeed, this method brings instant results. You need to learn how to effectively integrate influencer marketing into your strategy.

6. Follow YouTube trends

Following YouTube trends and embracing them helps you stay trending on the platform. You need to explore content within your niche and define what is trending.

For example, different formats, soundtracks, challenges, and filters are on trend every time. Integrating with these trends helps you get instant recognition. First, you need to learn properly how to integrate with these trends. Then, implementing these trends will help you gain success.

7. Embrace the Power of Confidence and Positivity

While creating strategies for YouTube success, you must embrace the power of confidence and positivity. Before starting your journey as a YouTube creator, you will face many YouTube misconceptions from your surroundings.

Your surroundings will make you feel that YouTube has huge competition, you need to have a big investment, you lack ideas, your target audience is not on the platform, and many others. Once you start, you need to show determination and positivity until you achieve your first YouTube play button.

8. Embed Brand Positioning into Your Narrative

Weave your unique brand positioning into the narrative of your content. This approach involves not just showcasing your channel’s uniqueness but embedding it into every aspect of your content creation, from the themes you choose to the way you engage with your audience. This strategic positioning reinforces what your personal brand stands for, making your channel not just a source of content but a distinct voice within your niche. This alignment between your content and your brand’s values and mission helps in creating a loyal viewer base that identifies with your brand ethos.

Steps to order a YouTube Play button

Do you have or are about to reach the milestone for the first YouTube play button and are curious how you will receive your creator award? Worry not! Here’s how YouTube will send you your rewards:

• Once you complete the milestone, check your email if YouTube has sent you a notification yet or not.
• YouTube will send you a confirmation email, once your subscriber’s target is accomplished.
• This email will contain a redemption code.
• Copy the redemption code and paste it into the website for the creator award.
• Now, add your channel name and shipping details.
• By clicking on order now, the order will be completed.

Note: Depending on your location, YouTube may take several weeks to deliver your award.

The closing statement

Undoubtedly, receiving your creator award or first YouTube play button is challenging. But, creating and implementing the right YouTube marketing strategies from the beginning will come with good results. The mentioned tips or strategies are proposed by experts, helping YouTube creators set their targets and start working wisely on them to achieve success.