Having an engaged community on YouTube is key to building a successful channel. One of the best ways to engage your subscribers is through community posts. But how many subscribers do you need before you can start using community posts?
What are YouTube Community Posts?
Community posts allow creators to share text, images, GIFs, and videos directly with their subscribers in the Community tab of their channel. Posts appear in subscribers’ feeds alongside regular video uploads.
Community posts are a great way to:
- Engage with subscribers between video uploads
- Make quick announcements or give channel updates
- Get feedback on video ideas
- Share exclusive content like behind-the-scenes photos/videos
- Run polls to get input from your audience
Overall, community posts help foster a stronger connection between creators and their viewers. They cultivate an active, loyal community that keeps coming back to your channel.
YouTube Community Post Eligibility Requirements
YouTube has a few requirements channels need to meet before gaining access to community posts:
- Verify your YouTube channel. This gives YouTube confirmation that a real person is running the account.
- Enable your channel for monetization. This process involves agreeing to additional YouTube policies.
- Have no active Community Guidelines strikes. Keep your channel in good standing to access community posts.
The main requirement for community posts is reaching a minimum subscriber threshold. Let’s take a closer look at the subscriber requirement for community posts.
Minimum Subscribers for Community Posts
You need at least 1,000 YouTube subscribers to get access to the Community tab and start sharing community posts. This subscriber requirement applies to channels of all types – individual creators, brands, companies, etc.
Reaching 1,000 subscribers is a big milestone for any YouTube channel, so getting community post privileges is a nice bonus. However, keep in mind that the 1,000 subscriber minimum is just to gain access to the feature.
To make community posts worthwhile and impactful for your channel, we recommend having at least 5,000 subscribers, and ideally 10,000+ subscribers. Let’s look at why.
1,000 Subscribers
At 1,000 subscribers you’ll have access to community posts, but your posts likely won’t get much engagement. With a smaller audience, your posts will only reach a tiny fraction of your viewers.
We don’t recommend relying on community posts until you have a larger audience. Use the first 1,000 subs to focus on producing great videos and growing your channel.
5,000 Subscribers
Around 5,000 subscribers is when community posts start becoming more worthwhile. At this point, you’ll likely have some dedicated fans who are active in the comments. Some of them will start engaging with your community posts too.
You can start experimenting with community posts, but keep video creation as your top priority. Use posts sparingly to share big announcements or give your loyal fans exclusive sneak peeks at upcoming videos.
10,000+ Subscribers
Once you surpass 10,000 YouTube subscribers, it’s time to start taking community posts more seriously. At this point, you should have a solid group of active, engaged viewers.
Make community posts a regular part of your channel strategy. Use a mix of text, image, and video posts to:
- Announce new uploads
- Share funny memes and viral content
- Give exclusive behind-the-scenes looks
- Ask questions and poll your audience
- Respond to viewer comments
- Promote your best videos
The more you interact with your audience, the more invested they’ll become in your channel. An active Community tab helps take viewer engagement to the next level.
Tips for Using Community Posts
Here are some tips to use community posts effectively once you’ve hit the 10,000 subscriber mark:
- Post consistently – Get into a regular posting cadence like daily or multiple times per week.
- Post different formats – Mix up text, images, videos, and GIFs to keep things interesting.
- Respond to comments – Engage with anyone who comments on your posts.
- Ask questions – Polls and questions are great for driving engagement.
- Promote videos – Share clips, reminders, and milestones about your latest uploads.
- Give backstage access – Fans love exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
The more you engage with the community tab, the more your audience will too. Have fun using it to take your viewer relationships to the next level!
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get community posts with less than 1,000 subscribers?
No, unfortunately YouTube requires channels to have at least 1,000 subscribers before gaining access to community posts. This rule applies to all channel types.
What if I drop back below 1,000 subscribers?
If your channel falls below 1,000 subscribers after gaining access to the Community tab, don’t worry – your access won’t be revoked. You’ll be able to continue using community posts unless your channel gets terminated.
Do community posts count as public videos?
Yes, community posts are considered public videos and content for the purpose of YouTube channel monetization. Frequent posting can help you meet the public video requirement to start earning ad revenue.
Can I schedule community posts in advance?
Yes, YouTube allows you to schedule community posts up to 7 days in advance through the YouTube Studio web dashboard. You can queue up posts so you don’t have to post every day.
What’s the best time to post for maximum engagement?
It depends on your audience! Many creators find success posting around 11am-3pm in their viewers’ time zones when engagement is highest. Try different times to see when your audience is most active in the Community tab.
Conclusion
Community posts are a fun, engaging YouTube feature – but only if you have enough subscribers. While you only need 1,000 subs to unlock community posts, you’ll want at least 10,000 engaged viewers for your posts to be impactful.
Focus on producing awesome videos first and growing your subscriber base. Once you hit 10k subs, start posting consistently in the Community tab. Have fun connecting with your audience on a deeper level!
