YouTube launches ‘Hype’ in India to help small creators break through the algorithm barrier; here's all you need to know

YouTube has rolled out a new beta feature called ‘Hype’ in India to help emerging creators gain visibility and connect with wider audiences. The feature is designed specifically for long-form video creators with subscriber counts between 500 and 500,000, aiming to address the challenges smaller channels face in expanding their reach.

While the feature has been launched in India only now in July, the feature was released in September last year. During initial testing in Turkey, Taiwan, and Brazil, the feature saw over 5 million hypes across more than 50,000 unique channels in four weeks.

How does the Hype feature work and who all are eligible?

Under the new system, viewers can now “hype” a video, an action that earns it points and improves its position on a newly introduced leaderboard. The option to hype is available for the first seven days after a video is published. Users can hype up to three times a week at no cost and optionally pay to hype more frequently.

The leaderboard, accessible under YouTube’s Explore section, highlights the top 100 hyped videos from the past week. All viewers in a country see the same leaderboard, allowing local content to gain broader exposure. Videos that receive more hypes climb the rankings and may also surface in the YouTube home feed.

Only long-form videos uploaded within the last seven days by eligible creators can be hyped. Users must be 18 or older and must be in India. Certain types of content, including those that violate YouTube’s policies, are excluded.

Hypes can be submitted via the YouTube mobile app by swiping left on the comment carousel or tapping the menu to access the hype option. Android users also have access to the “pay to hype” feature, with limits varying by country.

Viewers who hype frequently may earn a Hype Star Badge for a particular channel, which can be shared via social media or posted on the channel’s community tab.

To further support lesser-known channels, YouTube has implemented a point bonus system. Videos from creators with fewer subscribers receive more bonus points per hype, helping level the playing field across subscriber counts. These bonus points are automatically applied based on the creator’s follower base.

The feature is part of YouTube’s broader effort to improve content discoverability and give smaller creators a chance to break through algorithmic barriers.