February 13, 2019
It started on Snapchat, with Facebook following behind not too long after, and then became even more popular with Instagram. And now, finally, YouTube is following the trend, launching their very own version of the Stories feature!
That’s right—YouTube has been testing and experimenting with Stories a year ago, and late last year the platform allowed creators with 10,000+ subscribers access to the feature.
In this article, I’ll be exploring the details of the feature and its benefits and how YouTube’s new Stories feature can help your digital marketing approach for your personal brand or business in 2019!
How to Access Stories
If you want to have access to stories right now, as the feature is still in beta, you need to grow your YouTube account to at least 10,000 subscribers.
Once you’ve attained that subscriber count, it may take up to 4 weeks for Stories to show up on your count. When it shows up, you will be able to easily access Stories on YouTube’s mobile app by tapping on the video camera icon and selecting Create Story.
How to Create a Story
Creating a Story on YouTube is similar to how you would do it on any other social media platform. To create a Story, follow these steps:- Sign in to YouTube and tap the camera.
- Tap Story.
- To record a video clip, hold the capture button.
- To take a photo, tap the capture button.
- You can also select a pre-existing video or image from your mobile device to add to your story.
YouTube Stories Features
Through its testing and experimentation phases, YouTube has already added new features to make the experience the best it can be for users. While Stories previously featured editing tools, including music, text, filters, and stickers, YouTube has added new capabilities, particularly for viewers. Now, any follower watching your Story will have the ability to comment and give Stories a thumbs up or thumbs down when they watch your photos or video clips. YouTube Stories also include familiar features that you’ve likely used on other photo and video sharing platforms. When you upload a picture or video to your Story, you will be able to add embellishments such as stickers, filters, music, and text. One way that YouTube’s Stories differs from other social media platforms is how long they last. YouTube Stories last for seven days as opposed to Snapchat and Instagram’s versions of the same, which disappear after 24 hours—and may be distributed to both subscribers and non-subscribers alike. According to YouTube, Stories can appear within the ‘Subscriptions’ and ‘Home’ tabs, as well as on the ‘Up Next’ list below videos. This is one of the aspects of YouTube Stories that is great for your brand, as it can help you find new subscribers. If a viewer who isn’t already subscribed to your channels views your story, then they can subscribe directly from the story. Additionally, YouTube Stories will feature the same comment moderation tools as video uploads on the site.Respond to Comments on a Story
One of the most promising features of the new YouTube Stories features allows you to reply to commenters from the Stories. When you’re looking through your stories you can highlight and respond to comments from viewers. To reply in a story:- Go to your story by selecting your avatar from the Subscriptions feed, or on the Stories tab on your channel page.
- Tap the Comments icon.
- Below the comment you’d like to highlight in your next story, tap Reply in Story.
- Record a video or photo with the app.
- Tap Post.