YouTube’s testing a new option that will enable creators to add collaborators to the video title display, in order to help showcase a broader range of creators across its clips.
As explained by YouTube:
“We’re starting to test a feature that allows creators to add collaborators to a video. Adding collaborators allows content to be recommended to each of the creators’ audiences. We’re starting this test with a small group of creators at first, but we’ll keep you posted on our plans to expand it to more creators.”
As you can see in this example from the latest video posted by MrBeast, the new option will display collaborators on a video both via their channel avatars, which will be stacked alongside each other, and within the creator listing beneath the title. Tap on the “…and 3 more” tag and you’ll get a full title listing of the channels that have collaborated on the clip.
The option is similar to the collaborative tools available on Instagram or TikTok, providing a simple way to showcase a partner profile within the video description.
Which could be a valuable connector and promotional tool, providing a more direct link through to collaborating channels, which could see more traffic headed their way, especially if they collaborate with a bigger channel.
It’s worth noting, however, that YouTube has been encouraging creator collaborations for years, with its YouTube Academy training resource including a whole segment on collaborating with others, and how to do so effectively.
So collaborations, in themselves, are not new, but YouTube’s looking for a better way to highlight these partnerships within the content itself, so that creators get equal share of the benefits from their shared clips.
And it’s a logical, simple way to do this, which people are already used to in other apps. As such, this seems very likely to be expanded to all YouTube channels in the near future.
