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Let’s dive into today’s topic:
Who is YouTube’s subscribe button really for?
It’s mostly a favour to the artist, and that’s exactly how artists can ask for it.
Why it matters
I recently found out I’m not subscribed to a YouTube channel I watch almost every video from. I never noticed because the new uploads kept appearing on my Home screen anyway. So I asked myself, why bother subscribing?
YouTube’s Home feed is algorithmic. If someone watches a channel regularly, its new videos appear there, whether or not they are subscribed. While the subscriber count is the go-to public indicator of a YouTube channel’s size, the button barely changes anything for viewers.
That makes subscribers look like a textbook vanity metric. So why do artists keep asking for it?
How it works
The subscribe button mostly works for the creator, not the viewer:
Revenue: YouTube’s Partner Program is based on subscriber thresholds. Fan funding features unlock at 500 subscribers, and ad revenue at 1.000 (From February 2027, YouTube doubles the watch-hour requirement).
Leverage: Gatekeepers use public numbers as shorthand.
Social proof: New viewers judge a channel by its count too. A big number signals that other people have already decided this artist is worth following.
Yes, but..
The Home feed doesn’t guarantee that viewers will see every video from the channels they follow, but the Subscriptions feed does. Other viewer benefits:
Notifications for new uploads, premieres, and livestreams.
Community posts, such as polls, photos, and tour announcements, which can land in their Subscriptions feed.
Shorts from the channel may surface more consistently.
Take action now
Artists can swap their generic subscribe ask for a fan benefit. Instead of “don’t forget to subscribe”, try “subscribe so the tour dates post lands in your feed first” or “turn on the bell if you want to catch the premiere”. Shift the reason from the artist’s needs to the fan’s.
Your thoughts
Further reading
New YouTube creators face 8,000 hour bar for ad revenue from February 2027 (PPC Land)
Why artists can’t ignore vanity metrics (The Fanbase Builder)
Why losing followers isn’t a bad thing for artists (The Fanbase Builder)