YouTube Communities are a space on a creator's channel where subscribers can post too: they can start discussions about your videos, share pictures and run polls. Creators turn a Community on from the Posts tab on their channel, and viewers find it through the Visit Community button next to Subscribe.
If you've used channel posts, Communities will feel familiar, with one big difference. Posts are you talking to your audience. A Community is your audience talking to each other, on your channel. Here's how it works, who can use it and how to keep it under control, using YouTube's own help pages.
Who can start a YouTube Community
YouTube's help centre says you can start a Community if all of these are true:
- You already have access to posts on your channel.
- You're over 16 and your channel isn't set up as a supervised experience.
- Your audience isn't set as made for kids.
- Your channel isn't a VEVO channel.
If you're still building the channel itself, start with my guide on how to make a YouTube channel.
How to turn on your Community
- Sign in to YouTube and go to your channel page.
- Click the Posts tab.
- Click Turn on my Community.
- Click Visit Community and write a welcome post: text, images or a poll.
You can also switch it on in YouTube Studio through your Content controls settings, or from the Community tab by selecting Viewer posts and then Turn on.
How Community posts differ from normal channel posts
| Channel posts | Community posts | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes them | You (and your team) | You and your subscribers |
| Where they show | The Posts tab on your channel | Only inside your Community, not on the Posts tab |
| Can be recommended | Yes | YouTube says Community-only posts may be recommended on Home, Subscriptions and the Watch Next feed |
| Who can post | Channel owners | Subscribers who've been subscribed for your chosen minimum time |
That last row matters. Viewers have to be subscribed for a minimum time before they can post. YouTube sets it at one day by default, and you can change it in Content controls under Posts in your Community.
How fans post in a creator's Community
For viewers, it's simple. If a creator has a Community, you'll see Visit Community next to the Subscribe button. Click it, then type in the box at the top, add images or a poll, and click Post. Music artists' Communities live in the YouTube Music app instead.
If you can't post, YouTube says it's probably because you haven't been subscribed long enough. You can delete your own posts but not anyone else's, and if one of yours vanishes, the creator, a moderator or a Community Guidelines check may have removed it.
Moderating your YouTube Community
A Community needs looking after, and YouTube gives you three main tools:
- Moderators. In YouTube Studio, go to Settings, then Community moderation, then User management. Managing moderators can add standard moderators, manage blocked words, hide users and hold posts. Standard moderators can hide users and hold posts. This setting is desktop-only.
- Hold for review. Choose None, Basic (holds potentially inappropriate posts) or Hold all. Held posts sit in Studio under Community, then Viewer posts, then the Held tab, where you can approve or remove several at once.
- Blocked words and hidden users. Any blocked words or links you've set for comments also apply to Community posts. Hiding someone from a post hides them from your whole channel, not just the Community.
The same Community Guidelines apply as everywhere else on YouTube, and posts that break them can be removed. My page on YouTube Community Guidelines strikes explains how enforcement works at channel level.
Is a Community worth switching on?
For a small business channel, the honest answer is: only if you'll show up. An empty Community looks worse than none. But if you already get regular comments, a Community gives your keenest viewers somewhere to talk, and their posts can surface on other people's Home and Subscriptions feeds, which plain comments don't.
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Charities that want a bigger presence on the platform can read how to join in the YouTube nonprofit program.
My verdict
Turn on a Community once you have an engaged core of subscribers, set a sensible minimum subscribe time so drive-by spammers can't post, and choose Basic hold-for-review from day one. Add one trusted moderator early. Then post your own welcome message and reply to the first few posts yourself, because the tone you set in week one is the tone you'll keep.
Want to mention another channel in a comment or description? The steps are in tagging people on YouTube.
If you want the full set, start at the YouTube Help: 30 Guides to Channels, Subscribers, Monetisation, Thumbnails and Fixes.
Frequently asked questions
What is a YouTube Community?
It's a space on a creator's channel where subscribers can post discussions, pictures and polls inspired by the creator's videos. Viewers reach it through the Visit Community button next to Subscribe.
How do I turn on Community on YouTube?
Go to your channel page, click the Posts tab and click Turn on my Community. You can also turn it on in YouTube Studio through Content controls.
Why can't I post in a YouTube Community?
Usually because you haven't been subscribed to the channel long enough. Creators set a minimum subscribe time, which is one day by default.
Are Community posts the same as channel posts?
No. Community posts are shared only in that creator's Community and don't appear on the Posts tab, although YouTube says they may be recommended on Home, Subscriptions and Watch Next.
