YouTube Premiere is a way for creators to generate excitement for an upcoming video launch. Fans can gather on a page to chat and count down to when the video goes live. Now, the Premiere functionality is seeing some new additions.

What Are YouTube Premieres?

You may have already experienced a YouTube Premiere. The feature has been used by the likes of BLACKPINK, Tiny Desk, and Cirque du Soleil.

It's a way of generating hype for a pre-recorded video release. Fans can gather on a video page, see a motion countdown, and chat with others live.

According to YouTube, it has seen over 85% growth in the use of Premieres since March 1, 2020, and the function has been used by over eight million channels. Of those, 80% had never used Premieres before.

How Are YouTube Premieres Improving?

YouTube is now rolling out a series of improvements to Premieres to make them more interactive and engaging: live redirect, trailers, and countdown themes.

First, live redirect lets you host a live stream in advance of a pre-recorded video launch. When the live stream ends, the audience is automatically taken to the video.

It's a feature that has been tested by the likes of Comic-Con and Justin Bieber, and YouTube believe it to be a good way to build audience engagement and create excitement for the main event.

Second, trailers can be uploaded as a pre-recorded hype video to play on the watch page in advance of the Premiere. These can range from 15 seconds to 3 minutes in duration and can encourage viewers to set a reminder to tune in to the real video launch.

Finally, the countdown videos that appear at the start of every Premiere can now be customized to match the content. There are a range of countdown designs to choose from across a variety of themes, vibes, and moods.

YouTube says whether you're looking for "calm, playful, dramatic, or sporty, with the new countdown themes we've got you covered".

Live redirect and trailers are already rolling out to some creators, with countdown themes available in the coming months. YouTube gave no more specifics beyond that, but hopefully all the features will be available to every creator on YouTube soon.

Is YouTube the Place to Launch Videos?

If you're a creator trying to decide where to launch your videos, these new additions to YouTube Premieres are an exciting prospect. That said, you might also want to check out what competitors like Vimeo offer when it comes to building an audience.