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YouTube’s “Jewels” To Provide More Profit Opportunities for Creators

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Published on November 26, 2024

In October, I reported the Made on YouTube event, which announced new features to be rolled out on the platform over the coming months. YouTube has provided more information about its gifting program, “Jewels”, which is currently being introduced to creators in the US.

In this article, I’ll explain how you can start earning from YouTube’s new tipping system, which it describes as a “new way for your viewers to express themselves, show their support, and connect with you in real-time during vertical live streams.”

Person opening youtube app on a tablet and hovering a pencil over youtube icon

A New Revenue Opportunity

Taking after other social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, YouTube’s move into the virtual gifting space has unlocked more opportunities for its creators to earn money.

Virtual gifting is a way for viewers to control how they reward their favorite creators and adds another dimension of interaction to livestreams.

Here’s how YouTube’s Jewels powered gifting will work:

Viewers purchase bundles of Jewels
They can use their Jewels to buy Gifts for their favorite creators within livestreams
Gifts are converted into Rubies that represent the creator’s earnings

Each Ruby is equal to one cent, so you’ll earn $1 for every 100 Rubies in your account.

YouTube hasn’t yet divulged the value of each gift, but, if it’s similar to TikTok’s coin-based gifting system, we can estimate a range of $1 to $500.

YouTube Gifting Screenshot — This mock-up shared by YouTube shows the style of the live stream Gifts. Source: YouTube Creator Insider

How To Start Earning Rubies

Before you’re able to start earning Rubies, YouTube have stated that you must be:

A YouTube creator from the US
Over the age of 18
Enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program

Additionally, YouTube says that gifts cannot be received on live streams that are:

Age-restricted or made for kids
Unlisted or private
Fundraisers
Filmed horizontally
Or those that have the live chat turned off

If you’re eligible to receive gifts, you can enable them by visiting the Earn Hub in YouTube Studio and following the steps. After accepting the “Virtual Items Module”, live stream gifting will be automatically turned on.

Out With the Old

Since 2019, viewers have been able to buy and gift “Super Stickers” to creators in live streams. Jewel gifting is a very similar concept, so there has been some confusion since the announcement.

When asked about the difference between Gifts and Super Stickers, YouTube said:

“Because gifts are powered by Jewels, which are purchased in bundles, sending them requires only a few taps, enabling viewers to more easily interact with content in real-time. Gifts are also overlaid onto vertical live streams, where Super Stickers surface in the live chat.”

YouTube has also started to phase out Super Stickers, removing them as a purchasing option from live streams that have Gifts enabled.

Written by:

Annie Angus Writer

Annie Angus is a Writer for Website Builder Expert with a passion for shaping jargon-heavy research into digestible content. She has previously researched and written about industries ranging from tech to fashion, and now, after testing our top website builders such as Wix and Squarespace, she is enthusiastic to share her findings with our readers. With first-hand experience in utilizing social media and online marketplaces to grow a small handmade clothing business, Annie understands the priorities and concerns held by SME owners, and knows precisely what they look for in a website builder. She combines this unique perspective with her knowledge of website builders to produce engaging content spanning all areas of the small business journey, from creating a strong website to growing and maintaining an audience.