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Memberships are playing a bigger role across all regions. We’ve seen it in data from over 3,000 channels, and the story of our partner, OOHAMI, is one of the most telling.
YouTube itself is helping creators make money from Memberships with new features. Memberships are not complicated when you know what to do, and they're stable, which is rare on YouTube.
Memberships Need to Be Done Right
Back in early 2020, OOHAMI, a Malaysian gaming channel with over 1 million subs, turned on the YouTube Memberships feature. Then, for nearly five years, it sat untouched.
Fast forward to February 2024. OOHAMI made one small but intentional change: they simply started using Memberships properly.
Months later, that previously dormant tool accounted for more than 30% of their total YouTube revenue.
The Only Change That Mattered
No rebrand. No upload spree. No new team. But Membership became one of the core channel income streams for OOHAMI.
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The first thing we advised was dead simple: communicate value.
- The creator recorded a video announcement. He sat in front of the camera and said, “Here’s what I’m building for you.”
- Then, he laid it out. Exclusive videos, sneak peeks of future content, behind-the-scenes chaos from the recording booth, and real-time community polls to shape what got uploaded next.
- He told his audience what they’d get and how they’d be shaping the channel.
Then, he added a widget to the channel homepage showing all active sponsors’ logos with a bold JOIN button. It made Memberships visible, and it made members feel seen.
This was about status and closeness. Fans were no longer just viewers, but inner-circle contributors. And it worked.
The Numbers Behind the Story
What followed in the next 60 days was nothing short of a shift in the channel's financial structure.
- Membership income grew 6.5x. This was stable, predictable revenue that grew with the audience.
- The number of active members grew at the exact same rate: 6.5x. That meant retention wasn’t dropping. New members were sticking around.
Once the system was in place, exclusive content, public acknowledgments, and clear value, the Memberships feature began to feed itself. By Q2, Memberships were contributing over 30% of the channel’s entire revenue.
All from a feature that sat untouched for five years.
Why This Actually Worked
OOHAMI’s success was built on intentionality. Fans knew exactly what they were paying for. They felt part of the process. And the creator made it easy for them to say yes.
Everything about the launch was practical and visible:
- The Membership video was added and pinned on the Memberships page. Viewers accessed this page after clicking the JOIN button. It served as a targeted marketing tool, helping boost CTR on the Memberships page itself.
- The JOIN link was included in every video description to make it easy to access the offer.
- Each month, new exclusive content was published with just enough preview to spark curiosity among non-members.
- Community posts reinforced the sense of belonging, making members feel heard and involved.
This is fundamentals done right.
Most creators just need clarity and structure. We can help you boost Memberships easier. AIR team handles the design, analysis, and launch process so you can stay focused on content while Memberships grow in the background.
If you're ready to stop watching revenue spike and dip like a rollercoaster, just reach out to us. We’ll help you lock in a predictable, sustainable income stream.
Don’t Skip on Stable Revenue
There’s a lot about YouTube that’s inconsistent in 2025. Algorithm changes, AI surfacing, and ad revenue swings, but Memberships are different. When your audience joins, they’re saying, “I’m here for the long haul.”
That kind of loyalty can be built fast when the foundation is right. OOHAMI did it in 60 days. You can, too. You just need to give your audience something real to join.
Want a hands-on strategy to launch or reboot your Memberships? We’ve already built what works. Contact us today and let’s find the best strategy for your channel together.