YouTube has recently launched 3 new features in an effort to make YouTube Premieres more interactive for creators and viewers. These new features are: Live Redirect, Trailers, and Countdown Themes. Continue reading for more details on all three.

The first new Premiere feature, Live Redirect, allows creators to live stream right before the start of a Premiere. After the live stream ends, the same audience is then automatically directed to the upcoming Premiere right before it starts. Similar to a pre-party or red carpet event, this will allow people to build hype and anticipation in an interactive way, right before a new Premiere begins. Here are some best practices when using a Live Redirect:

-​​Guide fans to the live stream by pinning a chat message on the Premiere page with the link to the live stream.

-Engage with fans during the live stream, and let the audience know they'll need to wait a few seconds (but won't need to do anything) before being automatically linked to the Premiere.

-Make sure to end the live stream at the same time that the Premiere is scheduled to start.

-Promote the live stream and Premiere on social media and Community.

To set up a Live Redirect, follow these instructions:

1) Set up the Premiere

2) Create a live stream

3) Click edit in the live stream

4) From the "Live Redirect" page, choose your Premiere. The audience of the live stream will then be redirected to the Premiere after the live stream ends.

The next feature, Trailers, allows creators to upload a separate video to be played on the same Premiere watch page in advance of the actual Premiere. These videos can range from 15 seconds to 3 minutes in duration, and will help build hype for the Premiere and also encourage viewers to set a reminder for the Premiere. Here are some best practices for using Trailers: 

-Create an exciting/enticing video that leaves viewers on a cliff-hanger that leads into the Premiere. 

-Use a public or unlisted video for the trailer, private videos will not work.

-Adjust the resolution and aspect ratio of the trailer so that it’s the same as the Premiere. 

-Make sure the trailer doesn't include any copyrighted content or does not violate YouTube's Community Guidelines.

To set up a Trailer, follow these instructions:

1) Upload the trailer to your channel

2) Set up the Premiere

3) Click edit in the Premiere

4) Under "Add a trailer", click and select the trailer video you want to use.

The third feature, Countdown Themes, allows creators to select a custom countdown for their Premiere which all have different themes, vibes, and moods. Currently every Premiere on YouTube has the same countdown, so this new feature will allow creators to have more customization and make the countdown more unique to their channel.

To set up a countdown theme, follow these instructions:

1) Set up the Premiere

2) Click edit in the Premiere

3) Under "Select countdown theme", choose a countdown timer.

Please reach out to us with any questions, and feel free to check out our guide to using Premieres on YouTube.