Can You Get a Silver Play Button Without Monetization?

Growing on YouTube is pretty hard. This is why hitting the 100,000 subscriber milestone is such a huge achievement for creators. This achievement is recognized with the highly sought-after silver play button. But what if your channel isn’t monetized? Could you still get the silver play button?

The answer to this question is yes you can. You may think otherwise because in a lot of cases it takes a long time to arrive. You can be well over 100k subscribers and still not have received it. The thing you need to keep in mind is the number of YouTubers that hit 100,000 subscribers on a daily basis. This means they have to make a silver play button for every single one of the creators that reach this milestone. Because of this, it takes a long time for them to get sent out.

Also, it’s important to note that the play button is a recognition and celebration of your growth on the platform, not necessarily a reward for monetization. So even though you may not be making any money from your channel at the moment, if you hit 100k subscribers, YouTube will still send you the silver play button as a congratulation.

Is There Any Benefit To Having a Silver Play Button?

The silver play button is just a trophy for all of your hard work. When it comes to money, they really aren’t worth much. In fact, many “fake gurus” have fake play buttons they show off in order to sell a course or program.

So if you’ve been lucky enough to hit that milestone, enjoy your silver play button and continue growing your channel! And if you haven’t received it yet, don’t worry. It will come in due time as long as you keep creating great content for your audience.

What You Should Focus On Instead Of a Silver Play Button?

So, now that you know the silver play button is nothing more than a bragging right and not necessarily a monetization milestone, what should you focus on instead? 

There are many things you should focus on above a silver play button. Below we will go over each one.

Monetization methods

If you have 100,000 subscribers and aren’t making much money, you should focus on diversification when it comes to your monetization methods. Also, if you haven’t been accepted to the YouTube ad partner program, you should figure out how to get your content to qualify. 

Other methods of monetization you could add include affiliate marketing and brand deals.

Increasing Video Quality

Video quality is everything when it comes to YouTube. The more retention on your videos, the more YouTube will push your videos to viewers and the more ad money you can potentially make. So continue to invest in improving your video equipment and editing skills. 

Building a Community

You should also focus on building a strong community with your audience. These people will push you forward, support you, and potentially purchase products and services from you. So engage with them in the comments, through social media, or even live events.

This community really isn’t going to care about a silver play button or any play button for that matter. They will care about your content and the connection they have with you as a creator. So focus on that instead.

How Does YouTube Know Where To Send The Play Button?

When you hit the 100,000 subscriber mark, YouTube will notify you of your achievement. They give you a code and a link to a site where you could enter your code along with the personal information you need to use for the shipping of your play button.

They will then send you an email to confirm your order. There will also be emails to keep you up to date with the shipping.

Conclusion

We hope we answered your question about whether or not you can receive a silver play button without the monetization. Remember, it’s just recognition for hitting 100k subscribers and shouldn’t be your main focus as a creator. 

Instead, focus on monetization methods, along with the other things we named above.

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Can You Get a Silver Play Button Without Monetization?
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