The "Stories" format took the internet by storm ever since Snapchat championed it. Then Facebook unapologetically copied it and spread it throughout its entire platform — including Instagram, WhatsApp, the Facebook app, even Messenger — and it exploded. Add YouTube to that growing list too.
First reported last year as "Reels," YouTube's take on the Stories format isn't that different from other services. That's a good thing because users don't have to go through a new learning curve just to be able to know how to properly use it — they already know how. YouTube is riding the bandwagon, and sometimes that's a smarter move than creating a new one.
YouTube Stories
In any case, the Google-owned company is now confident enough with its Stories approach that it'll soon extend it to more creators, as The Verge has learned. Now, YouTube is giving content creators with more than 10,000 subscribers a chance to use the tool. This means more people can take advantage of everything Stories has to offer, including showing behind-the-scenes snippets of their process or teasing upcoming collaborations. Much like on other platforms, these moves could keep subscribers engaged and informed as they wait for new videos to be uploaded.
How Different Is YouTube Stories?
There are some differences between YouTube's implementation of Stories and other services, however. For one, YouTube Stories can last for a whole week — not so on Instagram Stories, where content disappears after a full day only. Moreover, YouTube Stories will appear to both subscribers and non-subscribers, and they'll also show up on the "Up Next" sidebar beside a video.
Creators who use Stories will be able to interact with their fans, and their responses will be visible to anyone who comes across their story. Fans can also leave comments or questions, and creators can — publicly — address each one.
YouTube Stories Skepticism
YouTube began testing Stories on a few channels earlier this year, and such tests seem to have proven successful for the company to decide to roll it out more widely, which means they might soon be more prominent across the site, especially for mobile users. People, however, have expressed mixed reactions for Stories. Some have expressed concerns that YouTube is adding new things before fixing current problems, such as demonetization issues.
In any case, Stories have proven extremely popular — on Instagram and Snapchat, at least. Whether it achieves the same level of popularity on YouTube remains to be seen.
