If you only post on your channel when you upload, you’re leaving engagement on the table. YouTube Posts (formerly the Community tab) lets you stay visible between uploads without filming a single frame.
Quick polls, behind-the-scenes photos, questions that spark discussion, these small touchpoints keep your channel alive in subscribers' feeds and signal to YouTube that your audience is active and engaged.
If you're struggling to maintain momentum between videos or want your audience to feel like part of a community (not just passive viewers), YouTube posts might be the most underutilized tool in your creator toolkit. Here's how to actually use it.
Think of a community post as a quick, scroll-stopping update that keeps the conversation going without uploading a full video.
It's a bite-sized social media network where viewers can see all of your interactive posts, such as quizzes and polls.
But you can also share:
So, if you don't have any videos planned, you can use this tab to promote yourself on YouTube and engage with your audience in the meantime!
To feature YouTube community posts on your channel homepage, go to YouTube Studio → Customization → Home tab, then move the Posts shelf higher (or remove it entirely if you prefer).
Community posts appear on your channel's Posts tab, where subscribers can see them when they visit your page.
You can create and manage all your posts from YouTube Studio under Content → Posts.
Posting on the community tab is quick and easy. Everything you need is in the YouTube Studio, and there are plenty of features to customize your content.
1. Click the Create icon at the top of your YouTube homepage. Select Create post from the drop-down menu.
2. Type a message to create a short text post. You can also add a gif, poll, image, video, etc.
In 2025, YouTube rolled out a new feature to all creators that lets viewers post on your community tab. The new feature, simply called "Communities" is YouTube's way of trying to improve audience interaction and form a more vibrant community.
Read More: YouTube Communities: Connect with Creators
Creating a post on mobile is easy.
Open the YouTube app and tap Create (+), then choose Post. From here you can choose to post: text, images, or a poll/quiz.
You can monitor the performance of your community posts as well. This can help you improve your future posts and also give you a taste of what your community wants from you.
1. Go to the YouTube Studio.
2. Find the left navigation menu and click Content.
On the next page, you'll see some tabs at the top. Click on the one called Posts to see all the community posts you've published on your channel.
The posts are in chronological order by default, but the columns are sortable. If you want to know something specific, such as which community posts have the most comments or likes, you can easily shuffle through the data.
You can post various types of content on the community tab, including images, videos, polls, plain text messages, quizzes, and animated GIFs.
When browsing the community posts page, these content types will appear in different ways. Plain text posts display an alphabet symbol, ‘Aa’, to quickly represent non-media messages. Any post with an image or video will be shown with the image it comes with, while voting polls are displayed with three blue horizontal lines.
If you mouse over each community post, you’ll notice a drop-down menu with more options for managing the feature. The first one lets you edit a post directly from the YouTube Studio, which is pretty cool. You can also manage and respond to comments or click a link to take you to the original community post on YouTube.
One thing to keep in mind, however, is that you can’t edit polls. This is probably a safeguard to stop creators from changing the answer choices once voting begins.
Lastly, there’s an option to filter community posts. This lets you view only the posts you want to see, such as plain text or animated GIFs. You can even filter the posts to see which ones have been published or scheduled for future publication.
Related: 5 Advanced YouTube Studio Tips
The community tab on YouTube is more than just a space for updates. It is a great spot to connect with viewers between video uploads. Use it to start friendly chats and build bonds.
Best Practice 1: Think about when you are posting to your Community. Check your channel stats to see when viewers are most active. Many find that late afternoon or early evening works best.
Best Practice 2: Write every post around one clear action. Treat each post like a mini script: one idea, one question, one next step.
Copy patterns that consistently perform:
Best Practice 3: Mix up your content. Try polls one day, behind-the-scenes photos the next, and ask a simple question later. This keeps the YouTube community tab lively and fun. If you create a poll, ask a question like, "Which topic should I do next?" This makes your viewers feel important. Use your posts to test new video ideas too.
Best Practice 4: For a quick burst of engagement, run a poll that expires in 24 hours so viewers feel urgency to vote now. Use it for “What should I post next?” or “Which thumbnail should I use?” and then follow up with a second post sharing the results and what you picked.
Best Practice 5: Reply to comments and keep the conversation going. A chatty creator makes for a stronger community.
Best Practice 6: Use Posts as an idea engine by asking targeted questions and running quick polls that reveal what your audience actually wants next. Save the strongest responses, turn them into titles or topics for future videos.
Best Practice 7: Create 1-2 posts per day max. Spamming posts can have the opposite effect and actually reduce the posts appearing in feeds. Posting too frequently can also trigger a temporary restriction from YouTube.
Engagement Types:
Post Type Polls Images Text Video Clips GIFs | Best For Audience Research Behind-the-Scenes Quick Updates Teasers Reactions/Humor | Engagement Rate High Medium Low-Medium High Medium-High |
|---|
As your audience grows, keeping the chat clear is very important. YouTube offers several controls to help manage your YouTube community post. These controls ensure healthy discussions.
YouTube handles some housekeeping on its own. But you also have extra options:
Posts that break YouTube rules can be taken down. Repeated issues may even limit your features. If your channel is flagged as 'Made for Kids', your posts will not go public. This rule helps protect children.
For years, the community tab has helped creators stay in touch with their audience, especially when creators are not consistently publishing videos.
So, if you haven’t already, start using the community tab! Challenge yourself to post something every week for the next three to six months, polls, animated GIFs, or anything that brings you closer to your audience. And, as you keep growing through this content creation journey, don’t forget to avoid these mistakes as well.
A community post is a short update (text, image, poll, quiz, GIF, or video share) published to your channel’s Posts tab to drive engagement between uploads.
Visit YouTube Studio under Content > Posts to see your community post analytics. You can check views, likes, and comments for each post.
Check your channel for the Posts tab first. If it’s missing, review feature eligibility and account status, and note that supervised accounts and “Made for Kids” channels have restrictions.
The YouTube community tab (also known as Posts) is where creators post updates. The newer Communities feature allows subscribers to start their own posts and conversations directly on your channel.
Aim for 2-3 posts per week. This helps keep engagement up without overloading your viewers.
Yes, youtube community posts can appear in your subscribers' home and subscription feeds. Subscribers may also get notifications if they have them turned on.
Lydia Sweatt is a writer who loves balancing her article/blog time indoors with a healthy dose of nature. She bikes, hikes, and identifies edible plants along the way.
Jan 8, 2021
15 min read
Dec 8, 2020
3 min read
Nov 18, 2020
4 min read
Oct 23, 2020
5 min read
Aug 10, 2020
7 min read
Jun 1, 2020
3 min read
