YouTube introduces gift effects and experimental gift goals for vertical live streams

YouTube announced gift effects and experimental gift goals for vertical live streams on September 2, 2025, expanding its Gifts program powered by Jewels virtual currency. Lauren, a program manager on YouTube's product team, revealed the new features during the Creator Insider weekly update, confirming rollout to eligible US channels beginning that week.

According to the Creator Insider announcement, gift effects offer five new interactive options including Cat ears, Good Job, Flower Crown, Celebrate, and Royal Crown. These character and environment-based effects display on screen for 8 to 15 seconds when viewers redeem Jewels through the gift picker. The platform marks interactive gifts with purple sparkle icons to help viewers identify enhanced options.

Gift effects enhance visual engagement during live streams

YouTube's gift effects represent a significant upgrade from existing gifts, which consisted of static or animated illustrations that appeared briefly before disappearing. The new interactive effects create sustained visual experiences that maintain viewer attention while providing creators with enhanced engagement tools during vertical live streaming sessions.

"We're excited to introduce Gift Effects, which offer five new interactive options," stated Lauren during the September 2 announcement. The effects activate when viewers redeem Jewels through the gift picker interface, creating immersive experiences that enhance creator-audience connections during live broadcasts.

The purple sparkle icon identification system helps viewers distinguish interactive effects from standard gifts within the picker interface. This visual differentiation enables informed gift selection while encouraging adoption of premium engagement features that generate higher creator revenue through increased Jewel redemption.

YouTube confirmed the rollout would begin reaching all eligible US channels throughout the week of September 2, 2025. The platform maintains geographic restrictions limiting gift functionality to US creators and viewers, though international audiences can view gifts during live streams.

Experimental gift goals expand community engagement features

YouTube simultaneously announced gift goals as an experimental addition expanding the Live Goals feature to vertical live streams. According to the platform announcement, gift goals enable creators to set community-driven objectives that encourage viewer collaboration toward common missions during live streaming sessions.

Creators can establish gift goals by tapping the bullseye icon once live, setting target gift amounts and timeframes for achievement. The goal-setting process requires drafting descriptions and celebrations before setting goals live for viewer participation. Once launched, viewers contribute by tapping the bullseye icon, reading details, and sending gifts toward goal completion.

"Gift goals can help you build community by encouraging your viewers to work towards a common mission," explained Lauren during the announcement. The feature enables creators to celebrate achievement with fans who contributed to goal completion, fostering stronger creator-community relationships through collaborative experiences.

The platform restricts simultaneous goal operation, requiring creators to complete current objectives before establishing new targets. This limitation ensures focused viewer attention while maintaining clear progression tracking throughout live streaming sessions.

Technical implementation limited to vertical mobile streams

YouTube's gift effects and goals operate exclusively on vertical immersive live streams through mobile devices within the United States. The platform confirmed experimental status for gift goals, noting they will communicate expansion plans if testing proves successful.

Gift functionality requires creators to participate in the YouTube Partner Program and accept the Virtual Items Module through YouTube Studio. Viewers must be at least 18 years old and located in the US to purchase Jewels and send gifts, though creators can receive gifts when streaming through third-party software.

The Jewels virtual currency system enables viewers to purchase digital bundles for sending gifts during live streams. Creators earn Rubies when viewers redeem Jewels for gifts, with each Ruby converting to $0.01 in revenue through YouTube's transparent monetization calculation.

Revenue mechanics maintain established conversion rates

Gift effects and goals operate within YouTube's existing Jewels-to-Rubies conversion framework, where viewers redeem two Jewels to generate one Ruby for creators. The enhanced visual experiences provided by gift effects do not alter revenue calculations, maintaining consistent earning potential regardless of gift type selection.

YouTube's revenue documentation confirms creators receive $0.01 per Ruby earned through gift interactions. The platform displays estimated Ruby earnings during live streams and provides final calculations when streams conclude, with comprehensive revenue breakdowns available through YouTube Analytics.

The gift effects enhancement strategy aims to increase viewer engagement and Jewel redemption frequency rather than modifying per-gift revenue rates. Enhanced visual experiences encourage sustained viewer participation while supporting creator revenue growth through increased gift volume.

Communities feature receives direct link functionality

YouTube announced direct link functionality for Communities alongside the gift enhancements, enabling creators to share community access through social channels. The platform expanded Communities to all eligible creators in June 2025, with direct links providing simplified sharing mechanisms for community growth.

According to the announcement, creators can now generate direct links to their Communities for use across social media platforms. This functionality supports community expansion beyond YouTube's platform boundaries while maintaining centralized engagement within YouTube's ecosystem.

The Communities enhancement complements gift features by providing creators with comprehensive audience engagement tools spanning live streaming and asynchronous community interaction. These developments reflect YouTube's strategy of retaining creator and viewer attention through diverse engagement mechanisms.

Platform strategy addresses competitive landscape

YouTube's gift effects and goals introduction aligns with broader platform initiatives addressing competition from TikTok, Instagram, and other mobile-first streaming platforms. The focus on vertical live streams reflects changing viewer consumption patterns favoring mobile-optimized content formats.

The gift enhancements contribute to YouTube's comprehensive creator monetization strategy, which includes ten distinct revenue streams for creator support. The platform's Partner Program now supports 3 million channels, distributing $70 billion to creators over the past three years.

Interactive gift effects provide YouTube creators with engagement tools comparable to those available on competing platforms while maintaining unique visual experiences that differentiate YouTube's offering. The experimental nature of gift goals enables platform refinement based on creator and viewer feedback before broader implementation.

Marketing implications for brand partnerships

Gift effects and goals create new opportunities for marketing professionals utilizing YouTube for brand campaigns. Enhanced creator engagement tools maintain audience attention during sponsored live streams while providing measurable interaction metrics through gift activity data.

The interactive visual effects enable brands to create memorable campaign moments during influencer partnerships. Gift goals can support product launches or brand initiatives by encouraging community participation toward promotional objectives during live streaming events.

YouTube's enhanced creator collaboration features complement gift functionality by enabling shared audience access across creator partnerships. These developments support sophisticated brand campaign strategies leveraging multiple creator audiences through single live streaming sessions.

The platform's commitment to authentic content standards ensures gift features operate within brand-safe environments that protect advertiser interests while supporting genuine creator-audience relationships.

Timeline

• June 2025: YouTube expands Communities feature to all eligible creators
• September 2, 2025: YouTube announces gift effects and experimental gift goals during Creator Insider update
• Week of September 2, 2025: Gift effects begin rolling out to eligible US creators
• March 31, 2025: YouTube details 10 diverse revenue streams for creator monetization
• July 15, 2025: YouTube clarifies "inauthentic content" policy changes
• August 1, 2025: YouTube launches collaboration feature for creator partnerships

PPC Land explains

Gift Effects: Interactive visual elements including Cat ears, Good Job, Flower Crown, Celebrate, and Royal Crown that display for 8-15 seconds during vertical live streams when viewers redeem Jewels. Gift effects represent YouTube's enhancement of standard gifts, creating immersive experiences that maintain viewer engagement while supporting creator revenue through increased Jewel redemption. Purple sparkle icons distinguish interactive effects from standard gifts within the picker interface.

Gift Goals: Experimental community engagement feature allowing creators to establish target gift amounts with specific timeframes during vertical live streams. Gift goals enable collaborative viewer experiences where audiences work toward common objectives, fostering stronger creator-community relationships through shared achievement. The feature prevents simultaneous goal operation, requiring completion of current objectives before establishing new targets.

Purple Sparkle Icons: Visual identification system marking interactive gift effects within the gift picker interface to help viewers distinguish enhanced options from standard gifts. Purple sparkle icons enable informed gift selection while encouraging adoption of premium engagement features that generate sustained visual experiences during live streams. This identification system supports user experience optimization while promoting higher-value gift interactions.

Jewels: YouTube's virtual currency that viewers purchase in bundles to unlock gift-sending capabilities during vertical live streams. Jewels function as the foundational economic unit within YouTube's Virtual Items ecosystem, enabling sustained viewer engagement without repeated transaction friction. The bundled purchasing system encourages real-time interaction while providing predictable revenue streams through fixed conversion rates to creator-earned Rubies.

Vertical Live Streams: Mobile-optimized live streaming format specifically designed for portrait-oriented viewing experiences on smartphones and tablets. Vertical live streams represent YouTube's response to changing viewer consumption patterns and competition from mobile-first platforms. This format exclusively supports gift effects and goals functionality, distinguishing it from horizontal live streams which remain ineligible for enhanced Virtual Items features.

Creator Insider: YouTube's weekly program providing platform updates and feature announcements to the creator community through informal team communication. Creator Insider serves as the primary channel for communicating product developments, policy changes, and strategic initiatives affecting creator monetization and platform functionality. The program enables direct creator-platform dialogue while providing transparency about upcoming feature rollouts.

Virtual Items Module: YouTube's comprehensive framework enabling creators to monetize through digital goods including Jewels, Gifts, and Rubies within the Partner Program structure. The Virtual Items Module requires creator acceptance through YouTube Studio before accessing gift functionality, ensuring compliance with platform monetization policies. This module distinguishes virtual currency monetization from traditional advertising revenue while maintaining integrated analytics and reporting.

Bullseye Icon: Interface element enabling creators to establish and manage gift goals during vertical live streams through simple tap interactions. The bullseye icon provides streamlined goal-setting functionality while enabling viewer participation through goal discovery and contribution mechanisms. This interface design supports intuitive creator and viewer interaction with experimental gift goals features.

YouTube Partner Program: The platform's primary monetization framework supporting 3 million channels through diverse revenue streams including advertising, fan funding, and Virtual Items. Partner Program eligibility requirements include subscriber thresholds, watch time minimums, and community guideline adherence for accessing gift effects and goals functionality. The program serves as YouTube's foundation for creator economy development and revenue distribution.

Rubies: Creator-earned digital currency representing monetizable value when viewers redeem Jewels for gifts during live streams. Creators receive one Ruby for every two Jewels redeemed, establishing transparent conversion rates that simplify revenue calculations. Rubies convert directly to real currency at $0.01 per Ruby, providing clear earning metrics visible through YouTube Analytics without complex revenue sharing calculations.

Summary

Who: YouTube announced the gift effects and experimental gift goals through Lauren, a program manager on the product team, targeting eligible US creators in the YouTube Partner Program who conduct vertical live streams and want enhanced audience engagement tools.

What: YouTube introduced gift effects featuring five interactive visual options (Cat ears, Good Job, Flower Crown, Celebrate, Royal Crown) marked with purple sparkle icons, plus experimental gift goals enabling community-driven objectives during vertical live streams powered by the existing Jewels virtual currency system.

When: The announcement occurred on September 2, 2025, during the Creator Insider weekly update, with gift effects beginning rollout to eligible US creators throughout that week and gift goals launching simultaneously as an experimental feature.

Where: The features operate exclusively on vertical immersive live streams through mobile devices within the United States, maintaining geographic restrictions that limit gift functionality to US creators and viewers while allowing international audience viewing.

Why: YouTube implemented these enhancements to increase creator-audience engagement during live streams, support creator revenue growth through enhanced gift interactions, and maintain competitive positioning against mobile-first platforms while expanding the comprehensive monetization options available through the Virtual Items Module.