How Often Should You Use the Community Tab in YouTube

The community tab is one of the highlights of enabling advanced features on YouTube. It’s one of the few content creator tools you get without needing 500 subscribers or more. So, how often should you use the tab to grow and maintain your audience?

In reality, there isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer. It comes down to audience, content type, and your goals for growth.

For instance, someone who uses YouTube as more of a side-project without goals for making it a career would use the community tab less than someone who is going all-in on building a channel.

Gauging Your Audience’s Needs

First, you’ll need to establish goals for yourself and YouTube. Is being a content creator high on your priority list, or is it just something fun you do on the weekends? Are you trying to build a strong community of supporters to make money, or do you just want to hang out once in a while and chat?

Knowing what you want out of YouTube helps shape the rest of your strategies. It will affect everything from how often you post on the community tab to the types and lengths of videos you will upload.

Although there is technically no right or wrong answer here, frequency and consistency affect how long it takes to hit that illustrious 4,000 hours of watch time to make ad revenue.

When it comes to the community tab, you can start with just a couple of posts per week to see if others respond. You can also keep track of the types of posts people like and engage with the most.

For example, do more people like image posts over surveys? Do viewers comment more on video posts than text?

If you’re a bit of a geek like myself, you can set up a spreadsheet in Google docs to track the engagement rates of your posts as a way to help you identify what types you should focus on most.

Something else you can consider is using vidIQ’s AI Coach to get ideas based on your channel’s performance. It can provide quite a few insights about what works best on your channel and the types of content you can make to improve viewership.

With all of that being said, it’s not a bad idea to start slowly. You don’t want to inundate others with an endless string of random posts. YouTube is not Twitter, and posting too often can cause viewers to unsubscribe.

Community Tab Content Types and How to Use Them

Currently, there are six types of community posts available: Text-only, Image, Image Poll, Text Poll, Quiz, and Video. Each one of them may perform better than the others depending on the channel and audience.

For instance, an image poll may work exceptionally well for one channel but extremely poorly for another. Not to mention that the content of each post might not resonate with your audience all that well.

Let’s take a closer look at each type.

Text-Only

Text-only posts are the default. This is when you post something in text to either inform or entertain the audience. It’s the most basic of content types for the community tab and doesn’t always have the best reach.

I’ll use a text post when I share daily affirmations or inform subscribers of a new live author interview coming soon. Though, I have to admit, adding the author’s image to the post made a massive difference in impressions and likes.

Image Posts

Image posts are among the most effective types of community tab posts across most niches and industries. They often generate the most impressions and the most likes.

You can also add text and links to the post, which is useful if you’re announcing new merch, blog content, or sharing links for something you found on the Internet that you think your audience would like.

Image Poll

An image poll is just as it sounds; it’s a poll that uses imagery along with the responses. These are useful if you’re asking your audience for input regarding everything from a logo to a book cover.

There are a lot of ways you can accentuate a poll just by adding images. For example, a gaming channel could simply use logos for games as part of a response for the best game of 2025.

The bottom line is that imagery is ultra-effective over plain text online.

Text Poll

A Text Poll is simply a poll that is posted using only text. They are quick to add but often don’t have the same engagement rate as one with images.

If you don’t have time to add images or the question really doesn’t have imagery to go along with it, text polls are a good alternative to help viewers feel like they are part of a community and that their input is valuable.

Quiz Post

Mostly for educational or self-help channels, quizzes can help share information while also engaging the audience. Of course, you don’t need to have an educational channel to use a Quiz post in the community tab.

For instance, you could quiz your viewers on how well they know a game, an exercise routine, or celebrity information. A quiz can be a fun and interesting way to interact with your core viewers.

Video Post

A Video post can help you promote a video that subscribers might have missed or is otherwise unlisted. If used properly, this type of post can help improve the viewership of that particular video or bring new life to something you published more than a year ago.

A lot of new subscribers probably don’t know about that gem of a video you created a couple of years ago that is still relevant today. You can share it with them in the community tab to rack up a few more views and a bit of watch time.

10 Ideas to Promote Yourself with the Community Tab

1. Post Regularly and Engage

Start with one or two posts per week to see if viewers are interested. It’s probably not a bad idea to experiment with scheduled posts to find the perfect time of day. Then, gradually increase the frequency until engagement drops off.

Just don’t forget to reply and engage those who interact with your posts in the community tab. Most people want to feel connected and that their input matters.

2. Drop a Teaser (image) of Upcoming Content

Teasers can be quite effective for stirring up interest in something your audience doesn’t want to miss. It taps into the idea of FOMO (fear of missing out) and may improve viewership for those videos.

For instance, I often post about what authors are going to be on the After Hours podcast for a live interview. I also plan on dropping teasers and hints about the subject matter of my next book.

3. Share Behind-the-Scenes Content

Behind-the-scenes content is often a fun method for keeping an audience interested in a channel. Whether it’s the hard work you put into a project or bloopers from video recordings, it shows people the human side of your brand.

In my experience, the BTS content is often the most effective for both blogs and YouTube videos. It’s also one of the reasons why I get so many compliments about being “authentic.” I share everything, whether it is a triumph or an utter failure.

4. Gain Feedback for Upcoming Videos

The polls can help you shape the channel and make subscribers feel like they are also part of the creative process. You can gain all kinds of feedback with both text and image polls, which could help improve your channel as a whole.

That is, as long as you’re consistent and are working to build a strong community. If not, you may find only a handful of people responding to your polls.

5. Mix Up the Types of Posts

Don’t just post one type of post in the community tab. Mix it up a bit to keep viewers interested in your channel. Not only can it improve overall engagement, but it can also help you figure out what types of posts are the most effective.

This is when a spreadsheet and tracking data come in handy. Never be afraid to dive into your YouTube analytics.

6. Revive Old Videos – that are relevant

The community tab helps you revitalize old videos. At least, videos that are still relevant today. You wouldn’t want to share something that is obsolete unless you’re trying to form a comparison opinion from your audience.

Not everyone who subscribes today will know of past gems they might be interested in viewing. That’s because not all subscribers are going to sift through your library to see what you have available.

7. Highlight Your Viewers

Including your viewers in a post highlights how you care about your audience and what they can deliver. From video comments to social media responses, it’s always a good idea to highlight those who have helped you succeed on YouTube.

For instance, you can highlight a question from someone with an image post who commented on a video and provide a deeper response in case other viewers would like the information.

There are many ways to highlight your patrons. Make them part of the channel experience.

8. Share Creator Codes and Promos

A lot of creators will share special codes and promotional materials in the community tab. Whether it’s from your own eCommerce site or a sponsorship with a brand, you can get quite a bit of attention on the community tab by sharing these promo codes.

For example, you can hand out a 20% off code for your Fourthwall store specific to your YouTube community. It makes them feel like they are part of something special and helps you give something back for their support.

9. Consider Contests and Giveaways

Some “experts” say that contests and giveaways are great for engaging your audience. However, it’s a bit of a double-edged blade. Yes, they can help you amass quite the following for freebies, but a very large portion of them won’t hang around if and when they don’t win.

In other words, giveaways and contests often attract those who are not really your core audience. Sure, the numbers look great in the short term. But more often than not, that viewership and engagement drops like Tesla stock once the contest or giveaway is over.

Still, contests and giveaways show your current audience that you’re willing to give something back to them. So, they are still worthwhile to interact with your core audience. Just don’t bank on the contests to permanently improve viewership, likes, or subscriptions.

10. Use vidIQ AI Coach for Ideas

The vidIQ AI Coach does more than just give you an endless stream of video ideas. The AI can scan your community tab and offer suggestions on how to get more viewers to interact with your content. The best part is that the suggestions are tailored to your specific channel and subscribers.

vidIQ will also provide some standard questions for AI if you’re stumped or don’t know what to ask.

Consistency and Engagement Are Key

Consistency is one of the cornerstones of success on YouTube. If you’re uploading haphazardly or not committing to a regular stream of content, building your channel will be immensely more difficult.

Sticking with a routine publishing schedule is ideal if possible. Most of the big YouTubers have content available at specific intervals or times of the day. That way, their fans can rely on when to set aside time to watch the next video.

Unfortunately, not all of us have free time available to dedicate to YouTube. Some of us have mortgages to pay and full-time jobs to manage.

Nonetheless, keeping your channel consistent with both video and community tab content can make a world of difference for your success. That also depends on what type of content you’re sharing and publishing. Not all videos will land the same, and not all community tab posts will be effective at engaging your audience.

That’s why it’s a good idea to keep an eye on your YouTube analytics.

So, How Many Posts Should You Make in a Week?

To make a long story short, the number of posts you make during any given week for the community will vary from channel to channel. It also depends on how often you post, the time of day, and the style of post you publish.

Most experts and AI tools agree that you should start slow with one to three posts per week to test the waters on the community tab. Once your audience grows past 1000 subscribers, try moving it to three to four times per week.

Also, keep an eye on what types of posts are getting the most impressions and likes. That will help guide you to what is most effective for your specific audience.

Just don’t forget to interact with your viewers. Liking and replying can go a long way to showing someone that his or her time is important to you.

How Often Have You Used the Community Tab?

I usually share important information with my audience, such as announcing when the next live author interview is scheduled or if I am attending an in-person event. However, I am scheduling time to do more with the community tab.

Videos are great, but interaction can turn occasional viewers into ardent fans.

Although you don’t make money from community posts as you would from videos, boosting interaction could mean more watch time from those individuals. This means you’re making more money over the long term from those who become fans of your work.

Think of the community tab as a marketing tool that can boost your channel’s performance.