All the YouTube Play Buttons Levels: How to Earn Your Creator Awards

Have you heard of YouTube Play Buttons? These awards are given to creators when they reach certain goals. In this video, we talk about four types of YouTube Play Buttons and explain what you need to do to earn these special awards.

Video Transcript

YouTube Play Buttons.

These are a series of creator awards given to YouTube channels that have reached certain milestones with their channel. They are the Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Red Diamond Award, which is so hard to get that not even all top 10 channels in the world have one.

Later on in the video, I’ll reveal what channels have this award, so be sure to watch all the way to the end.

Now, what do you have to do to get each play button? And what do they look like?

The first is the Silver Play Button. This was first released in 2012, and the look of it has been updated over the years from a play button enclosed in a basic frame to what it is now, which is a solid silver plaque with, you guessed it, a silver play button. To get this, you need 100,000 subscribers.

Now, there is some basic criteria that you have to meet in order to get this award as well. But when I say basic, I really mean basic. Here they are.

First, your channel has to be active and you cannot be suspended from the YouTube partner program. You also need to be in compliance with YouTube’s community guidelines and their terms of service. Lastly, your content has to be original and it can’t be deceptive, spammy or part of a scam. And that is all that you need to get this Silver Play Button award.

Now, to qualify for the next three levels, the criteria is the same except for the number of subscribers that you have to get. But before we go on, if you don’t know who I am, my name is Steven Records, and I’m the founder of contentthunder.com, where we help businesses and content creators take their content to the next level.

Speaking of levels, the second level to YouTube’s Creator Awards is the Golden Play Button.

It looks just like this silver plaque, but it’s gold and has a larger play button. To get this, you’ll need a million subscribers. There are currently under 42,000 channels in the world that have achieved this.

The third level of the YouTube play buttons is the Diamond Play Button, and this is where the design of the play button starts to look a lot different.

It is a giant play button with a triangular crystal in the center of the logo. To get this, you will need 10 million subscribers. To put that number into perspective, that’s more people than the entire population of more than 100 countries in the world. And there are only about 1100 channels that have received the diamond play button.

Now, there have been some other awards given over the years for 20 million and even 50 million subscribers, like America’s Got Talent and Marvel. But these were custom-made awards that are not given to everyone.

Now, the highest level YouTube creator award that you can get is the Red Diamond Play Button.

This was first revealed in 2019, made of red bacarrat crystal. It is designed like no other award on this list. Just look at that thing. It is beautiful. But how many subscribers do you need to get this and how many people actually, have one?

To get the Red Diamond Play Button, you will need a whopping, 100 million subscribers. That is more subscribers than the entire population of the 15th largest nation in the world. And only 7 people have ever achieved it and 2 of them are not even 10 years old yet.

Here they are:

T-Series: With over 230 million subscribers, making it the largest channel on YouTube. They are India’s largest music label. They also got an award for being the first to reach 200 million subscribers and it looks super cool.

Second is Cocomelon. A kid’s nursery rhyme channel with over 150 million subscribers.

Third is SET India again over 150 million subscribers and focused on TV and movies.

Number four is Mr. Beast. With over 130 million subscribers, who is known for giving away tons of money through games and challenges.

Five is PewDiePie, with over 110 million subscribers, he was the first solo creator to ever exceed 100 million subs. He is known for gaming and his comedic commentary. 

For the last two, both hosts are under ten years old.

Number six is Kids Diana Show with over 110 million subs.

And number seven is Like Nastia, with over 105 million subscribers.

Which awards do you think looks the coolest?

Let me know in the comments.

Be sure to check out the next one. I’ll see you there.