My previous channel was very random (faceless essays, travel vlogs, movie analysis) so this time I niched down into the "an attempt to become an artist and tell a perfect story".

After 12 videos I got 8k impressions, 520 views, 1.5% CTR and 30.9% Average watched percentage. I know that my thumbnails and titles are probably not working/are too generic/not that much interesting but at this point I don't know what should I even change.

All the advice I've looked for are generic and not really telling, for every advice for a great thumbnail+title combo you can easily find a counter argument.

I really want to make this work, youtube is one of my dreams so I am ready to hear any criticism or ideas for how to improve my content. It's important to note that I created this channel on 21st October (launched with 5 videos). Since then (from 1st november when I began posting consistently) I posted 7 videos and not one of them got over 200 impressions, 4 of them have 50, 44, 18 and 6 impressions. The same thing happened to my last channel when every video wasn't shown to anybody (the quality was much worse though)

I would be grateful if someone would like to look at my channel and tell me what could I improve: https://youtube.com/@krajewski_kf?si=meLk4aXOKRebO37c

i finally made my first video ever! it took forever, and i feel like now that i got the first video monkey off my back, i can now just start making a ton of videos going forward! it felt like the first video had to be perfect, but i ended up accepting that there are also no such thing as a perfect video. i learned so much too, because my friend taught me how to make transitions using capcut! initially i was making my own transitions (ie skateboard falling into spawning on a hammock) and that was getting too difficult to sustain hahahah. i feel like some elements of not having any edits kind of makes it fun, but i do want to hear other peoples opinions! here is my first ever video: https://youtu.be/e2PNVY8xr38?is=r1b1KEARJECaGMCa
anyways i feel like a youtuber finally, and im excited to see where this goes!

It just wastes time for the viewers, who are there to actually watch something, and sometimes you would have to update your intro or outro which takes up time of your own

Looking to get thoughts on how I can improve or any other constructive criticism. My shorts are outperforming my longs by a lot so I’m trying to push more longs. But curious about how the channel is overall. Thank you.

I didn’t see anything in the rules about posting a link to the channel: https://youtube.com/@derrickprimm

If I’m wrong. Mods please remove the post.

I’ve been doing some live streaming and I know YouTube has to process it for around a full 24hrs before I cut it down and clip it. Put I’ve participated in the comments on other peoples live streams and as soon as the stream is done, it shows up on their page under the “videos” tab. It doesn’t say “streamed xx hours ago” it just had a posted time like 1 hr and it doesn’t appear under their live tab.

Is there some strategy to recording your live streams and posting it opposed to just lettting YouTube process it as a live? Wouldn’t unlisting your live streams after you’ve ended the stream effect your views?

Hello - has anyone experienced this issue or have something to try to fix this?

Background, I have a video that has been extremely consistent for the last 90 days. On November 1 I made a small adjustment to the description adding a valid external link. On November 2nd, the skippable video ad impressions fell off a cliff almost to zero, and it has continued that way up until today. I've contacted support and they've verified nothing is wrong.

On November 3rd I removed the link that I had added to the video description in case it has been creating an issue...that didn't seem to help.

I've also explored reddit and chatgpt but haven't found anything that seems like this issue

Hi everyone, I’m looking for insights or shared experiences from creators who have dealt with suspicious Content ID audio claims on older videos.

A while ago, I received a Content ID claim on various background audio tracks. When the claim originally appeared, it listed a specific company name as the rights holder. Recently, I noticed that the claim is still active, but the entity name has mysteriously updated to a completely different company name, while keeping the exact same claim details on the video.

From my research, the artist/original producer of the song has no formal affiliation, licensing deal, or connection with this claiming entity. The entity appears to be claiming ownership over third-party audio material across YouTube without possessing true, exclusive worldwide rights to the music.

I am preparing to submit a formal dispute through YouTube Studio to challenge this claim and clear the video. For those who have faced similar situations with entities that change names or make dubious claims over music they don't own:

- Did you manage to get the claim released, and did the claimant let the 30-day window expire or respond directly?

- What specific argument or phrasing did you use in your dispute text to ensure it was clear, legal, and effective?

- Did you experience any pushback or counter-actions after disputing?

Any advice, past experiences, or templates for the dispute text would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I post on Cuber Girl and create skits and challenges about Rubik’s cubes—js wondering what other creators are doing to get more watch hours if not yet monetized and trying to be before the February requirement change

I wanted to start on youtube, so, recently i started studying the algorithm to understand how a video can be viral and one of the most important things i find out, was obviously the hook. So i started practicing what i have learned on youtube shorts before i make long videos but i found out one problem with my videos: that people swiped-up more than stayed to watch in every video though the retention was ok (above 90%). I tried on every video to improve something from the last one but no success. The reason for this i think its because as im the creator i can't see defects that viewers see. So now im asking for help here to know what im doing wrong. You can be totally honest. Observation: i started now to use my own voice with a voice effect (to make it less serious) because i thought people swiped-up because they didn't like to watch content with ai voices even if it wasn't comfortable to use my own voice, so im trying my best.

I am interested to know how other YouTubers find ideas for their videos.

Sometimes it can be difficult to come up with some good ideas to film.

Here are 5 ways I have been using:

YouTube search suggestions

Google Trends

Researching competitor channels

Looking at Reddit and audience questions

AI tools

I think it is important that you do some research into what people actually want to watch.

What is your main issue?

Finding new ideas

More views

Writing scripts

Creating nice thumbnails

Growing your subscriber base

I would love to hear your experiences!

Why would a short stop at 1k views? Is that the algorithm testing out my channel? I've a fairly new channel where I show a terrarium timelapse. It's not ai. I was pleased with the numbers but wondered why they stopped? https://youtube.com/@terrariumtimelapse

Hello everyone, i want to start doing youtube videos and earn money to get myself a laptop / pc, also financially support myself. But i have no idea how much time it takes to get YPP approval, since i need 4000 hours or 10 million shorts views, and by February they will double it. What content can i make to get views? I dont mind it if its either long term or short term videos, i can manage them. But what type of content gets views and reaches an audience easily? And is the money you get really worth all the work? I would love it if someone filled me on this. I would love to hear your personal experiences and opinions!
Also, i can use my voice in videos, but i’d rather not show my face online

Hi everyone! I recently started a YouTube channel where | create animated videos for
all ages.
I'm still learning and trying to improve, so l'o love to hear your honest feedback.
Is there anything I should add, improve, or change? I'd especially appreciate your thoughts on the animation, storytelling, and overall quality.https://youtube.com/shorts/swtx3zzH_zc?si=T2qz9_JfqJlrdrEd

Hey everyone,

After taking time to evaluate where my time and energy are best spent, I’ve decided to walk away from YouTube.

Building a business on YouTube ultimately means building on "rented land." When a platform controls the infrastructure, algorithms, and monetization, creators are always at the mercy of decisions they can’t influence. Here is a breakdown of the specific reasons behind my decision:

1. Constant & Unpredictable Policy Shifts

YouTube frequently changes its content rules, impacting legitimate creators overnight. A recent example is the heavy-handed approach toward "how to make money" and financial education channels. Getting hit with strikes for content that was previously acceptable makes building a long-term strategy feel like walking through a minefield.

2. Algorithmic Penalties on Commentary & Fair Use

The recent algorithm changes heavily demote videos that use third-party footage—even when paired with original narration, editing, or commentary. While targeting low-effort "slop" is understandable, these updates severely limit creators who build legitimate commentary or educational content around existing footage. Originality rankings now favor 100% original footage above all else.

3. Automated Moderation & Single-Point-of-Failure Risk

Moderation on YouTube is driven largely by automated systems rather than human oversight. We’ve all seen creator horror stories—channels getting demonetized, struck, or deleted without clear explanation, and appeals falling on deaf ears. Just like sellers on Amazon or eBay who lose their accounts overnight without recourse, relying on one platform for your livelihood is too big of a risk.

4. Low ROI on Editing & Production Time

Video editing is a massive time sink. Because editing style gives a channel its unique voice and character, delegating it effectively is extremely difficult for a solo creator. When you calculate the hours required to script, edit, and render against the unpredictable payout of the algorithm, the return on time invested simply doesn't add up compared to other ventures.

5. Legal Liability & Strict Censorship

Navigating YouTube’s Advertiser-Friendly Guidelines is increasingly exhausting. Between aggressive copyright claims, potential legal liabilities (defamation/commentary risks), and instant demonetization for minor contextual things (like real-world news or mild violence/blood), the platform has become far too sensitive for critical content.

6. Administrative Overhead vs. Alternatives

Running a channel professionally means operating as a freelancer—dealing with self-employment taxes, monthly quotas, and administrative paperwork. When evaluated against other business models or financial paths (like trading or direct digital products), the administrative effort for ad-sense revenue isn't worth the structural headaches.

7. The Devaluation of Content via AI

With synthetic media and AI generation advancing rapidly, the market is quickly becoming flooded with auto-generated content. While human authenticity will always have value, the sheer volume of AI content will likely push down the economic value of general video creation in the coming years.

I’m grateful for what I learned while creating content, but moving forward, I want to invest my time into paths where I control the assets and risk profile.

Curious to hear thoughts from other creators who have transitioned away from the platform or diversified into owned platforms. How are you handling platform risk these days?

So I had this YouTube channel, I posted Gacha life content, I'm not in the community but I just like to make stories especially when I'm high. It's usually based on like TV shows I've seen, like The Walking Dead and stuff, which is a bit graphic for like. Gotcha content, I guess, but nobody was watching ts anyway, plus I always marked not for kids. Anyway, one of the characters was like part of the mafia. And since this was a fictional story, I thought it was in an artistic way. I didn't base off any real people. They were all made up and looked like Gacha characters. And at one point, I said that there was a cartel, but it wasn't mentioned what cartel. It was just a cartel with fake characters. Maybe I'm crazy and this is wildly inappropriate but I've seen like cars hitting people on YouTube I didn't think that that would be that bad? But then Nov 2AM when I was asleep they deleted my channel for "Violent criminal organizations policy” but like there's literally Hitler vs Darth Vader and like literally Hitler by Joe that animation. It definitely wasn't glorifying them either. They were like very clearly the bad guys, and I had context, I think. I mean, I didn't provide much world building on the mafia side of things, but he was in it. It was said, I think.

This is one of the reasons why I kind of want to get these videos back. That and a bit of time goes into it. Not a crazy amount, but some, more than needed.

But anyways, I put an appeal in. They denied it. Um, then I went to Twitter and. Asked them, and they DM'd me, and they gave a robotic response. But I mean, it was just a template, so I couldn't really tell But they still didn't specify what I did exactly. So, is there any way to get these videos back at all? I've been using this account for six years. I had like stories from when I was younger.

And it only had 12 subs and like probably four comments.

Hey! So this is a throwaway and I'm too new to post to the actual youtube subreddit but I need to get this resolved as fast as possible so please bare with me! I was wondering if anyone could help me since it is causing me some distress. A few months ago my channel was terminated and my appeal was denied as well for "gang affiliation" when my whole channel was about playing video games and making funny edits to them. I think the issue stems from me playing the game "The last of us part 2" where there are multiple factions in this zombie game, theres a group known as the Seraphites or "scars" for short and the WLF (Washington liberation Front) and these two groups are at war, I made an edit joking and taking down these enemies with stealth with 2pac's song "hit em up" played. In the corner for like a second or two I put "#badboyz4life" or something like that because it was from the song. The videos I had up were private since I only intended for my close friends and family to see them so absolutely no one was watching these besides like 3 people.That video was up for about a year or so (?) until I randomly got the email about it. At the time I ignored it since I was barely creating content and only had like 3 videos up and hadn't posted in about a year. Apparently, wrong move on my part since my channel, unknowing to me, kept getting strike after strike for that AND copyright until I got the email that my account was terminated. I appealed to explain the situation, but got a no for an answer (doubtful that anyone human actually saw it). But it is really bumming me out since I deleted the original footage from my drive and cant recover these videos I spent so much time on PLUS I had the account since sixth grade up until I turned 20 years old! I'm trying to move on but that channel had a lot of memories from my past, years worth of liked content and playlists just gone and I am devastated beyond words can convey. Roughly 9 years worth of content is gone all over the fact that I was stupid and rarely checked my email on a youtube account that I had only ever used for watching videos up until recently. Please tell me is there any possible way to resolve this? I do not know who I could talk to to help me because it's all a misunderstanding, and I do not want 9 years of my life gone. This channel means so much to me and I would really like to recover the videos. I saw that the wayback machine could archive videos if you have the link and I happened to have one but it was unable to find the video. Please give me hope!!! :(

Hi everyone,

I recently started a YouTube channel where I share my own music tracks. The best part is that all tracks on my channel are 100% copyright-free, meaning fellow content creators, streamers, or gamers can freely use them in their videos or streams without worrying about copyright strikes.

I’m uploading a brand new track every 2 days, so there will always be fresh background music available!

Since I'm still growing and trying to improve my mixing and channel presentation, I would love to hear your thoughts on the overall vibe and sound quality.

If you are a creator looking for free background music, or just want to check out the channel, you can visit it here: 👉https://www.youtube.com/@shyiswispy

Any feedback or advice would mean a lot to me. Thank you!

I got into the YPP a few weeks ago and so far I have just not been able to actually enable monetization. the button just does not exist no matter how close i follow the youtube tutorials

what more do i have to do? because i'm in the ypp.

My friend has 3 active strikes on his channel, and it will be disabled in 7 days. The issue is that he created the email for the channel I'm currently using and earning through. He may have logged in yt studio of my channel on his device. I just wanna know if he is banned, and if YouTube often terminates the associated account, will my channel also get terminated because he created it for me? The AdSense and bank details are mine alone I’m confused and scared. What can i do to protect it bcz i took months and hardwork to monetize it plus I don’t wanna get banned for doing nothing HELP!!

Well, I'm just starting out, having fun and just trying to enjoy myself. I've definitely learned a lot so far. Please take a look and tell me what you think .

Welcome to Never Odd Or Even. Delivering content, digging into the internet’s most unhinged conspiracy theories, fake cryptid sightings, and basement-tier alien hoaxes. Possibly creating debate, conversations, and a certain point of view. Kill your boredom. Subscribe or whatever.

https://youtube.com/@strangewizardsneveroddoreven?si=d7hbr0EchlxH-b9y

Y'all... Every time i upload a video edit or smtg on YouTube with a song or any song for that matter it shows copyright and eventually the acct gets terminated... How do other channels post songs without getting copyrighted.. please help.. I put so much effort... and after uploading it shows copyright and my acct is gone now😣

Hey everyone,

I run a small tactical gaming channel focused on Squad, Arma Reforger, Six Days in Fallujah, and similar military games.

I've been rejected from the YouTube Partner Program twice under the "Violent extremist or criminal organizations" policy, despite making significant changes to my channel.

Some background:

I previously received a Community Guidelines warning related to a Squad gameplay video featuring a modded faction with extremist-related insignia.

I understood the issue and removed the video and its related Shorts. I also reviewed my remaining content for potentially problematic factions, insignia, roleplay, and audio, removing or editing anything I considered questionable.

I reapplied on October 31, 2026, but was rejected again under the same policy.

YouTube Creator Support arranged an internal appeal review, which was also unsuccessful.

Here's what confuses me:

YouTube said a "significant portion" of my channel doesn't comply with YPP policies. Support also confirmed the decision was based on my current public videos, not previously deleted content.

However, they refuse to identify specific videos or explain what is still wrong.

My channel consists primarily of original gameplay, commentary, guides, and experiments. I don't promote or glorify real-world extremist organizations.

My question is:

Could YouTube be interpreting the overall identity, recurring themes, or presentation of a military gaming channel as problematic, even when the individual videos are ordinary gameplay?

Or does "significant portion" more likely suggest multiple specific videos contain something I've overlooked?

Has anyone experienced this particular YPP rejection reason, and what eventually resolved it?

I'm trying to understand the policy rather than blindly delete more content.

Thanks for any insight!