YouTube demonetization has been a long-standing issue between content creators and YouTube. Demonetization, which content creators often refer to as “Adpocalypse”, is the process where content creators are denied paid ads in their YouTube videos. Consequently, they’re denied revenue and their income on the video-hosting platform is reduced.
The creator community on YouTube has to be careful about what they discuss on their channels, otherwise they risk getting their ads shut off. As part of YouTube’s Partner Program, there are some community guidelines and advertiser policies the YouTubers must adhere to, which determine eligibility for the program. However, these rules have undergone several changes in recent years, which YouTube does to reduce toxicity on the platform.
Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be much improvement on the YouTube ecosystem over the last few years. Content creators have raised several complaints related to targeted censorship, unfair treatment of some content creators, a flawed recommendation algorithm, unsubstantiated demonetization, and unequal enforcement of their policies. For these and other reasons, content creators are seeking other YouTube alternatives.
Why Your Videos Are Demonetized on YouTube
YouTube demonetization rules spell out the main things that make a channel or content creator not eligible, such as:
While YouTube’s monetization policy is flawed in its enforcement, the gist of it is that you must abide by the community guidelines, terms of service, copyright policy, Google AdSense program policy, channel monetization policy, and ad-friendly content guidelines.
While abiding by these policies may seem like the sure way of preserving your rights to video monetization, YouTube can still limit their monetization or remove it on a video-by-video basis. YouTube’s algorithm, which checks whether your videos are ad-friendly and analyzes your content to check whether it’s in line with YouTube rules, could potentially or definitely remove your videos from YouTube’s Account Monetization program.
The algorithm is regularly updated, as YouTube’s advertisers compel them to do so in order to protect the brand reputation of those who choose to advertise on the platform. After all, no brand wants to be seen as supporting things like hate speech, pornography, crime videos, terrorist messages, or radical political opinions, among other off-brand causes. Ultimately, YouTube wants to create an algorithm that’s fair to its brand advertisers while offering them high-level protection.
What Can You Do to Avoid YouTube Demonetization?
If you’ve been a victim of YouTube demonetization, there are still some options that can help you make money from your video content and avoid YouTube demonetization in 2021. This includes:
Building a Standalone Video Streaming Platform
YouTube demonetization can be devastating, especially if it’s the only source of income for your video content and you rely on it fully. To get yourself out of YouTube’s claws, you can launch your own video streaming platform and move your business elsewhere. This way, you can offer your audience subscription access to your videos. This not only helps you earn more, but also grows your audience and allows you to enjoy more freedom as a content creator. It starts by putting your premium content on a standalone video website or over-the-top (OTT) app and charging your audience a reasonable fee to access them.
Using YouTube to Connect With New Customers
Launching your own video streaming platform doesn’t mean you should give up on YouTube altogether. You can still use YouTube as a marketing platform and to connect with new customers looking for videos like yours. YouTube is a great platform to find people to sell to, as it’s the second-largest search engine after Google.
Get Out What You Put In
YouTube is a content machine fueled by an endless stream of new content from new and established content creators on the platform. However, it’s not the only way you can monetize your content. If you don’t want to move your content from YouTube, you can still make money through other methods such as affiliate income, product placement, creating your own merchandise, and donations. Ready to get started with your video streaming platform and earn more money?
