YouTube Verification Mistakes Brands Should Avoid

You tube is among the most powerful social media branding, marketing and PR tools available to business operators right now. Naturally therefore, brands around the world are after YouTube verification. But the intense drive to get verified may push some to make some mistakes that could turn costly in the long run. Let’s explore some of the YouTube verification blunders that businesses should avoid.

Getting That YouTube Verification Badge
In order to verify a channel, YouTube requires that several prerequisites be met. Some of the mistakes brands make include moves that reduce their chances at meeting these prerequisites. Other mistakes lead to them contravening the terms and conditions and as a consequence being denied verification (and in some cases having their YouTube accounts terminated).

Low Content Volume
Channels with too little content are unlikely to attract enough subscribers to meet YouTube’s minimum standards for verification. People who subscribe to YouTube channels expect frequently released content (some channel owners opt for weekly releases while others opt for more frequent intervals. Yes, YouTube channels take work, especially when they are being used for commercial purposes.

Poor Content Quality
But volume isn’t everything when it comes to YouTube channels. Content should also appeal to the target market or audience. If your content doesn’t appeal to the audience, your subscriber numbers won’t climb to the levels required to qualify the channel for verification. Viewers are more likely to subscribe when the content is useful or entertaining in their eyes. It is therefore crucial to do research to find out what the target audience likes or wants to see and hear and then tailor your YouTube content around those preferences.

Copyright Infringements
YouTube frowns on copyright infringements. The platform encourages its channel owners to embrace ethical practices as they create and post content. Brands that use stolen or borrowed content are denied verification. If your content is found to be unoriginal then you will be less likely to earn that verification badge.

Copying Other Channels
In addition to being free from copyright infringements, YouTube channels that seek the verification badge must also be clearly original. In other words they should not seem in any way, to be copying another channel. Brands that fall into this trap won’t attain verification.
 
Focusing on Subscription Numbers Above all Else
Another popular mistake made by brands seeking to verify their YouTube channel is to prioritize subscription numbers to the detriment of all else. In fact some resort to unethical practices such as buying views and subscriptions and these actions were the driving force behind YouTube’s policy change.
Brands that prioritize increasing subscription numbers, to the detriment of content quality are likely to struggle in the bid for YouTube verification. While subscription numbers definitely help, YouTube verification hinges on more than that. In 2019, YouTube adjusted its verification system including requirements, resulting in less value being placed on subscription numbers. Instead the focus was shifted to the channel’s function as a representative of an authentic entity that deserves to be verified. Brands that fall into the trap of paying for subscription increases are likely to find themselves denied the privilege of the verification badge.

Ignoring Your Brand’s Reputation and Digital Presence
When it comes to verification, YouTube (since its policy changes of 2019) prioritizes the characteristics of the channel over the number of subscriptions. Priority is given to channels that represent authentic brands, celebrities and entities that are deemed worthy of verification. A significant deciding factor in this regard is also the presence and reputation that the channel owner has outside YouTube. This includes other social media pages and digital presence.
Essentially therefore, brands that want to attain verification on YouTube should stay away from these popular mistakes.

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