YouTube

YouTube tests video appeals for creators who have had ads banned, Partner Program rejected [U]

Ben Schoon | Jun 4 2021 - 6:49 am PT

In an effort to make it easy for creators to tell their side of the story, YouTube is making it possible for a video to be submitted with an appeal on ad bans, at least for some creators.

Update 6/4: Related to ad rejections, YouTube is also now testing out appeals for the suspension and rejection of a channel from the YouTube Partner Program. YouTube says it will take “additional context” into account while taking a second look at the situation. As with the previous test, this starts with just a small group of creators in the YouTube Partner Program.

Testing out video appeals for YPP suspensions & rejections: We’re experimenting with video appeals to help you give us additional information on your channel and content if you think we made a mistake in suspending or rejecting your channel from YPP. Our policy team will review your video and take a second look at your channel with the shared context in mind. If your appeal shows how your channel complies with our policies, we’ll either approve your channel for YPP, or turn monetization back on before the end of the 30 day suspension window. This experiment is only available to a small percentage of creators in YPP, but we hope to expand the program in the future.

YouTube confirmed to The Verge this week that it is currently running a pilot program which sees a review team look over video appeals for channels that have lost monetization. This program was first revealed in an email shared on Reddit.

With this program, YouTube creators who have been banned from showing ads on their channel will be able to submit an appeal with a “short video” attached to explain the channel’s content and its “creative process.” The goal for these videos is to help reviewers make an informed decision about the banned channel immediately. Creators who have had ads banned on their channel can also submit these video appeals right away instead of having to wait 30 days.

In an email, YouTube explains:

We’d like to invite you to participate in a pilot program where you can appeal you YPP (YouTube Parter Program) suspension decision by making a video to tell us more about your channel and your creative process. Our teams will then make an assessment and, if we can, we’ll turn monetization back on within 7 days of getting your appeal.
Your channel is being assessed in its current state. This means you should not make changes to your channel when you submit your appeal.

Of course, this new pilot program isn’t designed to help everyone who has had their ad privileges revoked. For example, channels with hate speech or harmful content won’t be able to earn ads back. Rather, it is for channels whose ad monetization is removed for other reasons that aren’t necessarily against the platform’s terms.

For the time being, this pilot program is only being tested with a “very small group,” but YouTube will expand it in the future, assuming things go well.