Every quarter, YouTube’s CEO Susan Wojcicki writes an open letter to address concerns in the YouTube community. The latest letter published on 21 November 2019 highlights new updates in YouTube policies, features and future plans. Wojcicki puts burning answers to rest as she outlines how YouTube is working around balancing demonetization issues, prioritising mental health concerns for YouTubers and creating a safe environment for people of all ages to interact in.
Here’s what you can expect in the year 2020 based on the takeaways from the letter.
1. Demonetisation – to stay or not to stay?
YouTubers have been complaining about their videos being demonetised. Demonetisation happens when creators cannot run an adequate number of advertisements and only earn limited money from their videos. Demonetisation usually occurs when videos don’t follow YouTube guidelines or include advertiser-friendly content.
To help advertisers understand if their content is advertiser-friendly, YouTube will be running a Self Certification pilot to YouTube Partner Program creators. The Self Certification will help creators understand why their video is being demonetised. This update will only help creators create videos that generate more revenue in the future.
2. More power to mature creators
YouTube is working on matching advertisers with relevant video content to run their ads on. Wojcicki announced that YouTube is experimenting with finding advertisers who are interested in edgy content like R-rated movies, that are traditionally not suitable for running advertisements.
This provision will support mature creators who cannot censor their content or are unable to always create brand-safe content. It provides more freedom to creativity without having to worry about YouTube algorithm constraints.
3. More innovations are on the loose
YouTube doesn’t cease to surprise us with exciting new beta updates and innovative features on Creator Studio. Apart from the global launch of Super Stickers, YouTube made over 2,500 updates last year. One major update is the new YouTube studio that boasts innovative tools in-line with the latest technology.
Early next year, the New YouTube Studio will replace the Classic YouTube Studio for a majority of the creators. The new features aim to help creators engage better with their audience, create better content and earn more revenue.
4. Taking a break from posting new videos will work in your favour
Popular YouTubers struggle with posting videos consistently because they experience burnout. They believe that if they take a break from posting videos, the YouTube algorithm will gradually decrease their channel reach and growth.
Contrary to popular belief, Wojcicki announced that creators who take a break from posting videos get more views when they return to posting videos after their holiday. With the growing concerns surrounding mental health in today’s digital age, YouTube realises the importance of safeguarding the YT community’s general well-being more than ever.
Apart from these major updates, Wojcicki’s letter also addresses previous policies and updates made in 2019 like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) and Copyright Music Claims, and how these updates are helping the YT community grow and protect their channel. Lastly, Wojcicki concludes with a strong statement emphasising the need for creators to do good work and the massive positive impact it can make in the world.
We’re glad to see YouTube taking a step in the right direction and creating a safe space for the YouTube community. With all the new updates and features, YouTube continues to empower YouTubers and maximise creativity. We’re super excited to see what YouTube rolls out in 2020!
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