Several channel and video settings affect how content is distributed on YouTube. According to the author, a mistake in at least one of them can cause a video to receive almost no impressions. Below are five settings and mechanisms that the author considers key.

1. "Made for Kids" Status

The first setting determines whether the channel is intended for children.

Path in the interface: YouTube Studio → Settings → Channel → Advanced settings → "Is this channel made for kids?"

Recommended option: "No," if the channel is not intended for children.

Consequences of selecting "Yes":

• the channel and videos are recommended exclusively in the YouTube Kids app;
• views do not come from the target audience of the main app;
• comments and a number of other features are unavailable.

The author recommends checking this setting first.

2. Disclosure of Altered or Synthetic Content

When uploading a video, you need to click "Show more" and find the item "Does the video contain altered content?"

• If the video contains no AI-generated content, select the "No" option.
• If "Yes" is selected, the video may receive significantly fewer views.

According to the author, YouTube pays increased attention to AI-generated content and checks channels for fraud and scams. Such videos are promoted with difficulty. The author notes that some channels with AI-generated avatars are promoted successfully, but these are isolated cases.

3. Playlists for Viewer Retention

The author considers the main task on YouTube to be keeping the viewer on the channel: after one video, the viewer should move on to the next. Playlists are used for this.

Action steps:

1. Create a playlist with a clear title. Example: "Secret YouTube Settings for Fast Growth."
2. Add thematically related videos to it. Two to four videos are enough.
3. Open any video from the playlist and copy the link from the browser's address bar. The link to the playlist itself does not work.
4. Paste this link into the description of each video and into the pinned comment.

Mechanics: Via this link, the viewer goes straight to the first video in the playlist. The playlist's other videos are displayed on the side, so after watching the first video, the viewer is, according to the author, highly likely to start the next playlist video rather than a recommendation from other channels. If the videos in the playlist are chosen well, the viewer stays on the channel. The author claims this increases views for all of the channel's videos.

4. End Screens

End screens appear at the end of a video and can include a "Subscribe" button and a link to a playlist.

The author recommends using not only the standard recommendations that YouTube selects, but also playlists on different topics. After the video, a link to a playlist with videos that develop the theme of the current video is placed.

Restriction: end screens can only be placed at the end of a video.

5. Tips

Tips (cards) appear during the video. The author recommends using as many tips as possible, but no more often than every 10 seconds. There must be at least two or three tips per video.

Author's recommendations:

• The first tip should appear at the 10–15 second mark of the video. By this point, the viewer decides whether to stay. If they leave, the reason may not be the video's quality, but that the topic is not relevant to them. A tip linking to another video on the channel can keep the viewer on the channel. The author notes that this is better than losing the viewer entirely, even if retention for the current video drops slightly.
• The script should plan in advance for calls to action pointing to other videos that fit naturally into the narrative.
• The tip title should be changed instead of using the standard video title. The title should motivate the viewer to click.

Conclusion

According to the author, after applying all five settings, YouTube receives a signal that the channel should be promoted, and its videos gain greater reach. The author provides no data to confirm this result.