Not only obvious violations can get a YouTube channel blocked. Sometimes the cause is actions that seem harmless: buying subscribers, posting repetitive comments, incorrect upload settings, and using popular music. Most of these restrictions are spelled out in the platform's rules, but creators rarely read them. Below are the key recommendations from Natasha, based on her two years of experience producing channels.

Channel Country

There is no such thing as an "American channel," a "European channel," or a channel of a specific country on YouTube. For the platform, a channel is an account from which videos are uploaded for a certain audience. It is the audience that determines to whom and in what volume a video will be shown, and on what topic.

This leads to the following practical conclusions:

• an author living in the US can create videos for a Russian-speaking audience;
• an author living in Russia can run a channel for an English-speaking audience.

When specifying a country, it is recommended to choose the country in which the author is currently located. You can also leave the country unspecified altogether. Neither of these options is a violation.

Subscriber Inflation

Artificially inflating the number of subscribers creates a problem even when targeting is in place. Subscribers attracted through mutual subscriptions or inflation often do not match the target audience. Such users may not know the channel's subject matter, its niche, or the interests the author assumes.

The consequences look as follows:

1. YouTube registers that even loyal subscribers, to whom the platform shows videos first, do not watch the video.
2. The algorithm concludes that the video is of no interest.

A more serious situation arises when the right users are interested in the topic but do not accept the author personally. YouTube has many channels on the same topic, so the choice depends on presentation, manner of delivery, the speaker's charisma, and the viewer's personal sympathy. The platform's algorithms analyze exactly these factors. Whether users subscribe, continue watching, leave likes, and write comments depends on them.

Mutual Subscriptions and Repetitive Comments

Mutual subscriptions are a form of artificial engagement inflation. They look like this: a user writes in the comments asking others to subscribe in exchange for a subscription from the author.

A one-off comment about a video you liked is acceptable. Systematically posting such offers under other people's videos can lead to channel termination. The author shares a case she was told about: a girl subscribed to a large number of commenters and repeatedly posted the same phrase: "Subscribed, subscribed, subscribed." YouTube mistook the account for a bot because of the repeated identical text and deleted the channel.

Platform rules explicitly prohibit:

• subscription trading ("subscribe to me and I'll subscribe to you"), that is, offering to subscribe to another author's channel only on condition of a subscription in return;
• identical comments for the purpose of gaining subscribers, as well as posting large numbers of repetitive or misleading comments.

For such actions, YouTube may block the channel.

Hashtags

Tags entered in the separate field remain useful. Hashtags in the video description work differently. They begin with the "#" symbol and are inserted into the description. Many creators believe that the more hashtags, the better. In fact, YouTube's rules set a limit:

• if more than 60 hashtags are added to a single video, the platform ignores all of the hashtags;
• in addition, the video may be hidden from search results or deleted.

In this case, the channel is not blocked, but the consequences remain significant.

If the author wants to use keywords, it is recommended to:

1. enter keywords in the tags field;
2. embed keywords and phrases directly into the description text and timestamps.

In the author's view, hashtags currently play a minor role. After future YouTube updates, in her assessment, they will lose their meaning.

The author has a separate article on uploading videos correctly, published in 2027.

Mixing Topics and Formats

The algorithm selects an audience by segments that are formed based on already published videos. For example, if a channel releases a video on a certain topic, the platform finds users interested in it, then looks for similar viewers, and then expands the segment further. This is how the channel grows.

Publishing a video on a different topic disrupts this scheme:

• the new video is shown to the former audience, which does not show interest in the topic;
• users do not click on the video or do not watch it through, so the video's reach drops sharply;
• YouTube registers the change of topic and rebuilds the segments. When the author returns to the usual expert content, the algorithm no longer knows whom to show the video to.

The same principle applies to format. Viewers of short expert videos about 15 minutes long behave differently from viewers of hour-long podcasts. Vlogs, for example a story about a work trip, also belong to a different format, and their audience differs from the audience for expert videos.

For a small channel this risk is especially high. An audience willing to watch any content from the author usually has not yet formed on a small channel. Viewers looking for practical information do not coincide with viewers interested in the author's personal life. Before launching vlogs or a new format, it is recommended to study the niche and how content performs in your segment, and only after that launch the new format.

How YouTube Responds to Violations

Blocking a channel does not happen suddenly. When rules are violated, the platform consistently sends warnings. If the creator does not fix the violation within 90 days, the channel may be deleted after three warnings.

Violations typical of expert content include:

• artificial inflation, including subscription exchanges;
• repeated comments;
• spam of all kinds.

There are violations for which YouTube blocks a channel immediately. These include gray schemes, illegal activity, and 18+ content. The author believes these risks are not relevant to expert channels.

The platform is running an experiment: instead of deleting a channel immediately, it sends warnings so the creator can correct the mistake, for example by removing the violating videos. The experiment is still ongoing, and its results have not been summarized.

Copyright

Expert channels most often run into copyright infringement. It means using someone else's content without the copyright holder's permission. The most common example is the use of popular music. A video with such music may pass on Reels without any problems, but on YouTube a complaint arises.

There are two mechanisms:

For a copyright strike, there are remedy options. The copyright holder may withdraw the complaint if the author:

• cut out the disputed fragment;
• re-uploaded the video without it;
• proves that they mistakenly used material to which they hold the rights.

How to Use Music Legally

• For music, it is recommended to use special paid-subscription services. They guarantee that the music is legal and cleared for use.
• When receiving a Content ID claim, you can provide a special code and confirm that the music was purchased.
• Some video editing apps include a built-in library of licensed music.

Video Fragments and Memes

Using video fragments, memes, and similar materials falls into a gray area. The author reports that she checked this question with a lawyer, and from a copyright standpoint such use is not entirely correct. For example, if you insert a fragment from the movie "Titanic," James Cameron formally may demand its removal.

In practice, such complaints rarely occur. The author describes two ways to reduce the risk:

1. Altering the video. For example, flipping the frame horizontally or applying a filter. This is especially important when using materials from large corporations such as Disney, since such companies actively monitor infringements.
2. Indicating the source. If a fragment is taken from someone else's YouTube video, the author credits the source.

According to the author's experience, over the past two years neither she nor her clients have had any problems. Therefore, in her opinion, so-called shadow banning does not exist.

Conclusions

If a channel is not growing and its reach is not increasing, this indicates a flaw in the strategy. Such a flaw can be fixed. In the author's view, YouTube should be treated as a set of hypotheses: if one of them doesn't work, the next one should be tested.