Yellow icons are one of the most common problems of a YouTuber. They can occur on absolutely any channel, regardless of its size and reputation. Let's see what we can do about it.
First, let's once and for all indicate: the yellow icon is NOT a monetization shutdown. This is just a limitation of it. That is, there will still be ads on your video, but it will be much less than usual. This is necessary for YouTube because not all advertisers are willing to place their ads on controversial content.
What applies to such "controversial" content? An abundance of obscene language, scenes of cruelty, dangerous actions, discrimination, etc. That is, everything that a reputable brand would not want to deal with. The full list with examples is here. We strongly advise you to read it and always keep it handy. If the video really violates these rules, then you can't get a green monetization icon.
But sometimes it happens that there was no violation, and the video still got a yellow icon. This happens because YouTube algorithms review videos, not a person. The algorithms are still imperfect.
Plan of action if you get a yellow sign:
1. Request a manual review of the video:
This should be done first. We can’t help you, if you didn’t click this button and your video has not been manually reviewed.
2. If it’s been manually reviewed, but the yellow sign is still there, write us. We will send the video for another review, after which they either give it a yellow sign, or they tell the exact rule of the monetization policy that has been violated. They won’t give you a time code of the part that violates the rules, though. At this point we should figure out together how to fix the violation.
But instead of dealing with the problem, you can PREVENT IT:
1. Post the video beforehand and private it
2. Send it for a review, if it suddenly gets a yellow sign and wait for the results of the review without worrying about the views and monetization going down the drain.
Self-certification
Today, YouTube grants many channels an option to evaluate their videos as to whether it should get green or yellow sign. When uploading a video you can answer some questions about its content and the system will evaluate your video on the basis of your answers. If your evaluation and the evaluation of YouTube specialists coincide, the platform will eventually trust your judgement completely.
How to turn self-certification on?
1. Upload a video to your Creative Studio. While it’s uploading, open the Monetization menu > pick Turn on > click Done > Next.
2. Set the necessary settings in the Advanced options section> and then click Next.
3. Answer the questions in the "Compliance with advertisers’ requirements" > and then click Next.
4. If your video doesn’t have anything that is listed there, click "None of the above".
5. Set the access parameters and click Done.
We strongly recommend you to use this feature, but you should evaluate your content honestly, in order to increase YouTube’s trust in you. You can find more information about self-certification on YouTube Help page. If you have more questions, write us.