New icons are YouTube’s latest way to alert creators of video demonetization

Plus, there's now a quicker way to ask for a review of demonetized videos.

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After the ad-pocolypse earlier this year, YouTube put many new systems in place for advertisers to better control which videos their ads appeared over on the platform. The company also clarified what it means to be "advertiser-friendly" on YouTube, as well as what kinds of hate-speech would be ineligible for monetization. However, many creators have expressed frustration with YouTube, its lack of transparency and communication, and the number of videos that were (and continue to be) demonetized after the incident. So now, YouTube is rolling out a system of new icons that should help creators understand which videos are earning them money—and why other videos are not.

A blog post from yesterday outlines the expanded icon system: creators could see one of three new symbols next to each video. A green, dollar-sign circle indicates the video is fully eligible for advertising on both YouTube and YouTube Red, earning money from "the broadest set of advertisers." These videos presumably follow all YouTube's guidelines for advertiser-friendly content and are not considered controversial in any way.

A yellow, dollar-sign circle appears next to videos that can only earn limited money from advertisements on YouTube. According to the blog post, this could be for one of two reasons: either the video has been deemed "not suitable for all advertisers," or it has been completely demonetized because YouTube feels it doesn't meet their advertiser-friendly guidelines. Previously, a yellow dollar sign icon meant that a video was indeed completely demonetized because it wasn't suitable for advertisers.

This new icon appears to expand on that definition even if it's a bit confusing. A yellow, dollar-sign circle now doesn't necessarily mean that a video isn't earning money—if it is earning money from advertisers, it's just not earning as much as a totally "advertiser-friendly" video. However, a video with this icon could actually be completely demonetized as well, so creators will want to pay close attention to those yellow icons. If the video isn't earning money, creators can file an appeal directly in the Video Manager, prompting YouTube to review the video and potentially turn monetization back on.

The final new symbol is a black dollar sign with a slash through it, and this means a video cannot earn money from advertising or money from YouTube Red (creators earn money from Red through subscriptions, since Red videos do not carry advertisements). This could be because of a copyright strike, Content ID claim, or community guidelines strike, all of which are more concrete reasons for demonetization than the advertiser-friendly guidelines. If your video contains copyrighted material and YouTube catches it, it'll immediately get a strike and you won't earn any money from it.

YouTube is billing this as a way for creators to glean a "more detailed understanding of whether your video has been identified as not suitable for all advertisers." It's important to note that YouTube has had icons like this to describe video monetization for quite some time. The company is simply updating the system with a few new icons that cater to the needs of creators who are worried about how their "advertiser-friendly" status affects their paychecks. The green and black icons make it clear which videos are totally acceptable in YouTube's eyes and which are not, however the yellow icon is a bit more nebulous.

The new icons are being rolled out to users over the next few weeks, so it's hard to say how a creator will decipher a partially-monetized yellow icon from a completely-demonetized yellow icon. There could be a message that pops up and indicates the meaning on that particular yellow icon when hovering over the icon in the Video Manager. For now, YouTube has a troubleshooter tool that explains each icon's meaning, in addition to the meanings of other icons that may pop up while a video is under review, if you're sharing revenue from a video with another account.

Arguably more useful to creators is the new appeal action in the Video Manager. Previously, creators weren't able to file an appeal directly from the Video Manager (the action was buried in another settings page), so that will expedite the appeals process on the creators' end. However, that doesn't mean those videos will get re-approved from monetization any faster. YouTube only has so many resources, both automated and human, to review videos on a case-by-case basis. Also, the advertiser-friendly guidelines (no "controversial issues or sensitive events," "inappropriate language," anything "incendiary and demeaning," etc) still stand, and not every review will rule in the creator's favor.