Chicago Partner Meet-up...Next Stop, New York City

We kicked off our YouTube Partner Meet-up roadshow last week in the Windy City. Over 50 local YouTube partners, with channels ranging from vachef's how-to Indian cooking demos to TheSingingNerd's acoustic guitar originals, came to our Google Chicago office for the event. They had a chance to network with fellow Chicago-area YouTube partners, learn about partner best practices, and participate in a Q&A with the YouTube team.

We want to give a big thank you to all of the partners who were able to join us. This summer we will be holding similar events in New York City (Wednesday, June 2nd) and Los Angeles (first week of July). We are looking forward to meeting all of the people who are defining YouTube with their innovative and original content.

For those who were unable to attend, here are some key take-aways from the Meet-up:

1. Leverage relationships with other partners to promote your channel and grow your subscription base. Reach out to partners in your area and get creative.
2. Optimize! Use the description, tags, title, and annotation your video watch pages.
3. Continue creating fresh, original content...the subscribers will come.

We had a lot of questions from partners, which we think you might find useful:

How can I see my revenue share?
Revenue share and other technical specifics are all located in your contract which was sent to you via email when you joined the YouTube Partner Program.

What is paid placement? Where should I disclose it?
Paid product placements are content that is created specifically for a sponsor and where that sponsor's brand, message, or product is integrated directly into the content. For example, if your video highlights a new piece of clothing that you received from a sponsor, you should disclose this when uploading your video under the Advertising Options section, Edit Video Settings.

What’s the process for being a Featured Video or Spotlight Video?
Our team is constantly looking for fresh content that users will like. That said, Featured Videos and Spotlight Videos are a great way to be promoted on YouTube. As partners, you are automatically eligible for slotting into these promoted positions; however, there is no way to sign-up for these spaces.

How is the YouTube Rentals program going? What happened to the download beta?
The downloads feature is no longer available. However, we have launched the YouTube Rentals beta, which is open to all partners. Learn more about the YouTube Rentals beta here.

Is it possible to upload a higher quality source file for videos already on my channel?
At present, it is not possible to make any changes to existing video uploads, even if that means enhancing the quality. You can re-upload the video, but this will be treated as a new video and all views, comments, historic quality, etc. will be lost.

Can I reformat my videos from 4:3 to 16:9?
Again, it is not possible to reformat videos at this time.

Is it possible for YouTube partners to get more human support?
We are always making efforts to better support our users. Although we cannot provide all of the phone calls and face-to-face meetings that we would like, we will continue to do the best we can to support you with our resources.

Can partners have priority when submitting additional channels for partnership?
We review partner applications in the order that they are received. Please be patient and plan ahead - we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!

Can partners have priority in the DCMA claims process?
We don’t prioritize the DCMA process, specifically filing a counter-notification. It is the same for all YouTube users and partners.

Am I able to add a 10-second clip at the beginning/end of my video?
It is not possible to add pre or post-roll clips to your videos. Similarly, it is against policy to burn pre-rolls into your videos - more information here.

Posted by Austin Lau, Strategic Partnerships