How to request human review of your videos on YouTube
What's the story
YouTube has a system to flag videos as "Not suitable for most advertisers." The classification is marked with a yellow Dollar sign icon next to the video.
The decision is made either by automated systems or human experts, depending on whether the content meets YouTube's advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
If creators think their video has been wrongly flagged, they can request a manual review. Here's how.
Review procedure
YouTube's monetization status assessment process
During the upload process, YouTube employs machine learning to determine whether a video complies with its advertiser-friendly content guidelines.
This assessment is also conducted for scheduled live streams, where the platform's systems analyze the title, description, thumbnail, and tags before going live.
If a video doesn't have a title or metadata, it may not provide enough context for the systems to assess its suitability for all advertisers.
Review request
Guidelines for creators to request review
Creators are advised to cross-check their video against the criteria listed in YouTube's Content Guidelines.
If they think their content meets all the requirements for "This content can earn ad revenue," they can then request a review.
This is where an expert examines the video and its associated elements like title, description, and metadata against YouTube's guidelines.
Appeal process
Steps to appeal an ad suitability restriction
To appeal an ad suitability restriction, creators will have to follow a few steps.
They will have to open the YouTube Studio app, tap 'Content' from the bottom menu, and select the video they want to appeal.
After tapping 'Restrictions' and 'Request review,' they follow on-screen instructions.
The option to appeal only appears if a video is eligible. After appeal submission, the text next to the video updates with its appeal status.
Review timeline
Human review process and timeline
The final decision on a video is communicated via email. Human reviews can take up to seven days, and once complete, creators get an email with the monetization decision. After one additional review, the reviewer's decision is final and won't change.