YouTube is an application that has helped people all over the world to connect and know each other via content. This content ranges from informative channels to fashion, to gaming, to anything under the sun. If you want it, you can probably find it on YouTube. There are some issues here and there, though. When YouTube rolled out, the creator-to-viewer ratio was very less, but now, a lot of small creators are rising with the same channel names as previous creators. To remove this inconsistency, YouTube has now brought handles, which are a unique way to identify not just creators, but their viewers too.
If you are confused about YouTube handles, don’t worry; this article has got you covered to know about them.
Contents
What are YouTube handles?
YouTube handles are a way for people to recognize you by your unique handle. Initially, YouTube will hand out the handles to everyone present on the platform. This way, people will be able to differentiate you from the many other people present on YouTube. Why is this necessary? This is a good quality of life improvement, which makes finding specific content creators much easier, and creators will be able to promote their channel easily on other platforms like Instagram or even on YouTube shorts.
Earlier, YouTube had a 100-subscriber policy, which meant that anyone below that threshold could not get a handle, which has now been removed. This means that even if you are a viewer, you can get a handle. This will make shout-outs much easier and make it easy for content creators to identify and connect better with their audience. If you have been using YouTube for a while, you will probably have a YouTube handle already. However, there can be cases where you can be dissatisfied with the automated handle provided to you. A handle can consist of letters, periods, and underscores, so you can use these to generate a unique handle for yourself. The question that now arises is, how to change it? Read on ahead to find out.
How to change your YouTube handle?
Changing your YouTube handle is pretty easy. You can get this invitation to change your YouTube handle via your mail, or if you are a content creator, you will get it through your YouTube Studio. You might be asking yourself, how does YouTube prioritize the distribution of handles among content creators? Well, if you have a personalized URL, YouTube is saving that handle for you. Of course, you will have to confirm it, or you can change it, depending on how you feel about your handle. It is something that will stick with you your entire YouTube lifespan, so be sure to choose it carefully. Once people start knowing your handle, there is no point in changing it again.
YouTube is already rolling out the mail to all its users so that in the coming weeks, everyone can choose their own handles. This way, everyone will be able to have a unique name on YouTube. If you don’t have a personalized URL, YouTube will automatically generate one based on the new handle that will be automatically assigned to you if you don’t choose your handle.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the eligibility criteria for choosing the handle?
There are no specific eligibility criteria for the handle to be given. Earlier, when YouTube rolled out custom URLs for its content creators, it had a 100-subscriber limit, which has now been removed for handles. Once you are assigned a handle, YouTube will also assign you a custom URL that goes with your handle. This will help all the channels connect better with their audience; no matter how small or how big a channel they are, they can easily be identified with the handles provided to them.
This might not seem too big right now, but this will definitely come in handy in the future when the number of channels is only going to increase while the viewer base remains roughly the same. How do you promote small channels? Well, you have their handles and custom URLs which you can directly shout out via their handles.
What guidelines should the handle follow?
The YouTube handle has very few restrictions. It has to be 30 characters while also representing your channel the best. The main thing to remember here is that it will be the way for you to connect with your viewers so you need to choose a handle that best describes your channel. Also, you have to make sure that your handle stays true to the YouTube Community Guidelines so that nobody finds the handle offensive or distasteful in the least.
A unique handle means better marketing for you and your channel. A unique handle is the most necessary for smaller channels so that people can identify and relate with them with much more ease.
What happens if the preferred handle is already chosen?
First of all, you don’t need to worry if you have a custom URL. The same will be used for your handle. However, if your handle has been taken, you will have to choose a new handle for yourself via the YouTube studio option. You can add numbers, periods, and underscores to make your handle unique and, subsequently, your personalized URL. Do remember that your channel name can be different from your handle; the handle mainly needs to represent you for you. Just make sure that your viewers are able to find you easily and are able to figure out what you do.
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Conclusion
That was all about YouTube handles. Hopefully, your questions were answered through this article, and it was helpful to you. What will be the YouTube handle you’ll be going for? Will it be related to your channel name or just a general handle? Hopefully, after reading this article, you were able to answer these questions. Keep YouTube-ing, and keep on enjoying your journey as a creator!
