Is there a difference between Sub4Sub and making people sub to your channel to enter a giveaway?

DIY Reid

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I personally don't see a difference at all. At the end of the day both subs will most likely not be subs that are going to stick around and if they do most likely won't watch your content.
 

Crown

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Moved to the strategy / technique forum. :)

As you said, the results will be the same. Lots of inactive subs. I'm not even sure it's allowed to ask for subs in order to enter a contest. Either way, it's a terrible technique because it just increases the sub count but the channel isn't growing.
 
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DIY Reid

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Moved to the strategy / technique forum. :)

As you said, the results will be the same. Lots of inactive subs. I'm not even sure it's allowed to ask for subs in order to enter a contest. Either way, it's a terrible technique because it just increases the sub count but the channel isn't growing.
You're not sure it's allowed on YouTube? It has to be, I see larger youtube channels doing giveaways all the time asking for you to sub to multiple channels.
 

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You're not sure it's allowed on YouTube? It has to be, I see larger youtube channels doing giveaways all the time asking for you to sub to multiple channels.

Just because larger channels are doing something, that doesn't mean that it's allowed. Until recently, lots of big channels were making weird kids videos and now all those channels have been terminated. Likewise, a few years ago, lots of very big channels had tags in their descriptions. People thought it must be ok. Then YouTube terminated them for it.

With the new monetization rules, you can be sure that Youtube will be looking very very closely at anyone trying to cheat the system, particularly in terms of sub counts and view time.

YouTubers should base their decisions on the rules and not on what other channels are doing. When a channel gets a strike, you're on your own. It's no good saying "Well other channels are doing it"


Like I said above, I wasn't sure of the exact ruling but a quick 10 second search and I found 2 relevant sections:


"You and any third party may not manipulate metrics on the YouTube service, including numbers of views, likes, dislikes, or subscribers, such that those metrics fail to reflect genuine user engagement with the YouTube service."
Source: This comes directly from the rules for holding a contest - https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/1620498?hl=en

and

"content that solely exists to incentivize viewers for engagement (views, likes, comments, etc) is prohibited." (I would assume the "etc" also includes asking for subs) - Source: https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2801973?hl=en
 

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I personally don't see a difference at all. At the end of the day both subs will most likely not be subs that are going to stick around and if they do most likely won't watch your content.
There is a difference. Sub 4 Sub will for sure generate inactive subscribers for your channel.
If done right,.a giveaway or contest can attract genuine fans of your niche to your content. Not saying everyone that enters will want to stick around but some will, depending on your niche and style and such.


As you said, the results will be the same. Lots of inactive subs. I'm not even sure it's allowed to ask for subs in order to enter a contest. Either way, it's a terrible technique because it just increases the sub count but the channel isn't growing.
There are marketing technique that takes advantage of a psychological bias that causes curiosity around a high subscriber count. Giveaways are one such tactic.
This psychological bias pretty much states that people are more likely to check out a high sub count channel compared to a low sub count channel - cannot remember the exact name of the bias off the top of my head but it is a social trait that human beings have developed.
It is also why the big youtubers tend to get bigger where as smaller youtubers are struggling. In the end we chalk it down to exposure but there is a psychological bias in the way people think when browsing for content. Channels with higher sub counts are associated with quality of upload and content. Just the way it tends to be.

So while inactive subs from giveaways may be a bad thing initially, it could lead your channel to more exposure and more clicks due to this psychological bias - so in a sense, giveaways could easily kickstart a channel if executed correctly. Well, in theory.
 

Crown

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There are marketing technique that takes advantage of a psychological bias that causes curiosity around a high subscriber count. Giveaways are one such tactic.
This psychological bias pretty much states that people are more likely to check out a high sub count channel compared to a low sub count channel - cannot remember the exact name of the bias off the top of my head but it is a social trait that human beings have developed.
It is also why the big youtubers tend to get bigger where as smaller youtubers are struggling. In the end we chalk it down to exposure but there is a psychological bias in the way people think when browsing for content. Channels with higher sub counts are associated with quality of upload and content. Just the way it tends to be.

So while inactive subs from giveaways may be a bad thing initially, it could lead your channel to more exposure and more clicks due to this psychological bias - so in a sense, giveaways could easily kickstart a channel if executed correctly. Well, in theory.
Just a reminder about what happens at 1k subs and 4k watch time:

"When they reach 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours they will be automatically re-evaluated under strict criteria to ensure they comply with our policies."
( https://youtube-creators.googleblog.com/2018/01/additional-changes-to-youtube-partner.html )

I don't think Youtube support will care much about psychological theory when they will be doing that audit of sub count.

Contests are just a lazy way of inflating a sub count. YouTubers know it and YouTube support knows it. You can be sure that will be something the audits will be checking for.
 

DIY Reid

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Just a reminder about what happens at 1k subs and 4k watch time:

"When they reach 1,000 subs and 4,000 watch hours they will be automatically re-evaluated under strict criteria to ensure they comply with our policies."
( )

I don't think Youtube support will care much about psychological theory when they will be doing that audit of sub count.

Contests are just a lazy way of inflating a sub count. YouTubers know it and YouTube support knows it. You can be sure that will be something the audits will be checking for.
Which is interesting for those that haven't met the 4000/1000 mark as there are a ton that are barely over that doing the sub4sub and/or contests to continue.
 

Crown

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Which is interesting for those that haven't met the 4000/1000 mark as there are a ton that are barely over that doing the sub4sub and/or contests to continue.


You don't get to see the ones who got terminated for the same thing because their channel is terminated. So yeah by definition, you only get to see the ones who haven't been caught (yet)

When you see people speeding on the roads or shoplifting in a supermarket, do you think that means it must be ok? If you do the same and get caught, do you think the police will let you go without arrest if you tell them other people do it?

With YouTube's automation, when they pull the trigger on the enforcement of rules due to people cheating the system, it's very quick. Channels get strikes and terminated in one very quick swoop and they're not interested in listening to excuses. Look at what happened with the recent crackdown with kids channels who had non-kid-friendly content. A few months ago, they all thought they were fine because everyone was doing it. Then suddenly overnight, they were alll pretty much wiped out. It's the same with sub4sub, copyright, bots etc etc Have a browse of Youtube's product support forums if you don't believe me. Look at all the people whining about getting strikes and their channels terminated or refused monetization. Notice how now they are on their own now and no-one can help them. The fact that they saw others getting away with whatever it is they did isn't helping them now is it?

This is my last post on this matter. The rules are very clear. It's up to each creator to decide if they want to follow the rules or not. Of course, everyone is free to do what they want on their channels but if / when people start complaining about their channels getting strikes or refused monetization due to stuff that is clearly against the rules, the threads will be locked / deleted.
 
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