That little tick on your YouTube channel proves your dedication, hard work, and earned trustworthiness from your audience. However, achieving that milestone requires having at least 100,000 subscribers on your channel. At the same time, you might see YouTube channels with fewer subscribers but with a verified badge.
And you wonder what magical spell they did on YouTube to get verified.
Hold your horses! This article can help you understand how to get verified on YouTube without 100k subs through 8 different ways.
What are the Rules of Verification Badge on a YouTube Channel?
YouTube requires a minimum of 100,000 subscribers in order to request a verification badge for your channel’s authenticity and credibility on the platform. Surprisingly, though strict at a glance, it may seem YouTube occasionally grants verification badges to channels that do not meet the subscriber threshold of 100k.
YouTube support team member from Google mentioned that known brands or similar channels could be verified on YouTube without needing 100k subscribers as long as they fall under certain special categories where YouTube make exceptions.
8 Tips to Get Verified on YouTube without 100k Subs
You may still get the verification badge on your YouTube channel by following these alternatives.
1. Post High Quality and Engaging Videos
Crafting videos that captivate your viewers can boost your chances of getting verified on YouTube, even if your subscriber count is not high. It’s not just about the quantity of followers you have; it’s more about the quality of engagement your content generates with the audience.
When your videos are engaging and informative, they encourage repeat views from viewers who keep coming for satisfaction. YouTube is likely to take notice of your dedication and hard work. Be it through entertainment or education or by providing solutions to everyday problems. Creators should aim to produce distinctive content that captures attention effectively.
Moreover, you must invest in top-quality equipment to create your videos. For instance, you can use DSLRs for the videography and ensure good lighting. Also, wireless microphones like Hollyland Lark M2 can create a visible difference in your content’s quality by capturing clean and rich audio for your YouTube audience. Furthermore, factors like good script and camera angles are vital in enhancing your content’s engagement.
2. Represent Yourself as an Official Brand or Organization
If you’re associated with a recognized brand or organization and have a YouTube channel with not many followers yet, YouTube may still verify your channel for authenticity reasons. This verification process is important for entities, like cities, educational institutions, or businesses, to confirm their legitimacy.
YouTube employs verification to prevent fraudulent activities and ensure the reliability of the content shared.
For instance, a city’s official YouTube channel or a business’s promotional page is more likely to receive verification as it is acknowledged as a source by YouTube.
3. If You’re a Singer/Musician, Let Record Labels Verify You
If you are a musician who is affiliated with a record company and wishes to obtain verification on YouTube despite having a small number of subscribers. Relax! YouTube Music extends verification to channels belonging to established artists under record labels, as well as those who are emerging talents in the music scene.
Whether you’re a known musician or a striving artist in the making. Having ties to a record label or utilizing digital distribution services can pave the way for your channel’s verification status. This verification process centers around your standing within the music industry rather than being reliant solely upon your subscriber count or watch time on YouTube.
4. Create a Viral Short with Millions of Views
If your YouTube Shorts receive millions of views quickly within a period of time, you may qualify for verification even if you don’t have many subscribers yet. YouTubers are leveraging the popularity of YouTube Shorts by sharing brief, engaging videos that have the potential to become viral. If your videos amass around 10 million views within three months, YouTube might take notice of your channel and consider granting it verification.
The key here is not necessarily having a high subscriber count but rather demonstrating significant success with your Shorts, which can boost your visibility and signal to YouTube that your content deserves recognition.
5. Get Recognized by a Strong Community
YouTube occasionally verifies channels with low subscribers due to their loyal and dedicated community support. If your content resonates with a group or niche audience, YouTube might acknowledge its significance even if your following is modest.
When you produce content that resonates within a specific community or industry on YouTube and garners recognition for your influence, there lies the key to verification – true appreciation from your audience. So, rather than merely chasing numbers alone, engaging with your community actively and earning their respect can certainly improve your chances of getting verified.
6. Use Your Legacy as an Old Artist
Artists and notable figures from an era who gained fame prior to the latest YouTube verification guidelines may retain their verified status even if their channel lacks a substantial subscriber base. This category encompasses musicians and performers who achieved prominence in decades like the 1980s or 1990s with chart-topping hits.
YouTube acknowledges the importance of preserving the legacy of artists who may not currently meet the platform’s watch time or subscriber thresholds by providing them with verification status as a means of confirming their identity and maintaining their public image.
7. Request Verification as a Public Figure
If you are someone important in the eyes of the public and want to get verified by YouTube without having a large following of subscribers, you can go ahead and apply directly through YouTube for verification purposes. To become verified, you will be required to verify your identity by providing official documents that confirm your true identity.
Celebrities such as actors and social media influencers or entrepreneurs are usually allowed to request verification provided that their accounts are linked to their known name or brand identity to prove that they are genuine within the YouTube community.
8. Get Your Channel Linked to a Known and Popular Source
If your YouTube channel is connected to a person in entertainment or sports, or a big brand name, it’s possible that you may get verified by YouTube even with a smaller number of subscribers than usual because these channels are considered trustworthy sources and receive special consideration.
Verification on YouTube depends on the reputation of the individual or brand rather than just how well their channel performs statistically. If you’re associated with a recognized name or brand on the YouTube platform (enough to be considered an official entity by YouTube), you might just grab that verification badge without needing the standard 100k subscribers.
Conclusion
You might not necessarily require 100k subs to obtain verification status for your YouTube account if you’re aware of alternative methods to secure the verification badge. There are approaches you can take to achieve this goal. For instance, focus your efforts primarily on producing high-quality content that demonstrates the credibility and authenticity of your channel.
If you happen to be a known figure, a musician or associated with a reputable brand, this could significantly aid in the verification process. Established channels may qualify for verification under guidelines referred to as legacy verification. If your videos become widely popular online across the platform through “Shorts,” and if your community actively engages with and acknowledges your channel’s content, you may receive verification quickly.
Frequently Asked Questions about How to Get Verified on YouTube without 100k Subs
Q1. How do you get verified on YouTube without 100,000 subscribers?
The quality of your content and audience interaction plays a key role in deciding whether you are trustworthy and authentic enough for YouTube to verify your channel, even if you haven’t reached the 100k subs requirement.
Q2. Do you need 100k subs to be verified on YouTube?
As per the YouTube guidelines, your channel must reach 100,000 subscribers to be eligible for the verification badge. However, YouTube will still review your channel before granting the verification tick.
Q3. Is getting verified on YouTube free?
It is completely free to apply for a YouTube verification badge. All you need to do is to meet YouTube’s policies, such as subscriber count and an active and authentic channel.
Q4. Is YouTube verification worth it?
Achieving the verification badge on YouTube marks a milestone, indicating to your viewers that your channel is reliable and deserving of their attention.
Q5. Does a Glitch in the YouTube system verify channels below 100k subs?
It is a common misconception that has been discussed on several platforms, including Reddit, that due to technical issues and glitches within YouTube, channels below 100k subs get verified. Even if this assumption was true, this method should never be relied upon. In reality, YouTube is an enormous entertainment brand with several technical experts and departments. Therefore, any mishap like this would be immediately rectified.
Q6. Why do some old YouTube channels have a verified badge after the rules change?
Before the rules were updated, YouTube allowed certain older channels to maintain their verification badges despite not meeting the criteria for verification status. These channels obtained verification under policies that were less strict regarding factors like subscriber count and watch time hours.
If you have a channel that got the verification badge when the guidelines were different in the past on YouTube, and they have been updated since then, there’s a chance you might still hold onto your verification badge without it being taken away even though your channel doesn’t meet the current criteria anymore.
