Related channels VS Featured channels ??

[zaffron]

Hi guys

As you already knows "Featured channels" option is one of the ways that you can promote your channel in other channels pages. I am actually enabled that option so anyone can choose and promote my channel in his/her channels (if he want). But there is another option called "Related channels" in which YouTube recommends my channels to be promoted into others related channels if they enabled that option on.

I want to ask anyone tried these options:

1) is there any difference between the two option other than YouTube recommendations in related channels ? and which option is better ? should i enable both option ? and why not ?

2) if i enable the "Related channels" option to promote other channels into my channel page, then how can i know if my channel is being promoted into other channels pages or not ?

 

[V3XL0R]

Hi guys

As you already knows "Featured channels" option is one of the ways that you can promote your channel in other channels pages. I am actually enabled that option so anyone can choose and promote my channel in his/her channels (if he want). But there is another option called "Related channels" in which YouTube recommends my channels to be promoted into others related channels if they enabled that option on.

I want to ask anyone tried these options:

1) is there any difference between the two option other than YouTube recommendations in related channels ? and which option is better ? should i enable both option ? and why not ?

2) if i enable the "Related channels" option to promote other channels into my channel page, then how can i know if my channel is being promoted into other channels pages or not ?

The way you've worded this is very confusing. Let me start off with some definitions on what each are and do:

Featured Channels: These are channels that you feature exclusively on your channel to promote them. They are most likely your favorite YouTubers, but that is the purpose of the "Feature Channels" section on your channel.

Related Channels: These are channels that YouTube thinks are related to your channel and picks it themselves randomly (at times) Sometimes, it's really weird how they're picked because a lot of them aren't truly related to you (unless you've subscribed to them or something).

In reality, whether or not you've set up your "Featured Channels" section, people can still put you in their "Featured Channels" section anyways at any time. YouTube will recommend anyone's channel on anyone's page via the related channels section; there's no setting for this. So in answering your questions, yes there is a difference and you'll only be able to add people via in the "Featured Channels" section. As for your other question, you won't ever know if anyone has put you into their "Featured Channels" section. The only way you'll know is if you either go to someone's channel randomly and find it in there or if that YouTuber happens to tell you when you're put in their "Featured Channels" section. I hope this has brought some clarity to you.

 

[zaffron]

Related Channels: These are channels that YouTube thinks are related to your channel and picks it themselves randomly (at times) Sometimes, it's really weird how they're picked because a lot of them aren't truly related to you (unless you've subscribed to them or something).

i noticed the same on my channel page. Moreover, all Related channels that are picked by YouTube are owned by those who already have Millions of subscribers ?!!! which is very strange ?
i also noticed if my number of subscribers increase, more related channels appears on my channel page and always of famous Youtubers. I don't think Youtube pick those channels randomly.

 

[V3XL0R]

i noticed the same on my channel page. Moreover, all Related channels that are picked by YouTube are owned by those who already have Millions of subscribers ?!!! which is very strange ?
i also noticed if my number of subscribers increase, more related channels appears on my channel page and always of famous Youtubers. I don't think Youtube pick those channels randomly.

Well sometimes it's a related channels section and sometimes it's a popular channels section (I've seen both types before on people's channel, but not at once). When it's related channels, I find that it's people that I'm subscribed to and are kinda small. With popular channels, it's people that I have no idea who they are and/or they usually have a ton of subscribers. It could honestly have something to do with an increase in your subscribers, but they're all picked for the same reasons. It's YouTube's way (a poor way, might I add) of featuring other people's channel to the viewer. It's just like when they feature other YouTubers' channels to you on the homepage or on your subscriptions feed (they've been taking and adding to this page on YouTube lately).

 

[RyanH]

Related channels are autogenerated. You can choose to have them enabled or not, but if you decide not to enable them your channel won't show in other channels related boxes.

Featured channels are customisable, you choose which channels are featured in there and can change the text.

 

[midzan21]

If you are curios: Featured channels or as I like to call it Friendly channels is your customized list of channels that you would like to support. For example, as I call that Friendly channels, I there show some of friends channels and some channels that might I like actually because of content (examples are on mine channel where I have few music channels from Catholic music bands which I support)
For Related channels or as I like to call it: Random big channels is just list of some bigger channels, for instance, before couple of months it showed up channels like Serbian Tutorials (Sprski Tutorijali) or Nixa Zizu on mine, mostly tech and fun based channel. OK, for first one I would say it is OK, but for second one: really?!? Fitness mostly channel on fun and tech channel?!? Nope...
Now I only use Featured list of favorites and couple of friendly channels

 

[trust me NOT G]

i know quite a lot about growth hacking youtube and i know about the related channels. the only thing i cant seem to do is get it to go back to related once it has changed to popular. popular is bad. related is good. i can typically get it to say related on a brand new channel if i niche down and put target youtubers into my tags, descriptions, channel keywords and about section then in all my videos tags so as more videos are produced because they have the same target youtubers in them it makes a strong bond right away that continues to strengthen as long as you dont stop producing videos. other than that you must make sure you keep your overall audience retention above a 60% or else it will say popular. so buy high retention views that last 90% of the video and do those other things i said. you can essentially pick and choose who you want to be in your list. however getting yourself to show up on other lists is very hard. its completely unfair system that is 100% rigged to favor big youtubers. i had AgentOfDoubt in mine and then i showed up in his because he made a video about me. so them he proceeds to make 8 more videos and says my name in almost every video he makes to this day and he dedicated an entire playlist just to me.... however i only lasted in his related list for a couple weeks before random big youtubers that he doesnt even talk about filled the positions and bumped me off. basically its impossible unless the small youtubers gang up together and all refuse to stuff famous names into there metadata and instead use the names of the friends that are same size. that could actually work by brute forcing it by synchronizing all metadata. im a bit worried that i cant get it to switch back. it was on related but i stopped uploading for a month and messed with my descriptions a lot and it switched back to popular. it seems totally impossible to switch it back. my retention is high i did amazing seo and the only thing left to try is just to pump out content and that may do the trick. yt straight up punishes you if you stop uploading. its amazing how they have destroyed every possible chance that a creator can find success legitimately while the youtube experts are actually con men who are buying it all.