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Can You Buy A YouTube Channel?

buy a youtube channel

With more than 2 billion active users per month, YouTube is one of the best marketing platforms on the planet. And because growing a channel from scratch can be a time-consuming process, you might be tempted to buy one that already has a solid subscriber base.

So, can you buy a YouTube channel? Yes, you can buy a YouTube channel. It’s completely legal to do so, and there are many websites where you can find YouTube channels for sale. 

Apart from seeking channels within your specific niche, it's also advantageous to explore potential competitors. Moreover, if you're also interested in channels for entertainment purposes, it's wise to seek out curated lists of YouTube channels for the best options. Delving into the YouTube TV Channel List can provide valuable insights as you consider acquiring a channel. These comprehensive compilations furnish an overview of the array of channels accessible on the platform. Whether your interests lie in sports, news, entertainment, or lifestyle content, their list caters to a broad spectrum of preferences. It serves as a convenient tool for perusing the available selections and customizing your viewing journey.

It's important to note that the lineup may vary contingent upon your geographical location. Certain regional channels may only be accessible in specific areas, delivering localized content to cater to diverse audiences. Thus, it's prudent to verify the channel lineup in your vicinity to ensure access to desired content.

To learn the do's and don’ts of buying a YouTube channel, read on.

Why buy a YouTube channel?

buying a YouTube channel

Credit: https://www.needpix.com/photo/1210197/youtube-smartphone-application-video-uploads-streaming

Before you pay someone a bunch of money to gain access to their channel and subscribers, it’s good to understand why you might want to buy someone’s YouTube account.

One benefit of buying a YouTube channel is the residual income from the videos that are already posted on the channel. YouTube channels that get sold are often review channels, and you can earn money for years to come from the ad and affiliate revenue those existing videos get.

The other benefit of buying a channel is that it already has a dedicated subscriber base. You don’t have to spend years pumping out videos that no one is going to watch. You can take over where the original creator left off and begin marketing your own products and services.

While having a large subscriber base for the sake of the guaranteed views is nice, it also has another benefit ‒ it’ll make building an ever-larger following a much easier process.

Videos with high view counts tend to attract more viewers than videos with low view counts. There are a couple of reasons for this:

  • A higher view count indicates more authority. When YouTube users see a video with a substantial view count (100,000+), it gives added weight to the content contained in that video. People are more likely to click on a video if it has a higher view count.
  • The YouTube algorithm prioritizes videos with higher view counts. Those higher view counts let YouTube know that certain demographics like this particular video, and it will push that video higher in the search results and recommended videos section.

Because a large subscriber base will give your videos higher view counts right off the bat, buying an established YouTube channel can let you skip the grind and get right to the money.

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Risks involved with buying a YouTube channel

It’s not all sunshine and roses though. Buying a YouTube channel comes with some serious risks that you need to be aware of.

It’s against YouTube’s terms of service

prohibit the buying or selling of channels

For starters, YouTube’s terms of service explicitly prohibit the buying or selling of channels. The practice is perfectly legal from a jurisdictional standpoint, but YouTube has a strict no-tolerance policy.

Here’s why this is a problem: if YouTube figures out you bought an account, they will instantly ban that account and remove all traces of it from the platform. You’ll be out however many hundreds or thousands you spent on the account.

No one outside of YouTube knows exactly how they determine which accounts have been sold. There are a few factors that almost certainly play a role though.

One big indicator is the IP address. If you buy an account from someone who lives halfway across the planet, YouTube is going to notice that another person has suddenly started using the account. This will tip them off that something fishy is going on, and may lead them to suspend the account.

Another indicator is that the person featured in the videos is going to change. Unless the person who originally owned the account was outsourcing the video production ‒ and they hand you control of that video production team ‒ YouTube might notice that a completely different person is suddenly manning the channel.

The existing subscribers might not like you

People typically subscribe to YouTube channels because they connect with the person featured in the videos. If you plan on continuing to post on the channel ‒ and you lack the charisma or likeability of the original channel owner ‒ you’re going to have a problem retaining subscribers and continuing to grow the channel.

Even if some subscribers like you, they might not understand why there was a sudden change in personality ‒ which can push even more viewers to unsubscribe.

How to buy a YouTube channel Does your video marketing need a boost?

Find a seller

Your first order of business is to find a seller. There are quite a few websites where you can find reputable YouTube channel sellers. Flippa.com and Fameswap.com are two of the most well-known options.

Things to consider

Before you make a final decision, there are a number of questions you should ask the channel owner. The answers to these questions will affect the channel’s value, and will, therefore, impact your offered price.

How many subscribers does the channel have?

The channel’s subscriber count will have the biggest impact on the channel’s overall value. Knowing this information is essential if you want to make money on this purchase.

Is the channel monetized?

Even if the channel has millions of subscribers, you can’t earn a single cent in ad revenue off of them if the channel hasn’t been approved for monetization by YouTube.

If a channel with a significant subscriber base still hasn’t been monetized, there might be something wrong with the channel (strikes, copyright issues, etc.) that might dissuade YouTube from ever approving it.

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If the channel isn’t monetized, have you started the monetization approval process?

If a channel isn’t monetized, the owner needs to have started the monetization approval process at the very least. If they haven’t, don’t buy the channel until they do.

What is the monthly ad revenue of the channel?

If the channel has been monetized, it’s already making some money from ads each month. To give the channel a proper valuation, you’ll need to know the monthly ad revenue amount.

If the channel promotes affiliate products, what is the monthly revenue from those affiliate sales?

Many YouTube channels that get sold are review channels that recommend affiliate products to viewers. If you’re buying one of these channels, knowing how much the channel owner is making in affiliate commissions each month is also necessary for a proper valuation.

How old is the channel?

Older channels often have more authority and trust than younger accounts. If an older account is still getting active engagement from its subscriber base, it might be worth more than a younger channel that is getting the same level of engagement.

However, an older channel can also be a negative. If the channel hasn’t been active in over a year, most of the subscribers will have grown stale. They might not remember the channel when you start posting again ‒ and even if they do, there’s a good chance they won’t be interested in the topic the channel is about.

Does the channel have any strikes against it?

If the sale of the channel avoids detection from YouTube, the only way it can be deleted is through strikes against the account. These typically come from copyright infringement, but there are other ways to get them too.

Fortunately, a single strike is pretty easy to deal with. It takes three strikes within a span of three months to get your channel deleted, so a single strike shouldn’t make you too wary of making a purchase.

Is there a face associated with the channel?

replacing the face and personality

The biggest challenge most channel buyers face is replacing the face and personality that is currently attached to the account. If subscribers have become accustomed to a particular person in the videos, it will be difficult to replace that person without causing a significant follower loss.

Negotiate a price

Once you’ve decided that you want to buy the channel, make an offer. If the seller accepts, you can begin the transfer process and start building your new source of revenue.

FAQs

How Many Youtube Channels Can You Have Per Account

youtube channels for sale ad 1With a Google account you have automatic access to YouTube and can watch videos and subscribe to other people's channels. If you want to create videos of your own and post them to YouTube, you'll need to create what is called a 'channel.' A channel allows you to have a presence on YouTube and enables you to upload videos, comment on other people's videos, or make playlists.

YouTube allows you to have one personal channel per Google account, which can be used only by you, and that uses your Google name and image as its identifier. You can also create up to 100 additional 'brand' channels with different names of your choosing that are controlled from your account. Note, though, that if your Google account is provided through a primary or secondary school, you are not allowed to create brand accounts.

Brand accounts are used to promote yourself and the services you offer or other products and services that you promote. Brand accounts can be controlled by multiple different users (called managers and communication managers) that you control through your Google accounts. These users won't need a separate user name and password - it will be the same as the details you set. As the owner of the account, you will have primary control over a brand channel and can take the most actions, including editing and changing channel details, deleting the channel, and controlling what content gets shared. Managers can still share photos and post videos on the channel while communications managers can do everything a manager does except post videos.

You can use other Google services to interact with your brand channel, including Google Photos, as well as YouTube. Brand channels enable you to connect and communicate with your customers by sharing content that you create. You can manage and control who can interact with your content by adjusting settings through the services you use.

Buy 1000 YouTube Subscribers for $5?

Should you buy 1000 YouTube subscribers for $5? YES, because it is an effective strategy for social media influencers to gain a following and to establish credibility and reliability in their respective markets. HOWEVER, you should know that buying YouTube subs is absolutely against YouTube TOS and can cause your account to be banned.

While there may be some speculation on whether buying subscribers is an ethical practice, many social media influencers employ this method as a starting point to establish their brand of product or service to their specific target audiences.

When considering buying subscribers, the key factor in this strategy is focusing on one's target market or audience, those people who are most interested in what you have to offer them.  A more focused approach leads to further credibility for your brand and can help establish you as an authority in your area of interest.

Your audience will also see that you have a following of loyal subscribers, and this can pique their interest to view your website and what you are presenting them. Having an initial audience will also help you to rank higher in the search results under your product or service.

Establishing your brand with your target audience is done more effectively when you have real people subscribing to your YouTube channel and taking an interest in your presentation.  Often as a bonus with your initial following, your channel may also gain traction by word of mouth advertising in addition to your advertising through the search engines or on related websites.

When you buy 1000 YouTube subscribers for $5, you can stay within your budget while effectively increasing your audience reach.  It will also help you become a more significant social media influencer and improve your brand image with your target audience, whether you are instructing them, marketing a product or service, or just entertaining them using your unique gifts and talents.

Can You Buy YouTube Channels Wrap Up

Buying a YouTube channel is legal and possible.

However, if you want to build a channel for your business that will generate revenue for years to come, I recommend starting from scratch and doing things the “right” way.

While it will take longer to build up a substantial base of subscribers, it will also make success much more likely in the long run.

final shawn
Shawn Manaher
Shawn Manaher is the founder and CEO of Ignite Marketing. He's one part local business growth specialist, one part campaign strategizing ninja, and two parts leader of an awesome nerd pack. He won't eat pancakes unless you call them flat waffles.
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