How to Reupload a Video Removed by YouTube

We store our videos (pillar content) in several locations, including Google Drive, Descript, and YouTube, as a way to keep them safe from accidental deletion or loss.

Due to YouTube’s policies, several of our videos are deleted because some virtual assistants fail to adhere strictly to YouTube’s Terms and Policies.

This guide will walk you through the steps to reupload a video that has been removed from the BlitzMetrics YouTube channel. The goal is to ensure the reuploaded video complies with YouTube’s policies and avoids future removals.

Task Checklist

Information Needed:

1. The reason for the video’s removal (check the YouTube email or Studio notification).
2. Original video content and metadata (title, description, tags, etc.).

Tools Needed:

1. Video editing software (Descript)
2. Image editing tools for blurring or highlighting information.

Steps Overview:

1. Identify the reason for removal
2. Review and edit the video content
3. Update metadata and categorization
4. Add a disclaimer
5. Monitor the reupload

Estimated time it will take to make the changes and reupload the video: 5 to 20 minutes

Step 1: Identify the reason for removal

• Log in to YouTube Studio and review the removal notification.
• Note the specific policy violation (e.g., harassment, privacy breach, misinformation).
• If applicable, use flagged timestamps to pinpoint problematic sections.

For example, here’s a video that was recently removed from BlitzMetrics’ YouTube channel.

If you hover your mouse over “Terms and policies” you will see an option to “Review” the reason for removal.

By clicking on ‘Review,’ you will see a detailed explanation of why the video was removed. YouTube also highlights the timestamps containing the objectionable content.

Step 2. Review and Edit the Video Content

• Remove Problematic Content:
  
  • Using a photo or video editing tool, edit out or rephrase any content flagged for policy violations. For example:
    Remove or obscure email addresses, phone numbers, and other sensitive data.
    
• Add Contextual Framing:
  
  • Using a video editing tool like Descript, insert an introductory slide or voiceover: “This video provides an educational overview of challenges faced in collaborative projects. It is intended for informational purposes only.”
    
    (Note: In the example video, we did not add a slide or voiceover, yet the video passed YouTube’s content policies.)

Step 3. Update Metadata and Categorization

• Title:
  
  • Include terms like “Documentary” or “Case Study.”
    
    For example, if the video was flagged because it discusses a conflict with business partners, a title that includes the following words might be helpful:
    
    “The Business Conflict Case Study (Documentary)”
    
• Description:
  
  • Clearly state the educational purpose of the video: “This video explores a business conflict to provide insights into partnership challenges.”
    
• Tags:
  
  • Use tags that emphasize educational intent, such as documentary, case study, business conflict.

• Category:
  
  • Select “Education” or “People & Blogs.”
    YouTube is known to be more lenient with its policies for content listed in these two categories.

Step 4. Add a Disclaimer

• Include a disclaimer at the beginning of the video and in the description:
  
  “This video is for educational purposes only. All mentions of individuals or entities are based on publicly available information and do not aim to defame or harm any individual or entity.”

Here is the text we used for the example video to prevent it from getting removed again.

Tip: Share the removal notes and transcript (of the video that YouTube has removed) with ChatGPT, and it can identify the exact issues in the video that caused the removal. Then, ask ChatGPT to create a title, description, and disclaimer that comply with those specific policies to help prevent the video from being removed again.

Step 5: Reupload the Video and Monitor

• Reupload the edited video with the updated metadata and disclaimers.
  
• Monitor its status to check if it gets removed again. If it is removed, review the steps above to ensure none were missed and make further adjustments as needed.
  
• Continue monitoring the video over the following months and stay alert for any email notifications from YouTube regarding a removal notice.

That’s it. You’re done. Good job!

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Verification Checklist

#1. The flagged content has been removed or blurred, and sensitive data such as email addresses or personal information is obscured.

#2. The video includes an educational introduction or voiceover to provide proper context.

#3. The title is updated to reflect educational intent, the category is set to “Education” or “People & Blogs,” and relevant tags are included.

#4. A disclaimer is added at the beginning of the video and in the description, stating the content is for educational purposes only.

#5. The video is reuploaded with updated metadata and monitored to ensure it remains live.