Mastering YouTube comments: A beastly guide on moderating, editing and managing!

Businesses should monitor their YouTube comments for three main reasons. First; comments can help gauge customer sentiment. By understanding how customers respond to their content, businesses can adjust strategies based on the positive or negative feedback. Second; comments provide an opportunity for engagement. Businesses can improve their image by responding to both positive and negative comments in a timely manner, often earning loyalty and respect from customers. Last; comments can help in content development. Observing viewers’ opinions and preferences can aid in the development of future content that the audience wants to see.

YouTube provides three ways for businesses to access the comments on their videos. First; comments are visible in the designated section below each video, accessible on both mobile and desktop. Second; businesses can view the latest comments via the notifications by clicking on the alarm bell icon situated at the top of the screen. Third; by going to YouTube Studio on the desktop version, businesses can view all comments and mentions. Here, they can sort comments by helpful metrics such as whether they’ve responded to them, if the comment contains a question or specific text. Mobile users need to download the YouTube Studio app to manage their comments in this way.

YouTube keeps a record of all comments ever posted by an account, which businesses can access by following a few steps. On desktop, businesses need to navigate to History and then click Comments under Manage all history. On mobile, they should open the YouTube app, tap on profile icon, click on Select your data in YouTube, and then click on Comments under Your YouTube Dashboard.

Businesses may need to edit their YouTube comments for a few reasons. They might want to correct typographical or grammatical errors, adjust the tone of a response, or update an earlier statement to prevent any potential misunderstanding or confusion.

Editing YouTube comments is a two-step process. First, businesses must either open the video with the comment they want to edit or visit their comment history to access the comment. Once they’ve found the comment, they click on the three vertical gray dots to the top right corner of the comment and select Edit. Changes are made in the editing field, and then businesses simply click Save to finalize the edits.

Deleting a YouTube comment follows the same process as editing. On both desktop and mobile, businesses navigate to the comment they want to delete, click the three dots to the top right corner of the comment, and select Delete. The comment will then be permanently removed.

There are circumstances when businesses may want to disable YouTube comments, such as during public relations crises or times of insufficient moderation resources. Disabling comments can be done on specific videos or across an entire channel. In both mobile and desktop versions of YouTube Studio, businesses can disable comments for a video by clicking on Content, selecting the video, clicking More Options, and finally selecting Disable Comments. To disable comments across an entire channel, businesses should go to Account Settings in YouTube Studio, click on Community, select Defaults, and choose Disable comments.

There are both pros and cons to disabling YouTube comments. Pros include prevention of harmful messaging from trolls, better control over brand narrative, and alleviation of moderation team workload. Cons, however, include the potential for the brand to look less trustworthy, frustration from viewers wanting to leave positive comments, and a possible drop in engagement metrics, which can affect ranking in search or suggestions.

If businesses have disabled YouTube comments and wish to re-enable them, they can easily do so. To turn on comments for the entire channel, businesses go to Account Settings in YouTube Studio, click on Community, then Defaults, and then select Allow All Comments. To turn on comments for specific videos on both mobile and desktop versions of YouTube Studio, businesses need to click on Content, find the video, click More Options, and select Allow All Comments.

Having a strategy for comment moderation and response is imperative for businesses on YouTube because managing comments can become a full-time job depending on the popularity of the channel. Additionally, effective engagement with comments can contribute to improved brand image, increased viewer loyalty, and valuable insights into viewer opinions and preferences.

Yes. Businesses can use YouTube Studio to manage comments more effectively. This tool allows businesses to view all comments, sort them by various metrics and qualities, and edit or delete them as necessary. It’s available on both mobile and desktop, making it an accessible tool for comment management.

Disabling comments may have an adverse impact on viewer loyalty and engagement. Viewers might feel alienated if they’re unable to express their opinions or give feedback. This inability could cause frustration among viewers who wish to leave positive comments. In terms of engagement metrics, comments contribute to these, and disabling them may result in a drop in engagement numbers and potentially affect the ranking of videos in search or suggestions.

Responding to comments in a prompt and professional manner can greatly improve a brand’s image on YouTube. This action shows that the business values viewer opinions, is open to feedback, is willing to engage with the audience, and is responsive to issues or concerns. It demonstrates that the business is customer-oriented and can lead to increased viewer loyalty and positive perception of the brand.

By monitoring comments, businesses can gain insights into customer sentiment, opinions, preferences, and feedback on their content. Comments can reveal what viewers like or dislike about the videos, suggest potential improvements or requests for new content. Such insights are valuable for planning future content and adjusting strategies to better meet viewer’s needs and expectations.

Businesses should respond to negative comments promptly and professionally. They should address any complaints or criticisms directly, clarify misconceptions, and show willingness to improve. By treating negative comments as an opportunity for improvement rather than a setback, companies can turn the situation around and even improve their image and relationships with viewers.

Within YouTube Studio, businesses can moderate comments by accessing them, sorting them by various metrics, and responding to, editing, or deleting them as necessary. This helps businesses manage comments effectively and allows them to tackle any negative comments proactively, respond to positive comments prudently and thereby keep their audience engagement healthy and thriving.

Some effective strategies include setting clear moderation guidelines, responding to comments in a timely way, proactively addressing negative comments, engaging with positive comments, and using YouTube Studio to manage, sort, and track comments. Integrating these strategies can help businesses maintain a positive brand image, foster viewer loyalty, and gain useful insights from comments.

Businesses may need to update an earlier statement in the comments if there has been a change in circumstances, such as a product update, policy change, or error in the initial comment. Updating the comment ensures accurate information is provided and prevents any potential confusion or misunderstanding among viewers.

Yes. Businesses can control which comments are visible on their YouTube videos by using the Hold all comments for review feature in YouTube Studio. This feature doesn’t prevent people from commenting, but it requires businesses to review and approve each comment before it appears under their video. This can be particularly useful when trying to prevent harmful comments or misinformation from appearing on their content.