Optimizing Your Channel & Enabling Advanced Features

Too Long; Didn’t Read (TL;DR)?

 

This is not a secret code, but a pun. If you’re in a rush or not much of a reader, here is the short version:

Now that you’ve created your shiny new YouTube channel, it’s time to polish it up! In this post, we’ll go step-by-step through how to open your YouTube Studio, set your channel handle, logo, and description. Also, choose your currency, location, and tags. How to unlock advanced features like longer videos, thumbnails, and live streaming. You will also learn how to keep your comments section friendly and what settings to ignore for now.

Basically, you will walk away knowing how to make your channel look, sound, and behave like a real professional – without spending a single dime!

 

🎬 Welcome Back, Future Animator!

 

Hello there, storytellers! 🎬

In our last blog, we learnt how to create your YouTube channel from scratch. You should now have your channel name ready – something fun, easy to spell, and so you.

Now, it is time to make your channel yours!

Today’s blog will help you optimize your YouTube settings – which means getting everything in order behind the scenes so your channel runs smoothly, looks professional, and is ready for your future story-time animations.

STEP 1

How to Open YouTube Studio

💻 Laptop/Desktop Version:

 

1. Go to https://youtube.com
2. Click your profile circle on the top right corner.
3. Choose YouTube Studio from the drop-down menu.

 

📱 Smartphone Version:

 

If you are using a phone or tablet, YouTube Studio looks a bit different. So, here is how to access it:

1. Open Chrome (or any other web browser).
2. Log in to your Google account.
3. Press the three dots (⋮) on the top right.
4. Select Desktop site – this makes your phone act like a computer!
5. Now open youtube.com, tap the three dashes (☰) on the top left,
6. Press and hold YouTube Studio, then tap Open in New Tab.

🎉 Congratulations! You are now inside your channel’s control room.

 

STEP 2

Customising Your Channel

Once inside YouTube Studio, look on the left sidebar and click Customisation.
(We will skip the profile photo and banner for now – that’s coming soon in our next blog.)

🧾 Your Channel Name & Handle

You’ll see your channel name already written – fantastic!
Now, let’s set your handle (that is the ‘@’ name people can tag you with).

• Your handle should match your channel name, but shorter, no capital letter, and without spaces.
  For example:
  ‘Takzicution Tales’ -> @takzitales
• Keep it simple, clean, and easy to remember!

🖼️ Uploading Your Logo

Scroll down and upload your logo (video watermark). The current size should be 150×150 pixels.
If you haven’t made your logo yet, don’t stress – we will create it when we learn Basic Shapes, incoming Tuesday!

📧 Adding Your Contact Info

Add your business email (the one you are using for your channel).
If you made a separate Google account for YouTube, perfect – that’s your business email now!

🌐 Adding Social Links

You can also add links to your social media accounts.
If you don’t have a separate one yet, you can still use your personal Twitter or Instagram, but change the name to match your channel.

💡 Why? Because your social accounts are like “behind-the-scenes” doors – where your audience can see updates, short clips, or just say hi!

STEP 3

Writing Your Channel Description

 

Now scroll up to the About section or the Description box.
Writing about yourself can feel weird, right? Don’t worry – here’s a fun way to do it!

Ask yourself these questions and write the answers down:

1. What is my channel about?
2. Is my channel funny, serious, or chill?
3. Who is my audience? Kids, teens, adults, or everyone?
4. Why did I start this channel?
5. What makes my stories special?

Add:

 

• Your social media links (if you have any).
• A short note about your animation tools (e.g., ‘Made with Animate and Intuos’).
• End with a thank–you message and a slogan if you have one!

 

🧠 How to Create a Great Slogan

 

A slogan is your mini ‘battle cry’ – something short and catchy that sticks in people’s minds.
Examples:

• ‘No Order is Too Big’
• ‘Quality is Our Priority’
• ‘Bring Dreams to Reality’

You can even translate it into another language you know – YouTube lets you add translations for your description.

 

STEP 4

Adjusting Channel Settings

 

Click the gear icon (⚙️) to open Settings.
If it does not open, make sure pop-up blockers are off, or reload the page.

 

💵 Default Currency

Set your currency – this is the money format you will see in your analytics later.
My suggestion: Choose USD ($). It’s the most widely accepted and makes comparing your stats easier globally.
But if your main audience is from your own country, you can choose your local currency too!

 

📍 Location

 

Set your country of residence – this affects monetization and visibility.

 

🔖 Channel Keywords

 

Add your channel tags – they help Google and YouTube both understand your content.
You can write up to 500 characters, but 10–15 tags are more than enough.

Start simple:

1. Brand Tags: your name or channel name (for instance, ‘Takzimates,’ ‘Takzinite Animations’, ‘Victor Justice’).
2. Content Tags: ‘animated stories,’ ‘funny animation,’ ‘life stories,’ ‘relatable tales,’ ‘story-time humor’.
3. Audience Tags: ‘cartoons for teens,’ ‘story-time lovers,’ ‘animation squad’.

We will learn more about keywords and search engine optimisation {SEO} later!

STEP 5

Advanced YouTube Settings

 

Set ‘No, this channel is not made for kids.’
Why? Because story-time animations often include humour, personal topics, or lessons best suited for 13+ audiences.

Leave Google Ads linking for later – that is for monetization lessons.

Keep Clips turned on, so viewers can share their favorite parts of your videos!

STEP 6

Advanced YouTube Settings

 

Now, click Feature Eligibility in the left menu.
You will see three types:

 

1) Standard Features

 

• You can upload videos shorter than fifteen minutes.
• You can create playlists (for categorising your videos).
• You can add collaborators (crediting other creators on a single video, which displays their channel name and a subscribe button on the video itself).
  ✅ Usually unlocked automatically.

 

2) Intermediate Features

 

• You can upload longer (than 15 minutes) videos
• You can add custom thumbnails.
• You can live stream.

 

To unlock:

 

• All you have have to do is verify your phone number by (via) SMS or phone call (it’s free and safe).

 

3) Advanced Features

 

• You can upload lots of videos daily (helpful when you start working in batches).
• You can appeal copyright claims (this will come in the future lesson).
• You can utilise external links in descriptions.

To unlock:

 

You can use one of the options given below:

• Channel History: If you’ve been a good YouTuber for a while, YouTube might auto-approve you!
• Video Verification: You can record a short video showing your face (simple and quick).
• ID Verification: The option I chose. Uploading a photo of your passport or National ID card {CNIC} (if you are above 18).

 

STEP 7

Upload Defaults & Moderation Settings

Go to Upload Defaults → Advanced Settings.

 

🎥 License

 

Select Creative Commons – Attributes if you are okay with others sharing your videos (with credit).
Otherwise, choose Standard YouTube License to keep your videos private on your channel.

 

🗣️ Language

 

Set your video language – American English, British English, or whatever fits your accent.

 

💬 Caption Certification

 

Next, you will see Caption Certification. This setting is mostly for professional studios that upload TV shows or programs that already aired on American television.
Since you’re an independent story-time animator on YouTube, select:
‘This content has never aired on television in the U.S.”

Why? Because YouTube just wants to know whether your video was previously broadcasted. Choosing this option is correct for new creators and independent animators – it keeps everything clean, clear, and compliant.

 

🎬 Category

 

Since you’re creating story–time animations, choose Film & Animation as your category.
Why? Because that is where most animated channels belong – it helps the algorithm (YouTube’s learning system) show your videos to people who love watching cartoons, animated shorts, or storytelling videos. It also tells the algorithm, “Hey, this is an animation, not a vlog or gaming video!”

 

🧑‍💬 Comments

 

Keep comments on – it helps you connect with your audience.
Choose Basic Moderation, so YouTube filters spam but keeps fun conversations.
Also, leave ‘Show how many viewers like this video’ ON – it builds trust!

 

🏘️ Community Moderation

 

Ignore user management for now – we will handle that when you grow your team.
Keep Community Posts ON – it lets you share updates with your fans.

 

Your Next Step?

 

Now that your channel is fully optimized and your advanced features are unlocked, you are officially ready to make your channel look alive!

Next week, we’ll dive into ‘Learning About Basic Shape’ – the first step in designing your profile photo and banner image.
Because before we can draw amazing characters or logos, we first need to learn how to shape the world they live in – literally!