Are YouTube Promotions Attracting Bot Subscribers?

YouTube is a business, and their primary goal is to generate revenue through advertising. For large companies, like Nike for example, the quantity of eyes on their ads matters more than the quality of those views. They don’t mind if some of those views come from bots, as long as their brand gets exposure. This might be why we see such a discrepancy in the engagement metrics after running promotions.

I've observed that YouTube's algorithm does a decent job of filtering out bots for organic impressions, which is something I appreciate. However, when it comes to paid promotions, it seems they don't have the same level of scrutiny. This inconsistency makes it frustrating for creators like us who are trying to build a genuine audience.

From my experience, the Average View Duration (AVD) tends to drop significantly after starting a promotion. I've noticed that many of these new subscribers don’t engage with my content in a meaningful way, which raises red flags. If the AVD is low, it likely indicates that many of those views are not from genuine viewers, but rather bots.

I've found that YouTube promotions often cater more to brands and companies that prioritize visibility over audience engagement. This means that while your video might be getting seen, it doesn’t necessarily appeal to viewers who would stick around for more content. Just because I think my video is great doesn't mean the algorithm or potential viewers agree.

It's quite likely that the majority of views from promoted content are actually bots. I've seen similar patterns where the AVD is less than 30 seconds, which is a strong indication that these views aren't coming from interested viewers. If you're seeing a lot of subscribers but barely any views, it’s a sign that those subscribers might not be real.