Video exists only to send viewers to another site
YouTube may take the video down.
Last verified
What triggers it
Content made solely to drive viewers off YouTube, especially to malware, adult content or illegal goods, e.g. a short teaser promising a 'free unreleased movie' at a link.
What YouTube says
“Content created solely to drive users off of YouTube to external sites”
We last checked this against YouTube's page on .
How to fix it
Make the video stand on its own and keep links as an extra, not the whole point.
Good to know
Watch for videos with little content whose payoff is 'full video at the link', 'link in description' or a QR code, especially to adult platforms, downloads or giveaways. Normal mentions of your website or merch inside a real video are fine.
Can FYProof spot it?
A full check of your video looks for it in what's said, the words on screen and the caption. What a check finds is an estimate, not a guarantee.
- Video: not for this rule
- Speech: looked at for this rule
- On-screen text: looked at for this rule
- Caption: looked at for this rule
- Hashtags: not for this rule
The free caption check below looks for wording linked to this rule in a caption and hashtags.
Free caption check
Is my caption at risk?
Paste the caption and hashtags you plan to post. We check the words against each platform's published rules in a second. Nothing you type is saved.
Related YouTube rules
Platforms change their rules often. This page sums up what YouTube publishes; it isn't legal advice.