What the Suggested Feed Is
The Suggested Feed is an editorially curated selection of content chosen by human curators applying published criteria. It is not an algorithm. It is not driven by watch history, engagement data, or behavioral tracking. Think of it as a front page: a curated selection of what someone with broad interests would want to watch right now.
One Important Clarification
Being featured in the Suggested Feed is separate from platform compliance. Your channel's protection under our governance framework is unconditional. The due process commitments we have made apply regardless of whether your content appears in the Suggested Feed.
A channel in good standing may not have content in the Suggested Feed in a given week. That is not a judgment on the channel. It is a judgment on whether a specific piece of content meets a specific editorial standard at a specific moment.
The Six Criteria
1. Currency
Your content must be connected to something happening now. Coverage of a major development within hours or a day or two of it breaking meets this standard.
One exception applies: deep-dive investigations and long-form documentary content are eligible if they present new information or a novel analysis of an ongoing issue. The standard for this content is not speed but substance. It must add something that has not been said before.
2. Newsworthiness
Currency alone is not enough. The story must matter. Newsworthiness is measured by impact: does this event affect policies, markets, public safety, or established cultural norms? A viewer who did not know about this topic should consider it worth knowing.
Newsworthiness is not a political judgment. Stories about government, science, culture, business, or any other area can be newsworthy. The question is whether the content makes a serious case for why the subject has impact and whether the execution reflects that seriousness.
3. Quality
Content must meet a basic threshold of watchability. This is not a requirement for professional production equipment or high production value. It is a requirement that the content be coherent, audible, and followable. The viewer must be able to understand what is being said and the content must deliver on what it promises. A single person speaking clearly and directly to a camera meets this standard. Incoherent audio, unwatchable video, or content that fails to develop its stated subject does not.
4. Appeal
Content must give a viewer a clear reason to keep watching. This is not about entertainment value. It is about whether the creator has made a case for why the viewer's time is well spent. A strong opening that establishes what the video covers and why it matters meets this standard.
Appeal is a threshold, not a ranking. The question is not whether your content is more compelling than someone else's. It is whether it clears a basic bar of engagement.
5. Thumbnail Integrity
Your thumbnail must be a genuine and specific representation of what the video contains. Do not feature figures who appear only briefly. Do not use imagery engineered to appear more dramatic than the content. Do not use stock imagery that gestures vaguely at the topic.
Specificity is the standard. If the video covers a vote, show the vote. If it covers a statement, show the statement. If it covers an event, show the event.
6. Title Integrity
A title must accurately describe what the video contains and give a viewer a reason to watch. These are not in conflict.
The practical test: if a viewer watches the video and feels the title accurately represented what they saw, the title passes. If they feel misled, even if nothing in the title was technically false, it does not. Titles that attribute statements to people who did not make them, promise outcomes not in the video, or provoke reactions the content does not justify will not meet this standard.
Strong titles are specific and direct. They tell the viewer what happened, what is at stake, or what question the video answers.
One Disqualifier
Content that is misleading in title or thumbnail, disconnected from current events without adding new substance, or that fails to meet the quality and appeal thresholds, is not eligible regardless of other merits.
What This Means for Creators
Cover stories when they happen. For investigations and long-form work, bring something new. Make sure your audio and video are clear and your content delivers what it promises. Open with a reason for the viewer to stay. Invest in thumbnails that are honest and specific. Write titles you would be comfortable having read back to you.
These are not restrictions. They are the standard.
The Suggested Feed exists to show that content meeting this standard can earn attention without manipulation.
Quick Reference
What it is: A curated front page. Not algorithmic. Selected by human editors using clear criteria.
Important: Platform compliance does not equal Suggested Feed placement. Your content can be compliant and not featured. That is normal and expected.
To be featured, your content must:
- Be Current — Cover something happening now, or bring new information to an ongoing issue.
- Matter — Does it affect policy, markets, safety, or culture? Would someone unfamiliar consider it important?
- Meet a Quality Threshold — Clear audio, watchable video, coherent delivery. Professional equipment is not required. Basic watchability is.
- Have Appeal — Does your opening give viewers a reason to keep watching? Establish what the video covers and why it matters within the first thirty seconds.
- Use an Honest Thumbnail — Show what the video actually contains. No exaggeration or misleading imagery.
- Use an Accurate Title — Matches what the video delivers. No false attribution or overpromising.
Before publishing, ask yourself:
- Is this current or does it add something new?
- Does it matter and can I make that case?
- Is the audio and video clear and watchable?
- Does my opening give viewers a reason to stay?
- Does the thumbnail show the real content?
- Does the title accurately reflect the video?
If yes: eligible. If not: revise.
One line to remember: Be current. Be meaningful. Be honest. Be watchable.