Can Buying YouTube Ads Hurt My Channel? The Results Are In…

Claim: Buying Views from YouTube Ads Hurts Your Channel Organic Growth

There’s a persistent myth in the YouTube community that buying YouTube ads can harm your channel in the long run. To address this concern, YouTuber Marcus Jones conducted an extensive experiment, purchasing five million real YouTube views through various methods, including Google Ads, to see how they impact channel performance. Here’s what he discovered and why the fear of buying views is largely unfounded.

Key Findings from Marcus Jones’ Experiment

YouTube Ads Impact on Organic Growth

Contrary to popular belief, Marcus Jones’ experiment revealed that purchasing views through legitimate methods like YouTube Ads and Google Ads does not kill your channel’s organic growth. His data showed that:

• No Negative Impact on Organic Reach: The YouTube algorithm continued to promote his videos even after buying views.
• Organic Growth Continued: There was still an increase in organic views as a result of the promotional efforts.

To illustrate this point, Jones provided screenshots from three of his test videos, all showing the same trend: unaffected organic growth after purchasing views.

Promoted Video 1) “How To Get Your First 1000 Subscribers On YouTube”:

This chart shows the impact of purchasing views through Google Ads. The green, purple, and blue lines, representing the organic growth trajectory, remain unaffected when the orange line, representing YouTube advertising views, appears. This indicates that buying views did not disrupt organic growth.

Promoted Video 2) “How I Got Monetised in 21 Days on YouTube”:

The orange and green lines representing the organic views from browse features and suggested videos remain consistent despite the increase in views from YouTube advertising (blue line).

Promoted Video 3) “How To Go From 0 To Full-Time YouTuber In 1 Year”:

Again, the organic views from browse features and suggested videos (blue and orange lines) continue to grow steadily, unaffected by the purchased views (green line).

Where the “Fear” of Buying YouTube Ad Views Started

Jones also points out that one of the primary videos that created this unnecessary fear of buying ads, the video by “The Spiffing Brit,” was misleading.

In The Spiffing Brit’s video, he claimed that “buying views” could be used to negatively impact the organic growth of a competitor’s channel. This claim was supported by a “test” by the creator to show that purchasing views would hurt the growth of organic views.

However, as Jones pointed out, the organic viewership of The Spiffing Brit’s video was already declining before purchasing the ad views. Jones highlights this fact in the screenshot shared by The Spiffing Brit, demonstrating that the drop in organic views was not caused by buying ads and had already started before the ads began running.

The Result: Buying YouTube Ads Does *Not* Kill Your Channel’s Organic Growth

Marcus Jones’ experiment demonstrates that buying views through reputable methods like YouTube Ads and Google Ads is a viable strategy for boosting your channel without risking its long-term health. These methods can drive substantial engagement and subscriber growth when used correctly. However, it’s essential to focus on creating high-quality content and building an organic audience for sustained success.

Need help creating YouTube ad campaigns to help your channel grow? Learn more about how Sprizzy can help.