YouTube suddenly removes crucial tool that helps creators grow

YouTube has suddenly removed its pre-existing way for creators to list their contact emails, causing users to risk losing out on potential brand deals.

For years, YouTubers have been able to list their contact email in a dedicated spot on their channel to allow brands, fans, or even PR agents to reach out for opportunities and other needs.

Brands that want to reach out to YouTubers with opportunities for sponsored content are among the biggest users of this feature. It could be as small as a video game PR manager reaching out to offer something new to play, or as big as a major company offering thousands of dollars for a dedicated video about their product.

Viewers began to notice that feature was removed from YouTube on July 10, 2024, and took to social media to warn creators about the potential fallback of not having an email listed on their accounts.

EvolvePR account manager Shawn was among the first to his page send a PSA to creators.

“It is more important than EVER to have your email in your bio — and in your ‘About’ section on YouTube — because YouTube has completely removed our ability to get your email address from the platform. No email, no opportunities. Pass it on,” he said.

We spoke with Nick Slegel from Dulcedo Talent Agency, who helps talent acquire brand deals and other unique opportunities, about the situation.

In a comment, he emphasized why it’s important for creators to include an email on their social media platforms.

“It’s so important to have an easy-to-find email in your bio on all platforms, because if I discover someone I’d love to work with on YouTube (for example) and I can’t contact them, now I have to waste time playing detective to try,” he said.

While someone like Nick may take the time looking for a contact email on other platforms, brands will likely just pass over the content creator all together – causing them to potentially lose money and connections.

“From a brand’s side of things, they will likely not take the extra steps to discover the contact information on another platform, and will just pass over the talent all together which equates to lost dollars and connections,” Nick added.

Now that YouTube has removed the built-in email button, users can quickly add their email to the channels ‘About’ section. The previous option kept the contact information behind a captcha, though, which protected creators from potential spam emails.

We reached out to YouTube for a comment on the change, and will update this article if they respond.

This change comes just days after YouTube revealed a new feature that allows creators to request the removal of content on the site that uses AI to mimic their likeness in videos.