CommentShark watches your comments and handles the repetitive work: answering the question you always get, holding the ones that need you personally, surfacing the leads you'd otherwise miss. Start by playing with a real rule below, then send it live in your dashboard.
Play with a real rule
This is the actual rule editor from your dashboard, not a mockup. It comes loaded with a working rule, and there's a starter for each of the jobs most channels want on day one. Click any highlighted word to change how a rule matches or what it does. Nothing here touches YouTube or your channel.
WhenIf keyword matchprice, cost, how muchWhere on any videoAction, reply with"Great question! Pricing is always on the site, the link is in the description 🔗"Run. Do this automaticallyNotify and don't email me.
Every rule is one sentence: when a comment matches something, do something. That's the whole model. A few habits keep your first rules from quietly doing nothing, the one-minute Channel Context setup makes AI replies sound like you, and the starting points below are ready to open in your dashboard.
Three rules for great rules
Most rules that quietly do nothing fail for one of three reasons. Sidestep them and your rules pull their weight from day one.
Match unique words, not common ones
Common words fire on everything — you get false positives, or the real matches get buried in noise. Match the distinctive word instead.
✗link
✗help
✗price
✓Your product or opt-in name: “ToneForge”, “RESET”, your course title
✓For “where’s the link?” comments, match the product name, not the word “link”
Listing options? Separate them with | — “camera|lens|tripod”, not “camera lens tripod” (which only matches that exact phrase).
For AI rules, describe intent precisely — including what to exclude
Vague descriptions match everything or nothing. Name the topic, then give the boundary.
✗“questions”
✗“negative comments”
✓“Comments asking which specific camera, lens, or mic I use to film — not general software or how-to questions”
Start cautious: test it, then run it on approval first
You don’t have to trust a new rule blind. Prove it, then ease into automation.
✓Test with a few real comments before enabling — you see the match and the exact reply, and nothing posts to YouTube
✓Set new rules to “After I approve” for the first week; approve, skip, and tweak from your inbox, then switch to “Automatically” once you trust it
Using AI replies? Set your Channel Context first
Reply with AI writes a unique reply for every comment, and your Channel Context is what makes those replies sound like you instead of generic. It's a short description of your channel and how you talk to your audience. It takes a minute, it's on every plan, and every AI rule you build uses it automatically.
Most CommentShark customers are creator-businesses (coaches, advisors, educators, local businesses) whose comments contain real leads and real customers. Take whichever of these matches your channel.
Coaches: turn advice-seekers into consults
When
AI detects intent Comments where someone asks for personal advice about their own situation.
Then
Reply with AI Answer briefly and warmly, then invite them to book a free intro call, link in the description.
Financial advisors: stay compliant in the comments
When
AI detects intent Comments asking for specific investment, tax, or retirement advice.
Then
Reply with AI Thank them, explain you can't give personalized advice in comments, and invite them to reach out through the website.
Local businesses & law firms: never miss a lead
When
AI detects intent Comments where someone describes their own case or asks whether you can help them.
Then
Notify me by email Get an email the moment a potential client comments, so you can reply personally while they're still interested.
Fitness & education channels: answer the same question once
When
Keyword match “how often”, “how many times”, “beginner”.
Then
Reply with a template Your standard answer, written once, with a link to the full program, course, or FAQ.
High-volume channels: thank your superfans
When
AI detects intent Heartfelt thank-you or testimonial comments, like “this changed my life” or “I've watched every video”.
Then
Reply with AI Short, personal gratitude in your voice. No links, no selling.
Every channel: keep scams off your videos
When
Keyword match “check my profile”, “free giveaway”, “WhatsApp”.
Then
Hold for review Hide the comment before your audience sees it; skim and clear the queue whenever.
What happens after you go live
You don't have to watch it work, but you should know what's happening behind the scenes, so none of it ever feels like a black box.
New comments are picked up automatically
CommentShark syncs your channel in the background every few minutes. Rules only ever run on new comments, never retroactively on the old ones we synced when you joined.
Approvals wait in your inbox
Anything set to After I approve queues up for a one-click approve or skip, in the dashboard or straight from an email if you turn that on per rule.
Every action is on the record
Replies, holds, and deletes all land in your activity feed with the rule that triggered them, so you can always see exactly what ran and why.
You can start cautious
Pause or edit any rule at any time, and re-test it whenever you change it. Plenty of creators run everything on After I approve for the first week, then switch to automatic once they trust it.
That's the launchpad.
You've seen the real editor and you know what happens once a rule is live. From here, go build in your dashboard, or dig into any feature in depth.
Short on time? Install a ready-made rule from the template library (Full Comment Moderation, Thank Supporters, FAQ Auto-Responder) and tweak it to fit. Browse templates