YouTube Sub4Sub & Self-Promotion Blocked Words List
Repeated requests to trade subscriptions can bury a useful conversation. This pack gives you a focused starting point for engagement-exchange wording. It leaves room for viewers to mention their own experience or ask a relevant question without treating every reference to a channel as spam.
For: Channels whose comments contain repeated subscription swaps, requests to subscribe back, or unrelated promotional messages.
Edit your list and check a comment
12 phrases. Remove anything your audience uses legitimately. Edits stay on this page and are not saved to your channel.
Phrases found: sub4sub, sub back, subscribe to my channel
This browser-only check ignores capitalization and looks for literal phrases, including inside quotations. YouTube may also match similar wording. A match is not proof of spam, and no match is not a guarantee that a comment will be published.
What this pack matches, including a false positive
These are illustrative comments, not messages from customer accounts. They use the unedited starter list.
| Example comment | Phrases found | Review context |
|---|---|---|
| Sub4sub! Subscribe to my channel and I will sub back. | sub4sub, sub back, subscribe to my channel | An explicit subscription exchange. If your community rules disallow exchanges, this is a useful review candidate. |
| Visit my channel for daily deals. Like for like! | like for like, visit my channel | A promotional request without a connection to the video. Review relevance and repetition before taking action. |
| Please avoid sub4sub groups; they did not help my channel. | sub4sub | False positive: advice against engagement exchanges contains the same phrase. Keep it if it contributes to your discussion. |
Legitimate wording the starter list leaves alone
- I tried this editing workflow on my own channel and it saved time.
- Would you make a tutorial about getting subscribers?
These examples have no literal matches. YouTube’s own moderation can still make a different decision.
Words to avoid blocking too broadly
- subscribe / subscriber
- Audience-growth discussions and feedback on your own call to action often need these words.
- my channel / my video
- A viewer can share relevant experience without asking anyone to visit or subscribe.
A practical review routine
- Decide whether your policy permits relevant resource sharing; make that boundary clear to viewers.
- Remove broad visit/subscribe phrases if you host channel-review sessions or invite viewers to share their work.
- Look at context and repeated behavior. A single relevant mention of another creator is different from repetitive unrelated promotion.
Add the phrases to YouTube Studio
- Edit and copy the list above.
- In YouTube Studio settings, open Community moderation, then Content controls and Blocked words.
- Keep existing phrases you need, add your comma-separated list, and save.
- Check held comments and release legitimate matches.
Check the current YouTube Studio setup instructions if your menu differs. YouTube says comments containing or closely matching blocked terms may be held, with exceptions such as approved users. Read its comment settings guide for details. This pack is a CommentShark resource, not an official YouTube blacklist.
Adapt a contextual rule in CommentShark
When literal phrases are too broad, use this as a starting instruction for an AI match rule. Read it against your own channel policy and examples before enabling it.
Identify requests to trade subscriptions, likes, or follows, and unrelated requests for viewers to visit or subscribe to another channel. Exclude relevant personal examples, requested channel submissions, recommendations that answer the conversation, and advice warning against engagement exchanges. Flag uncertain cases for review.
Follow the rule editor walkthrough, choose the AI match option and Hold for review action, and check the proposed matches. Holding a comment moves it out of public view into the YouTube Studio review queue; it is different from waiting for approval of a drafted reply.
Open your rules to configure the rule yourself. This link does not import a rule or activate automation. For broader guidance, read Guide to reducing YouTube comment spam.
Questions about this moderation pack
Should I remove every comment mentioning another channel?
No. A recommendation may answer a viewer’s question or add useful context. Use the phrases as review signals and judge whether the comment contributes to your conversation.
Is this suitable for a channel-review video?
The subscription-exchange phrases may help, but generic requests to visit a channel could be exactly what you invited. Customize the pack before adding it to channel-wide settings.
Will this detect every repeated comment?
No. It looks for the phrases in your list, not repetition across accounts or videos. A repeated message without those phrases will not match this local preview.
Explore another moderation pack
- YouTube Impersonation Spam Filter: Telegram & WhatsApp Phrases
- YouTube Giveaway Scam Filter: Prize-Claim Spam List
- Spanish YouTube Spam Filter: Copyable Blocked Phrases
Build a broader blocked-words list or audit your channel’s comment patterns.