On October 10, 2022, YouTube made an exciting announcement: they will soon be rolling out YouTube @handles!

Wondering what this means for you and your small business’s YouTube channel? Let’s dive right into what handles are, how they can benefit you, and what you can expect over the coming weeks.

What are YouTube @Handles?

Available to ALL YouTube users no matter their subscriber count, YouTube @handles are a new way for people to find and interact with each other across the platform.

Previously, creators could only tag other channel names in video titles and descriptions, or as a response to a comment. But with the rollout of handles, both creators and viewers will now be able to tag others across videos, YouTube Shorts, community posts, channel pages, comments, and more.

Unlike channel names, which can be replicated across multiple channels, handles are completely unique — or “unique identifiers,” as YouTube calls them. Your handle will become part of your channel’s URL (i.e. https://youtube.com/@mariaelenaduron) and will make it that much easier for people to identify you and engage with you.

If this all sounds vaguely familiar, it’s because it is! With handles, YouTube is moving more in line with Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok’s @username format. It’s all part of YouTube’s effort to make their platform more of a community, where people can connect and collaborate quickly and easily.

How Can @Handles Benefit My Small Business?

The launch of YouTube handles isn’t just great news for content creators, it’s also great news for small business owners who are looking to promote their business and build brand equity.

As a small business owner yourself, you probably already know how important it is to be visible in the moments when people are searching for you or your products/services. And a big part of that is having a distinct and consistent presence across all social media channels. With a unique and highly recognizable handle, people will be able to easily find you on YouTube, watch your videos, subscribe to your channel, become a loyal viewer, and eventually, a loyal customer.

In addition, handles are crucial to building brand equity. You may already have a consistent username across Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. Now, you can fill in the final piece of the puzzle with a matching YouTube handle. By keeping your handles and usernames the same across the board, people will start to perceive your products/services as superior to your competitors’ products/services simply because they recognize your brand name.

Besides brand equity, handles will also allow you to increase your visibility exponentially. According to YouTube, one of the benefits of handles is the ability to tag fellow users in video collabs. When you collaborate with other businesses or creators, they’ll be able to send you a shout out, which, in turn, will help you reach new audiences across YouTube.

Finally, small business owners like you will be able to easily promote your channel by sharing your handle outside of YouTube, whether that’s on your website, other social media platforms, business cards, or just plain old word of mouth.

What Can I Expect Next?

According to YouTube, you can expect a notification or email in the coming weeks, maybe even days. Because handles are completely unique, YouTube has made the decision to roll them out gradually. When you can access your handle will depend on several factors, like subscriber count and whether your account is currently active.

Once YouTube sends you the notification, you’ll be able to choose your handle in YouTube Studio. If you have a personalized URL already, YouTube will reserve this as your handle. If you don’t already have a personalized URL, you’ll be able to pick a suggested handle or create a brand-new one from scratch. And if you don’t select a handle by November 14th, YouTube will assign one for you based on your channel name. But don’t worry, you can change it anytime afterwards.
No matter when you get your notification, though, be sure to act quick! You do not want to miss out on your unique handle and this incredible branding opportunity for you and your small business.