Uh oh. You’ve made your YouTube channel, gotten some views and comments, and BAM! There it is: a nasty comment that makes you angry, sad, or maybe a little of both. What do you do? Should you delete it?
Whether or not you delete them will depend on a few things such as what the person is saying, how big your channel is, and how often the negative commenter shows up.
What is He Saying?
Is this someone just telling you that your music is too loud (albeit rather rudely), or someone who is really tearing you down? 
Use criticism to your advantage, but don’t hesitate to delete comments that are just glaringly mean. Is he not only bashing you, but someone else as well? Don’t let him bully other people in the comments section or your friends that participated in your video!
Also, what kinds of words are he using in that comment? Is it filled with a bunch of profanity? Is he threatening you? If you’re trying your best to create a clean and positive environment on your YouTube channel, profane and ugly comments will definitely not help with that. There’s a really good chance that someone who would type something that nasty would type it again. Feel free to block him, and if it is really bad, you can report that channel to YouTube.
How Big is Your Channel?
When you are still small and you’re just getting a few comments per video, go ahead and delete negative comments. But when you’re big, you’ve got a lot of comments to go through! If you just leave their comments and don’t reply to them, that will show that they are not affecting you, and that you don’t care. It will also show others that watch your videos that leaving mean comments will not get them attention. The bad thing about leaving them is that your audience can still see them. Keep reading for tips on how to filter out the really bad stuff, so no one has to see it!
How Often Does He Show Up?
Is this a one-time thing, or have you come to expect him leaving a discouraging comment on all of your videos? If he seems to be sticking around just to be mean to you, don’t just delete his comments, block him so he can never harm you and your channel again.
On my YouTube channel I have been called terrible things, threatened, and some people left just unnecessarily mean comments. Early on, I was told by someone in the comments section that he wouldn’t subscribe to my channel because I had a space between my teeth. At another point I had a troll that would write, “One dislike for you” on all of my videos. When I asked him why, he replied, “It’s my hobby”!
Here are some more things to think about when you are trying to figure out how to manage haters and take care of negative comments on your YouTube channel:
1. You’re in Charge
Remember that it is your YouTube channel. You have the power to create the kind of environment you want in your comments section. Use your power wisely, and help make YouTube a more cheerful, encouraging, and friendly place.
2. Come to Expect It
As positive as your content might be, I guarantee that you will get hateful comments. Unfortunately, it’s part of being a YouTuber. And because people can hide behind a fake username and profile picture, they become very bold and not afraid to say things that they would never say to anyone face-to-face. It’s not right, but because we live in a sinful world, that’s just how things are. As Sean from Video Creators put it, you must have thick skin and a soft heart.
You’re not going to be able to please everyone! We all have different likes and dislikes. Chances are, there’s going to be someone who hates what you love. Actually, the fact that you have a hater is a sign that you are doing well! Haters hate people who are being successful.
3. Focus on Positivity
Sure, you’ll get a few bad apples. But think of how many wonderful comments you get! Many times we get loads of amazing 
feedback, and one hateful response. Don’t let that one negative comment influence you more than all the good ones! Why should we even really care about what someone who is so brutal and cruel thinks about us? Think about who you are making videos for, those are the people we want feedback from.
Sometimes my fans have actually defended me against someone who was being mean. Trust me, that sure feels good!
4. Haters are Usually in a Bad Spot
Honestly, I feel sad for those people who hate on others. Usually, they are hurting, feel like they need to tear others down to build themselves up, or are jealous of your success. Sometimes they’re just a kid messing around on the internet. Don’t let them get to you! Realize that they are probably having a really hard time right now and decided to take it out on you. Someone who is truly happy and confident doesn’t need to hate on other people.
5. Engage them Positively
When you get a negative comment on your channel, you can also reply to them. But don’t be mean back and start an argument. Instead, be kind and ask them why they think that way or even defend yourself, remembering to be patient and good-natured.
If you respond rudely, you will just be showing the troll that you let him get to you. That’s exactly what he was trying to do! By engaging him in an argument, you’ve just helped him achieve his goal. But if you don’t, you will show your fans and the whole world that you really are a good person, and they will have a better opinion of you than if you acted ugly right back at the hater.
6. Learn From Them
Although we’d rather not have them, they’re there. We might as well get as much as we can out of their comments. Here’s some things we can learn from our haters:
- While their hate might be extremely ugly, take a second and think about what they are saying. Use their criticism to grow and become better, but don’t take the way they said it to heart.
- Use their comments as an opportunity to learn self-control. Being a YouTuber can help you become someone who doesn’t explode with anger whenever insulted.
- Realize how awful it feels to get negative comments, and make sure not to do it to someone else! Instead, compliment them, ask questions, be encouraging, and write constructive criticism, if needed.
7. YouTube’s Tools Can Help
The power to block people is truly spectacular. There were some people that left terrible comments on my channel that it would have been horrible not to have been able to block. The cool thing is, they will think that they are still free to comment on your channel, but they are the only ones that will see their comments! You won’t see them, and neither will your other viewers. Here are two ways to do it:
- When you’re looking at the comment from the comment section of a video, click the button with the three dots. Block them by clicking Hide User From Channel.
- In YouTube Studio, go to Community. Click the flag icon by the comment of the person you want to block. Choose Hide User from Channel.
You can see all the people you have blocked by going to Settings, under Community, in YouTube Studio.
Another tool that is very helpful is the YouTube blocked words list. You can put any words that you don’t want to show up on your channel here, and YouTube will keep them out. Sometimes YouTube is a little slow in catching them, but it usually does a really great job. Some things I recommend you type in there are:
- Profanity
- Words that might lead to arguments
- Your home address
- Any personal information that you don’t want the whole world to know
Here is a link to a long list of profanity that you might want to keep out of your comment section. Just copy and paste it into the blocked words list. When YouTube catches these words and phrases, the comments that contain them will go into the Held for Review comments section. There you can choose to delete them, or, if they were held for review by mistake, approve them.
There you have it! Now you know when you should delete negative and hateful comments from your YouTube channel, some things to consider so you won’t let them get you down, how to block people from your channel, and also how to create your own blacklist. I hope you’ll use this information to make your channel awesome and positive! Do you have any questions, thoughts to share, or tips that you think I missed? Write them down in the comments section! Thanks for reading!