YouTube Channel Setup Checklist (Brand Account)

For: Annette Thompson (menopause clinician YouTube channel)
Account: [email protected]
Prerequisites: 2FA enabled on Google Account (required before channel verification)

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Phase 1: Pre-Setup (Google Account Security)

Step 1: Enable 2-Step Verification on Google Account

1. Open Google Account: myaccount.google.com
2. In the left menu, click Security
3. Scroll to "How you sign in to Google" section
4. Click 2-Step Verification
5. Click Get started
6. Follow the prompts to verify your phone number (text or call)
7. Add a backup email if prompted
8. Add backup codes (save these in a safe place)
9. Click Turn on to complete 2FA

Status: 2-Step Verification is now active on [email protected].

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Phase 2: Brand Account Creation

Step 2: Create a New Brand Account

1. Go to youtube.com
2. Sign in with [email protected] (if not already signed in)
3. Click your profile picture (top right corner)
4. Click Create a channel
5. Click Create a new channel
6. In the "Channel name" field, type: Annette Thompson
7. Click Create

Status: You now have a Brand Account. YouTube may need 5-10 minutes to fully provision it.

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Phase 3: Channel Verification & Phone Verification

Step 3: Verify Your Channel (Phone Verification)

Important: Phone verification unlocks custom thumbnails and longer uploads (required for Annette's content format).

1. Go to youtube.com/studio
2. In the left menu, click Settings
3. Click Channel
4. Scroll down to "Channel verification"
5. Click Verify channel
6. Select United States (country of residence)
7. Choose verification method: Text message (recommended, faster)
8. Enter your phone number
9. YouTube will send a code via text; enter it when prompted
10. Click Verify

Status: Your channel is now verified. Custom thumbnails and longer uploads are unlocked.

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Phase 4: Tax & Regional Settings

Step 4: Set Country of Residence & Link AdSense

1. Stay in YouTube Studio Settings > Channel
2. Scroll to "Channel settings"
3. Look for Country or region
4. Set to: United States
5. Below that, look for AdSense account (if visible)
6. Note: Full AdSense linking happens after monetization is enabled; for now, just confirm the country is correct.

Status: Tax and regional settings are configured.

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Phase 5: Channel Identity Setup

Step 5: Upload Channel Avatar (Profile Picture)

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Channel, click the profile picture area
2. Upload the avatar photo from plans/launch/output/channel-branding-assets.md (see branding assets plan for photo spec)
3. Crop to show face large, whites of eyes visible, warm-confident expression
4. Click Save

Status: Avatar is live.

Step 6: Upload Channel Banner

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Channel, scroll to "Banner image"
2. Click Upload banner
3. Upload the banner image (2560 x 1440 px) from plans/launch/output/channel-branding-assets.md
4. Crop/position so text reads clearly on desktop and mobile
5. Click Select

Status: Banner is live. It will display on the channel homepage.

Step 7: Set Channel Handle

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Channel, scroll to "Handle"
2. Look at the current handle (YouTube auto-generates one)
3. Click Change (if available; handles can be changed once every 90 days after first account)
4. Enter desired handle: @AnnetteMenopause (or per branding assets)
5. Click Reserve
6. Verify it's available; if not, choose an alternative short/typeable version

Status: Channel handle is set. Share this in links: youtube.com/@YourHandle

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Phase 6: Channel Description & Links

Step 8: Fill Channel Description (About Section)

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Channel, scroll to "Description"
2. Clear any default text
3. Paste the About-section copy from plans/launch/output/channel-branding-assets.md (150-200 words, pre-written in Annette's voice)
4. Click Save

Status: Description is live on the channel About tab.

Step 9: Add Channel Links

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Channel, scroll to "Links"
2. Add the following links:
   • SmartStrongAlive: smartstrongalive.com (primary blog/platform)
   • Booking/Agency Link: annettethompson.com/book (when live; for now use annettethompson.com)
   • Sub-Confirmation Link: (see Step 10 below; add after channel ID is known)
3. Click Save

Status: Links are visible on the channel About tab and help section.

Step 10: Create & Add Sub-Confirmation Link

What it does: Sub-Confirmation Link opens the channel with an automatic subscribe pop-up; this boosts subscription conversions significantly.

1. Go to your channel page (click the channel name or icon at top right of Studio, then click "Go to channel")
2. In the URL bar, copy your channel URL. It should look like: youtube.com/channel/UCxxxxxxxxxxxxx or youtube.com/@AnnetteMenopause
3. If it's a handle (@), navigate to the channel and get the channel ID from Settings > Channel > Channel ID
4. Form the Sub-Confirmation Link by appending ?sub_confirmation=1:
   • Example: youtube.com/channel/UCxxxxxxxxxxxxx?sub_confirmation=1
   • Or: youtube.com/@AnnetteMenopause?sub_confirmation=1 (if handle is already active)
5. Go back to YouTube Studio Settings > Channel > Links
6. Add this link as a new entry (label it "Subscribe")
7. Click Save

Status: Sub-Confirmation Link is configured and can be used in video descriptions, pinned comments, and watermarks.

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Phase 7: Upload Defaults & Feature Eligibility

Step 11: Configure Upload Defaults

1. In YouTube Studio, click Settings (left menu)
2. Click Upload defaults
3. Set the following:
   • Visibility: Private (select this so uploads stay hidden until you manually publish)
   • Video language: English
   • Captions certification: Not certified (leave blank unless you have certified captions)
   • Video category: Education
   • Video license: Standard YouTube License
   • Allow embedding: Check this box (YES)
   • Publish to subscriptions feed: Check this box (YES)
   • Allow remixing: Uncheck (NO), unless Annette wants others to remix
   • Made for kids: Uncheck (NO; select "No, it's not made for kids")
   • Monetization: Check "Enable monetization for this channel"
4. Scroll down and check "Allow YouTube to show ads next to your content"
5. Click Save

Status: Upload defaults are configured. All future uploads will default to Private/Unlisted, preventing accidental public uploads.

Step 12: Verify Feature Eligibility

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Features eligibility
2. Confirm the following are enabled:
   • Custom thumbnails: Should be ✓ (unlocked by channel verification in Step 3)
   • Longer videos: Should be ✓ (unlocked by channel verification)
   • Live streaming: May show "Pending" (takes 24 hours after verification)
   • Monetization: Should show "Eligible" or "In review" (takes 24-48 hours after setup)
3. No action needed; just confirm these are active/pending

Status: Channel is eligible for all core features.

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Phase 8: Channel Settings & Moderation

Step 13: Enable Comment Moderation Filters

1. In YouTube Studio Settings, click Community
2. Under "Comments," look for "Links" or "Block links"
3. Check Block links to automatically hold comments containing links for review (prevents spam/malicious links)
4. Set comment mode to Hold all comments for review (optional but recommended for new channels)
5. Click Save

Status: Comment moderation is active.

Step 14: Disable Auto-Chapters & Concepts

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Upload defaults
2. Look for "Automatic chapters" and "Automatic concepts" (or "Automatic recommendations")
3. Uncheck both (YouTube's auto-detection often misses the mark)
4. Click Save

Status: Chapters will be added manually only when Annette chooses.

Step 15: Configure Channel Watermark (Subscribe CTA)

1. In YouTube Studio Settings > Branding
2. Click Add watermark
3. Upload or select a simple "Subscribe" graphic (Canva template recommended: search "YouTube subscribe watermark")
4. Set watermark to appear Always (or first/last 5 seconds if preferred)
5. Add a click-through URL pointing to the Sub-Confirmation Link from Step 10
6. Click Save

Status: Subscribe watermark is live on all videos.

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Phase 9: Post-Setup & Readiness Check

Step 16: Create Channel Trailer (Homepage)

1. In YouTube Studio, go to Customization (left menu)
2. Click Layout
3. Under "Featured section," set to display either:
   • Upload a trailer: A 60-90 second channel-intro video (concept in branding assets)
   • Or: Showcase a video → select your first high-performing video once live
4. Click Save

Status: Homepage displays a trailer or featured video.

Step 17: Final Settings Review Checklist

Before uploading your first video, confirm:

• 2FA is enabled on Google Account ([email protected])
• Brand Account is created and active
• Phone verification is complete (custom thumbnails unlocked)
• Country set to United States
• Channel name: "Annette Thompson"
• Handle: Set (e.g., @AnnetteMenopause)
• Avatar uploaded
• Banner uploaded (2560x1440 px)
• Description (About) filled with branding copy
• Channel links added (SmartStrongAlive, booking, sub-confirmation)
• Upload defaults set (Private visibility, Education category, monetization enabled)
• Custom thumbnails enabled (verified)
• Longer uploads enabled (verified)
• Comments moderation active (block links)
• Watermark configured with Subscribe CTA
• Channel trailer or featured section set

Step 18: Test Sub-Confirmation Link

1. Open a new private/incognito browser window
2. Paste the Sub-Confirmation Link from Step 10
3. Confirm the channel loads and a subscribe button/pop-up appears
4. Close the window

Status: Sub-Confirmation Link works correctly.

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Phase 10: First Video Upload (Unlisted/Private Test)

Step 19: Upload First Video (Test Upload)

1. Go to YouTube Studio > Create (left menu) > Upload videos
2. Drag and drop or select your first video file (MP4, landscape orientation, high quality)
3. Fill in:
   • Title: (Copy-pasted from video script; should match thumbnail and filename per Shane)
   • Description: Add links, timestamps, and CTA per the Holy Trifecta (intro hook, CTA at end)
   • Visibility: Select Private or Unlisted (not public yet)
   • Category: Education
   • Made for kids: No
   • Thumbnail: Upload custom thumbnail (per branding/Icahn Method)
   • Playlist: Add to relevant playlist if applicable
   • Comments: Allow comments
   • Monetization: Check "Allow ads"
4. Click Save or Schedule (if scheduling for later)
5. Wait 24 hours for YouTube to process and check for monetization flags

Status: First video is uploaded (private/unlisted). After 24 hours, review the video for quality and then change visibility to Public.

Step 20: Publish First Video (After 24-Hour Review)

1. Go to YouTube Studio > Videos (left menu)
2. Click the private/unlisted video
3. After 24+ hours, click Visibility and change to Public (or Schedule if you prefer a specific publish date/time)
4. Click Save
5. Add a pinned comment with a CTA (example: "Check the resources in the description" or link to SmartStrongAlive)

Status: First video is live. Annette is now officially a YouTube creator with a fully configured Brand Account.

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Summary & Next Steps

Channel Setup Complete Checklist:

• Total steps: 20 (all above)
• Estimated time: 25-35 minutes (if branding assets are ready)
• Blockers: Branding assets must be completed first (Step 8 requires about copy; Step 6 requires banner image; Step 5 requires avatar photo)

What Annette does personally:

• Steps 1-3: Google Account 2FA, Brand Account creation, phone verification
• Steps 5-6: Avatar and banner uploads (requires photos/design from branding assets)
• Step 19-20: Upload and publish first video

What's delegable (if Annette chooses):

• Steps 7-18: Mostly settings clicks (can be shared as a screen-share walk-through with a team member or contractor)

Before uploading your first video:

• Ensure plans/launch/output/channel-branding-assets.md is complete (banner, avatar, about copy, trailer outline)
• Have your first video script, recording, and thumbnail ready (per Shane's 12-step Ultra-Simple process)

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Questions or issues? Refer to Shane's Core Foundations Module (Lesson 7, "Setting Up Your Channel") for the original guidance and philosophy behind each setting.

Channel Branding Assets

Annette's YouTube channel (the clinician-facing channel behind the menopause telehealth growth agency). Built 2026-07-10 from BRIEF.md, channel-niche-hypothesis.md, and Shane's channel-setup SOP (Module 2, Lesson 7). All copy is paste-ready. Voice-checked against annette-anti-ai-voice.md.

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1. Channel banner

Copy (Shane's 3-part rule: WHO it's for, the VALUE, WHY her)

Main line (largest text):

YouTube patients for menopause clinicians

Value line (second largest):

Evidence-checked videos that bring the right patients to your practice

Why-her line (smallest, near her photo):

Annette Thompson · medical technologist · SmartStrongAlive · research from 45,000 real patient comments

Alternate main lines if the first tests flat:

• "More patients for your menopause practice, from YouTube"
• "I help menopause telehealth clinicians get found by patients"

Keep it to those three lines. No slogan, no arrow gimmicks, no humor block (wrong tone for skeptical clinicians). A small "New videos weekly" or a simple "Subscribe for the method" near the right edge is optional once a cadence exists; leave it off at launch.

Build spec (Canva)

Export as PNG, check the YouTube preview at TV / desktop / mobile before saving.

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2. Avatar (profile picture)

Spec only. Use a real photo of Annette. Never AI-generate her face (no Qwen-Image, no DALL-E, standing rule). No usable headshots were found in this project folder, so Annette supplies the photo.

What the photo needs (Shane's rules, adapted to a clinician audience):

• Face large. Chest-up crop at most; her face should fill 60-70% of the circle. The avatar renders tiny next to every thumbnail and search result.
• Eyes clearly visible, whites showing, looking at camera. Warm and confident, not shock-face (Shane's "intrigue" expression is for the make-money niche; a doctor audience reads it as clickbait).
• Expression: the look she'd give a colleague she's about to help. Slight smile, direct gaze.
• Background: plain and light. Best options: solid white, very light pink (#fdeaf4, a tint of the brand pink), or soft pale yellow if she wants extra pop. Swap the background in remove.bg + Canva if the original is busy.
• Consistency: same photo (or same session) as the banner photo, so channel, banner, and future thumbnails read as one person.

Crop options once she picks a photo (test all three in YouTube's circular preview):

1. Tight head-and-shoulders, face centered, top of head near the circle edge.
2. Same crop shifted so eyes sit on the upper-third line (usually reads best at tiny sizes).
3. Chest-up with a sliver of the colored background visible around her, Shane's "circle pops" trick.

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3. About section copy (~180 words, paste-ready)

I help menopause telehealth clinicians get more patients from YouTube.

If you're an NP, PA, or physician running a virtual menopause practice, you already know the frustrating part: you can deliver excellent care and still have gaps in your schedule. Patients are out there asking "where do I find a doctor who'll actually treat this?" I've read about 45,000 of their comments, and that question comes up constantly. They're looking for you. They just can't find you.

I'm a medical technologist, and I publish SmartStrongAlive, a menopause and longevity publication built on primary research. This year I also ran a study on how AI tools handle menopause questions (badly, and often). So everything I teach here is checked against the actual literature before it goes on camera. No growth hacks, no "go viral" advice, nothing you'd be embarrassed to say on record as a licensed clinician.

New videos on patient acquisition, YouTube for medical practices, and what menopause patients are really searching for.

Want help with your own channel? Book a call: [AGENCY/BOOKING LINK]

Subscribe here: [SUB-CONFIRMATION LINK]

Notes: swap in the real booking URL when the agency page exists. The first line doubles as the one-sentence elevator pitch Shane wants at the top of the About page, and it matches the niche hypothesis verbatim territory ("I help menopause telehealth clinicians get more patients from YouTube").

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4. Channel trailer concept (60-90 seconds, outline to talk from)

Structure: plain credential → reframe something clinicians were told wrong → mechanism → clinical-takeaway CTA. Not a script; bullets Annette can speak naturally from.

0:00-0:10, Plain credential opening (no hook theatrics)

• "I'm Annette Thompson. I'm a medical technologist, I publish a menopause and longevity publication, and this year I analyzed about 45,000 comments from menopause patients on YouTube."

0:10-0:30, The reframe (what clinicians were told wrong)

• What you've been told: to get patients you need referrals, paid ads, or to "post consistently on social."
• What the comment data actually shows: patients aren't short on information, they're short on ACCESS. The loudest question in 45,000 comments is some version of "where do I find a doctor who'll actually prescribe and manage this?"
• So the problem isn't demand. The problem is that when those patients search, they find influencers instead of you.

0:30-0:55, The mechanism (why YouTube, why evidence-checked)

• YouTube is where those patients are already searching, and video is how they decide whether they trust a clinician before booking.
• The catch for clinicians: doing this yourself means hours of sourcing legwork on top of a full patient schedule. That's why everything taught on this channel is checked against peer-reviewed research first, what's working in the niche, checked against the literature, and handed over with sources attached, yours to use, change, or ignore.
• Mention the AI angle in one line: AI tools get menopause medicine wrong constantly, so a clinician who publishes fully sourced content isn't just marketing, she's the correction.

0:55-1:15, What the channel covers

• Patient acquisition for medical practices, YouTube for doctors, what menopause patients actually search for, and how to turn clinical expertise into videos patients want to watch.

1:15-1:30, Quiet CTA (clinical-takeaway style)

• "If you run a menopause telehealth practice and your schedule isn't as full as your skills deserve, subscribe. And if you want help sooner, there's a link below to talk to me directly."
• End card: avatar photo + subscribe button + booking link on screen.

Delivery notes: talk to one clinician, not an audience. No music bed louder than her voice, no jump-cut energy. Bright, light set, phone camera is fine.

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5. Channel links (About page + across the channel)

Set these in YouTube Studio → Customization → Basic info → Links. Order matters; the first 1-2 show on the channel header.

1. Sub-confirmation link (label: "Subscribe here") https://www.youtube.com/@HANDLE?sub_confirmation=1 Replace @HANDLE with the channel handle once created. Shane's trick: this opens the channel with a subscribe pop-up, which converts far better than hoping someone finds the button. Put this link in the About page links, in every video description, and set the video watermark (Customization → Branding → Video watermark, use the avatar image) so clicking it lands on this same URL behavior.
2. Booking / agency page (label: "Work with me"), the landing page or scheduler from BRIEF Section 8. Placeholder until it exists.
3. SmartStrongAlive (label: "My publication"), credibility anchor for skeptical clinicians.
4. LLM-menopause study / 45k-comment analysis (label: "The research"), the published hub page for the proof assets, once live. These are the warm-lead magnets from BRIEF Section 8.
5. Contact email, set the business inquiry email in the same panel.

Description-footer block to reuse under every video:

Subscribe: [SUB-CONFIRMATION LINK] Work with me: [BOOKING LINK] My research on what menopause patients actually ask: [RESEARCH LINK]

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6. Voice-pass confirmation

Checked against annette-anti-ai-voice.md: no em-dashes, contractions throughout, no banned slogan constructions ("X is not Y, it's Z" patterns removed in edit), no wellness/marketing words (no journey/unlock/reclaim/game-changer), receipts over adjectives (45,000 comments, medical technologist, the LLM study), identity-first credential opening, quiet end-placed CTAs, plain descriptive headings. Brand-tone guardrails from BRIEF Section 10 respected: credible, calm, no hype, no viral-hack framing.

Open items for Annette

• Supply 2-3 real photos (chest-up, bright light, plain background) for avatar + banner.
• Confirm the channel name/handle (recommend plain "Annette Thompson" per Shane's first-name-last-name rule; the niche lives in the banner and titles, not the name, and YouTube limits name changes).
• Replace the three placeholder links once the booking page, research hub page, and handle exist.