How to Add an Agency to Your YouTube Channel

Is this your situation?

The short answer

Before you start

• Confirm the access level the agency actually needs Match the role to the work, not to convenience.Verify: Review the scope of tasks the agency was hired for.
• Check why Owner access is often requested You want to know why agencies often ask for this level.Verify: See why agencies ask for Owner access.
• Check the unsafe access level for agenciesVerify: Review unsafe access levels for agencies.
• Have the agency's email address ready The Email and Access fields must be filled out for each new user.Verify: Confirm you have the correct email for the agency contact.

How YouTube handles this

• Channel permissions let you give other users access through specific roles.
• Inviting a new user for channel permissions requires filling out the Email and Access fields.
• Each invited user receives an email to accept the invite.
• Channel permissions allow granular levels of access, unlike Brand Account roles.

Step by step

1. Open YouTube Studio settings Go to studio.youtube.com and click Settings on the left-hand side.Confirm: Check that the Settings panel has opened.
2. Open Permissions Click Permissions after clicking Settings.Confirm: Check that the Permissions screen is showing.
3. Click Invite Click Invite to add the agency as a new user.Confirm: Check that an invite form has opened.
4. Enter the agency's email and access level Fill out the Email and Access fields for the new user.Confirm: Check that both fields show the entered values.
5. Save and verify if prompted Clicking Save may prompt you to verify your account to save changes.Confirm: Check for a verification prompt after clicking Save.
6. Wait for the agency to accept The agency receives an email where they can accept the invite.Confirm: Check with the agency that the invite email arrived.If this fails: Confirm the email address entered was correct.
7. Confirm the agency appears in Permissions The new user shows in Studio Permissions after being invited.Confirm: Check the Permissions list for the agency's name.
8. Decide whether API access is needed People invited to manage a channel cannot manage it via YouTube APIs.Confirm: Check whether the agency's tools need API access.

Common mistakes

• Granting a wider role than needed Channel permissions allow granular access levels, unlike Brand Account roles.Why it happens: A wide role seems simpler to set up than matching access to tasks.
• Giving Owner access by default You want the agency working without checking what the role actually allows.Why it happens: Agencies may ask for Owner access for reasons beyond daily tasks.Already happened: See unsafe access levels for agencies.
• Not following up after sending the invite Each invited user will receive an email to accept the invite.Why it happens: You assume the agency saw the invite and never check back.
• Relying on third-party tools without checking access People invited to manage a channel cannot manage it via YouTube APIs.Why it happens: You assume channel permissions cover every tool the agency uses.

Roles at a glance

Keeping track of who has access