Building a YouTube channel around AI companion apps

AI companion apps are a natural fit for YouTube. Viewers want to see how they work before they sign up, and a screen recording answers that better than any text review. The challenge is that YouTube is strict about sexual content, and the product you are promoting has an adult side. This guide covers how to build a channel that stays in good standing, which formats work, and how to route viewers to Secrets AI with tracking that shows which videos earn.

The ground rules

YouTube's Community Guidelines prohibit nudity and sexual content, and its external links policy prohibits linking to content that would break those guidelines. Advertiser-friendly guidelines are stricter still: sexual themes can limit or remove ads on a video.

What that means in practice:

• Every frame must be SFW. Record only SFW chats, SFW character art and interface screens. Never show NSFW mode output on screen.
• Talk about NSFW features factually, briefly, or not at all. Saying the app has an adult mode is information. Describing what it produces is not something your video needs.
• No direct links to adult destinations. Link to a neutral page you control (see below), not straight to the offer.
• Age-restrict when appropriate. If a video discusses adult features, consider age-restricting it yourself. It reduces reach, but protects the channel.

The Secrets AI affiliate program rules apply too: 18+ audiences only, no misleading creatives, and your promotion must follow the platform's rules.

Formats that work

Long-form reviews

A 10 to 20 minute review is the core format. Structure it like a written review:

1. Hook: what the app is and the one thing that surprised you
2. Verdict preview: who it is for
3. Feature walk-through with screen recording
4. What it costs, described by plan type and tokens rather than exact prices
5. Pros and cons
6. Who should try it, and who should not

Show real use. Persistent long-term memory is the most watchable feature: show a detail you mentioned in an earlier session coming back later.

Tutorials

"How to create a custom AI girlfriend", "how to set up a voice call with an AI character", "how to use group chats". Tutorials rank on search queries, stay relevant for months, and attract viewers who are about to sign up. Each tutorial should solve one task from start to finish.

"I tried" formats

"I talked to an AI girlfriend for 30 days", "I built my ideal AI character", "I tested AI girlfriend apps in Japanese". Personal, story-driven, and easier to make entertaining. Keep the narrative honest. Viewers react badly to staged emotional arcs.

Comparisons

"Secrets AI vs [another app]" and "best AI girlfriend apps" videos capture viewers who are choosing. Compare on concrete features: memory, character creation, image and video generation, voice, languages.

Language-specific channels

Secrets is localized in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. A channel in one of the non-English languages faces less competition and can recommend a product that works in the viewer's language.

Description and link placement

YouTube descriptions show the first few lines above the fold. Use them.

Structure:

1. Line one or two: a short sentence and your link, for example "Try Secrets AI (18+): [your bridge page]".
2. Affiliate disclosure: "This is an affiliate link. I earn a commission if you sign up."
3. Chapters (see below).
4. Other links: socials, related videos.

Your link should go to a bridge page on your own domain:

• An 18+ confirmation step
• A short SFW summary of the product
• One button to your Secrets tracking link, with sub-IDs that identify the video

Also add the bridge page link in a pinned comment, since some viewers read comments before the description.

Chapters

Chapters help viewers jump to the feature they care about, and they can appear in search results. Add timestamps in the description starting at 0:00 with at least three chapters.

Useful chapter names for a review:

• Intro and verdict
• Creating a custom character
• Memory test
• Images and video
• Voice calls
• Pricing structure
• Pros and cons
• Who should try it

Chapter analytics also tell you which features viewers rewatch, which is useful for your next video.

Thumbnails that pass review

Thumbnails are where most channels in this niche get into trouble. YouTube treats sexually suggestive thumbnails as a policy issue even when the video itself is clean.

Rules to hold:

• SFW character art only, in normal clothing and neutral poses
• No crops or angles that draw attention to bodies
• No suggestive text overlays
• No fake chat bubbles pretending to show a real message
• Your own face and reaction works well and keeps the thumbnail clearly about the review

Effective thumbnail ideas: a character next to the app interface, a split image of two apps for comparisons, a short text hook such as "She remembered" for a memory video.

Repurposing to Shorts

Shorts reach new viewers cheaply. Cut each long-form video into several vertical clips:

• A single feature demo (memory recall, a voice call clip, character creation sped up)
• A reaction moment from an "I tried" video
• A quick comparison point

Links in Shorts descriptions are not clickable, so use Shorts to drive viewers to your long-form video or channel, where the link lives. Use the related video feature to connect a Short to its long-form source. The same SFW rules apply to every frame.

Monetization: AdSense plus affiliate

Ad revenue on AI companion content may be limited by advertiser-friendly rules, so affiliate income usually carries the channel.

Which commission model suits video:

• Videos keep getting views for months or years, especially tutorials and reviews that rank in search.
• Viewers who sign up after watching a detailed demo know what they are getting and are more likely to stay.

That profile fits the 40% lifetime RevShare, which pays on every purchase a referred user makes for as long as they keep paying. OurDream's RevShare, for comparison, is capped at six months per referred user (published on their site, November 2026). If you want a fixed payout per paying user, CPA is up to $70, geo-tiered, with rates confirmed by your manager. Hybrid is available on request. See /commissions.

Measuring by sub-ID

Give every video its own sub-ID values on the bridge page button:

Field	Meaning	Example
Source ID	Platform	yt
sub1	Click ID, reserved	your bridge page or tracker's click ID, empty if you have none
sub2	Video ID or short code	v014
sub3	Format	review, tutorial, tried
sub4	Placement	desc, pinned, endscreen
sub5	Optional extra, such as language	en, es, ja

The simplest way: one bridge page URL per video, which forwards its video code into sub2. Then compare videos in the Everflow Flex Report (Analytics → Flex) by paying users, not only clicks. A tutorial with modest views can out-earn a viral "I tried" video if its viewers are closer to signing up.

Check YouTube Analytics alongside Everflow. A video with high views and low clicks needs a better first description line or a clearer verbal call to action. A video with many clicks and few conversions may be setting the wrong expectation.

Next steps

• Write your scripts like reviews with How to write AI girlfriend review content.
• Add short-form channels with Running an AI model persona on Instagram and TikTok.
• Set up tracking links in /onboarding.
• Ready to start: apply to the Secrets AI affiliate program.