Every creator catches heat, sometimes from day one. So how do you deal with it without losing your mind?
Getting dragged in your own comments isn’t fun. The comments can turn toxic, your DMs might flood with hate, and your name might get trending for all the wrong reasons. But how do you actually deal with it and come out of the other end wiser and stronger?
This industry can be unpredictable and controversies spark all the time. It’s normal. But dealing with criticism is a skill. And here’s a guide on how to ride out the waves of it without drowning.
Identify Constructive Criticism vs. Noise
First things first - criticism. It’s a tricky topic because not all of it is worth your energy. Some of it is a genuine attempt to help you improve your content, while other ‘feedback’ is just noise, mean comments, personal attacks, or malicious trolling. What you need to learn is to differentiate between them.
Remember, the other ‘feedback’ you receive isn’t always because you’ve done something wrong. More often than not malicious criticism is something malicious people do to put you down, make you feel bad, and get a rise out of you. JaidenAnimation put it best ‘it can be harsh, but you can learn to take it’:
How to Tell What’s Worth Your Headspace
|
Constructive Criticism |
Not Worth Your Energy |
|
Focuses on your content, not you personally |
Attacks you, your voice, face, or identity |
|
Specific Tells you what and why |
Vague, mean, or just “this sucks” |
|
Comes from someone who engaged |
Comes from someone who barely watched |
|
Feels fair, even if blunt |
Dismissive, cruel, or straight-up trolling |
|
Aims to help you grow |
Aims to make you feel small |
If it helps you get better, take it
If it drags you down, try to move on. And if it hits too hard, don’t sit with it alone. Talk to someone who gets it and knows how to deal with it.
Genuine constructive criticism is usually expressed in a polite manner with pointers on how to improve the thing the comments are critical about. While the malicious feedback is people trying to attack you as a person. When you learn how to differentiate, you can use constructive criticism for your own benefit, while other things you can learn to ignore.
What to do if the comments get to you:
- First, take a breath. Separate your emotions from the message.
- Focus on the feedback that can help you evolve. Ignore the personal attacks, the people who don't value your voice or content for what it is.
- Use constructive criticism to refine your content strategy. Don’t take it personally. Some commenters are genuinely trying to help.
‘...this is genuinely what you just have to expect when you make content online. It’s awful, but it’s the truth.’ Over time, you learn to brush off the harsh unnecessary comments and malicious criticism while benefitting from genuine constructive criticism.
Own Your Mistakes (When You’ve Made One)
Controversy. If you’ve been on YouTube long enough, it’s bound to be stirred, we’re all only human and humans make mistakes.
Burying your head in the sand is the wrong way to go about it. If you’ve made a genuine mistake or your content was poorly received because of an oversight on your part, own it.
After all, you’re not a robot in a controlled environment; messing up sometimes is normal. A good example of owning your mistakes and actually moving forward would be The Manii Show.
He was accused of falsely taking down the videos and whole channels with copyright strikes, which earned the outrage of other YouTubers and his fans. However, he made a video as soon as he could, explaining the situation and immediately taking accountability.
Despite being a joke-y funny channel, the apology itself was serious, which earned him forgiveness for this mistake.
Now, a bad example of an apology would be deflecting the blame onto the audience, the circumstances, and everything in between that isn’t the immediate creator. That’s reacting poorly. And there are several examples of YouTubers reacting that way with the most popular (in a negative way) being this:
Lessons learned, dealing with controversy as a public-facing creator by deflecting the blame onto the audience is always a bad move however you want to spin it.
So, the correct course of action would always be to address the mistake. If it’s something small, it can be addressed in a social media post. For larger missteps, create a video and explain yourself, apologize, make appropriate moves to fix it, and make sure it doesn’t happen again. Keep it concise, genuine, and to the point.
Controversy Among the Audience
As a public-facing creator, you need to remember that you have the power to steer the conversation. So, if your audience does something you don’t stand for, don’t let it spiral out of control.
When the controversy strikes, don’t abandon or ignore it. You have the power to address the situation and steer it in a different direction.
For example, MatPat is a creator beloved by many. What he did wasn’t even a bad thing (he made a video, where he was theorizing about a real-life treasure hunt that might be done by the creator of Five Nights at Freddy’s), it was merely his audience taking things too far after one of his videos. They started harassing the employees and the creator of FNAF to the point that some businesses had to shut down.
He noticed it in time, noted the backlash, and made a video addressing the situation head on. His apology was well-received, his pleading to the audience fell into their minds and hearts.
What to do if the controversy isn’t yours, but your audience’s:
- Take time to process the situation and make a measured response to the situation.
- Always address what is happening and take responsibility, do not deflect the blame.
Lean Into Your Community
Whatever controversy you find yourself in remember: your most loyal followers are your strongest allies in times of crisis. They’re your support.
So if you, for example, find yourself in accidental beef with other creators, they will be your biggest defenders. Tap into that community support, because this is where the real strength of any content creator comes from.
Your community usually wants you to succeed and will often defend you when external critics don’t get the full picture. Engaging with your community during tough times shows your commitment to them. It strengthens that bond and reaffirms your authenticity.
There were plenty of times the most popular YouTubers got defended by their fans. Having that bond with your viewers is important!
How to bond with your audience:
- Engage with your audience directly, either through social media or live streams, to show appreciation for their support.
- Don’t just “shut down” negativity; turn it into a conversation with your core fans. Encourage them to continue being part of the journey with you.
- Celebrate wins with your fans and keep them informed on how you’re handling challenges.
Learn to Grow Through the Backlash
Unfortunately, controversy and criticism are just a part of the game for 99% of creators. But after each one passes, you gain a unique opportunity to use these moments as growth tools.
Every controversy offers a chance to refine your personal brand and content. The creators who come out stronger as the ones who learn and grow from their experiences, even if those are negative.
After facing a rather harsh controversy that involved showing a victim of an unfortunate circumstance, Logan Paul’s initial reaction wasn’t graceful (and some fans found it disingenuous). However, he leaned into his community and learned how to move forward from the backlash.
He acknowledged his mistakes, learned from them and not only found a beautiful way to move forward, but had also found a way to help people in the same mental place.
Criticism builds resilience and provides insights into what resonates (or doesn’t) with your viewers. Pay attention to this so you don’t find yourself in the same situation all over again.
What to do:
- After the storm clears, take a moment to reflect: What can I learn from this situation?
- Apply those learnings to your next video, your next interaction with fans, and your long-term strategy.
- Truly learn from your mistakes. Help others along the way if you can. That’s the true power of a content creator - being a positive influence for others even after you were the one to make mistakes.
Criticism is inevitable. Controversy will come. But how you deal with it is what defines you as a creator. This isn’t just about bouncing back from setbacks; it’s about adapting to criticism and malicious criticism, improving, admitting your faults (if you did something wrong) and moving forward. The creators who do it well embrace the bumps in the road, learn, and continue building a community of people who trust them.
If you’re dealing with criticism or controversy, know that it’s not the end of your career. It’s the beginning of your next chapter. And we can help you build that next chapter as we did for 3,000+ creators. We got tools and people who know YouTube inside out. Ready to accelerate your growth when you are.
