No more Google Ads: YouTube unveils new features to help Kenyan creators boost global reach

YouTube is rolling out a set of game-changing updates designed to help creators grow their channels more efficiently, engage better with fans and connect with global audiences directly, without the need for third-party tools.

These updates include a simplified “Promote” button integrated directly into the YouTube app, support for alternate thumbnails for translated content, and new creator post alerts in the Shorts feed.

For Kenya’s fast-growing digital creator economy, where influencers, content creators, and musicians are turning passion into profit, these tools may mark a turning point in how local talent gains visibility at home and abroad.

Promote button goes in-app: no more Google ads

Until now, promoting a YouTube video required navigating the often-complex Google Ads platform, a barrier that discouraged many smaller Kenyan creators from advertising their work.

YouTube is embedding the “Promote” feature directly into the mobile app.

This means Kenyan creators can now launch ad campaigns for their videos, whether full-length content or Shorts, straight from the playback screen or YouTube Studio, without needing to open another platform.

YouTubers will also be able to track ad performance, monitor campaign status, and optimise strategy directly within the app.

“Creators can use YouTube Promote ad campaigns to promote their Shorts and VODs or grow their business directly from YouTube or YouTube Studio, without needing to go to Google Ads,” YouTube stated in a statement.

You can tailor campaigns to achieve specific goals such as increasing views, gaining subscribers, or driving traffic to external websites, something that could benefit Kenyan entrepreneurs, online retailers, and service providers.

For upcoming artists and YouTubers, this offers a faster, more accessible way to get noticed beyond their subscriber base.

Thumbnails for translated content

In an effort to support globalisation of content, YouTube is also testing a new feature that allows creators to upload alternate thumbnails for videos that have been dubbed into other languages.

This follows the rollout of YouTube’s auto-dubbing tool, which launched for YouTube Partner Programme (YPP) creators in April.

The tool automatically adds voiceovers in multiple languages, expanding reach to non-English-speaking audiences.

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Soon, creators will be able to upload region-specific thumbnails for each dubbed version of a video, making the content visually and culturally relevant to viewers in, say, France, India, or Brazil.

For Kenyan creators exploring pan-African audiences or diasporic reach, this is huge.

A Kikuyu-language cooking tutorial dubbed in Swahili and English could feature distinct thumbnails for each version, tailored to appeal to diverse regions and platforms.

So, there will be no need to create and upload two versions of the same video.

“Many Kenyans now consume content in multiple languages, Kiswahili, Somali, local dialects, and English. With this feature, a single piece of content can be localised for different countries without re-uploading or re-editing the whole video. It’s efficient and powerful.” Ahmed, a California resident, told The Eastleigh Voice.

Posts now in shorts feed

Posts will now appear directly within the Shorts feed, alongside short-form videos.

Viewers can interact with the posts without leaving the feed, making it easier to foster community engagement.

“If you’re a creator who posts Shorts and community updates, your fans can now see both in one place,” YouTube noted.

“It’s designed to catch viewers up on posts they may have missed.”

These are not just tech updates. They are tools of economic empowerment.

“When a fashion creator from Thika can promote her lookbook internationally or reach Swahili-speaking audiences in Tanzania, that’s impact,” says Wanjiku Mwangi, a content strategist working with up-and-coming YouTubers across Nairobi and Nakuru.