How to get sponsored on YouTube? YouTube is the largest video-sharing platform because it has always supported its artists and creators. Grabbing sponsorship deals from your favorite brands is a dream for many creators. Many creators evolve into YT influencers but are still confused about how to get sponsorships on YouTube.
Brand sponsorships provide an additional source of income for your creator’s business. Besides, getting brand sponsorship deals is not as difficult as you’d think. The key lies in consistently sharing quality content on the platform.
What are YouTube sponsored videos?
YouTube Sponsored Videos are a type of brand collaboration in which a company or brand pays a content creator to promote its products or services within the video. Sponsorships can be of different types, such as product reviews, shout-outs, affiliate marketing, etc. The sponsorship aims to spread brand awareness through such integrations and leverage the creator’s audience to do that. The brand deals must also drive conversions through promotions.
How to prepare your YouTube channel for sponsorships?
To attract the correct type of sponsorship deal for your channel, suitable for your niche and audience, you should start by identifying your target audience. To maintain your channel’s credibility and trust, you can promote products and services you believe in. You can refine the content strategy to align with certain brands.
To prepare for sponsorships, your channel must maintain a professional channel layout, including a compelling About section and active social media links. It is also essential to create a media kit showcasing past collaborations and audience insights. This will help you attract and pitch potential sponsors.
Types of YouTube Sponsorships
As a YouTube creator, you can pursue three prominent YouTube sponsorships. They are:
1. Product reviews: Brands send you their products for free so that you can try them out and create a video reviewing them. They are an ideal fit for small to medium-sized channels. The revenue generated from product reviews solely depends on you and the brand whose products you review.
2. Paid Sponsorships: Exclusive brand deals are lucrative deals that get Brands to pay you a flat fee to market their products or services to the target audience. To attract paid sponsorship opportunities, it is necessary to have more than 10,000 subscribers on your YouTube channel. You can also explore sponsor networks that connect creators with brands.
3. Affiliate Sponsorships: The brand you intend to promote will provide you with an affiliate link to their product. You can place this link in the description section of your YouTube videos. You make a commission every time a viewer clicks on the link and makes a purchase. The amount of money earned varies from brand to brand. However, on average, you can earn a 10% commission per purchase.
Tips to get Sponsorships on YouTube
Brands rely on micro-influencers ten times more than on more prominent influencers. Here’s how to find sponsors for YouTube:
1. Be Authentic and Real
Brands value authenticity and originality. Let your YouTube videos show your ingenuity and allow brands to notice the real you through your content. Ensure you comply with YouTube’s guidelines and terms of service. Make your target audience’s life easier with your skills or knowledge with various original ideas that are authentic in the videos.
2. Focus on Engagement, Not Just Subs
Growing your channel’s subscriber base is essential. However, increasing the engagement on your videos is more significant than that. Create high-quality, audience-oriented content that follows a consistent theme and encourages your viewers to interact more with your videos. The more you focus on engagement, the more you nurture an active audience, which brands crave.
3. Choose a Niche Target audience
Brands are increasingly seeking channels that have cultivated a specific niche audience rather than a broad, generic one. For instance, if you specialize in a beauty niche, you can collaborate with beauty product brands to promote their products to highly engaged audiences who love trying out various beauty tips and products. A niche audience allows the brand to tailor their marketing campaigns to match the creator’s style.
4. Leverage Data
Channel metric numbers are the magical spell that brands fall for. In fact, 80% of brands in the US rely on accurate data to make partnership decisions. The channel insights help brands to dive deeper into the collaboration style with the creator. It also gives creators an added advantage while negotiating for higher payment terms.
5. Make Your Channel Available for Sponsorship
Creating a video portfolio is an excellent way to empower brands to contact you directly. Show your personality and share the best snippets of your videos, while having a friendly yet professional conversation. It reveals your channel’s value to potential sponsors and attracts more sponsorship opportunities for your channel. You can publish this video on your channel in the unlisted video category.
6. Professional Appeal
You should have a color-coordinated channel logo, YouTube banner, and video thumbnails on your profile. Your choice of colors should convey a message. Whether your channel explores heavy or light topics, or how it intends to impact people emotionally. These attract users and demonstrate your commitment to your presence on the YouTube platform.
Platforms that help you to get Sponsorships on YouTube
Research shows that advertising on YouTube has delivered exceptional results to brands looking to stand out in a competitive landscape. Here is a list of YouTube sponsors platforms that can help you connect with potential sponsors.
- YouTube BrandConnect: A built-in influencer program that connects creators and brands with sponsored opportunities. Further, it streamlines campaign payment.
- Grapevine: Once your proposition is approved, you can start creating content. To apply with Grapevine, you need to have a minimum of 10,000 subscribers. However, do not hesitate to contact Grapevine if you have up to 2,000 subscribers as well.
- Influencity: The platform allows you to select brands tailored to your YouTube channel’s size and niche. Brands use it to identify strong influencer engagement.
- Meet Sponsors: Help you find a brand according to your channel size and niche, and promote the brands to the appropriate set of audiences.
- ThoughtLeaders: This platform connects brands and YouTube creators to collaborate on creating brand content. To join ThoughtLeaders, you must create an account linked to your YouTube account. Then, choose the right brand for your channel’s niche and create commercials to earn returns.
How to Get Sponsored on YouTube?
With best YouTube sponsorship sites, your monetization avenues are not just restricted to being a part of YPP. You can implement the following strategies to get sponsored on YouTube.
Prepare your Channel for Sponsors
- Stay Consistent: Use similar styles for thumbnails, banners, and channel descriptions to show off your personal branding.
- Make a Channel Trailer: Brands must understand your channel before working with you. A trailer can explain what your channel is about, what kind of videos you make, and how often you post.
Create A Media Kit
It helps brands decide if your channel matches their products well. It usually includes:
- Your channel’s niche and the type of content you create.
- Viewer demographics (age, location, etc.).
- Subscriber count.
- Viewer retention rate.
- Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares).
- Past brand collaborations.
Build A Pitch List
- To find potential sponsors for your channel, create a list of brands that align with your niche and audience. Focus on companies whose goals are similar to yours, ensuring a mutually beneficial partnership.
- Once your list is ready, contact them directly through their social media pages or LinkedIn. Personalize your pitch to highlight how collaborating with your channel can help promote their products effectively.
Handle the Sponsorship Deal
- Create a pitch that answers the question stated above.
- Pull up your brand’s pain points in your sponsorship pitch as it stirs an emotional reaction to your pitch and empowers them to understand the offer better.
- Explore the above platforms to connect with various brands looking to collaborate with creators.
- Clearly discuss and finalize the sponsorship pricing with the brand.
- Be transparent about your rates for a dedicated video, product placement, or mentions.
- Ensure both parties agree on the deliverables and payment terms upfront to avoid misunderstandings.
- Always have a written agreement in place to outline the terms of the sponsorship.
- Include details like content deadlines, payment terms, deliverables, and usage rights. A contract protects both you and the brand, ensuring a smooth partnership.
Conclusion
YouTube is a dynamic platform that offers many monetization opportunities, including brand sponsorships. It is one of the best ways to make money from your YT channel. As you scale your YouTube channel, chances are high that you will attract more sponsorship opportunities.
However, we recommend working only with brands aligning with your channel’s niche, values, and your fans’ interests. Creators should capitalize on revenue-earning streams and sponsorships and promote their videos on YouTube to make their presence more substantial and prominent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1.How to get gaming sponsorships on YouTube?
Build a community of engaged gaming viewers, interact with them consistently to boost engagement, and create a professional-looking gaming channel.
Q2. How many views do you need on YouTube to get sponsored?
There is no strict requirement for viewership count on your videos. However, we recommend having at least 1,000 subscribers to attract high-quality brand sponsorship deals. You can purchase YouTube views if you need an immediate boost in your view count.
Q3. How many YouTube subscribers do you need to get sponsorships?
To monetize your YouTube channel by joining YPP and earning through ad revenues, you need at least 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours.
Q4. Can small YouTubers get sponsorships?
Yes, small YouTube channels do get sponsorships. With a minimum of 1,000 subscribers and an engaged audience, small YouTube channels can secure various types of sponsorships, including paid and affiliate endorsements.
Q5. What is the 30-second rule on YouTube?
The 30-second rule on YouTube means viewers need to watch at least 30 seconds of a video to count it as a view.
Q6. How much do YouTube sponsorships pay?
YouTube sponsorship typically pays $20-$100 per view, depending on the niche and engagement
Summary
- YouTube sponsorships are brand collaborations where creators promote products or services for a fee, which can include product reviews, paid partnerships, and affiliate marketing.
- To attract sponsorships, creators should maintain a professional channel layout, have a media kit showcasing past collaborations, and identify their target audience.
- Creators should leverage sponsorship platforms like BrandConnect, Grapevine, and Content BLVD to connect with potential sponsors tailored to their niche.
- Having a clear sponsorship pitch, agreeing on pricing, and ensuring written contracts are essential steps to establish successful brand partnerships.
