How to get sponsored on YouTube 

Looking to get sponsored on YouTube? No matter your subscriber count, become a valuable partner to brands through sponsored videos and branded content. As long as you have an engaged audience and professional content, the sponsored opportunities on YouTube are endless. 

Read on to explore everything you need to know about YouTube sponsored videos and how to secure sponsorships with video examples.

What are YouTube sponsored videos? 

YouTube sponsorships, also known as branded content, are videos seamlessly integrated with promoting a brand, product, or service. A brand pays for YouTube sponsorships with either money or product payment, similar to Instagram sponsored videos. YouTubers can collaborate with brands that fit their channel genre, topics, and personal interests, so sponsored content resonates with subscribers and target audiences. 

Let's take a look at 3 popular types of sponsorships on YouTube.

1. Product sponsorships: Brands send over their products for you to feature and review in your videos. This can be a full dedicated video or a sponsored mention.

2. Affiliate sponsorships: Promoting a brand and earning a commission from every sale made through your unique link.

3. Paid YouTube sponsorships: Creating content around a brand's offerings of a product or service.

How to prepare your YouTube channel for sponsorships

Familiarize yourself with YouTube’s guidelines

Before you start looking for YouTube sponsorships, be sure to upload content that fits YouTube’s values, ethics, and guidelines. YouTube’s community guidelines apply to all content creators sharing videos, comments, links, and thumbnails on YouTube. Brands will associate with like-minded content creators that share a positive and kind environment on YouTube.

Choose your YouTube niche

When creating YouTube video content, make sure to define who your audience is and your channel’s niche. Showing a clear target audience and channel genre might spark a particular brand sponsorship interest.

Make your YouTube channel look professional

Make sure your YouTube channel looks professional regardless of your number of subscribers. Creating eye-catching channel art and on-brand thumbnails can make your channel look aesthetically pleasing to viewers and brands. Consistent channel art and thumbnails also contribute to how recognizable your channel is, leading to greater brand awareness. Including YouTube SEO and social media links in video descriptions and using tags and chapters on videos can contribute to your channel's professionalism. 

Create a media toolkit

Creating a media kit is important for attracting new sponsorships as it showcases your channel's value to potential sponsors. Essentially acting as a resume for your channel, providing information needed to decide whether your channel is a good fit for a sponsors brand. We recommend adding the following into your media toolkit.

• A summary of your YouTube channel including your story, milestones, and achievements.

• Include previous collaborations and sponsorships, with testimonials from those brands if you have any.

• A clear pricing structure and custom offering packages.

• Showcase your existing videos, thumbnails, branding, and YouTube aesthetic.

• Present all of your social media platforms, email address, and other points of contact.

Create and upload quality videos

Creating a wide range of consistent and accessible content for potential sponsors to view might score you a brand deal. Look at your YouTube competitors within the creator economy and see what’s working for them and which videos brands are sponsoring. Once you know what’s trending and engaging, batch create videos to avoid forgetting to post, keep your channel consistent and build a loyal subscriber base. Regular video posts also positively contribute to YouTube’s algorithm. The more video uploads your channel has, the more likely YouTube will recommend your content to potential views, improving brand awareness and traffic. 

Make your YouTube channel accessible to sponsors

Potential YouTube sponsors need a way of contacting you directly. Creating a video portfolio is a great way to showcase your personality, snippets of the best videos, and even start a conversation. Make a video portfolio using a ready-to-use template in Clipchamp online video editor. Publish your video as an unlisted video on your channel, then link the video to your channel and video descriptions for potential sponsors. 

How to get sponsored as a small YouTuber

Sign up with the best sponsorship websites

One of the easiest ways for YouTubers to connect with brands is through trusted sponsorship websites like:

• YouTube BrandConnect (formerly known as Famebit) 

• Artbrief

• Scrunch

Just set up a free account connected to your YouTube channel and review different products that suit your channel’s niche. Make sure to keep track of your engagement metrics and analytics. 

Apply to YouTube’s BrandConnect

YouTube BrandConnect is a monetization service that connects selected YouTubers with potential branded sponsorships. To sign up to YouTube BrandConnect, make sure to meet the minimum eligibility requirements: 

• You’re over 18 years old 

• You’re a part of the YouTube Partner Program

• You’re based in the U.S., Canada, or the United Kingdom

• You have no active Community Guideline strikes 

Directly reach out to brands

Reaching out to potential sponsors might sound like a time-consuming task, but it’s one of the most effective ways to score a brand deal. Create a list of 50 - 100 potential sponsors, collect their contact information, then send a personalized email. Make sure to include your pitch video and media toolkit.

Be prepared with video package deals

If you’ve got contacted by a potential sponsor via email, be prepared to discuss a set of video packages with them. Creating a variety of pre-made video package deals to select from can reduce the time of getting started and also helps establish your price range and inclusions. Clearly define what video content you can offer, how many tags and sponsor links you can include and your rates.

Grow your subscriber base

We recommend having at least 1000 subscribers before reaching out to brands for potential sponsorships. Brands are looking for YouTubers with higher views and an engaged audience who could be potential customers. By creating consistent content, being visible in your YouTube niche, sharing videos on different platforms, and learning the right YouTube SEO tricks, you’ll be able to grow your channel in no time.

How to create YouTube sponsored videos

There’s no need to download expensive video editing software to create YouTube content brands will love. Create professional YouTube sponsored videos for free with Clipchamp online video editor. If you have never made a video before, start off with a YouTube video template, or choose from end screens, intros, outros, and even YouTube stickers like subscribe and follow. Share your YouTube videos with brands via email, Google Drive, OneDrive, or upload directly to YouTube.

Popular YouTube sponsors and video examples

PayPal Honey

Mr. Beast uses his huge YouTube following to attract branded sponsorships. He shares why you should use the product or service in an entertaining way, so it doesn't feel like viewers are watching a paid promotion.

Skillshare

Jimmy Tries World’s YouTube video is a dedicated sponsored video about Skillshare. He shares the sponsorship by trying out the brand for three weeks to show his subscribers his authentic review.

Dollar Shave Club

Zane Hijazi’s YouTube video includes a sponsored mention of Dollar Shave Club. This seamless integration shares everything his subscribers need to know about the brand, his friend's personal reviews, and an affiliate link in the description box. 

HelloFresh

OKbaby’s YouTube video includes a ‘commercial break’ style sponsored mention of Hello Fresh. The YouTubers integrate the sponsored mention and affiliate link halfway through a daily vlog, making viewers more inclined to keep watching. 

SeatGeek

David Dobrik’s YouTube video is a dedicated sponsored video about SeatGeek. He openly shares in the video that this sponsorship, and many others in the past with SeatGeek, have helped him surprise his friends with luxury dream cars through the affiliate link in the description box. 

Notion

Thomas Frank’s YouTube video is a dedicated sponsored video about Notion. His entire video shares a tour of Notion setup and how he uses it, including an affiliate link in the description box.  

Learn more about sharing scroll-stopping YouTube videos on Instagram with our helpful guide, or check out how you can view your competitors analytics. You can also make money on TikTok with sponsored review videos!

Edit your YouTube video today with Clipchamp for free or download the Clipchamp Windows app.