Marketing’s most valuable secret weapons are content creators and influencers. Therefore, it is no coincidence that YouTube is a social platform that ranks first across drivers of commerce. It is equally not coincidental, with that in mind, that YouTube sponsorships are highly coveted by brands looking to promote their offerings.
YouTube content creators who have built up a following should highly consider cashing in on their influencer power. To get moving on monetizing a YouTube channel, it takes just one solid brand deal. While acquiring such deals might seem challenging, it is not as hard as one may think.
This article will help to illustrate how sponsorships help monetize YouTube channels, how a content creator can prepare the channel for sponsorships, and how to go about establishing partnerships with these sponsors.
Steps to YouTube Sponsorship
The Best Way To Make Money On YouTube: Sponsorships
YouTube content creators, even those with small channels can generate great revenue because brands are dedicating a larger portion of their marketing budgets these days to paid partnerships over traditional advertising techniques. Marketing is all about publicity, or simply put, getting the brand in front of as many eyes and ears as possible.
Appearing on a YouTube channel, especially one that has a large viewership and subscriber base is amazingly effective from a publicity standpoint. For a time, celebrity endorsement was considered the most effective method of advertising, but YouTube partnerships have proven 4 times as potent. This is especially evident when one considers that watching YouTube content helps as many as 68% of YouTube viewers make purchasing decisions.
As with any other following, fans of YouTube love the network and make authentic bonds with the best content creators. This inherently builds trust, so if a content creator believes and enjoys a product, they are willing to put their name and reputation behind it. This speaks volumes to their viewers and subscribers, who value their opinions, and are likely to adhere to trusting the product recommendations.
That means that brands love partnering with YouTube channels to promote their brand name, because of the boost in the likelihood of purchase, but also the obvious exposure of their products to a wider range of audiences. So if you are among those who have a YouTube channel, you too can start building a strong income source.
Of course, content creators have other ways to monetize with their channels including Google Adsense, YouTube Partner Program, and utilization of platforms like Patreon. But relying on these programs for steady profit is challenging, especially since many of them take a chunk of the earnings and have a ton of regulations and rules.
To that end, paid sponsorships allow creators to control their earnings making them more sustainable. Intrigued yet? Good! A rundown of how to acquire sponsors will be talked about a bit later. But for now, just remember that brands want content creators to bring higher levels of exposure to their products, and will gladly embrace that service. So the next question is: how does one get started?
Getting Your YouTube Channels Ready For Monetization: The Checklist For Sponsorships
If you already have a following on your YouTube channel, you are likely making a profit from it. You are ready to acquire sponsorships, but first, three essential elements need to take place to get your channel ready for such a partnership.
1. Assure An Established Brand
Illustrating to businesses that your channel would make a great partner for promoting the products can be done by displaying a deep understanding of the identity of your brand. Therefore, when conversations with potential sponsors occur, you should be prepared to clearly define your brand identity, another term for what your brand stands for and how it is presented to others, specifically regarding YouTube-relevant factors such as:
- Story and narrative
- Your method of communication with your viewers
- Understanding the niche you communicated to and who your audience is
- Logos, color schemes, and all other visual aspects that give your channel its individualistic feel
To help you assert your channel’s brand identity, you need to profile for your typical subscriber. You can start by assigning 5 to 10 defining attributes to your subscribers such as “self-wellness motivated,” “value-minded,” or “tech-savvy.” Beyond that, it is important to be familiar with your viewers’ wants, needs, social networks of preference, and viewing habits, as well as other information that can prove to sponsors that their product will be reaching some segment of their ideal target audience.
Your channel’s theme is its niche. In other words, it caters to a particular type of viewer, with videos relating to a particular topic that satisfied what these viewers are looking for. Here are a few examples of YouTube channels that thrive in their niches:
- DanTDM is massive in comedy and online gaming.
- Practice with Clara reaches an audience interested in meditation, yoga, and a mental health mantra.
- Your Book of Memories caters to those who love learning how to scrapbook.
Keep in mind that sponsors are looking for a particular type of audience and if your brand has a clear niche that aligns with their desired target marketing segment, they will be drawn to it to help them place their product information in front of an audience that will more likely than not be receptive to it.
If you feel that your channel has nailed down those three aspects, you are in great shape, but if not, here are a few ideas on how to set up your channel to attract more prospective sponsorships.
Using Templates For Strategy Mapping
Our recommendation is to leverage downloadable templates such as HootSuite’s audience persona worksheet and Column Five Media’s toolkit of brand identity. When you fill these out consider what story you are telling through the content your channel offers, why your channel stands out from others in your niche, and what is it that your audience values about the offerings you serve.
Understanding these things will assist you in identifying your audience and finding your brand’s identity. With that information, you will be able to tell potential sponsors everything they need to know about the channel.
2. Know How Many Subscribers You Have And What Their Engagement Rates Are
YouTubers, especially those with a smaller audience must know their metrics. The truth is that while massive viewer numbers are appealing, that isn’t all that brands look for. In fact, having a smaller, yet more active and engaged audience is far more appealing. To consider your channel as a sponsorship vehicle, sponsors need to see your channel’s full picture.
To effectively communicate that to them, sponsors will need to be presented with a set of statistics including:
- Number of channel subscribers
- Number of followers
- Live streaming view numbers
- Total watch hours
- Comments, likes, and shares (level of engagement)
- Trending growth of audience
If you are looking to increase the numbers across all of those categories start by getting the right tools to measure them. By going to the YouTube Studio tab from the creator’s account menu, you can navigate to your YouTube analytics page. When you see the current data, you will find out what areas you need to improve in before presenting the channel to sponsors.
3. Generating Quality Content
Sponsors are looking to have their products and their brand shown in the best possible light, so they will naturally gravitate to professional-looking channels filled with sleek, high-quality content. Such a channel is characterized by engaging scripts that keep viewers attention on videos, interesting thumbnails, intriguing video titles, visuals that catch the eye, smooth transitions, precise editing work, and of course overall great visual and audio quality.
If your channel’s videos are lacking in any of these categories, there are a hose of tools to help you out. But take your channel optimization beyond that with tutorials about the most effective production equipment, video editing, and combination tools, and round out with some video trends that are currently popular.
Few get it right on the first try, but experience breeds better manners. Improvement is a process, not a switch to flip, so the more quality content you put out, the better your style will get. That will result in your channel getting better attention. Once you have things well in hand, it’s time to find your channel some sponsors.
Finding And Pitching To New Sponsors (4 Simple Steps)
Once the groundwork is laid, the next step is to find brands to sponsor your channel and build relationships with them. This may seem overwhelming, so let us break it down into 4 simple steps.
1. Figure Out Who You Want To Partner With
The best way to think about choosing brands is to start thinking on behalf of your audience. You know your audience best, so you know what their needs are. When picking sponsors, you should therefore find those that most closely align with and cater to your customers’ needs. So if you have a beauty channel, it makes sense to review a skincare product. You wouldn’t do that for a channel intended for techy gamers, right?
Small YouTube channels should not aim for massive Fortune 500 companies to be their sponsors. Such deals are not just out of their depth, they are not targeting the right entities at all. Rather than seeking out the whales of the industry, try partnering with smaller, up-and-coming businesses whose products align with your channel’s niche. Remember, your audience will relate more to you than already established corporations.
They don’t come to your channel for the sponsorships, they come for you and the content you give them. Therefore, provide endorsements for products that they will be able to use and enjoy. Not to mention that if you are sponsoring a brand that is growing, your growth potential increases too.
2. Creating A Media Kit
Think about how you will present your channel to prospective sponsors. You wouldn’t unload a data dump of all of the statistics and videos you make for them, as that isn’t what they are looking for. Rather, they are looking for a small portfolio that presents a snapshot view of your channel, tells its story and origins, and then provides compelling reasons why you would make a great partner.
The information, among other things, should include information about the YouTube account, the logo of the brand, audience persona, distinguishing channel insights, and the niche for which you make video content. You can get plenty of template ideas on sites like Canva.
Most importantly, your media kit should exude confidence that if the brand sponsored you, you would deliver the things they need. Be able to show them what you got in your bag of tricks!
3. Locate Online Sponsors
While you may wish to scour YouTube for brands you want to partner with, to save time, we thought we’d give you some databases and online resources to help narrow the search a bit. Consider these 5 recommendations:
- TinySponsor: Newer and smaller YouTube channels can benefit from this platform because it charges no monthly fees and requires no minimal subscriber counts. All you need to do is to generate an account, establish a profile, create pricing options, and you will be presented with recommendations for potential partner brands.
- ChannelPages: This platform uses various tried-and-true methods for connecting creators with brands, allowing each party to see the other out. Generally, brands post sponsorships to which the creators then apply.
- AspireIQ: This “creators marketplace” is an online database for influencers that provides a comprehensive search engine, as well as personalized suggestions to facilitate the easier establishment of creator and brand partnerships.
- Grapevine: If your channel has at least 10,000 subs, you can create an account here free of charge, and open up a wide network of brands seeking to sponsor channels from content creators.
- YouTube BrandConnect: Before YouTube acquired it, this existed as a separate service called Fambit. Since the purchase, to qualify here, one’s channel needs to be approved by BrandConnect after the satisfaction of multiple YouTube requirements, opening up a listing do various deals from an array of sponsorship partners.
YouTube channels need to have profiles and video descriptions with their business email address so that partners that see the channels can reach directly out to the content creators behind those channels.
4. Personalizing An Outreach Strategy Through Relationship Building
The key to maximizing your channel’s chances of securing brand sponsorships before making a pitch to them, knowing the brands you want to target. This will allow you to know enough about a prospective partner to impress them into wanting to sponsor your channel.
You can start this by following those brands on YouTube, as well as other social media venues, looking into the content they output. Additionally, check the YouTube partners the brands already sponsor, and study their relationship strategy.
You will then want to engage with their videos and their posts. It isn’t even a bad idea to reach out with direct messages. This process always starts with networking. Once you secure connections, you can start thinking about selling your services. When you engage with a brand, converse with them about things you like about their content to illustrate that you understand them.
A professional email message that describes how a partnership with your channel will help accomplish their needs also goes a long way. This is also the perfect time to leverage that media kit you put together in your preparation.
Tools to start a successful YouTube Channel:
Steps to YouTube Sponsorship: In Closing
Landing just one sponsorship immediately gives your channel momentum since just one deal will give a channel more authority, pulling in additional viewers. As viewership’s grow, more sponsors will become interested in a partnership, in what can best be described as a snowball effect. Remember, you have all the tools to get this to happen, so if you want to monetize your content creation career, this is where you start.
Selling merchandise on YouTube can be a great way to monetize your channel and engage with your audience. Our complete guide covers everything you need to know to get started, from designing and promoting your products to setting up an online store. Don’t miss out on this valuable opportunity to grow your business. Read our guide now!
Frequently asked questions:
how much do sponsorships pay youtubers?
The amount that sponsorships pay YouTubers can vary greatly depending on the size of their audience, niche, and the type of sponsorship. Some sponsors may pay a flat fee for a one-time promotion, while others may offer ongoing partnerships with revenue-sharing arrangements. YouTubers may also receive free products or services in exchange for their promotion.
how to know if a sponsorship is legit on YouTube
To know if a sponsorship is legit on YouTube, start by researching the brand and their reputation. Check if the sponsorship aligns with your niche and audience. Legitimate sponsorships will provide clear guidelines and expectations, compensation, and a contract outlining the terms of the partnership. Be wary of sponsors that require you to purchase their products or services, offer vague or unrealistic promises, or pressure you into promoting their brand.
Hi, my name is Idammah, and I am the founder of Vid Gators, a website dedicated to helping people make money through YouTube. I have always been fascinated by the potential for success on the platform and the power of video as a medium for communication and entertainment. That's why I started this blog – to share my own experiences and the strategies that have worked for me with others who are looking to do the same. I have personally tried a variety of methods for making money through YouTube, including creating and monetizing my own channels, collaborating with brands, and using video content to drive traffic to my website. While some methods have been more successful than others, I have learned a lot along the way and am constantly experimenting with new ways to earn an income through video. I am excited to share my knowledge and experiences with my readers, and I hope that my blog can be a helpful resource for anyone looking to make money through YouTube. Thanks for stopping by!
