YouTube Aims to Simplify Influencer Partnerships with Its Own Platform

YouTube is expanding its self-service influencer marketing platform, BrandConnect, to help brands partner with creators on the platform.

The platform was previously launched in 2020 under ‘FameBit’ in limited beta but is now available to a wider group of creators. This will allow them to find and manage brand partnerships, create personalised media kits, and give them access to best practices and resources.

Eligible creators are those over 18, in the YouTube Partner Programme, based in an available region and follow monetisation policies, such as Community Guidelines and Terms of Service. To turn on YouTube BrandConnect, creators can sign into YouTube Studio, click ‘Earn’, and click the ‘BrandConnect’ tab to review and accept the YouTube BrandConnect Module.

Relevant brands can discover creators who are a part of BrandConnect through the platform. When a brand sends a creator an offer, creators will be able to view the price, an overview of the campaign, a summary of deliverables, product info, and an overview of the brand.

There will also be a ‘Campaign performance’ section, where creators can see analytics about their content’s performance.

Additionally, YouTube is piloting an Open Call programme, allowing brands to put out a request to creators for custom ad videos.

Creators can browse opportunities and submit content based on creative prompts, information, and payment terms. Lindsey Gamble reported in his newsletter that brands such as Wayfair, MorningStar Farms, and Club Crackers are part of the pilot.

There have also been several other features rolled out on YouTube to strengthen the platform’s influencer marketing offering and improve creator-brand collaborations.

These features include video linking, where creators can request to link their videos to a brand’s Google Ads account. This allows brands to view insights into the performance of creator content, as well as allow them to run those videos as ads.

YouTube’s shopping affiliate programme has also been improved. New features include bulk product tagging, making it easier for creators to make their existing content shoppable. An expanded partnership with Shopify also provides creators with more products to promote.

YouTube's efforts to expand BrandConnect and enhance its influencer marketing tools reflect a broader commitment to supporting the creator economy. By fostering effective collaborations between creators and brands a mutually beneficial ecosystem is formed, where creators can thrive, brands can achieve their marketing goals, and YouTube can boost engagement and revenue.