YouTube Sponsorship Calculator

There are two methods for obtaining sponsorship for both smaller and larger channels, known as Outbound and Inbound.

For a YouTube channel with fewer than 10K subscribers, often referred to as Macro-Influencers or Nano-Influencers, sponsors are unlikely to approach you. Therefore, you must initiate contact with them in an Outbound effort.

Many sponsors that reach out to Nano-Influencers do so via TikTok and Instagram as of 2024. Start your research by identifying Macro-Influencers on Instagram who showcase sponsored advertisements and then contact those companies. Some companies known to place ads on Macro-Influencers’ channels include Nivea, Airbnb, and Starbucks, among others. However, the market is constantly changing.

If you are weary of reaching out to sponsors, it may be advisable to focus on growing your channel. Once your reach and audience increase, sponsors will reach out to you naturally:

For a YouTube channel with 50K subscribers or more and creating around 30K to 250K on an uploaded video within a month, sponsorship on YouTube will become an Inbound Concept, indicating that there is now zero effort needed on your part to secure a sponsor. Companies that include influencer outreach in their marketing portfolio are constantly seeking to contact YouTubers with a large reach. As only a handful of YouTubers are truly successful, it is likely that you will receive one of those partnership inquiries.

Based on our experience managing channels, a channel with approximately 100K subscribers and potential views of around 50K to 250K views on a video can expect to receive 2-6 sponsorship inquiries per month from different brands.

Best of luck with your channel, and we hope to see you soon in the world of sponsored YouTube channels!

If your channel has fewer than 1000 subscribers and fails to generate 50K or more views after uploading a video, it is unlikely that sponsors will express interest, as they are unlikely to gain significant benefits from your channel. However, Nano Influencers may still attract some sponsors if they target specific audiences and have a greater reach, despite having fewer subscribers.

Typically, sponsors begin to take interest in channels that generate at least 50K views per video, which usually translates to a subscriber count of 50K or more.

To be considered for sponsorship and to attract genuine attention from potential leads on a regular basis, you should have at least 50K total subscribers and generate approximately 350K-750K views on your channel each month, assuming you upload four videos per week.

Companies are likely to review your metrics in your About section, check your Social Blade (socialblade.com) status, and evaluate the impact of your popularity on other social media channels, such as Instagram.

Our tool provides recommended prices that you should consider in order to obtain an appropriate fee for your sponsored ad. After experimenting with several prices, you will discover that reputable companies are willing to pay the appropriate price. As the old adage goes, “you get what you pay for.”

For instance, suppose you’ve concluded that your channel’s advertisement is worth $2000, and past sponsors have already paid that amount. In that case, we advise you to adhere to that price and dismiss any sponsor who is unwilling to pay the full price. Ultimately, that is the price, and why should you accept less?

There is an economic and strategic rationale for standing firm on the price. In the long term, you should have more companies willing to pay the full price, and it will be advantageous for you if you avoid bargaining like it’s a marketplace. Most sponsors will try to negotiate, but some will relent if you maintain your price.

In our experience, the most successful partnerships have been established with companies that paid the right price for the ad.

Unfortunately, we’ve also discovered that most unprofessional companies will try to buy ads for considerably less money.

You must ask yourself if this is the beginning of a good partnership. From our experience, unprofessional companies not only attempt to haggle the price down but often have unrealistic expectations and demands throughout the campaign. You have better things to do than to deal with problematic ad clients, such as revamping content or being trapped in endless email exchanges.

A suitable response is as follows:

Thank you for your offer. Unfortunately, I am unable to accommodate that price. Please feel free to contact me again once you have the budget for the ad. I am eager to establish a partnership. Have a wonderful day.

There is no evidence, either through studies or analytical reports, that suggests Sponsored Ads are harmful to your channel, including the YouTube Algorithm. Numerous YouTubers worldwide have sponsors, and their channels continue to prosper. In reality, Product Placement is the primary source of income for many popular YouTubers.

As a general rule, sponsored ads on your YouTube channel should not exceed 60 to 90 seconds. Some YouTubers create 2-minute videos for this purpose.

It’s worth noting that sponsored ads lasting longer than 2 minutes typically result in lower retention rates, causing more users to exit. This is detrimental to both you and your advertising client, and should be avoided.

There is no need to worry if a potential sponsor is not willing to provide prepayment. There are numerous other sponsors available, so it is important to be patient and wait for a suitable opportunity.

As experienced managers of multiple YouTube channels, we have never agreed to a sponsored ad without receiving prepayment. Following this policy has proven to be successful for us, and we continue to adhere to it.

Once a strong relationship has been established with an outreach agency, some flexibility may be given in terms of payment due dates. For instance, a 30-day net payment without prepayment may be acceptable if you have worked with the agency before and trust has been established.

It is required by Google Policy that sponsored ads must be marked as such when uploaded. This includes placing a readable watermark on the video during the ad sequence with wording such as “Advertising”.

In most countries, laws require the use of a watermark on sponsored ads, including the use of “Advertisement” during the sponsored ad segment. As your video can be viewed worldwide, it is important to adhere to universal advertising regulations.

Transparency is crucial, and it is recommended that you never attempt to hide the fact that it is an ad. Your audience is accustomed to this practice, and it has become a common standard.

It is possible that some viewers may complain in the comments section, but this is normal, and as an established YouTuber, you will have developed a tough skin for negative feedback.

If a sponsor requests that you do not reveal that the content is a sponsored ad, it is recommended that you decline their offer. Not only could this jeopardize your channel from a YouTube perspective, but it could also result in penalties from government institutions and lawsuits from competitors.

Top-tier YouTubers with millions of subscribers may be able to risk this, as they have financial resources to pursue legal action, but it is not recommended for most creators.

Many YouTubers are willing to test products in their videos in exchange for free products.

As a Nano Influencer you might think that getting free products can be a good start to build relationships with new sponsors. However, not necessarily those companies can be converted to paying sponsors, later. If their marketing strategy is to convince YouTubers to accept free products as payment, then there is a low possibility that they will change that strategy.

Companies roll out strategies based on the decisions of their executives. And the person you are in communication with is mostly an employee that has been instructed to implement that strategy. If one day you reached out to this person and asked for money instead, she or he will most likely reject your offer, or have to talk to their executives in order to make an exception just for you. This way or another, you will be facing some sort of obstacles.

However, if you are in for the money and not just free products, having a product sponsor can be beneficial when you have started accepting sponsors on your channel, because of this: You can use those sections of your videos as an example to show other potential sponsors how you create sponsored ads on your channel.

Free products in the long-run are however quite useless to earn money with your channel. And don’t think about reselling those items through classifieds — because you have to ask yourself: Not only you weren’t able to convince the company to pay you real money, now you allow yourself to be degraded to be a flea marketer? In long-term you will need to get away from free products, and reach out to real sponsors that are willing to pay for the Sponsored Video.

Stick to your strategy. If it’s money you are after, target companies that are willing to pay for it, and dismiss those who think they can get away with just sending hoarding material to your home.

Advertising for products for money through serios sponsors will end up you getting their products for free, anyway. Since you have to review the product, not only they have to pay you for the ad, but also have to send you the product. And that’s the way how to deal with product sponsors: Money first: And you can leave it to them to send the product for free or not.

While many YouTubers might be willing to test products in their videos in exchange for free products, this might not necessarily lead to converting those companies into paying sponsors in the future. If a company’s marketing strategy is based on convincing YouTubers to accept free products as payment, it is unlikely that they will change this strategy in the future.

The decision-making process of companies is usually based on the instructions of their executives, and the employee that you are in communication with is usually just following those instructions. If you later approach them and ask for monetary compensation instead of free products, they are likely to reject your offer or have to consult with their superiors, leading to potential obstacles.

While having a product sponsor can be beneficial for showcasing examples of sponsored ads on your channel, free products do not provide long-term financial benefits. Attempting to resell those products or accept them as a form of payment therefore is not a feasable strategy for a successfull career as a creator.

To achieve long-term success, it is important to target companies that are willing to pay for sponsored videos and dismiss those that only offer free products. By prioritizing monetary compensation, you can leverage your position to negotiate additional benefits such as receiving free products for review purposes, anyway.

In summary, while free products can be tempting in the short-term, they should not be prioritized over monetary compensation. Only by focusing on serious sponsors that offer payment, you can build a successful career as a YouTuber. In the end, a free body lotion or a free action cam won’t pay for your rent.