What are Sponsored Videos?

YouTube is a big platform. It is the second-most used website in the world. There are a lot of good reasons for that. Today, YouTube has become the primary source of entertainment for many. It started as a website to share videos but once companies understood the power of the platform they jumped in. Advertisement i.e. promotion and marketing of products, services, and brands have been around for years.

The platforms keep changing and today one of the platforms happens to be YouTube. Brands want their products and services to be used by their target audience. YouTube is one of the ways they can do so. If a creator whom YouTube users trust happens to endorse a service then those users might be willing to take a look at it.

YouTubers and influencers generally have a deeper connection with their audience than traditional celebrities. So, when they promote a product it can be expected to get some traction. That’s why brands reach out to creators and make a deal with them.

The creator will have to talk about the brand and its products and services in their video. In return for this promotion, the creator will get paid. This is called a sponsored video. That’s why you will see many of your favorite YouTubers saying that their video has been sponsored by some brand.

Different Types of Sponsored Videos?

A company can approach a creator that they feel will help promote their brand. Then they can make a one-video deal or create a contract for multiple videos. Whatever the case might be you will generally see creators making two types of sponsored videos viz. Integrated Video and Dedicated Video. This will be determined by the deal that the creator makes with the brand. Let’s understand what each of these types means.

• Integrated Video

Integrated Videos are the ones where the creator is generally free to make the same type of content that they make but add a segment where they promote the brand that’s sponsoring them. These are the most common types of sponsored videos.

A creator will create a 1 to 2-minute ad that they will put at any point in their video. Creators often choose this kind of ad because they can still make the kind of videos that they generally do but at the same time promote the brand that is paying them to do so.

• Dedicated Video

Dedicated videos are less common but there are still many creators that do these kinds of sponsored content as well. In this case, the brand pays the creator to make a complete video about them. So, the entire video will be dedicated to promoting the brand or talking about a certain product.

This generally happens when the brand niche matches the creator’s niche. For example, tech review channels often get sponsored by companies to do entire videos on one of their products. They are given a list of talking points that they have to touch on during the video. 

Different Types of Sponsorship

When a brand makes a deal with a creator the latter get paid in a couple of different ways. If the creator is very popular and has a big audience on YouTube then there will be monetary payments. For smaller creators, the company might not pay direct cash. There are a couple of ways brands sponsor creators on YouTube.

• Barter or Unpaid

In this type of sponsorship, the brand will just ask creators to promote their product and in return, the brand will let the creator have the product for free. There is no monetary transaction.

• Direct Payment

In this type of sponsorship, the brand will directly pay the creator to promote the product or service. Generally, if the company does give a product they take it back. Review channels get the product just for the review.

Where can You Find Sponsors?

If you are quite popular then generally you don’t have to look for sponsors. Many brands will directly reach out to you and then you can discuss deals with them. If your channel is small then you probably will have to look for sponsors if you are looking to make some money off of YouTube.

In this section, we will be looking at a couple of platforms that have been created for influencers to connect with brands. If you want to know how to get sponsored on YouTube then check out these platforms. Let’s have a look at them.

• AspireIQ

AspireIQ is one of the influencer marketing platforms which connects brands to creators. Many times brands may not have a channel to find the right creators. They come to AspireIQ to link up with creators. So, if you want sponsors to find you you can make an account on AspireIQ and get yourself out there.

If brands are looking for creators in your niche or are okay with your channel size then you might get deals. No commission is charged by AspireIQ. You get paid directly by the brand on PayPal.

• Nord VPN Influencers

Even if you have never used a VPN you must have heard about Nord VPN. This company has become popular for sponsoring creators on YouTube and other platforms. They have an influencer program under which influencers can become an ambassador of the brand and then promote it on their channel. The company will review your application before making you an ambassador of the brand.

• NeoReach

NeoReach is a company that helps influencers and content creators get sponsored by brands. It supports most of the popular platforms like YouTube, Instagram, Facebook etc. Depending on the platform of your choice you can join the influencer list of NeoReach for a certain platform. Brands looking for influencers on a particular platform will use this list to find them.

• HyperX

HyperX is a company that sells computer and gaming accessories. The gaming niche is one of the biggest niches. So, it’s evident why a popular gaming company like HyperX will use influencers, streamers, and content creators to promote its products.

You can join their sponsorship program and become a sort of ambassador for the brand. The company works with smaller channels as well.

• Makrwatch

Makrwatch is another platform which YouTube creators can greatly benefit from. If you want sponsors for your YouTube videos you can use this platform. It is a good starting point. Many brands provide opportunities for creators on this platform. If a brand accepts your proposal, you can promote it and get paid.

Understand YouTube’s Guidelines

YouTube is a corporation. When it started in 2005 it wasn’t that. People could upload anything on the platform, and honestly, many of them did upload things that they shouldn’t have. Once companies noticed the popularity of YouTube they decided to jump in and commercialize the platform. Wherever there’s money to be made there are certain rules that one needs to follow.

Companies want to associate with creators that are YouTube-friendly. They don’t want to create a negative image of themselves. So, if you want to become more brand-friendly then one of the ways to do it would be to look into the guidelines set by YouTube. 

There are guidelines for the average user as well as the creators on the platform. Go through them and understand them. If you feel that it is too long and boring then search for a summary somewhere and you will find all the important points that you need to keep in mind.

If you are wondering how to get sponsored on YouTube then one of the things that can help is to be more brand-friendly and follow all the various guidelines. Brands will want to sponsor creators that create a positive image and function according to YouTube’s guidelines.

How to Improve your YouTube Presence to Get Sponsors?

Now, we have mentioned before that if your channel is big and you get good engagement on your videos brands will approach you. You will get emails from them. Many brands will DM you on different platforms. If you feel that you have a sizable audience but sponsors aren’t approaching you then you can use the above sites to get some initial sponsors.

In this section, we will look at a couple of things that you can do to improve your presence on YouTube in such a way that you noticed. This is an option for how to get sponsored on YouTube.

• Know Your Niche

One of the most important things that you need to understand if you want to grow on YouTube is that you have to know your niche. When you have a good understanding of your niche you know what type of content to create and who your target audience is. You can still make whatever you want but if you are technical about it and hit some of the right buttons that you should be hitting in your niche then you will grow quickly. Also, brands will know where you stand because many brands often filter creators based on their niche.

• Focus on Creating A Personal Brand

Though a lot of YouTubers started focusing on brand building later in their careers today, most of them care about branding from the very beginning. Brand building is very important. It makes you more recognisable by people. These are visual cues that can be easily picked up by anyone that has watched your video. Start from the channel banner. Don’t put any random image up there.

Give some thought to creating the perfect banner for your channel and then either do it yourself or hire someone to do it. Ensure that your videos follow some pattern and have a similar feel to them. You can create thumbnails that are on point with your brand. This way when someone looks at the thumbnail they can instantly recognize it as a video from your channel. 

• Learn YouTube Optimization

To make your presence known on YouTube you have to learn optimization. Creating good videos is very important. Your content will ultimately determine your target audience and your popularity. But you will not get a lot of traction if you don’t focus on optimizing your videos. The reason for optimizing your video is to ensure that it ranks higher for certain keywords.

Not only that, you want YouTube to recommend your videos to users. Add entire keywords or keyword phrases into the video title. Add keywords to the video description. You can even use relevant but popular hashtags in your video description. Focus on creating a thumbnail that will get your clicks. Learn how to optimize video metadata to get your videos recommended.

• Use Different Social Media Platforms to Promote

You don’t have to only use YouTube to promote your channel. All the social media platforms create a big network that one can use to promote their content and build a brand. Initially, you need people to watch your videos. Where will you bring the traffic from? You cannot rely only on YouTube’s algorithm.

You need something more. Use Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Reddit and other social media platforms to promote your channel. Share clips from your videos that you feel are entertaining enough for people to enjoy. That’s how you can start getting some organic growth.

• Focus on Building A Loyal Audience

If you want to gain stable but steady growth on YouTube you have to build an audience. Your audience will then help you grow further. You need to get constant watch time and views on your videos to grow on YouTube. That way you can build an audience and get constant engagement. Brands are always looking for creators who have good engagement and a nice fanbase. So, focus on gaining loyal viewers.

Reply to comments. Thank people for giving positive feedback. Dedicate a segment for your viewers where you appreciate them. Tell them to share your videos and subscribe to your channel. Put an effort into gaining loyal viewers. Basically, let them know you care and they will do the same.

Conclusion:

So, that was our guide on how to get sponsored on YouTube. Is it easy to get sponsors? No, it is not easy. But it’s not impossible either. Becoming a popular YouTuber and gaining sponsors is an unconventional career path. But it is doable. You have to be consistent with the quality of your content and persistent with the number of uploads and promotions. Every big YouTuber you admire today started from the very beginning. Also, don’t think that YouTube is saturated now.

There is still enough success laying around for more people to achieve. You can make a decent living if you have a few hundred thousand subscribers. Just ensure that your videos get a consistent amount of engagement. We hope this guide provided you with some nice info. Wish you all the best.