YouTube Creator Partnerships for Brands and When to Go Direct

YouTube says advertisers can now search more than 3 million creators in the YouTube Partner Program from inside Google Ads¹. The tool is called YouTube Creator Partnerships, the new name for BrandConnect, and YouTube unveiled it on March 23, 2026¹. It arrives as US brands are projected to spend $37 billion on creator ads in 2025, according to the IAB².

So should your brand run every YouTube deal through it? This page explains what Creator Partnerships does, how it works inside Google Ads, who you can and can't find there, what it costs, and the cases where emailing a creator directly is faster and wider.

Facts and prices checked November 11, 2026. See something wrong? Tell us.

Key takeaways

• YouTube Creator Partnerships is YouTube's creator marketplace for advertisers, formerly BrandConnect, unveiled on March 23, 2026 and built into Google Ads and Display and Video 360.
• Only creators who are in the YouTube Partner Program, 18 or older, with no active strikes, and based in one of 24 listed countries and regions can use the creator side of the tool.
• Brands negotiate, sign and pay creators directly, and YouTube's help page says the earnings shown in inquiries are not final offers.
• Creator partnerships boost, formerly Partnership ads, turns a creator's video into Shorts and in-stream ads inside Demand Gen, Video Reach and Video View campaigns.
• Going direct covers creators outside the tool, and SponsorRadar found 43.1% of tracked YouTube sponsorship deals sit on channels with 50,000 to 250,000 subscribers.

What YouTube Creator Partnerships is

YouTube Creator Partnerships is YouTube's own platform for connecting brands with creators. YouTube folded its creator tools into this one product. Creators use it inside YouTube Studio. Advertisers use it inside Google Ads and Display and Video 360¹.

It has a long history under other names.

• FameBit was YouTube's earlier marketplace. YouTube rebranded it as BrandConnect in June 2020 and closed its self-service side on July 31, 2020³.
• BrandConnect then became the main way brands found creators through YouTube.
• Creator Partnerships Hub launched in late 2023, and Partnership ads arrived through BrandConnect in August 2024⁴.
• YouTube Creator Partnerships merged BrandConnect and the Creator Partnerships Hub in March 2026⁴.

Key terms

YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is YouTube's program for channels that earn money from ads and other features. Creator partnerships boost is the paid feature that runs a creator's video as your ad¹. Open Calls lets brands post an opportunity that creators can apply to⁴.

How it works inside Google Ads

On the advertiser side, Creator Partnerships is a search and deal tool sitting next to your campaigns. Here's what YouTube says it does.

Search and matching

Advertisers can search the 3 million plus YPP creators, and Gemini helps find good fits. YouTube says that in the coming months Gemini will analyze billions of data points, such as audience similarity, organic brand mentions and subscriber growth¹. Creators can choose to share channel insights. Those who did were surfaced 60% more in search results on average, according to YouTube¹.

Lists and inquiries

You can build lists of creators that fit your brand. YouTube says sending inquiries to many creators at once is coming soon¹. When you send an inquiry, the creator gets a notice on mobile and web, plus an email to their account and their optional business email. If they click Interested, their contact details are shared with you⁵.

Open Calls

Open Calls lets a brand post a partnership opportunity that creators apply to. At launch it was US only, with more markets planned during 2026⁴.

Boosting creator videos

Creator partnerships boost turns creator content into ads on Shorts and in-stream. It works with Demand Gen, Video Reach and Video View campaigns¹. YouTube says advertisers who promoted creator-led Shorts saw an average 30% increase in conversion lift, based on Google data from January 2025 to January 2026¹.

Who you can find there, and who you can't

This is the most important limit. Creator Partnerships only shows creators who meet YouTube's rules for the tool.

The 24 countries and regions listed on YouTube's help page are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom and the United States⁵. The tool launched in just 7 markets in March 2026, the US, India, Indonesia, the UK, Brazil, Australia and Canada⁴, then added Germany, Japan and Singapore among others by July⁶.

What the direct route looks like

Plenty of brands already buy YouTube deals without any platform. In one published case, a US home and living brand on Shopify gifted product to one YouTuber with a 20% affiliate offer, then bought four integrations for $18,000 fixed. The influencer platform behind the case reports $73,300 in directly attributed revenue, a 5.7x return on ad spend⁷. In a separate finance campaign, the agency reports about $27 per funded account⁸. The method is plain. Pick channels, email them, negotiate.

Media List has 189,000+ YouTube channels with contact emails right now, including channels that never opted in to YouTube's tool. If the channel you want isn't in Creator Partnerships, its creator still has an inbox.

Fees and boost ads

YouTube's help page doesn't list a commission for creators. It says that if a creator moves ahead, they negotiate and sign an agreement directly with the brand and are paid by the brand⁵. PPC Land also reported no YouTube fee or commission for Creator Partnerships⁶.

Two money points still matter.

The creator fee

You pay the creator what you agree. The "Earn" amounts shown in inquiries come from the advertiser and aren't final offers, per YouTube⁵. Creators can set separate desired rates for long-form videos and for Shorts⁶.

Use outside benchmarks to sanity check a price. 1of10 puts typical integrations at $10 to $50 per 1,000 expected views⁹. A channel averaging 50,000 views would run about $500 to $2,500 for an integration at that rate. A sponsored Short runs about 0.25x to 0.5x an integration, and a dedicated video 2x to 4x⁹.

The boost budget

Creator partnerships boost is ad spend. It runs through your normal Google Ads campaigns¹, so it's on top of whatever you paid the creator. Agree paid usage rights before you boost. 1of10 says usage rights typically add 30% to 100% to the base fee⁹.

Limits to know before you rely on it

• Coverage. 24 countries and regions on the creator side⁵. If your buyers are in Sweden, South Africa or Argentina, local creators there won't be listed.
• Opt-in only. Creators who don't share insights are surfaced less¹, and channels outside YPP aren't in the tool at all⁵.
• Features still rolling out. Gemini's deeper matching and bulk inquiries were described as coming in the months after launch¹. Open Calls began US only⁴.
• Payment and contracts are on you. YouTube tells creators to work with the advertiser or agency directly on payment⁵. You still need your own agreement, brief and tracking.
• Content review. Campaign content is reviewed against Google Ads policies and Community Guidelines before it can publish⁵. Plan time for that.
• Access. YouTube's announcement tells advertisers to contact their Google team to scale partnerships¹. Small advertisers without a Google rep may find the path less clear.

When to use Creator Partnerships

The tool makes sense in a few clear cases.

• You already spend in Google Ads. Lists, inquiries and boosts sit next to your campaigns¹.
• You plan to boost creator videos as ads. Creator partnerships boost connects the sponsored video to Demand Gen, Video Reach and Video View campaigns¹.
• Your market is covered. Your buyers and the creators they watch are in the 24 listed markets⁵.
• You want YouTube's own data. Creators who share insights give you channel and audience data inside the tool¹, and Google offers Brand Lift, Search Lift and Conversion Lift studies¹.

It's also handy for discovery. Even if you end up emailing creators directly, the search can help you spot channels you missed.

What to ask creators you find in the tool

Treat a match in the tool the same way you'd treat any lead. Ask for the median views of the last 10 videos, the audience split by country and age, two or three past sponsors, and one past result such as code uses or signups. Ask what they charge for a 60-second integration, a 30-second mention and a Short. Then ask about exclusivity and usage rights before you talk price, since both change the fee. 1of10 says a 30-day category exclusivity adds about 20% to 30%⁹.

When to go direct

Direct outreach means you find a creator's business email and write to them yourself. It's how many YouTube deals start. In a January 2026 survey of 1,000 US creators by The Influencer Marketing Factory, 27% said they find deals through direct brand contact, 30.2% by pitching brands, and 18% through third-party platforms¹⁰.

Go direct when any of these is true.

• The channel isn't in the tool. It's outside YPP, outside the 24 markets, or hasn't opted in⁵.
• You want mid-size channels at scale. SponsorRadar tracked 660,985 deals from February 2025 to January 2026. 43.1% were on channels with 50,000 to 250,000 subscribers, and 34.9% on channels with 250,000 to 1 million¹¹. That's where most of the action is, and many of those creators answer their own email.
• You want to reach a manager or agency. Many bigger channels route deals through a manager, and a direct email reaches them without waiting on a platform.
• You also buy podcasts. Lots of shows publish on YouTube and as podcasts. One outreach list can cover both.

For a full walk-through of the direct route, read how to sponsor YouTubers as a brand.

Creator Partnerships vs direct outreach

Here's the comparison in one table.

Notice the middle rows. Either way you're negotiating with a person and paying them yourself. The tool mainly changes how you find and first contact creators.

A worked budget for a first test

Here's how a brand could plan a first YouTube test that uses both routes. The prices use 1of10's published benchmarks, so treat them as a starting point, not a quote⁹.

The setup

Say you sell project management software and have $15,000 for a first test. 1of10 lists B2B, SaaS and tech integrations at $30 to $50 per 1,000 views⁹. You pick 4 channels whose last 10 videos average 40,000 views.

The math

• 40,000 views times $30 per 1,000 is $1,200 per integration at the low end.
• 40,000 views times $50 per 1,000 is $2,000 per integration at the high end.
• 4 integrations cost about $4,800 to $8,000.
• Usage rights for boosting add 30% to 100%⁹. On one $2,000 video that's $600 to $2,000 more.
• The rest of the budget can fund a boost of your best video through creator partnerships boost¹.

What to measure

Give each creator a unique link and code. Compare cost per signup or demo across the 4 channels. Then boost only the winner. Watch the video's views after the first month too. YouTube cites Agentio data that 40% of a video's views come more than a month after it goes live¹, so judge results over several weeks, not two days.

Where the 4 channels come from

Some may be in Creator Partnerships. Others won't be, because they're outside YPP, outside the 24 markets, or just haven't opted in⁵. That's why it pays to search both and keep one list.

Using both together

You don't have to choose one. Many teams will get the most out of a simple mix.

1. Search both places. Use Creator Partnerships for opted-in channels, and a contact database for the rest.
2. Build one shortlist. Keep 15 to 30 channels in a single list, with views, country and contact.
3. Send short first emails. Ask each creator for their rate card and the views on their last 10 videos.
4. Price on views. Multiply median views by a niche CPM. 1of10's mid-size finance example is 60,000 views at $40, or $2,400 before production⁹.
5. Sign your own terms. Format, date, link, code, exclusivity and usage rights.
6. Boost the winners. If a video converts, use creator partnerships boost to run it as an ad¹.
7. Disclose. YouTube asks creators to flag paid product placements, sponsorships and endorsements¹². Put that in the brief.

To weigh the full set of buying routes, see agency vs marketplace vs direct for YouTube influencer marketing. If you only need ads on certain channels, read can you advertise on specific YouTube channels.

Reach the creators YouTube's tool doesn't show you

Creator Partnerships only lists creators who opted in. Media List helps you reach the rest. It has 189,000+ YouTube channels with contact emails, plus 1.2 million podcasts if your creators also publish audio.

• Find channels. Filter by minimum subscribers, category, country and language. Paid plans add AI search for requests like "tech review channels in Germany".
• Unlock the contact email. Emails unlock from your plan's allowance, no bot checks. Reach the creator or their manager directly.
• Save a list. Keep your shortlist in one place and share it with your team.
• Send outreach. On Professional, email the whole list from built-in campaigns and ask each creator for their rates.

Media List doesn't sell ads or set prices. It gives you who to contact, so every deal is yours to negotiate. Basic at $99 a month covers search, saved lists and exports. Built-in email campaigns come with Professional at $399 a month. Start with a 3-day trial, $0 today, and cancel anytime. Compare plans on the pricing page.

Questions, answered

What is YouTube Creator Partnerships?

It's YouTube's platform for connecting brands and creators, formerly called BrandConnect. Advertisers use it inside Google Ads and Display and Video 360 to search YouTube Partner Program creators, send inquiries and boost creator videos as ads. YouTube unveiled it on March 23, 2026.

Is YouTube BrandConnect still available?

BrandConnect was merged into YouTube Creator Partnerships in March 2026. Reports at launch said no BrandConnect features were being dropped. The product now runs under the Creator Partnerships name.

Does YouTube charge a fee for Creator Partnerships?

YouTube's help page does not list a commission, and PPC Land reported none. Brands negotiate, sign and pay creators directly. If you boost a creator's video, that's normal Google Ads spend on top.

Which countries does YouTube Creator Partnerships cover?

YouTube's help page lists 24 countries and regions for creators, including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, India, Brazil and Australia. It launched in 7 markets in March 2026 and expanded from there.

What is creator partnerships boost?

It's the feature formerly called Partnership ads. It turns a creator's video into an ad on Shorts and in-stream, and works with Demand Gen, Video Reach and Video View campaigns. Agree usage rights with the creator before you boost.

Should I use Creator Partnerships or contact YouTubers directly?

Use the tool if you already run Google Ads and your creators have opted in. Go direct when the channel isn't in the tool, is outside the 24 markets, or you want to move fast across many mid-size channels. Many brands do both.

Related guides

• YouTube Sponsorship for Brands and How to Sponsor YouTubers
• YouTube Sponsorship Rates by Views, Subscribers and Niche
• How to Find YouTube Influencers to Sponsor Your Product
• How to Find a YouTuber's Business Email for a Sponsorship
• How Much Does It Cost to Sponsor a YouTube Video

Sources

1. YouTube Official Blog, Discover a new era of brand and creator partnerships on YouTube (Mar 23, 2026), checked 2026-11-11
2. IAB, Creator economy ad spend to reach $37 billion in 2025 (Nov 20, 2025), checked 2026-11-11
3. TechCrunch, YouTube's FameBit rebrands as YouTube BrandConnect and shuts down self-service (Jun 16, 2020), checked 2026-11-11
4. PPC Land, YouTube Creator Partnerships replaces BrandConnect in 7 markets (Mar 2026), checked 2026-11-11
5. YouTube Help, Get started with YouTube Creator Partnerships (eligibility, countries and payment), checked 2026-11-11
6. PPC Land, YouTube expands Creator Partnerships to four more countries (Jul 5, 2026), checked 2026-11-11
7. Influencer Hero, How a Home and Living brand generated $104,000 from an $18,000 YouTube influencer campaign (updated October 9, 2026), checked 2026-11-11
8. Creators Agency, Inside a finance brand's $50K YouTube creator campaign (Apr 4, 2026), checked 2026-11-11
9. 1of10, YouTube sponsorships, 2026 rates by channel size (Aug 24, 2026), checked 2026-11-11
10. Net Influencer, Creators favor long-term brand partnerships (Influencer Marketing Factory survey, Jan 2026), checked 2026-11-11
11. SponsorRadar, State of YouTube sponsorships (Feb 2025 to Jan 2026), checked 2026-11-11
12. YouTube Help, Add paid product placements, sponsorships and endorsements, checked 2026-11-11