How to Sponsor YouTubers: A Step-by-Step Guide for Brands

To sponsor a YouTuber, shortlist creators by their recent average views, pick a format, agree a price per 1,000 views, put it in a contract and track the results with your own link.

Mudcast, which appears in examples below, is a Rev Management Group service that matches outdoor brands with fishing, hunting and boating YouTubers.

This guide works whether you go direct, use a platform or hire a service like it.

How sponsoring a YouTuber works

Most deals follow the same eight steps:

1. Decide what the sponsorship has to do.
2. Find creators whose audience buys what you sell.
3. Pick a format.
4. Work out the price.
5. Reach out.
6. Put it in a contract.
7. Get the product to the creator and review the draft.
8. Check the disclosure and measure the results.

Step 1: Decide what the sponsorship has to do

If you want sales, you’ll judge the deal on clicks and code redemptions, so a smaller channel with a loyal audience can beat a bigger one.

If you want people to know a new product exists, views matter more.

Write the goal into your brief. Creators make better segments when they know what you’re counting.

If you plan to work with several creators at once, see our guide to running a YouTube influencer campaign.

Step 2: Find YouTubers whose audience buys what you sell

• YouTube search for the problems your product solves, such as “best trolling motor for a jon boat” or “how to sight in a rifle scope”.
• Your competitors’ sponsorships. Creators name sponsors in the video and the description, so a few minutes on a rival’s partners gives you a tested list.
• Your own customers. Ask in a post-purchase email which channels they watch.
• Lists of creators in your niche. For outdoor brands, our 48 best outdoor YouTubers ranks active channels by recent views.
• A marketplace or agency, if you’d rather someone else build the shortlist.

Check average views, not subscribers

Subscriber counts tell you how big a channel once got. Average views on the last 10 long-form videos tell you how many people will see your segment.

Two creators who work with Mudcast show why. In early October 2026, Slick Stevie had 3.31 million subscribers and averaged 370,000 views across the last 10 long-form videos.

Luke McFadden had 994,000 subscribers, under a third as many, and averaged 398,000 views.

On subscribers alone, you’d expect Slick Stevie’s segment to reach three times as many people. On views, Luke’s would reach slightly more.

Check the fit

Watch three recent videos from every creator on your shortlist.

Look at whether they already use gear like yours, how they handle past sponsors and what the comments say about them.

A creator who reads ads in a flat voice will read yours the same way.

Step 3: Pick a format

Where the segment sits matters too.

Creators Agency says a pre-roll read at the very start of a video is worth about 70% to 80% of a mid-roll one, because viewers who skip ahead miss it.

For outdoor gear, a dedicated video is often worth the extra cost.

A boat motor or a trail camera sells better when viewers watch it work in the field than when a creator holds it up for a minute.

Step 4: How much does it cost to sponsor a YouTuber?

The formula most creators and agencies use is: average recent views ÷ 1,000 × rate × format multiplier.

A channel averaging 50,000 views, at $25 per 1,000, costs about $1,250 for one integration. The same channel’s dedicated video would land around $1,600 to $1,900.

None of the published rate guides we found break out fishing, hunting or outdoor channels. Treat these as a starting point and expect each creator to quote their own rate.

Add-ons cost extra. Usage rights (running the creator’s segment as your own ad), category exclusivity and rush timelines are each priced on top of the base fee.

Step 5: Reach out

Keep the first email short and include:

• what the product is and why it fits their audience, naming one of their videos
• the format and timing you have in mind
• your budget range, or a request for their rate card

Asking for their rates first is fine. Most creators prefer it to a lowball offer.

Step 6: Put it in a contract

• Deliverables: the format, length, talking points and any link or code.
• Dates: when the product arrives, when the draft is due and when the video goes live.
• Approvals: how many rounds of draft review you get.
• Disclosure: that the creator will disclose the deal in the video and in YouTube Studio.
• Usage rights: whether you can reuse the footage in your own ads, and for how long.
• Exclusivity: whether the creator can work with your competitors, and for how long.
• Payment: the amount, when it’s due and what happens if the video doesn’t go live.
• Gear: whether the creator keeps the product or sends it back.

Leave the creator room to speak in their own words. A script read word for word sounds like an ad, and viewers skip ads.

Step 7: Get the product to the creator and review the draft

For outdoor brands, plan around the season. Ice fishing gear needs to land before the ice does, and a turkey call is no use after the spring season closes.

When the draft comes in, check it against the contract: the claims about your product are accurate, the link and code work, and the disclosure is there.

Ask for fixes, not a rewrite.

Step 8: Check the disclosure and measure the results

The FTC’s guidance for influencers says the disclosure “should be in the video and not just in the description”.

It also warns against relying on a platform’s own disclosure tool alone.

YouTube asks creators to mark sponsored videos as paid promotion in YouTube Studio, which adds a label at the start of the video. Put both requirements in the contract.

To measure the deal, give each creator their own tracked link and discount code. Check views, clicks and sales at 30 days and again at 90.

A YouTube video keeps collecting views from search for months, so a deal that looks slow in week one can pay off later.

Go direct, use YouTube Creator Partnerships or hire an agency?

For agencies that specialize in YouTube, see our list of the best YouTube influencer marketing agencies.

Common mistakes when sponsoring YouTubers

• Buying on subscriber count. Price on average views from the last 10 long-form videos.
• Writing the whole script. Give talking points and let the creator say it their way.
• Judging the deal after one week. YouTube views keep coming from search for months.
• Skipping the draft review. It’s your one chance to catch a wrong claim or a broken link.
• Missing the season. Outdoor audiences buy gear right before they need it.
• Forgetting usage rights. If you want to run the segment as an ad, agree it in the contract.
• Testing one creator and stopping. One video tells you about that creator, not about YouTube.

Is sponsoring YouTubers worth it compared with YouTube ads?

A YouTube ad stops when your budget does. A sponsored segment stays in the video and keeps getting views for as long as people watch it.

The trade-off is control. With ads you pick the audience and the message. With a sponsorship you pick the creator and trust them with the rest.

Sponsoring fishing, hunting or boating creators?

Tell Mudcast what you’re promoting. A person on its team replies within hours with matched creators, formats and pricing, then runs the contract, gear, drafts and payment.

Check creator availability and rates on Mudcast

Sources

• OutlierKit, YouTube sponsorship rates (2026), updated September 13, 2026
• Creators Agency, YouTube sponsorship rates per 60-second integration, May 21, 2026
• FTC, Disclosures 101 for social media influencers
• YouTube Help, paid product placements and endorsements

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to sponsor a YouTuber?

Most sponsorships are priced per 1,000 expected views. Published 2026 planning ranges run from about $15 to $80 per 1,000 views for a 60-second integration, depending on the niche.

A channel averaging 50,000 views at a $25 rate costs about $1,250 for one integration. Dedicated videos cost more, Shorts less.

How do I find YouTubers to sponsor?

Search YouTube for the problems your product solves, check which creators your competitors already sponsor, and shortlist channels whose recent videos get steady views.

Then compare average views on the last 10 long-form videos, not subscriber counts. An agency or marketplace can do the shortlisting for you.

Can I sponsor a YouTuber with free product instead of money?

Yes, some creators accept gifted product, mostly smaller channels or products they already wanted.

The FTC treats free product as a material connection, so the video still needs a clear disclosure. Larger channels usually expect a paid fee on top of the product.

What’s the difference between a YouTube integration and a dedicated video?

An integration is a sponsored segment, usually about 60 seconds, inside a creator’s regular video. A dedicated video is built entirely around your product.

Dedicated videos cost more and fit products that need a demo, while integrations reach the creator’s normal audience at a lower price.

Do sponsored YouTube videos need a disclosure?

Yes. The FTC says the disclosure should be in the video itself, not only the description.

YouTube also asks creators to tick the paid promotion setting in YouTube Studio, which adds a label at the start of the video. Put both requirements in the contract.

Should I go direct, use YouTube Creator Partnerships or hire an agency?

Go direct if you have time to find, vet and manage each creator yourself. Use YouTube Creator Partnerships if you want YouTube’s own marketplace and the creators you want are in it.

Use an agency or managed service when you want someone else to shortlist creators, write the contracts and run the approvals.

Last updated: October 28, 2026