How To Find Partnerships for Small YouTube Channels In 9 Easy Ways

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If you're an up-and-coming YouTuber, you've probably daydreamed about hitting it big and earning a lucrative living through your videos. But those dreams rarely come true overnight. After creating a ton of content and building an audience, you might discover a few sponsored videos or brand partnership deals can help you achieve your goals faster than relying solely on ad revenue or waiting for YouTube to promote your channel.

This guide will explore how to get sponsored on YouTube, including the best strategies, tips, and tricks for landing lucrative deals and partnerships for small YouTube channels so you can get viral through influencer marketing services.

One way to get started on the path to sponsorships and brand partnerships is through Aha Creators’s solution for small YouTube channels: brand partnership deals. This solution's benefits can help you achieve your objectives, such as going viral through influencer marketing services.

Benefits of Brand Partnerships for Small YouTubers

1. Expand Your Audience Reach

Teaming up with other YouTube creators exposes your content to a broader audience. Collaborating with fellow YouTubers allows you to tap into each other's subscriber bases, attracting new viewers who may have yet to discover your channel. This increased exposure can lead to a surge in subscribers, views, and overall engagement.

A notable example is Chris and Jenny Bingham, siblings with humor-focused YouTube channels. Their collaborations leveraged their shared comedic style and personalities to cross-promote content, leading to audience growth for both channels. Such partnerships expose creators to new viewers who might not have discovered their content otherwise.

2. Boost Your Channel’s Engagement

Collaborative videos can generate higher levels of engagement compared to solo content. Viewers are drawn to the dynamic interaction between creators, which can drive likes, comments, and shares. These interactions strengthen your relationship with your audience and signal to YouTube’s algorithm that your content is engaging and worthy of promotion. Mamrie Hart, Grace Helbig, and Hannah Hart collaborated on multiple projects, combining their fan bases. Their dynamic interaction resulted in high engagement, with videos featuring genuine camaraderie and humor driving significant likes, comments, and shares. This interaction also boosted the visibility of their channels in YouTube's algorithm.

3. Spark Creativity and Innovation

Collaborating with other creators brings fresh perspectives and ideas to the table. Brainstorming and working together on a project can lead to innovative content concepts you may have yet to consider. Collaborations allow pushing creative boundaries, experimenting with new formats, and exploring different topics, ultimately keeping your channel fresh and engaging.

Hazel Hayes’s "Tipsy Talk" series brought fresh ideas to her channel by involving celebrities like Amy Schumer. These partnerships introduced unique conversational formats, offering something new and engaging to viewers. Creators often find that brainstorming with others leads to innovative content that keeps their audience interested.

4. Build Relationships and Community

Collaborations foster connections within the YouTube community. Working with other creators cultivates camaraderie and mutual support, creating a network of allies who can help promote each other’s content. Building solid relationships with fellow creators can open doors to future collaboration opportunities, and partnerships can lead to lasting friendships on and off the platform. Vlog Squad, a group of creators including David Dobrik and friends, demonstrates how consistent collaborations foster community and mutual growth. Their partnerships built strong personal relationships and established a loyal fan base that followed all members’ content, creating a shared network of support and promotion.

5. Increase Credibility and Authority

Collaborating with established creators can enhance your channel’s credibility and authority within your niche. Associating yourself with respected names in the YouTube community can boost your reputation and signal to viewers that you are a trusted content source. This can increase trust, loyalty, and recognition for your channel. Creator Takeaway: Collaborations offer myriad benefits for your YouTube channel, including expanding your audience reach, boosting engagement, sparking creativity, building relationships, and increasing credibility.

With intelligent partnerships, you can accelerate your channel’s growth and success in the highly competitive world of YouTube. Small channels collaborating with established YouTubers, like BuzzFeed teaming up with brands such as Purina, show how association with respected names can boost credibility. Although brand collaborations differ, the principle applies to YouTuber partnerships: working with well-known creators signals trustworthiness and authority in a niche.

How To Find Partnerships for Small YouTube Channels In 9 Easy Ways

1. Leverage Aha Creator to Find Sponsorships on YouTube

Aha Creator is a great platform for finding sponsors, especially for small YouTubers. It streamlines brand partnerships for YouTube creators and businesses. For content creators, we handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we'll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.

2. Use Forums to Find YouTube Sponsorships

Forums are some of the best places to find and collaborate with other YouTubers to help your channels grow. There are many different forums where you can post to find a YouTube creator to collaborate with and help promote your content. Here are 3 great forums to find YouTube collaborations: YouTube Creator Forum, YTTalk Forums r/YouTubers. Many YouTube-related forums have a section where creators can post collaboration offers. These can often be quite interesting. But we recommend you go through different posts before settling with one to ensure you get the best offer.

3. Be Professional and Write Effectively

When proposing a YouTube collaboration, it’s essential to write in a way that the YouTuber will appreciate and be more likely to accept. Don’t write short, unprofessional messages. Instead, you need to make them informative, polite, and understandable. Of course, this doesn’t mean we recommend you compromise friendliness and conciseness; a space in between will do just fine! Also, make sure to give the YouTube creator you want to collaborate with some insights about your existing content & what kind of content we can create together!

4. Facebook Groups for Creators

There are tons of Facebook groups made for YouTubers looking to connect. Groups like YouTube Collaborations and Small YouTubers Boost exist solely for creators to network, share advice, and find collab partners. It’s easy to find people with similar content or audience sizes. Once you spot someone you’d like to collaborate with, drop them a message. But don’t immediately jump into a collab proposal—build a relationship first. You’ll have a better chance of your pitch landing well if you establish a connection beforehand.

5. Attend YouTube Events and Meetups

YouTube regularly hosts events like VidCon and YouTube Creator Summit, perfect for networking with other creators. These events—whether virtual or in-person—are packed with creators who are looking to connect, share ideas, and collaborate. Events like these help you meet other creators face-to-face (or screen-to-screen), which is invaluable for building stronger relationships that can lead to collaborations. You don’t always need to wait for big events, either. You can look for smaller, local meetups or even start your own YouTuber group in your area.

6. Get Inspired by Existing Collaborations

If you’re having trouble developing collaboration ideas, look at what other creators in your niche are doing. Watching successful collaborations can spark ideas and help you plan your own. Whether it’s a reaction video, challenge collab or co-created YouTube Shorts series, there’s a lot of inspiration to draw from successful partnerships.

7. Reach Out via Email

Sometimes, the creators you want to collaborate with aren’t active on social media or Reddit. That’s where a good old-fashioned email comes in. If you’ve done your research and love their content, shoot them a personal message. Mention what you like about their channel and how a collaboration could be mutually beneficial. Propose a specific idea, but be open to feedback. A thoughtful, respectful approach will always stand out and could lead to a remarkable YouTube collaboration.

Most YouTubers are all over social media, and platforms like Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok are fantastic for more laid-back networking. Follow creators in your niche, engage with their posts, and start casual conversations. Once you’ve built that virtual friendship, pitching a collab is easier. Twitter has a robust YouTube community. Search hashtags like #YouTubeCollab or #YouTubeCreator, and you’ll find people actively seeking collaboration opportunities.

9. Use YouTube’s Search and Networking Tools

Your search can start right on YouTube. Type in search terms relevant to your niche, like “tech vlogger,” “gaming YouTuber,” or “DIY crafts creator.” Watch their videos to see if their content and style vibe is the same as yours. Engage in the comment sections—drop some insightful feedback, get involved in discussions, and start building a connection. Once you’ve established that, you can slide into their DMs or reach out through email with a collab idea that benefits you both.

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Types of Partnerships for Small YouTubers

Product Sponsorships: Get Free Stuff to Promote on Your Channel

With product sponsorships, you'll receive free goods in exchange for discussing the items in your videos. These sponsorships are great for small channels because they require little to no audience or experience to land. Instead, brands look for creators who align with their values and target demographic. The more niche your channel is, the easier it’ll be to find relevant sponsorships.

For example, if you run a channel focusing on camping or outdoor sports, it won’t be long before a company like REI comes knocking. There’s a good chance they’ll want to partner with you before you have even a few thousand subscribers. In many cases, product sponsorships can help boost your channel’s performance. Your audience will appreciate the disclosure and may even be curious to see how the items perform in your videos.

Paid Sponsorships: Getting Straight Cash for Promoting Brands on YouTube

The most straightforward type of YouTube sponsorship is getting paid to promote a brand or product. With paid sponsorships, you simply create a video that features or mentions the brand or product and receives a flat rate for doing so. This kind of sponsorship is common for channels of all sizes, even those with just a few thousand subscribers.

Of course, the larger your audience, the more money you can make from each sponsorship. Nevertheless, even small channels can land these deals if they produce quality content that attracts the right audience. Like product sponsorships, paid promotions can improve your YouTube channel’s performance by creating exciting content your audience wants to see.

Affiliate Sponsorships: The Easiest Type of Sponsorship to Get

Affiliate sponsorships might be the most accessible type of partnership for YouTube channels of all sizes. With affiliate deals, creators earn a commission for referring sales to a company. You’ve probably heard of Amazon Affiliates, but thousands of other programs exist. Simply sign up for an affiliate program and customize an affiliate link to get started. Next, create a video that features the brand or its products, and include your affiliate link in the description of your video.

When viewers click your link and make a purchase, you earn a commission. You can also earn money for pay-per-click arrangements, so even if a viewer doesn’t buy the item, you can still get paid if they click through to the website. What’s great about affiliate sponsorships is that they work well for virtually all niches. In addition, you don’t have to wait until you have a large audience to get started. Even small channels can earn money from affiliate sponsorships right from the start.

How Aha Creator Can Help Small YouTube Channels Get Sponsored

Aha Creator streamlines brand partnerships for YouTube creators and businesses alike. For content creators, we handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we'll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.

7 Tips For Successful Partnerships for Small YouTube Channels

1. Streamline Brand Partnerships with Aha Creator

Aha Creator is a platform simplifies brand partnerships for YouTube creators and businesses. For content creators, we handle the heavy lifting of brand deal negotiations, ensuring you get fair value for your influence. Our matching system helps pair creators with relevant brands, maximizing the potential for successful collaborations. Sign up for our waitlist today, and we'll work to connect you with partnership opportunities that align with your content and values.

2. Offer Your Expertise to Large YouTube Creators

Sometimes, the best way to secure a video collaboration is to take things slowly. Instead of contacting dozens of people, build a genuine relationship with one creator. Find out what they like, dislike, and struggle with on YouTube. Once you know all that, McPherson says you should offer your expertise or skillset if it helps them succeed on YouTube.

Prominent YouTubers are busy people, so they might need help Creating YouTube thumbnails, Moderating YouTube live stream chats, Creating a new YouTube banner, Writing video scripts, and Editing videos. The key is to give without asking for anything in return. That’s the easiest way to befriend large creators open to collaborating.

3. Collaborate with Creators in Your YouTube Niche

Remember your channel’s theme when seeking collaborations. Even if a creator shares my channel size, that doesn’t mean they fit my YouTube niche. Find someone who covers the same topics as you: beauty, gaming, real estate, or something else. You can’t afford to skip this step. If your channel is about personal finance and you collaborate with a salsa dancer, that will confuse my viewers; they might even unsubscribe from my channel.

4. Brainstorm Video Ideas Before You Send Collab Emails

Many YouTubers are looking for partners, but they don’t have unlimited time to search for one. People are busy filming, editing, and spending extra time on their YouTube thumbnails. The worst thing anyone could do is ask for a collaboration without sharing YouTube collaboration ideas. Before you email creators, come up with three to five video ideas. Explain how the partnership would benefit their channel, and overall, just make it easy for the person to say yes.

5. Pick a Video Collab Style

If someone does agree to collaborate with you, the next step is nailing a video style. There are four ways to do a YouTube collab: Both creators meet in person and film two videos. The first video will go on creator A’s channel, and the second will go on creator B’s. However, both creators appear in each video. Both creators film their scenes separately and send clips back and forth to create a single video. Both creators do a video takeover on each other’s channels.

For example, creator A makes a video that doesn’t include creator B but gets published on creator B’s channel. Then, they do the same thing for creator A. This is best for popular YouTube channels of 500,00 or more subscribers. Both creators do a hybrid video collab. For this idea, creator A appears in the first half of the video, and creator B appears in the second half. For example, in a video titled “6 Ways to Get Free Airline Tickets,” the creators present three tips within the same video.

6. Set a Realistic Date to Publish Video Collabs

YouTube collaborations are fun, but they take time to plan and execute. That’s why you need realistic deadlines for everything: when to film collabs, edit them, and push them live. The first two deadlines are up to you, but we have some advice on when to publish. If you’re doing a collab where separate videos go on each partner’s channel, publish everything simultaneously. That way, you can ask viewers to watch part one or part two at the end of whichever video they’re watching. It only works if both videos are available from the start.

7. Promote Your YouTube Collaboration

A YouTube collaboration isn't done when the content is published. The next step is promoting the video on social media to a broader audience. That typically happens on The YouTube Community tab, Instagram Stories, Email newsletters, Facebook groups, Twitter YouTube end screens, and YouTube info cards. Planning a collaboration with other YouTubers doesn’t have to be complicated. You just need three things to make it work: Concrete goals, An understanding of your niche, A like-minded partner who wants to grow on YouTube