90 percent* of YouTube influencer marketing guides out there are unhelpful. You can replace “YouTube” with Instagram and TikTok; those generic tips still fit.

But if you’re reading a guide about YouTube influencer marketing, you want to know how YouTube works and how this platform is different from the rest (and it is!). You want to get down and dirty with the nuances and specifics like:

• How much should you pay YouTube influencers? How can you negotiate?
• Should you even consider using YouTube as an influencer marketing channel?
• How can you create A+ influencer briefs for various kinds of YouTube deliverables?
• How can you repurpose the influencer content you get from YouTube collabs to maximize your ROI?
  

The best way to learn all of this? Learn from the experiences of people who’ve done it a thousand times. So here’s a no-fluff, ultra-specific guide on YouTube influencer marketing – where the advice is straight from the pros.

*number for demonstration purposes only 😬

Pros and cons of YouTube influencer marketing

How does YouTube compare to other social media platforms? Here are some pros and cons of influencer marketing on YouTube:

Long-form videos vs YouTube Shorts

The above pros and cons don’t apply to YouTube Shorts. Why? Because Shorts is still in its budding stage as a content type. Brands are using it as an add-on or part of a bundle, not a standalone deliverable.

Long-form YouTube videos also allow you to be much more direct with your sponsorship than Shorts. YouTube Shorts are similar to TikTok videos and Instagram Reels – where the purpose is brand awareness, and hard selling rarely gets good results.

5 types of YouTube deliverables (with examples)

Before we begin discussing how to price, negotiate, and prepare briefs for YouTube deliverables, it’s important to understand the various types of collaborations you can have on the platform. I’ll explain them here with examples:

1: Dedicated video

Best for complex products, sharing experiences (like brand trips), or for a detailed review/comparison

A dedicated video is precisely what it sounds like: it’s any type of YouTube video solely for advertising your brand. This includes:

• unboxing video
• your products’ hauls
• product walkthroughs
• detailed product review
• brand/product comparisons
  

For example, Gena Marie’s video about the best Curlsmith products for travel is an excellent example of a dedicated video. She highlights only Curlsmith products and advises how to use them.

The benefits are clear: you get the whole video to yourself, instead of just a slice. You can tailor everything to suit your goals – including location, script, storyboard, etc. The target audience of these videos might’ve already heard about you and are searching for more information before purchasing.

The cons: these videos are expensive because it’s a dedicated spot on a creator’s YouTube channel (and requires extensive product usage & knowledge). The view numbers on dedicated videos are also lower. These videos can feel overly promotional if not executed right. Lastly, dedicated videos are trickier, too, because they must fit within a creator’s overall native content. You won’t find a spot for a dedicated video on every creator’s YouTube channel.

Suhit Amin, Founder & CEO of Saulderson Media, says the low viewership might still be worth the money because the watchers of these videos are more likely to convert:

Suhit Amin

Founder, Saulderson Media

Dedicated videos create a much deeper connection with the product. Whilst viewership may be lower, often the click-through rate is higher on dedicated videos. The views are also of more quality, high intent buyers.

2: Integrations into a planned video

Best for cost-effective campaigns and getting a wider viewership via your collabs

Integrations are the most common type of influencer collab on YouTube: a creator plants your product in an already-planned video. These integrated ad spots usually last anywhere between 30-90 seconds. These videos can have various creative concepts, depending on your industry and the creator’s niche, like:

• tutorials and how-to videos
• behind-the-scenes videos
• day-in-the-life vlogs
• challenge videos
• listicle videos
• …and so much more
  

Now, integrations in YouTube can come in various shapes and forms, as Marit Tiesema, Sr. KOL & Ambassador Specialist at Loop Earplugs, highlights:

• Seamless integrations are naturally woven into the video’s storyline. Your product appears more organically – like it was a part of the video all along. In the best scenario, your product’s main appearance comes within the first five minutes (so viewers hear about you before the standard/expected drop-off). A great example is Sadia Badiei’s partnership with Headspace – she’s talking about the micro-habits that have improved her life. Meditation (using the Headspace app) is one of them.
  

• Spot-based integrations are like YouTube ads. They pause the regular programming to present the ad as a standalone segment. There’s a mini ‘break’ in the video’s topic to talk about the sponsor (aka, you). Matt D’Avella’s partnership with Squarespace is a spot-based integration video. Matt talks about one topic, pauses to introduce and discuss Squarespace, and continues where he left off.
  

Integrations can be further divided based on where they are placed in the video.

• Pre-roll integrations talk about your brand right at the beginning of the video
• Mid-roll integrations talk about your product in the middle of the video
• Post-roll integrations talk about you at the end of the video
  

The biggest benefit of integrations (over dedicated videos) is they’re more cost-effective. If you’re doing a seamless integration collab, the transition to mentioning your product can also seem much more authentic.

But the con is the overall topic can be disjointed from your brand style and goals (especially in spot-based integrations). You don’t have control over the video’s overall look and feel; you only control your ad segment. So, a creator can follow your brief to a T and then mention other brands and products, too.

Here’s a quick comparison chart of the pros and cons of dedicated video vs. integrations on YouTube:

3: YouTube Shorts

Best as an add-on or for influencer marketing campaigns that also include Instagram and TikTok

YouTube Shorts are short-form videos (up to three minutes long). They are YouTube’s version of TikTok videos and Instagram Reels.

An example: Brandon Balfour partnered with Tooletries to promote four of their products via YouTube Shorts.

YouTube Shorts are a great addition when you’re already partnering with a creator on other short-form video formats (like Instagram Reels or TikTok) since they’re so easy to repurpose. 

They can also be excellent add-ons to your YouTube-specific campaign: a creator can take parts of their dedicated or integrated video for you and post it in Shorts for an additional push. Influencer marketing consultant, Julianne Kiider, agrees:

Julianne Kiider

Influencer, Affiliate & Partnerships Consultant

Shorts can oftentimes be a good addition to a contract with an influencer you’re booking other short-form content with (i.e., a TikTok video), as you can repurpose it on Shorts. They can also be an add-on to a long-form integration because the influencer can use the same footage they are already filming for the longer video, just edit/cut uniquely for Shorts.

Can you partner with a creator solely on YouTube Shorts? You can, but it’s a rarity (for now). It’s harder to track click-through rates with Shorts, so it’s tricky to measure impact, especially for conversion-focused campaigns. Each viewer is also worth less since YouTube Shorts are for mindless scrolling, not deep engagement.

That said, Shorts are great for brand awareness and if you make it a combo deal (either with a TikTok/Instagram Reel or a long-form video), you get the most bang for your buck. Marit offers the same advice:

Marit Tiesema

Sr KOL & Ambassador Specialist, Loop Earplugs

Shorts work best as part of a cross-channel package, combining platforms like TikTok, Shorts, and Stories for broader reach. This approach minimises production costs and allows for a negotiated package deal.

4: Live stream mentions

Best for certain niches like tech and gaming and interacting with your audience in real-time

Live streaming is when a YouTube creator starts a broadcast with their audience in real time. These videos have no time limit, and they are extremely popular in specific niches like tech, gaming, and sports.

Take the collaboration between The Redmen TV and Dr. Emrah Cinik on a football watchalong and commentary.

The benefits of live stream mentions is the real-time engagement: watchers can ask any questions they have on chat and the creator (or you!) can answer them. This can build an interactive dialogue and foster trust immediately.

Live stream mentions can also be more financially lucrative since they require minimal production costs from the creator’s side. Lastly, speaking off the cuff appears much more authentic than speaking from a script mid-video.

But there are downsides, too: livestreams have a lower audience retention rate because of the length of the video – so if your product isn’t mentioned early in the stream, you can miss reaching a big chunk of your target audience entirely. You also have less control over how an influencer speaks about you since it’s real-time and how they answer any product/brand related questions.

5: YouTube add-ons

Best for putting the cherry on top of your existing YouTube influencer campaigns

YouTube has various formats that can’t be standalone deliverables but are great add-ons to existing campaigns. You can negotiate to add these things to your campaigns for free or at a minimal cost.

a) Community posts

All YouTuber creators have a community page to share updates, run polls, and promote their existing videos. These pages don’t have high engagement rates, but a creator’s most dedicated fans will often seek them out – thus, they're great as a bundled package.

For example, Cara Nicole reiterated her sponsor’s (Thrive Market) info a month or so later when it was more timely (people are grocery shopping on the weekend).

It’s a great idea to spread out these add-ons so more people get exposed to you a second time.

b) Product links within the description

It’s always a good idea to negotiate your product’s mention right up top in a YouTube video’s description (above the ‘Show More’ fold) to get more conversions and have an accessible call-to-action link. Here’s an example of Cara Nicole’s partnership with Bombas:

c) Pinned comments

I don’t know about you, but I read the comments on every piece of content I watch – whether that’s a YouTube video or a LinkedIn post. They often contain interesting insights on the topic and give an opportunity to extend the conversation. As Julianne explains:

“Highly engaged viewers often read the comments of a video and/or want to add to the conversation, so having the Pinned Comment with CTA and link gives the advertiser a higher chance of click through.”

For example, Makari Espe partnered with Saily and left a pinned comment to encourage her audience to use the product and her code.

You can link to your website or the YouTube creator’s dedicated landing page (if you’ve made one) and reiterate the message in this pinned comment. But ask the creator to keep it succinct so the viewers actually read it and don’t just skim away.

How to set influencer prices for YouTube collaborations

Now that you know the various types of YouTube deliverables, the next question is: how much does each deliverable cost?

Shockingly to no one, it depends on a lot of things (more on that later), but here are some ballpark figures.

Note: these numbers are mostly what we’re seeing in the United States. Location is a huge factor in dictating price (along with niche, type of placement, etc.), so your ballpark figure might be outside this chart.

YouTube pricing depends on various factors:

• Views: the median number of views is the biggest deciding factor in determining how much to pay a YouTube influencer. The higher the views, the more the reach.
  
• Deliverable type: dedicated videos cost more since they require extensive product knowledge and more production strength. In integration videos, the cost will be higher for pre-roll integrations since audience retention is the highest at this point. Your ad duration also affects the cost in integration videos – a 90-second ad will cost more than a 30-second one.
  
• Industry: lifestyle industry costs less than finance or tech niches because they don’t require extensive research. Additionally, if an industry is popular on YouTube (like gaming), there are plenty of influencers available, so the fees can be lower. But if your niche has a handful of macro influencers, they’ll charge higher fees.
  
• Location: some markets (like the U.S., U.K., Germany, and Canada) are costlier than others because they have a more engaged audience paired with a high purchasing power.
  
• Social status and total reach: an influencer will charge more if their popularity extends beyond YouTube – for example, if they’re a TV personality or have over a million followers on TikTok.
  
• Deadline: if you want a quick turnaround, it’ll cost more since you’re asking influences to prioritize you over their other projects.
  
• Brand perception: if your brand poses reputational risks (like fast-fashion brands), influencers will quote a premium rate. This is also true for sensitive niches (like lingerie) or industries perceived as less desirable.
  

Apart from these factors, Marit also advises considering three additional factors internally to decide how much to pay a YouTube influencer:

Marit Tiesema

Sr KOL & Ambassador Specialist, Loop Earplugs

Always request video retention, following growth over time, and returning vs. new viewers (1 & 3 months). These should give you a good insight into who will watch your content and whether that aligns with your objectives.

Luckily, you can find nearly all this data on Modash without bombarding influencers to share a ton of their performance metrics.

👉 Start your free trial today. We don’t even need your credit card info (until you want to share willingly 😉)

How to negotiate with YouTube influencers

1: Consider negotiating on ad placement and duration

If an influencer’s price is out of your budget, propose post-roll integrations and a shorter duration of your ad placement. Yes, post-roll ads may have less audience retention, but these are the most engaged people, too. As Julianne explains:

Julianne Kiider

Influencer, Affiliate & Partnerships Consultant

Brands with smaller budgets can benefit by purchasing post-roll ads because they’ll be seen by the most engaged viewers & they're cheaper.

2: Plan a secondary negotiation point

Go into the money conversation prepared. Marit’s suggestions:

• Negotiate adding Instagram Stories into the deliverables (resharing requires minimal effort) if you need a lower CPM.
• Negotiate a shorter deadline if the rate is slightly out of budget to benefit your schedule.
  

Having these secondary negotiation points in your back pocket creates more flexibility in collaborating with a YouTube creator, even if you have to pay slightly more than you’ve accounted for.

3: Consider performance-based bonuses

Offer paying the influencer a flat fee and an affiliate commission to regulate their overall price. This is a win-win because it costs less for you, is less risky, and increases a creator’s skin in the game to drive more conversions.

👉 Looking for more negotiation tactics? Read our in-depth guide on YouTube influencer pricing.

How to prepare influencer briefs for YouTube

Your influencer briefs will change depending on the type of deliverable you’ve requested, your product, and your history of influencer relationships & collabs:

• Type of deliverable: a dedicated video will require an in-depth brief sharing details about your product, how it differs from competitors, the pain points it solves, etc. An integration video might only briefly touch on certain USPs or offers – so the brief can be less comprehensive.
  
• Your product: your brief needs much more product info if you sell a complex software vs. if you sell skincare products. The more complex your product, the more details your brief needs.
  
• History of influencer relationship and collabs: if you already have an existing relationship with the creator, they don’t need to know the basics of your product in the brief. Similarly, if they’ve already talked about your product multiple times on their channel (aka, it’s a long-term partnership), you need new talking points – such as a fresh use case – rather than a general brand awareness skit.
  

In dedicated videos, it’s also advisable to add keyword opportunities. YouTube is a search engine as much as it is a social media platform. Imbibing some SEO best practices in your brief can go a long way. Julianne agrees:

Julianne Kiider

Influencer, Affiliate & Partnerships Consultant

Work with your SEO team and the influencer to identify ideal keywords to use in the title and description of the video.

Let’s go over everything you need to include in briefs for dedicated sponsored YouTube videos:

• Video topic/angle (brainstorm this on a call with the influencer if you don’t already have something in mind)
• Detailed product info
• Keyword opportunities
• Campaign details
• About the brand
• Dos and don’ts
• Content inspiration
• Product use guidelines (for example, do you want to ‘show’ how your product is used in the video)
  

It’s also advisable to spend some time running through the brief together in dedicated videos because they take a lot of time to plan, shoot, and edit. Any misunderstandings or missing info here costs a lot of time. For the same reason, also ask for a concept for approval in dedicated videos – especially if you’re partnering for the first time and/or you sell a complex product. Marit explains the benefits of doing this:

Marit Tiesema

Sr KOL & Ambassador Specialist, Loop Earplugs

A strong concept review increases the chances of first-round approval and ensures your campaign goals are met.

Now, let’s go over what you need to include in your briefs for YouTube integrations:

• Decide which content you want to sponsor in an influencer’s schedule (you can sponsor a standalone video, a content series, etc. – look at what gets the most views)
• Integration length and placement
• Key talking points
• Product use guidelines (if you’re sharing your product with the creator)
• Basic product, brand, and campaign details
  

In summary, YouTube briefs share some common aspects regardless of deliverable type, as well as key differences.

What about briefing YouTube Shorts? For now, Shorts are either reposts from Instagram Reels/TikTok or a chunk of the long-form video you’ve already collaborated on.

The briefs for these typically need:

a) the difference you want between a Reel/TikTok

b) video segments you want to showcase from the long-form video

👉 Dive deeper into this topic by reading our guide on creating influencer briefs for YouTube.

How to repurpose YouTube influencer content to amplify your ROI

1: Run influencer content as ads

YouTube is allowing creators to initiate video linking requests with brands. Using this feature, creators can share organic video performance data through Google Ads with you and establish usage rights.

2: Create short-form videos for your Instagram, TikTok, and Shorts

Cut a long-form YouTube video into bite-sized clips that you can reuse on short-form video platforms like Instagram and TikTok. For example, Ruggable reshared one of their Instagram posts by creator Winona Wyborn on their YouTube Shorts.

3: Embed YouTube videos to your marketing assets

YouTube videos are a great addition to your website, blogs, and other marketing assets. For example, if a YouTube creator has shared an in-depth product guide on their channel, you can embed that video into your website as a product walkthrough. You can also add videos to your newsletter, articles, and testimonials.

Dove is the best example of how to do this: they embed their creators’ videos everywhere – from product pages to blogs.

YouTube influencer marketing: A summary

If influencer marketing were a game, YouTube would be a whole different league. Because of its SEO capabilities and longer shelf life, influencer collaborations on YouTube have to be approached differently than Instagram or TikTok. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide:

• 👉 Decide which type of YouTube deliverables fits your campaign needs and budget. Dedicated videos require a larger budget and are best for converting high intent buyers. Integration videos are the most common types of collabs on YouTube.
  
• 👉 Find relevant YouTube influencers using Modash. Evaluate influencers based on median views, audience demographics, growth rate, niches, brand fit, etc. Start your influencer outreach with a partially-personalized email to each potential creator partner.
  
• 👉 Negotiate with YouTube influencers. You can negotiate on ad placement, timelines, and audience demographics if a creator’s out of your budget. Dangling the long-term partnership carrot and choosing an affiliate model can also drive the price down.
  
• 👉 Brief your YouTube creator partners based on the type of deliverable. Share influencer briefs including brand, campaign, and product details. Dive deep if it’s a dedicated video. Stick to key talking points if it’s an integration.
  
• 👉 Repurpose your YouTube influencer content. You can add influencer content in ads, on your website, or in your marketing assets.
  
• 👉 Measure the impact of your YouTube influencer collabs and identify patterns. Maybe a certain niche outperforms the rest. Perhaps mid-roll ad placement gives you the best conversions. Use these insights to inform your future partnerships.
  

Next up: learn from real brands who’ve aced YouTube influencer marketing. Here are some YouTube influencer marketing examples to inspire your next campaign.