Discover a New Era of Brand and Creator Partnerships on YouTube

Creator marketing is entering a new era. And YouTube creators are in an unmatched position to connect brands with the audiences they care about and deliver stronger results. This competitive advantage is rooted in a deep sense of community: 79% of Gen Z viewers say YouTube creators form communities that give them a sense of belonging. It’s also why YouTube is the #1 platform viewers turn to when they want to research, vet, or make a decision about a brand or product, outperforming all other social platforms.

At the YouTube NewFront this year, we’re showing brands how to turn this trust into proven results. We’re evolving our tools into a centralized platform - YouTube Creator Partnerships (formerly known as BrandConnect) – integrated directly into YouTube Studio for creators, and Google Ads and Display & Video 360 for advertisers. We’re building tools that help advertisers to find the right creators, scale across every screen, and measure results with total confidence. And through our expanded YouTube Creator Partnerships API, select partners can bring these exact capabilities into their own tools.

One home for partnerships

YouTube Creator Partnerships uses Gemini to help advertisers discover the right creators with total confidence. With access to more than 3 million creators within the YouTube Partner Program, brands can find a trusted voice for any campaign. This is a huge advantage since 78% of viewers say YouTube has the most trusted creators for product recommendations. Creators can opt to share more about their channels with brands to fuel more valuable connections during a brand’s search process. On average, creators who shared channel insights were surfaced 60% more in search results.

For advertisers, this fuels more intelligent discovery. In the coming months, Gemini will be able to analyze billions of data points – including audience similarity, organic brand mentions, and subscriber growth – to suggest creators tailored to a brand’s specific identity and campaign goals.

Once the right partners are identified, we’re making outreach simpler. Advertisers can now build a list of best-fit creators and soon will be able to send inquiries to multiple creators at once. This streamlined process includes a dedicated section for managing brand deal links, ensuring that both sides have a clear, organized way to track their collaborations.

Scaling impact across every screen

YouTube’s unique position is the ability to reach audiences on any screen, from mobile to the living room. According to an Ipsos survey, for 76% of US respondents, access to both short and long form content is a top reason why YouTube is their "go-to" platform. For advertisers, this transforms creator marketing from a mobile-only tactic into a full journey strategy that commands the most attentive screen in the home.

To further scale their partnerships, advertisers can use creator partnerships boost (formerly known as Partnership ads). This format allows brands to turn authentic creator content into high-performing assets on Shorts and in-stream, using YouTube’s AI-powered ad solutions like Demand Gen, Video Reach, and Video View campaigns to meet their marketing objectives. Advertisers who promoted creator-led videos on YouTube Shorts saw an average 30% increase in conversion lift.

Measurement that proves long-term value

Today, 83% of Gen Z viewers prefer watching their favorite creators over studio-produced shows. The influence of a YouTube creator has a lasting impact that other platforms can't match; because fans know creators are experts, their content remains relevant long after the upload date. In fact, 40% of a video's views on YouTube happen more than a month after it goes live. By bringing together measurement across both organic and paid content, creators and advertisers can see a more complete view of how a partnership performs over time.

Brand Lift, Search Lift, and Conversion Lift studies provide the validated results brands need to prove success, and creators need to secure more partnerships. On average, YouTube drives 86% higher incremental long-term ROAS than paid social.