YouTube BrandConnect: How Creators Join and Land Sponsorships

YouTube BrandConnect is YouTube's brand-deal marketplace, now called YouTube Creator Partnerships. Eligible Partner Program creators get a tab in YouTube Studio where they set desired rates, add a manager's email and answer brand inquiries, while brands search for them in Google Ads and Display & Video 360. Invited Shorts creators can also submit videos to brand briefs through Open Call.

Creators still search for BrandConnect, so we use both names here. Every rule below comes from YouTube's own Help Center and blog as we checked them in November 2026.

What happened to YouTube BrandConnect?

YouTube folded it into YouTube Creator Partnerships, announced on the YouTube Blog on March 23, 2026. The post describes Creator Partnerships as "formerly known as BrandConnect," built into YouTube Studio for creators and into Google Ads and Display & Video 360 for advertisers.

The names changed in 2 places:

YouTube says it uses Gemini to help advertisers find creators, and that creators who chose to share more channel insights were surfaced 60% more in search results. That figure is YouTube's own claim. Some regional help pages still use the BrandConnect name.

On the advertiser side, Google Ads Help says core features like creator search became available in June 2026 wherever the Partner Program is active, with no minimum spend. Google labels the tool an open beta.

Who can join YouTube Creator Partnerships?

You need Partner Program membership, an adult account in a supported country and a clean strike record. YouTube's Creator Partnerships page lists the requirements, and its Partner Program changes page confirms Creator Partnerships stays open at the 500-subscriber tier:

The upload rule comes from YouTube's expanded Partner Program page. Ad revenue is a separate step that starts at 1,000 subscribers. From February 1, 2027, new channels will need 8,000 watch hours in a year or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days to share ad revenue, while channels already in the program keep their status.

Existing partners do have one deadline. YouTube says to review and accept the updated terms in YouTube Studio by January 31, 2027, or you'll stop earning from the features tied to them.

How do brand deals work inside Creator Partnerships?

Brands find you and send an inquiry to YouTube Studio, and the deal itself is between you and the brand. YouTube connects you and leaves the terms to both sides.

Here's how it runs, step by step:

1. Set up. In YouTube Studio, open Earn, then YouTube Creator Partnerships. Set desired rates for long-form and Shorts deals, and add a business manager or talent agent email to copy on every inquiry.
2. Share insights. Opt in to share detailed channel insights. Google Ads Help says audience and performance filters leave out creators who haven't opted in.
3. Read the inquiry. A campaign inquiry shows the brand, earnings, deliverables and other details. YouTube notes the earnings come from the advertiser and may differ from a final offer.
4. Respond. Choosing Interested shares your contact details with the brand, and Not interested tells the brand you passed.
5. Sign and get paid. You negotiate and sign an agreement directly with the brand, and the brand pays you, so payment terms are yours to agree with it.

The tab also gives you a media kit built on your channel's audience insights, for pitching yourself to brands. Our guide on how to make a media kit covers when a custom kit still matters.

How does YouTube's Open Call work?

Open Call lets brands post a brief, invited Shorts creators submit a video for it, and YouTube pays only for the videos a brand selects. That makes it spec work: you film and edit before anyone agrees to pay.

YouTube's Open Call help page and program policies set these terms:

To submit, upload your Short as an unlisted video, then in YouTube Studio open Earn, YouTube Creator Partnerships and the Open Call campaign. Review the brief, tap Submit, pick your Short and accept the program terms.

Some Open Call projects are organic. In those, the video goes public on your channel on the advertiser's go-live date and stays public for at least 180 days unless the advertiser says otherwise.

YouTube lists what gets a submission rejected. Videos with AI-generated visuals or made by AI creators may be rejected automatically, along with mentions of competitor brands, unauthorized intellectual property or sounds, and people under 18 appearing without family or guardians.

What should you watch before you say yes?

The fee, the ad rights and the disclosure. Creator Partnerships connects you with brands, and everything after the Interested button follows the agreement you sign.

For direct inquiries, quote the way you would for any sponsor: the integration or dedicated video, Shorts, usage and exclusivity as separate lines. For Open Call, compare the fee with your rate for the Short plus 180 days of paid use on Google's ad platforms, and skip briefs that fall short.

Creator partnerships boost needs its own line in the contract. When you share brand partner access to a video, YouTube says the brand can see its organic and paid metrics and boost it as an ad. You can remove that access at any time, but YouTube notes the video may still be promoted in other ad contexts, and it advises creators to agree on usage rights with advertisers directly.

Disclose every sponsored video. Select the paid promotion option in your video details, which adds a disclosure label at the start of the video (YouTube Help). Open Call submissions must also be marked as branded content with the Paid Promotion box checked.

YouTube Growth and Brand Partnerships are 2 of our 10 services, and 1DS Management represents 107 creators, athletes and entrepreneurs. If you'd like a management team on your inquiries, apply for representation. For every other route to sponsors, see our guide on how to get brand deals.