How to Connect With YouTube Influencers

When you want to learn about a product, do you search for it on YouTube? Many consumers do, so it’s not surprising to see brands use the channel to promote their goods. Rather than buy ads, though, brands are teaming up with YouTube influencers to offer authentic product promotion in video form. Wondering how to connect with YouTube influencers? Follow these steps:

Pro Tip: Search through thousands more on The Creator Marketplace.

1. Determine the campaign’s purpose and identify KPIs

If your brand is new to YouTube influencer marketing, you might not know how to start a campaign. First, determine what you want to accomplish with an influencer marketing campaign.

Do you want to raise brand awareness? Increase social media engagement? Fuel sales for a specific product? Define your goal.

Next, decide how you’ll measure the goal. Which KPIs will help you gauge your success?

List the campaign’s goal and the KPIs you’ll track, and specify what kind of change you’d like to see in the KPI.

A resource to help: Influencer Marketing KPIs and How to Track Them

2. Find the right YouTube influencer

Wondering how to find influencers? Here are a few ways to search:

Search your product niche

Use the search bar on YouTube to find videos of products in your niche. Scroll through the results and make a short list of the influencers you like.

Google your niche and request videos

You can also Google the type of influencer you’re looking for, like a beauty influencer, and ask for video results only. Just type “beauty influencer” into Google’s search bar and click “Videos” to see a list of videos created by niche influencers.

Use an influencer marketing platform

Influencer marketing platforms like the Creator Marketplace® have useful discovery tools. Think of it as a Google search that only returns influencers ready to work with brands. You can search for influencers by niche or product and filter your results by social channel, number of followers, or even by the amount an influencer charges.

A resource to help: YouTubers You Can Work With Today on The Creator Marketplace

3. Vet your YouTube influencer list

It’s time to research the YouTubers you’ve shortlisted. Here’s how:

Check on content quality

Scroll through the influencer’s YouTube channel, watch a handful of videos from start to finish, and pay attention to quality. Don’t pick the first ones you see. Review a handful over the past year. Pay special attention to any with #sponsored, #endorsed, or #ad hashtags.

Listen for tone and voice

You want an influencer who aligns with your brand’s voice, so listen to the influencer’s delivery to make sure he or she is a good fit.

Review comments

Does the influencer engage with his or her audience? How do they handle negative comments? Read through the comments to understand a YouTuber’s engagement and personality.

Check on engagement rate

If you’re using an influencer database like The Creator Marketplace, the YouTuber’s engagement rate is often listed on their profile. If not, you may have to ask an influencer for it. Look for an engagement rate of 1-5%.

4. How to connect with YouTube influencers

With the ideal influencers identified, it’s time to connect with them. How do you go about connecting with a YouTuber?

Find their preferred method of communication

If you find a video creator through an influencer platform, use the platform to message him or her.

If you’re not using an influencer database, go to the YouTuber’s channel and look for his or her email address listed in the About section.

If you don’t see an email listed, you can search for the influencer on other channels, specifically Instagram. Usually, influencers offer an email address or encourage brands to reach out via DM.

Send the influencer a message

Most YouTubers offer their email address as a contact, so you’ll most likely email the creators you’d like to work with. Your email should include:

Greeting
Compliment one or two posts [link to them]
Your reason for reaching out
Mention the product or service you want promoted
Call to action

Here’s an example of an email

Hello Avery,

Our marketing team at BookLoversAlley subscribes to your YouTube channel and particularly enjoyed your recent review of Best Beach Reads.

I’m Abby Smith, the marketing coordinator at BookLoversAlley, and I’d like to see if you’re interested in collaborating with our brand.

Would you be interested in showing your audience how easy it is to order pre-owned books through our online library?

If so, please respond to this email to discuss the campaign and compensation.

Thanks,

Abby

Set a meeting and discuss a contract

Set up a meeting with the influencer to talk more about the campaign. Discuss the goal, deadlines, content type, and compensation. Remember, most YouTube influencers aren’t willing to trade a post for a product. Most influencers expect a free product and compensation.

A resource to help: The 2023 State of Influencer Earnings

All of these details should also be outlined in an influencer contract too. A contract protects both the brand and the influencer. In addition to the campaign’s goals, deadlines, deliverables, and payments, the contract should also cover the approval process, content ownership, and terms of dismissal.

A resource to help: How to Create a Social Media Influencer Agreement

With a contract signed and ready, all that’s left is to execute the campaign. Be sure to stay in contact with the influencer after the campaign, too, many collaborations turn into long-term relationships.