Write a one-page brief, shortlist three to five channels whose viewers are your customers, and compare them on average views rather than subscribers. Agree a fixed price for a named deliverable, then put it in a written agreement covering placement, usage, the "Ad" label, approval rounds and when you pay. Hold the fee in escrow, review the draft, approve, and measure with a tracked link or code.
1. What goes in the brief?
One page. Creators get vague briefs all day; a clear one gets a better video and a firmer price.
What you’re promoting (a product, a service, an app or the brand) in one line, and the one thing viewers should remember.
Who it’s for, and where they live (UK only, or anywhere).
The format: a 60-second integration, a longer segment, or a dedicated video.
What the creator must say, and what they must not claim.
The goal and the call to action: buy with a code, sign up, download, or simply remember the name.
Dates: when any product or access reaches the creator, when you want the draft, and the publish window.
2. How do you find the right channels?
Search YouTube for the problem you solve, not your brand name. The channels whose videos rank for those searches already have your buyers. Shortlist three to five.
For each, check the last ten videos: average views, how steady they are, and whether the comments are real conversations. Ask the creator for their audience location and age from YouTube Studio. A 15K-subscriber channel whose videos all get 12K views beats a 100K channel whose videos get 4K.
3. How do you agree a price?
Ask each creator for a fixed price for the exact deliverable in your brief, including any Shorts cut-down or cross-post. Compare quotes per 1,000 average views, not per subscriber. Our UK YouTube sponsorship cost guide has the market ranges by channel size and format.
If you want to run the creator’s segment as your own ad, say so now. That licence is priced separately, and it is much cheaper to agree before the video is made than after.
4. What must be in the contract?
Deliverable: the format, length, and the publish date or window.
Placement: where in the video the segment runs, and that it stays up for an agreed period.
Usage: whether you can reuse the segment, where, and for how long.
Disclosure: an "Ad" label in the title, thumbnail or the opening seconds, and YouTube’s paid promotion setting switched on.
Approval: how many rounds of changes you get, and how fast each side responds.
Payment: the fee, when it’s paid, and what happens if the video is late or never goes up.
The UK sponsorship agreement guide goes through each clause and the ASA’s rules for YouTube.
5. How should you pay?
Through escrow: you pay when the deal is agreed, a third party holds the money, and it’s released once you’ve approved the video. The creator knows the fee is there before they film; you know it isn’t paid out for a video you haven’t seen. Paying in full up front leaves you nothing if the video never appears; paying 30 days after publish leaves the creator chasing.
6. How do you review and publish?
Ask for the draft at least five working days before the publish date. Review once, with all your notes together, against the brief: facts, claims, the call to action, and the disclosure. Ask for factual fixes, not a rewrite of the creator’s style. That style is why their viewers watch.
On publish day, check the "Ad" label, the paid promotion setting, the link and the code. Then approve, and the fee is released.
7. How do you measure a YouTube sponsorship?
Measure against the goal you set in the brief. Record views at 7 and 30 days and work out cost per 1,000 views for every booking, then:
Sales: a tracked link and a discount code per creator; cost per sale.
Sign-ups or downloads: a tracked link per creator, and a “where did you hear about us?” option; cost per sign-up.
Awareness: searches for your brand name and direct visits in the weeks after publish, against the weeks before.
Most of a YouTube video’s views come in the first month, but it keeps finding viewers through search, so check again at 90 days before you decide on a repeat booking.
Do it yourself, use an agency, or use Sponsarva?
Finding channels — You search and email — They choose — Search, or we send three with prices
Audience checked — Screenshots you ask for — Varies — Views and audience checked before you book
Contract and usage — You write it — Theirs, on their terms — Written into every deal
When you pay — Up front or on invoice — Up front — Held in escrow until you approve
Draft review — Email and WhatsApp — Email rounds — Comments pinned to the second, on the deal
Cost to the brand — Your time — Management fee — No platform fee
On Sponsarva, the deliverable and terms are agreed before you pay, payment is held by Stripe until you approve the video, and disputes are handled against the written terms. See how deals are protected.
Three to six weeks. Most creators plan videos a few weeks out, and they need time to try what they’re promoting.
Yes. Channels with 1K–10K subscribers often have close, engaged audiences and cost far less. Judge them on average views and comments.
If the creator is to show or review it, yes, and early enough for them to use it properly. Agree whether they keep it. For a service or an app, give them full access instead.
The creator. Give them the key points and the claims they can make; they put it in their own words.
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