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Heroes of Might and Magic 3Creator Partnerships
YouTube Creator Partnerships, called BrandConnect until March 2026, is YouTube's marketplace where brands find creators for paid deals. Creators 18 or older in the YouTube Partner Program set a suggested price in YouTube Studio; the brand pays the creator directly, and the video must be marked as a paid promotion.
YouTube Creator Partnerships is YouTube's own marketplace for brand deals: eligible creators become discoverable to advertisers, who contact them through the Creator Partnerships tab in YouTube Studio > Earn, and any deal is agreed and paid directly between the brand and the creator. It is the new name of BrandConnect, announced at YouTube's NewFronts presentation on Mar 23, 2026 along with Gemini-powered creator suggestions for brands. To take part a creator must be at least 18, in the YouTube Partner Program, in an available country and free of active Community Guidelines strikes. A sponsored video must still be marked as a paid promotion in YouTube Studio (Paid Promotions and Sponsorships).
Quick facts
| Former name | BrandConnect (renamed Mar 23, 2026) |
| Age | 18 or older |
| Program | YouTube Partner Program (the 500-subscriber tier is enough) |
| Strikes | No active Community Guidelines strikes |
| Where | YouTube Studio > Earn > Creator Partnerships |
| Who pays | The brand, directly |
| Opt out of outreach | youtube-brandconnect-opt-out@google.com |
| Turn off entirely | youtube-creator-partnerships-opt-out@google.com |
Sources: YouTube Creator Partnerships and upcoming YPP changes, YouTube Help, and Tubefilter, as of Nov 6, 2026.
Who can use YouTube Creator Partnerships?
Help's requirements (YouTube Help):
- At least 18 years old.
- In the YouTube Partner Program. YouTube groups Creator Partnerships with fan funding and Shopping, which open at 500 subscribers plus 3,000 watch hours or 3 million Shorts views, a bar that stays the same after the Feb 1, 2027 changes (Partner Program Changes in 2027).
- Based in an available country or region (Help keeps the list; the UAE is on it).
- No active Community Guidelines strikes.
- Following YouTube's monetization policies.
Being eligible does not guarantee offers: brands choose whom to contact.
At the rename, Creator Insider said Creator Partnerships was available in seven markets (the US, India, Indonesia, the UK, Brazil, Australia and Canada) and would reach more countries in the following months; Help's current list is the one to check.
How do I set up Creator Partnerships?
- Open YouTube Studio and click Earn.
- Select the Creator Partnerships tab.
- Under Preferences, choose Set suggested price to give rates for long-form and Shorts partnerships.
- Choose Business contact email to add an address, such as a manager's or agent's, that receives copies of inquiries.
Brands may then write through the tab, or reach out by email or on social media, so Help advises keeping contact details current (YouTube Help). Where Creator Partnerships is new, Creator Insider said creators first see an onboarding flow asking for contact information and any agency or manager.
How does a brand deal work there?
An inquiry shows what the advertiser proposes; the amount is the brand's figure, not a final offer. Selecting Interested opens the conversation, and the creator and brand negotiate and sign their own agreement. The brand pays the creator; YouTube does not, and Help suggests asking a lawyer about any terms that are unclear (YouTube Help). Brand deal earnings are not part of the ad revenue share and do not pass through AdSense, unlike YouTube Shopping commissions.
To get found, a creator can share channel and audience insights with advertisers, brands and third-party platforms. Creator Insider said creators who shared them and appeared in search saw on average double the click or interaction rate on their profiles in Google's creator search tools, and that the media kit and open call features (open call US only at the time, with more countries due in 2026) became part of Creator Partnerships.
Brands can also pay to run a creator's video as an ad. The product formerly called Partnership ads became Creator Partnerships Boost in the March 2026 relaunch, turning creator videos into Shorts and in-stream ads (Tubefilter).
Disclosing a sponsored video
A video made for a brand must be declared in YouTube Studio: when uploading, open Show more, and under Paid Promotion select Yes, my video includes branded content; for an existing video, check the branded content box in its details. YouTube then shows viewers a disclosure at the start of the video (YouTube Help). Branded content must follow the Community Guidelines and Google Ads policies, and both the creator and the brand are responsible for local law, such as FTC rules in the US or the ASA's in the UK.
How do I opt out?
Email youtube-brandconnect-opt-out@google.com to stop appearing in brands' search recommendations and outreach, or youtube-creator-partnerships-opt-out@google.com to turn Creator Partnerships off altogether (YouTube Help).
How it began
Creator Partnerships grew out of FameBit, a creator marketplace YouTube bought in 2016, which became BrandConnect. At the 2026 relaunch Tubefilter reported Gemini suggesting creators to brands from the roughly three million channels in the Partner Program, with better measurement for advertisers (Tubefilter).
What creators say
Brand money does not have to wait for YPP. In "Monetize ANY video with sponsorships! (even demonetized channels)", George Vanous of Freedom! pointed out that sponsorships and affiliate links pay on any video, even on a channel not yet in the Partner Program, and showed PewDiePie's descriptions linking the drink, chair, headset and VPN he talks about. His advice: pick companies and products tied to the content you already make, and give fans a discount through your link.
Frequently asked questions
What happened to YouTube BrandConnect? YouTube renamed BrandConnect to YouTube Creator Partnerships, announced on Mar 23, 2026. It is still in YouTube Studio under Earn, on the Creator Partnerships tab.
How do I join YouTube Creator Partnerships? Be at least 18, in the YouTube Partner Program, in an available country and without active Community Guidelines strikes. Then set a suggested price and business email under Earn > Creator Partnerships > Preferences.
Does YouTube take a cut of Creator Partnerships deals? YouTube Help says the brand pays the creator directly under their own agreement; it describes no YouTube share of the deal.
Do I have to disclose a YouTube Creator Partnerships deal? Yes. A paid brand deal is branded content, so tick the paid promotion option in YouTube Studio, and follow local law such as the FTC's rules.
How many subscribers do you need for YouTube brand deals? For YouTube Creator Partnerships, you need to be in the YouTube Partner Program, whose fan funding tier opens at 500 subscribers. Brands can still offer deals outside YouTube's marketplace at any size.
Sources
- YouTube Creator Partnerships, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- Upcoming changes to the YouTube Partner Program, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- Paid product placements, endorsements & sponsorships, YouTube Help, read Nov 6, 2026
- BrandConnect is now YouTube Creator Partnerships, Creator Insider, Mar 25, 2026 (video)
- Monetize ANY video with sponsorships! (even demonetized channels), Freedom!, Oct 4, 2020 (video)
- YouTube's BrandConnect hub is evolving into a streamlined Creator Partnerships platform, Tubefilter, Mar 23, 2026
Moments
BrandConnect is now YouTube Creator Partnerships, Affiliate Program Eligibility Expansion, and more!
Creator Insider
- YouTube Creator Partnerships is YouTube's own marketplace for brand deals: eligible creators become discoverable to…
- At the rename, Creator Insider said Creator Partnerships was available in seven markets (the US, India, Indonesia, the…
- Brands may then write through the tab, or reach out by email or on social media, so Help advises keeping contact…
- To get found, a creator can share channel and audience insights with advertisers, brands and third-party platforms…
Monetize ANY video with sponsorships! (even demonetized channels)
Freedom!
Related
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Advertiser-Friendly GuidelinesYouTube's advertiser-friendly guidelines decide whether a monetized video can earn full ads (green dollar icon), limited ads (yellow) or none. They cover 14 topics, from language and violence to controversial issues, and partners rate their own videos through self-certification and can ask for a human review.
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Channel MembershipsYouTube channel memberships let viewers pay a creator monthly through the Join button for perks like badges, emoji and members-only videos. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program (500 subscribers), can offer up to 6 levels priced from $0.99 to $499.99 in the US, and keep 70% of net revenue.
- Gifts and JewelsOn YouTube live streams, viewers buy Jewels and spend them on animated gifts; the creator earns Rubies, worth one cent each at launch. Gifts started on vertical live streams in the US in November 2024 and now work on vertical and horizontal streams in many countries, for channels in the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program.
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Inauthentic and Reused ContentYouTube does not pay for mass-produced, templated or repetitive videos (inauthentic content, called repetitious content before Jul 15, 2025) or for other people's material reposted without meaningful changes (reused content). Both are judged across the whole channel, even with the owner's permission.
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Reaction Videos and CompilationsYouTube monetizes reaction videos when you comment on the original, and compilations when you add a storyline and commentary. Mostly silent reactions, unnarrated clip compilations, social media clip roundups and mixes of different artists' songs are not eligible, even with permission.
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Super Chat and Super StickersSuper Chat lets YouTube viewers pay to highlight a message in a live stream or Premiere chat, and Super Stickers to post an animated sticker there. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program (500 subscribers) and get 70% of net revenue.
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Super ThanksSuper Thanks lets YouTube viewers tip a creator on an ordinary video or Short; the buyer sees a one-time animation and posts a highlighted comment. Creators need the fan funding tier of the YouTube Partner Program and keep 70% of net revenue.
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US Tax WithholdingEvery YouTube Partner Program creator must give Google US tax info in AdSense for YouTube. Creators outside the US who do are taxed 0 to 30% on earnings from US viewers only, depending on their country's tax treaty; individuals who do not can lose 24% of all their YouTube earnings worldwide.
See also
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YouTube Partner ProgramThe YouTube Partner Program (YPP) is how creators earn from YouTube. Ads need 1,000 subscribers plus 4,000 public watch hours in 12 months or 10 million Shorts views in 90 days; fan funding and Shopping open earlier, at 500 subscribers. New applicants need 8,000 hours or 20 million Shorts views from Feb 1, 2027.
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Paid Promotions and SponsorshipsYouTube requires creators to declare any sponsorship, product placement, endorsement or other branded content by ticking the paid promotion box in YouTube Studio, which shows viewers a disclosure at the start of the video; some products may never be promoted and burned-in video ads are not allowed.
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Partner Program Changes in 2027From Feb 1, 2027, new YouTube Partner Program applicants need 1,000 subscribers plus 8,000 watch hours in a year or 20 million Shorts views in 90 days, Shorts revenue needs 10 million Shorts views every 90 days, and every partner must accept new terms in YouTube Studio by Jan 31, 2027.
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Community Guidelines StrikesA first YouTube Community Guidelines violation is usually only a warning, which expires 90 days after you finish a short policy training. After that, strikes freeze posting for one week, then two, and a third strike in 90 days can remove the channel.
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YouTube ShoppingYouTube Shopping lets creators show products in their videos, Shorts, live streams and channel store. Partners can sell their own merch, and in 18 countries join the Shopping affiliate program (500 subscribers since Mar 25, 2026) to tag other brands' products and earn a commission set by the brand.
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AdSense for YouTubeAdSense for YouTube is the Google account that pays YouTube creators. Earnings are credited between the 7th and 12th of each month and paid between the 21st and 26th once the balance reaches the $100 payment threshold, after the address is verified with a mailed PIN at $10.