Linking your video to a brand

Linking your sponsored content video to a brand's Google Ads account means that the content is part of a brand campaign. A “Paid promotion” label will be added to your content, and it will allow brands and any third-party entities on behalf of the brand such as influencer marketing agencies to:

View the video’s organic and paid performance metrics in Google Ads.
Promote your video as part of a campaign.

As a reminder, brands can still target ads to viewers of your YouTube video, as permitted through Google Ads platforms.

Eligibility

Creator-Initiated requests:
- Select an existing reported brand deal: Any creator
- Search for a brand: Only YouTube Partner Program creators
Brand-Initiated requests: Any creator can receive a request

Get started with linking your video to a brand

Creator-Initiated Requests: During video upload or edit (after-upload), creators can initiate a request to link their video to a brand’s Google Ads account(s). Under the "Paid promotions & brands" section, creators have two options:
- Select an existing reported brand deal: If a brand deal has already been reported by a brand or agency on behalf of a brand, creators can select the relevant brand campaign associated with the video.
- Search for a brand: If the relevant brand campaign is not already listed, creators can search for and select a brand.
Brand-Initiated Requests: After a video is uploaded, brands or agencies on behalf of brands can send direct requests to creators to link their Google Ads account to that video. Creators will receive these requests via email notification or push and inbox notifications on YouTube Studio.

Creator-initiated video linking request

As a creator, you can link your videos to a brand during video upload or edit. You can initiate a video link request with a brand by 1) selecting a reported brand deal (any creator) or 2) searching for a brand (only YPP creators).

During both upload and edit, if a brand has reported a campaign you are partnering with them on, you can select that campaign. Otherwise, you'll need to manually search for the brand.

Select from a reported campaign or search for a brand (during upload)

Open the YouTube Studio app or YouTube mobile app .
Tap Create .
Start creating your video. Learn more on how to upload a video or create a Short.
Once you get to the “Add details” page, tap Paid promotion & brands .
Under "Paid promotion," select Yes.
Under the “Brands” section, select a campaign or search for a brand to link the video:
- If the brand has reported the campaign you are participating in: Tap Select brand sponsorship. Then, choose from one of the existing campaigns that have been reported and tap Select.
  - Note: If you’re unsure of which campaign code to choose from, please contact the brand for confirmation.
- If there are no relevant reported campaigns to your video: Search for the brand you want to associate the video with instead, and then tap Select.
Agree to the statement in the pop-up to save.

Note: Upon agreeing, viewer demographics, watch time, retention, engagement, and performance data will be shared with the brand. Learn how to manage video linking.

Return to the “Add details” page, fill in other details upload the video, which sends the link request to the brand.

Select from a reported campaign or search for a brand (after upload)

Open the YouTube Studio app or YouTube mobile app .
Select the video you want and edit the setting. Learn how to edit video settings.
Once you get to the “Edit video” or “Edit details” page, tap More options Paid promotion & brands .
Under "Paid promotion," select Yes.
Under the “Brands” section, select a campaign or search for a brand to link the video:
- If the brand has reported the campaign you are participating in: Tap Select brand sponsorship. Then, choose from one of the existing campaigns that have been reported and tap Select.
  - Note: If you’re unsure of which campaign code to choose from, please contact the brand for confirmation.
- If there are no relevant reported campaigns to your video: Search for the brand you want to associate the video with instead, and then tap Select.
Agree to the statement in the pop-up to save.
Save the video to ensure changes are saved.

Note: Upon agreeing, viewer demographics, watch time, retention, engagement, and performance data will be shared with the brand. Learn how to manage video linking.

How to remove a brand linked to your video

You can remove the brand linked to your video at any time. By doing so, you will remove consent to share non-public video metrics with the brand. This will also remove consent for the brands to promote their video in Partnership Ads, but the video may still be promoted in other Ad contexts.

Remove a brand linked to your video

Open the YouTube Studio app or YouTube mobile app .
Find the video with an active brand link that you want to disconnect.
On the video, select the Menu Edit .
On the “Edit video” or "Edit details" page, tap Paid promotion & brands .
Under the "Brands" section, tap Remove on the video you want to remove a video linking association from.
Tap Remove again to confirm.
Exit the “Paid promotion & brands” screen and “More options” screen, and then select Save on the “Edit video” page to confirm.

Understand the video-level insights shared

In addition to basic public video metadata that is already available to brands and third party entities (e.g., video format, duration, publishing date, likes, comments), by initiating video linking with a brand or accepting a brand’s video link request, you are consenting to the sharing of public and non-public video-level performance metrics. The non-public video-level performance metrics are listed below. Creators can view these insights within YouTube Analytics.

Non-public video-level performance metrics shared with brands:

Basic Video Information	Video visibility (Private, Public, Unlisted)
Video Performance	Total adds to playlist*
	Total shares*
	Views*
	Engaged views*
	Engagement Rate*
	Reach
	Total watch time*
	Average view duration*
	Average percentage viewed
	Likes*
	Dislikes
	Comments*
Audience Demographics	Audience Viewer Age
	Audience Viewer Gender
	Audience Viewer Country*
	Audience Viewer Region*

Note: metrics marked with a * highlights which will be split by organic vs. paid traffic

Understand Partnership Ads

For creators, partnership ads can empower creators by allowing brands to feature their YouTube videos in ad campaigns across the Google Ads platform. Creators benefit from their organic videos being used in ad campaigns, potential for audience growth through data segments, and access to organic view metrics for linked videos. Highlighting creator-made videos in ad campaigns can significantly boost creator visibility and reach. Learn more about Partnership ads.

Frequently asked questions

How long do video linking requests last?

While video linking requests do not expire after a certain amount of time, the brand can revoke a pending link request. You can also remove a video linking association at any time. Removing a brand associate from your content will remove the brand’s ability to:

View the video’s organic and paid performance metrics in Google Ads.
Promote your video as part of a partnership ads campaign.

Additionally, if the requested video is deleted or marked as private, the video link request will expire.

If a brand already uses my videos in their brand campaign, do I need to link my video to their Google Ads account?

We recommend link your video to the brand as it will allow the brand to:

View the video’s organic and paid performance metrics in Google Ads.
Promote your video as part of a partnership ads campaign.

As a reminder, brands can still target ads to viewers of your YouTube video, as permitted through Google Ads platforms.

How will I be notified of requests from advertisers to link my video?

If you have at least one pending request, and you have opted in to receive push notifications, you will be notified for every video linking request you receive on YouTube Studio mobile app (up to two per day) and email (one per Google ad account). In addition, you will receive a weekly recap inbox notification summarizing all pending requests on your channel if you have at least one pending request.

Will a brand using my content in a partnership ads campaign impact its organic performance?

Running a partnership ads campaign (or 'boosting') for your content will not harm its organic performance because the two are entirely separate processes.

Organic performance is driven by the platform's algorithm, based on factors like watch time and engagement. This determines your video's natural reach with viewers.
Paid performance is driven by a brand's budget and targeting settings. This brings your video to new, specific audiences.

Boosting simply introduces your content to a new audience; it does not prevent your existing fans from seeing the video or interfere with its potential for organic recommendations.

Will having my content boosted through a partnership ads campaign impact my channel's growth?

Content boosting is a net positive for your channel:

Attracts New, Relevant Viewers: Brands invest to place your content in front of audiences most likely to enjoy it. When these new viewers connect with your video, they are likely to subscribe and explore your channel—an action made easier by the prominent button included in the ad.
Boosts Overall Views & Engagement: Views from ad campaigns contribute to your video's total view count. This increased activity can send positive signals to the platform's algorithm, potentially improving the video's organic discovery.
Deepens Brand Relationships: Allowing a brand to boost your content demonstrates your value as a partner who creates effective material. This can lead to more opportunities and larger partnerships in the future.

In essence, content boosting is a strategic tool that leverages a brand's resources to expand your audience and accelerate channel growth.

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