YouTube is rolling out new features that make it easier for creators and brands to connect their collaborative content with advertising campaigns.
This comes after their introduction last year of tools to help brands better leverage creator content and its fast-growing Shorts format to drive measurable business outcomes
The details. The platform has introduced two improvements:
- Creator-initiated linking: Eligible creators can now directly send linking requests to brands for sponsored videos they’ve already published.
- Video linking API: Brands working with multiple creators can automate the connection process through a new API integration.
Why we care. The creator economy continues to mature, but administrative friction has been a persistent obstacle in scaling partnerships between brands and content creators. YouTube’s new linking could significantly streamline the process of turning creator partnerships into measurable campaigns.
The creator-initiated linking feature reduces administrative back-and-forth, while the API automation saves substantial time for brands managing multiple creator relationships simultaneously.
The big picture. Consumer trust in creator recommendations continues to outpace traditional advertising. YouTube is positioned as the most efficient ecosystem for formalizing and measuring these relationships.
What’s next. YouTube will likely continue expanding its BrandConnect toolkit.
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About the author
Anu Adegbola has been Paid Media Editor of Search Engine Land since 2024. She covers paid search, paid social, retail media, video and more.
In 2008, Anu’s career started with
delivering digital marketing campaigns (mostly but not exclusively Paid Search) by building strategies, maximising ROI, automating repetitive processes and bringing efficiency from every part of marketing departments through inspiring leadership both on agency, client and marketing tech side.
She is also an international speaker with some of the stages she has presented on being SMX (US), SMX (Munich), Friends of Search (Amsterdam), brightonSEO, The Marketing Meetup, HeroConf (PPC Hero), SearchLove, BiddableWorld, SESLondon, PPC Chat Live, AdWorld Experience (Bologna) and more.