YouTube Creator Partnerships: Complete Guide for Indian Creators
How YouTube Creator Partnerships works for eligible Indian creators: eligibility, the Studio tab, media kit and rates, managing brand inquiries, partner access codes, partnership boosts and dynamic brand segments.
Brands looking for YouTube creators increasingly start inside YouTube's own tools. YouTube Creator Partnerships is the creator side of that system: a tab in YouTube Studio where eligible creators set preferences, share a media kit and manage brand inquiries, and a set of tools that let brands measure and amplify sponsored videos.
This guide explains the tool itself from a creator's side. If you're a brand planning long-term YouTube relationships, see YouTube creator partnerships for brands. If you've heard of BrandConnect and want to know what changed, see YouTube BrandConnect vs Creator Partnerships. Details were checked against YouTube's help centre and blog in September 2026.
Quick answer
YouTube Creator Partnerships is YouTube's brand partnership platform, formerly known as BrandConnect. In YouTube Studio's Earn section, eligible creators can manage campaign inquiries, customise a media kit with audience insights, set desired rates for long-form and Shorts partnerships, and add a manager's email for notifications. To be eligible you must be 18 or older, in the YouTube Partner Program, based in an available country (India is included), have no active Community Guidelines strikes and follow monetization policies. YouTube has also announced partner access codes, creator partnership boosts and dynamic brand segments; availability varies.
Eligibility
| Requirement | Detail (per YouTube's help centre) |
|---|---|
| Age | 18 or older |
| Programme | Enrolled in the YouTube Partner Program |
| Location | An available country or region; India is listed |
| Standing | No active Community Guidelines strikes |
| Policies | Compliant with YouTube's monetization policies |
If you're eligible, the Creator Partnerships tab appears in the Earn section of YouTube Studio.
Official: YouTube's Creator Partnerships help page.
What you can do in Studio
- Manage inquiries: brands' campaign inquiries arrive with briefs you can review and respond to.
- Media kit: a customisable kit using audience insights from your channel, which you can share with brands.
- Rates: set desired rates for long-form and Shorts partnerships so inquiries start closer to your range.
- Contacts: add a business manager or talent agent's email to receive inquiry notifications.
The media kit inside Studio is useful, but most brands still want your own kit with examples and context. See YouTube media kit for what to put in it.
Tools YouTube announced in 2026
At Made on YouTube 2026, YouTube described several additions. Check Studio for what's live on your channel.
| Tool | What YouTube says it does | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Partner access codes | Share brand partner access to your videos with a one-click code | Brands can track sponsored video performance directly |
| Creator partnership boosts | Brands deploy paid media behind your sponsored videos | Paid amplification of your content: price and permission it |
| Dynamic brand segments | Insert a sponsor segment into up to 20 long-form videos at once, with regional targeting and a call-to-action shelf | Sponsor segments can run on back-catalogue videos, not just new uploads |
| Ask Studio | AI help to respond to briefs, build pitches and customise media kits | Faster first drafts; still check every claim |
Source: Made on YouTube 2026 announcements.
Price boosts and back-catalogue segments properly
Two of these tools change what a brand is buying. A partnership boost puts paid media behind your video, which is paid usage of your content and your name; price it the way you'd price whitelisting. A dynamic brand segment inserted across many existing videos uses your library's ongoing views; price it by the number of videos, the regions and the duration, not as one new integration. Creator whitelisting and creator usage rights explain the logic.
Pricing logic: creator whitelisting and creator usage rights.
Responding to an inquiry
1. Read the brief: objective, deliverable (integration, dedicated video, Short), timeline 2. Check fit: would you recommend this product unpaid? Any category conflicts or exclusivity? 3. Ask what's missing: boosts? segment placement across videos? usage beyond YouTube? 4. Quote with extras itemised (boost permission, segment count, usage) 5. Confirm everything in writing, including payment terms and disclosure 6. Tick YouTube's paid promotion box when you publish
Creator collaboration brief and how to negotiate brand deals go deeper on each step.
Deeper: creator collaboration brief and how to negotiate brand deals.
Disclosure
Sponsored integrations and dedicated videos must use YouTube's paid product placement disclosure, and in India should also carry a clear verbal and on-screen disclosure under ASCI's influencer guidelines. Dynamic segments are still sponsored content in every video they appear in.
Rules: YouTube's paid promotion policy and ASCI's influencer resources.
Creator Partnerships is one channel, not the only one
Many Indian brand deals still start with direct pitches, agencies and inbound email. Treat Creator Partnerships as a strong discovery and management tool, and keep your own pitching, website and relationships active. See YouTube brand deals for building repeat sponsors.
Common mistakes
- Leaving desired rates blank, so every inquiry starts with a guess.
- Accepting a boost or segment deal priced like a single integration.
- Letting Studio's auto media kit replace your own examples and case studies.
- Skipping the paid promotion checkbox on segment videos.
- Ignoring inquiries in Studio because you check only email.
Conclusion
YouTube Creator Partnerships puts brand discovery, inquiries and media kits inside Studio for eligible creators, and adds tools that let brands measure and amplify your videos. Set your rates and contacts, keep your own media kit current, price boosts and segments as the extra value they are, and disclose every sponsored placement.