How To Collaborate With Other YouTubers, As A YouTuber
How To Collaborate With Other YouTubers, As A YouTuber
We have created this article as a reference guide on how to collaborate with other YouTubers and talk about some of the considerations you should have in the process of doing so.
Grace
2022-06-01
There are different strategies to help you grow your subscriber base on YouTube. Collaborations with other content creators is one of the best strategies available out there for you. Simply put, a YouTube collaboration is when two or more YouTubers from different channels come together to make video(s) which will be made accessible to both their audiences. The creators are free to use their imagination and creativity to figure out exactly how they can collaborate and create content together such that it is still entertaining enough to be enjoyed by both their audiences.
One of the benefits of collaboration is that YouTubers can give their audience fresh and entertaining content that’s different from the regular video styles that they usually create. Another benefit of collaboration is that it creates a win-win situation for all collaborating YouTubers since there is cross-pollination of audiences from the collaborators, thereby increasing the following size for everyone simultaneously! At the same time, YouTubers also get to connect with like-minded creators in the same niche and get to expand their network and opportunities as well!
In theory, the process of collaboration seems to be rather straight forward; Simply find another YouTuber in the same niche, create a bomb video together, reap the benefits and then move on. However, the process isn't as simple as just that. There are many factors for consideration to ensure that you’re collaborating with the right YouTubers and in a proper manner. There is the need to be cautious when collaborating with other YouTubers because things may go south anytime. That is why we have created this article as a reference guide on how to collaborate with other YouTubers and talk about some of the considerations you should have in the process of doing so.
How To Collaborate On YouTube
In short, there are two approaches when it comes to addressing this question. The first is simply to wait for someone to reach out to you requesting for a collaboration. For this to happen you should have already been consistently creating insightful, meaningful and authentic content that allows you to be presented as an authority in your field. Create as much quality content as you can and of course engage your audience earnestly and build a loyal following. If you do this, other creators will start to notice you and the quality of your work and will eventually reach out to you for collaborations.
Of course, this doesn't mean you should accept all requests. You need to weigh the pros and cons of every collaboration. For example, if a very new creator requests for a collaboration with you, you need to think about whether the collaboration will get you in front of a desirable set of eyes or not. You also need to investigate if the person has any bad scandals or reputations, and if associating yourself with the person will do any damage to yours. From a business point-of-view, also ask yourself if the person’s following is of good enough quality and quantity to positively contribute to your following.
Hence, you should take your time to thoroughly screen everyone that approaches you for a collaboration. Find out what their goal behind the collaboration is, their reputation, their work ethics, and any other info that may be helpful for purposes of reaching a decision.
The second approach is to proactively search for other YouTubers to collaborate with. This is the better approach out of the two because now you get to choose who you want to work with. It involves actively searching for YouTubers in the same or similar niche as yours, typically those with a similar subscriber count because they are the ones more likely to collaborate with you.
Think about it, if you have a subscriber count of 1,000 and you reach out to a YouTuber with say, 100,000 subscribers, what do you think your chances are of that YouTuber responding to your request? It would be rather low because you have little value to offer to the more popular influencer as your following size is still rather small now.
Once you’ve found a YouTuber with qualities that matches yours, you can reach out to them by sending an email. You will most likely find their contact details including the email address on their YouTube channel page under the “About” tab. Make the email as short as possible and always address them by their first name. Make reference to their previous works to show you’ve actually watched and engaged with their content before. In your email suggest ideas on how you would like to work with them.
Who Should You Collaborate With?
As you search for YouTubers to collaborate with, you may feel a little uncertain and overwhelmed especially because there are so many creators to choose from. After all, it is not everyone you should collaborate with on YouTube. In this section, we will discuss three considerations that you should keep in mind when deciding on who to collaborate with.
1. Goals
Understanding your goal will help you easily narrow down which YouTuber you can work with within your niche. To understand your goal, ask yourself questions like "Is my goal to grow my subscriber numbers"? "Or am I just looking to collaborate for fun and gaining experience?"
For the most time, your main goal could be to get some fresh eyes on your content with the hopes of getting more subscribers. But what else do you want to gain from your collaboration? Asking these questions may perhaps give you the clarity you need to determine who are YouTubers which you think are most likely to help you to meet your goals.
2. Content/ Video Ideas
Before you request a collaboration, you need to at least have a rough idea and first think of what kind of content you would like to create. Brainstorm a few potential ideas to make it easy for you to narrow down which YouTuber can help you bring them to life. Ask yourself, “What content would I like to create? What will the collab look like? Is the collaboration likely to end up successful?” etc.
Make sure your ideas are interesting and engaging enough for both your audiences. The ideas you come up with will also come in handy when you approach the YouTubers you have picked out since you can just pitch your ideas to them and hopefully gain their interest and attention to listen to what you have to say!
3. Audience
Lastly, before you decide on who to collaborate with, determine who your target audience are. This means keeping your audience in mind as you slog through the myriad of YouTubers. Think of whose attention you are trying to catch and if they are similar to the YouTubers’ regular audience. Go for the YouTubers who share the same or similar type of audience as you. Don't let numbers make you lose focus because they are useless if their audience don’t represent what you are looking for and result in a waste of time and effort.
Finding YouTubers To Collaborate With
Finding YouTubers to collaborate takes up quite a bit of time and effort. However, knowing where to look for them can make the process much easier. In this section we will share with you where to find YouTubers to collaborate with:
1. YouTube
The best place to find YouTubers to collaborate with is YouTube itself. One perk of using YouTube is that you can apply several tricks.
To search for desired creators, use YouTube’s search bar and search for topics within your niche that you want to create videos about. Once the results pop up, search around for channels that share a similar subscriber count as yours. To enhance your search, use filters and narrow down your search by view count, upload date, etc.
2. Online Search Tools
Besides searching on YouTube itself, you can utilize curated search tools such as
Vling.netto search for potential YouTube collaborators. For instance, you have a yoga channel and you are looking for a fellow yoga YouTuber to collaborate. All you have to do is to key in “Yoga” in the search field and results showing yoga related channels will appear.
Next you can filter your results based on country, category, subscribers, gender, and age. This way, you can choose to only see results which are similar your channel in size and fit your target audience criteria the most. In this example, let’s go for the following filters:
Let’s peek at what the results look like. And there you have it, a list of channels that meets your criteria exactly. These channels would be a great place for you to start reaching out right away!
3. Forums
Another great place to find YouTube content creators to collaborate with is niche-relevant forums where they hang out and promote their content. Examples of such forums include Ytalk, The TubeBuddy etc. The forums attract many YouTubers, and they often feature threads to help creators find channels to collaborate with making them the best place to look for potential collaborations.
4. Social media
In many cases, YouTubers tend to be spending a lot of time on social media if they aren’t creating YouTube content, usually to observe the latest trend that could inspire their next content. It could be on any of the social media platforms, such as Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook. You can search through posts, hashtags, and account followers on these platforms to find content creators to collaborate with. In the case of Facebook, you can also utilize the search bar to find groups populated with passionate content creators and create collaboration opportunities there.
5. In-person meetups
In-person meetups are events that are created and hosted at a physical location. They are also a great place to find YouTubers whom you can collaborate with. You can look for meet ups within a stone throw’s distance from your location or somewhere near enough for you to travel to. YouTube conventions, such as VidSummit and Vidcon are some of the most popular in-person meetup events.
6. Networking
Do you know someone who knows someone who knows a YouTuber? There’s a likelihood that they do. By reaching out to your own social circle, there is a chance that you can get in touch with other YouTubers personally. By using your social ties to link up with them, there is usually a higher chance of success of getting your message and intentions across to them. You can also expand your networks by going to local networking events in your region as well! They may not be the largest events but they present a potential for finding other YouTubers whom you can potentially collaborate with.
Conclusion
Collaborating with other YouTubers isn’t as easy as one, two, three. It requires careful research especially if you are the one approaching other YouTubers. To approach them you need to understand your goals, content ideas and your target audience. This will make it easier for you to filter and find the suitable creators to collaborate with. It also requires you to understand where you can find YouTubers to collaborate with.
There are many ways to do so, as long as you put in the hard work to reach out and don’t be passive and lazy. We advise that you take your time when vetting potential YouTube collaborators. Do not rush this process lest you risk collaborating with the wrong creators which has the potential to hurt your channel and reputation. In that case, it is certain it wouldn’t be worth your time and effort, and you’d perhaps be better off not collaborating at all.
