Sponsors Want THIS, Not Big Numbers! | Creator Sponsorships 101

[00:00] Let me tell you something that nobody in

[00:01] this space wants to admit out loud. You

[00:03] do not need 100k subscribers or

[00:06] followers to get a sponsor. You don't

[00:07] even need 50k. You don't even need 20k.

[00:10] I got my first sponsorship deal when I

[00:12] had way less than that, and I'm going to

[00:14] tell you exactly how I did it because

[00:15] I'm really tired of watching small

[00:17] streamers sit around waiting for some

[00:20] magical follower number to unlock this

[00:22] sponsor door like it's an achievement or

[00:24] something. It's not. There's no level

[00:26] cap. There's no unlock condition. It's

[00:28] just you, your content, and whether or

[00:30] not you know where you're going. So,

[00:32] let's fix that.

[00:33] Poi poi, it's me, Aggie, the eapiest and

[00:36] most opinionated anti-idol squid girl in

[00:38] the sea. And today, we're talking about

[00:40] sponsorships, specifically how to

[00:42] actually get them when you're small,

[00:44] what brands are genuinely looking for,

[00:46] and the exact process that I used to

[00:48] pitch myself. Before anyone in the

[00:49] comments comes for me, also, yes, I do

[00:51] have real sponsorships. I'm with Gamer

[00:53] Supps, Waifu Wicks, Zephyr Arcade,

[00:55] Stormforge Technology, B-Planted. Use

[00:57] code suck egg at all of those, by the

[00:59] way. Get numbers, etc., etc., etc.

[01:01] I've done this multiple times at

[01:02] multiple follower accounts. So, when I

[01:04] tell you that this works, I'm not just

[01:06] pulling it out of thin air. I promise.

[01:08] But, a quick word from our sponsor

[01:09] before we dive in. Shoutout to our

[01:12] sponsor Gamer Supps because I will not

[01:14] stop talking about them. I will not shut

[01:15] up about them. Listen, I used to drink

[01:17] so much Monster that I'm pretty sure my

[01:19] blood type is just a mango loco, okay?

[01:22] That is not the life. Gamer Supps though

[01:24] said, "Uh what if we gave you that the

[01:26] same amount of energy, but didn't

[01:28] destroy your body?" Well, you did it.

[01:30] Huh? Huh? Zero sugar, zero crash, actual

[01:33] vitamins, and the flavors go absolutely

[01:36] insane. And my personal hack is to throw

[01:38] it in a SodaStream and carbonate it.

[01:40] It's amazing. Suddenly, you're fancy and

[01:43] caffeinated. Go figure. Use code suck

[01:46] egg at checkout for 10% off, too, and

[01:48] support the channel at the same time as

[01:49] getting hydrated. The link is in the

[01:51] description, or you can use the QR code

[01:53] right here. Go get it. The The thing we

[01:56] need to address is the way you're

[01:57] thinking about this, because I guarantee

[01:59] you that most of you have the wrong idea

[02:00] about what a sponsorship actually is. A

[02:03] sponsorship isn't a reward for progress.

[02:06] It's not something that you earn after

[02:08] hitting a milestone. It's a business

[02:10] transaction between two parties who both

[02:12] get something out of the situation.

[02:15] The brand gets exposure for whatever

[02:17] they're promoting, and you get money,

[02:20] the product, or both. That's it. That's

[02:22] the whole thing. So, when you're sitting

[02:24] there saying, "Oh, I could never get

[02:26] sponsored. Let's say a thousand

[02:28] followers." You're thinking about it

[02:30] like it's, like I said, a reward for

[02:32] progress. It's not something that you

[02:34] can gain just for hitting a milestone.

[02:36] It's a handshake, and you can offer a

[02:38] handshake at any size. Now, does size

[02:41] matter? Yes. To some brands, for some

[02:44] sponsorships, it does. Some companies

[02:46] have minimum follower requirements, and

[02:48] that is reality. But, a lot of brands,

[02:50] especially in the gaming, anime, and

[02:52] creator space, because it's such a

[02:54] self-run industry, care about engagement

[02:57] and audience fit, rather than raw

[02:59] numbers. They realize that small

[03:01] creators have donors and sponsors within

[03:05] their community that are willing to give

[03:08] towards these incentives. An account

[03:09] with 5,000 followers and an 11%

[03:12] engagement rate, let's say, is genuinely

[03:15] more valuable to certain sponsors than

[03:17] an account with over 100,000 followers

[03:19] and no engagement. I know that sounds

[03:21] insane, but it is true, and the proof is

[03:24] in the pudding. But, before you pitch to

[03:26] a single brand, you need to do a full

[03:28] audit of your socials, and I mean a

[03:30] full. Look at your pages the way a

[03:32] stranger would. Better yet, look at the

[03:34] way a marketing manager at a company

[03:36] would. Like you're at a job, and you are

[03:39] the person hiring yourself.

[03:41] Because here's what's happening on the

[03:42] other end. Someone at some brand, who's

[03:44] probably super overworked, has a million

[03:46] tabs open, works at a call center,

[03:48] whatever, is going to click your link

[03:50] and spend about 30 seconds on your page,

[03:52] and make a decision within that time.

[03:53] You need to make those 30 seconds count.

[03:56] Here's what they're looking for. One,

[03:58] professionalism. Does your page look

[04:00] like you take this seriously? Is your

[04:02] branding consistent? Does everything

[04:03] match? Your header, your profile

[04:05] picture, your pinned post, do they all

[04:07] feel like they came from the same person

[04:09] with the same identity, [music]

[04:10] motives, etc. And I'm talking about

[04:12] across platforms, too, not just one. So,

[04:15] if you're doing one type of content on

[04:17] one platform and one type of content on

[04:19] the other, there should be some way to

[04:20] bridge that gap. [music] If your Twitter

[04:22] header is from a million years ago and

[04:24] your profile picture is super blurry,

[04:25] and your pinned post is something sad

[04:27] about not having any viewers,

[04:29] we have a lot of work to do.

[04:31] Branding doesn't have to be expensive.

[04:33] Canva is a thing, MS Paint, uh Clip

[04:35] Studio, free templates are a thing, but

[04:38] it has to be cohesive at least. Pick

[04:40] your colors, pick your vibe, make it

[04:43] look intentional. Two, content quality,

[04:45] not necessarily quantity. They're not

[04:48] counting how many posts per se, but they

[04:51] are counting how consistent they are,

[04:53] and they are reading them. Is your

[04:54] content something that a brand would

[04:56] want their name next to? Do you take

[04:59] this seriously and actually post content

[05:01] on a consistent basis, so you have an

[05:03] audience for them to even promote to?

[05:06] Are you funny, educational,

[05:07] entertaining, or is it mostly vague

[05:10] tweeting and retweets? And three,

[05:13] the drama check. I'm going to be real

[05:14] with you and hold your hand because

[05:16] nobody else will. Sponsors are

[05:18] companies. We live in a society TM,

[05:21] okay? They have PR teams, they have

[05:23] brand guidelines, and they are going to

[05:26] act as if they are a corporate entity.

[05:29] When they partner with you, they are

[05:31] trusting their reputation to you. So, if

[05:34] your main branded Twitter is full of

[05:37] public call-outs, heavy personal

[05:39] venting, super politically charged

[05:43] stuff, or anything that could end up in

[05:45] some sort of drama video, that is a huge

[05:48] red flag to companies. Not because your

[05:50] feelings aren't valid, they are, but

[05:53] there's a time and a place and your

[05:55] professional page isn't it. Make an alt

[05:57] account, a private account, make a

[05:59] private Discord vent channel with your

[06:01] friends. Keep your main page as clean as

[06:03] you can for those sponsorship

[06:05] opportunities because they will look.

[06:07] Four, your links. Do you have a card or

[06:10] a Linktree? Is your email visible? Is it

[06:13] a professional email and not something

[06:15] random that doesn't make sense like

[06:17] xxcheesecake4294xx?

[06:22] Like, brands will reach out via email

[06:24] and if they can't find it, they will

[06:26] move on to the next person. It takes 2

[06:28] minutes to set up a business email and

[06:30] just put it in your bio. Just do it. And

[06:33] five, your media kit. This is the big

[06:35] one and we're going to talk about it

[06:36] more in a second, but do you have one?

[06:39] If the answer is no, then that's your

[06:41] homework after this video. Okie dokie,

[06:43] it's time to build your media kit.

[06:45] >> [laughter]

[06:46] >> Your media kit is basically your resume

[06:48] but for sponsorships. It's a one-page

[06:50] document or like a page on your card,

[06:52] which is what I do, that gives a brand

[06:55] everything they need to know about you

[06:56] at a glance. So, this is what normally

[06:57] goes in it. First, you want an about me

[07:00] section, two to three sentences, who you

[07:02] are, what you make, what your vibe is.

[07:04] Keep it punchy, this is your elevator

[07:06] pitch. Think of it that way. Mine is

[07:08] something like, "I'm Eggie, a Canadian

[07:10] YouTuber and a content creator focused

[07:12] on gaming, commentary, and helping other

[07:14] creators grow." I make unique but honest

[07:16] content across YouTube and Twitch with

[07:18] an engaged community of 18 to

[07:19] 35-year-olds. That's it. Short, clear,

[07:22] tells them exactly who I am and who

[07:23] watches me. Next, you're going to want

[07:25] your stats. List your follower counts

[07:27] across platforms, your average

[07:28] viewership, your total views, your

[07:31] engagement rate, and you should know

[07:33] these things. Go find and calculate them

[07:35] and if you don't know where to find

[07:36] them, just Google it, okay?

[07:38] Um, and be honest. Don't inflate your

[07:40] numbers. Rounding here and there to get

[07:42] to an even number is fine, but brands

[07:44] will check. And if you lie, that's the

[07:46] end of a relationship and potentially

[07:49] your reputation as well. You also want

[07:50] to put your content breakdown, so what

[07:52] you actually make. Gaming, commentary,

[07:55] educational content, IRL, list it out.

[07:57] This helps them figure it out if you are

[07:59] a good fit for whatever they're selling.

[08:02] Past partnerships are also important to

[08:03] list, too. So, if you have them, list

[08:06] them. If you don't, that's fine. Just

[08:08] leave the section out for now. You'll

[08:09] fill it in someday.

[08:10] >> [laughter]

[08:11] >> And your contact info. You just want to

[08:13] put your email mainly, that's it. Just

[08:15] make it nice and easy for them. You can

[08:16] make these media kits in Canva, Notion,

[08:19] or just put them on your card, whatever

[08:21] works for you. The format matters less

[08:22] than the content. Just make sure it

[08:24] matches your branding visually. So, now

[08:26] your page is clean, your media kit

[08:27] exists, and you have a professional

[08:29] email.

[08:30] Where the do we go from here?

[08:32] >> [laughter]

[08:33] >> Option one, Twitter.

[08:36] This is genuinely the best place to

[08:37] start. Um following brands in your niche

[08:40] is a great way to engage with their

[08:42] content authentically, um making

[08:45] comments and liking, bookmarking, etc. A

[08:48] lot of smaller brands are actively

[08:51] looking for creators to partner with,

[08:52] and they're watching who's engaging with

[08:54] their content and who's answering their

[08:57] calls to action on the posts that

[08:58] they're making because they do often put

[09:01] looking for creator posts out. Option

[09:03] two is affiliate portals. A lot of

[09:05] companies have their own affiliate or

[09:07] partner programs that you can just apply

[09:09] to. Uh Gamersupps has one. A lot of game

[09:12] peripheral companies have them as well.

[09:14] A lot of VTuber adjacent brands have

[09:16] them. Uh just Google brand name blah

[09:20] affiliate program and see what comes up.

[09:23] I'm sure you'll find something. Or you

[09:24] can also do uh creator program or

[09:28] uh partner program, etc. Basically, any

[09:30] variation of those. Option three, game

[09:33] publishers.

[09:34] >> [music]

[09:34] >> If you play games and you're a VTuber,

[09:36] so I'm assuming you do. Publishers like

[09:38] Bandai Namco, Capcom, and others have

[09:41] creator programs. You can get game keys,

[09:43] early access, and sometimes paid

[09:45] partnerships just by being in the little

[09:47] ecosystem that they've created. Option

[09:49] four, platforms like Lurkit. Lurkit

[09:52] connects creators with game developers

[09:54] who want coverage. There's a few of

[09:56] these platforms. Xsolla, I think is

[09:58] another one. You basically apply for a

[10:00] game key, make content for the game, and

[10:03] sometimes there's a paid component. It's

[10:05] really good for building your portfolio

[10:07] of brands that you've worked with, even

[10:09] if it's not necessarily like a huge

[10:11] brand deal. And option five, just cold

[10:15] DM.

[10:16] Yeah, just DM or email them. We're going

[10:18] to talk about how to in a second, but

[10:20] that's honestly how I got a lot of my

[10:22] partnerships. And this is the part that

[10:24] everyone is afraid of, and I do not

[10:26] understand why, because the worst they

[10:28] could say is no. And no is not the end

[10:31] of the world. You can just apply later.

[10:33] I applied to GamerSupps for like 3 years

[10:35] before I got in. 3 years.

[10:38] >> [laughter]

[10:39] >> And now they're my main sponsor, and

[10:41] it's amazing. They're my favorite. I

[10:42] love them.

[10:44] No just might mean not yet in some

[10:46] situations.

[10:47] Here's how I structure my pitch email.

[10:49] Paragraph one, you want an introduction.

[10:52] Who you are, where you're from, what you

[10:54] make. Keep it to three sentences max.

[10:57] They don't need your whole life story in

[10:59] the first paragraph, just the TLDR.

[11:01] >> [laughter]

[11:02] >> Hi, my name is Eggie, and I'm a Canadian

[11:03] Vtuber and content creator focused on

[11:05] gaming, commentary on Twitch and

[11:07] YouTube. I create comedic but

[11:09] educational content for an audience of

[11:11] 18 to 35-year-olds who are passionate

[11:13] about gaming, anime, and content

[11:15] creation. Done.

[11:17] Paragraph two, why them specifically?

[11:20] This is the part that most people skip,

[11:22] but this is the most important part.

[11:24] People love talking about themselves,

[11:25] and so do companies. Do not send some

[11:27] generic copy-paste pitch, okay? Brands

[11:30] can tell. Instead, tell them why their

[11:33] product or service makes sense for your

[11:36] audience. If you're pitching an energy

[11:38] drink company, for example, talk about

[11:40] your streaming schedule and how your

[11:42] audience is always asking about what you

[11:44] drink on stream and how you need energy

[11:46] drinks to survive.

[11:48] If you're pitching a PC company, talk

[11:49] about the games you play and how

[11:51] tech-savvy your community is and how

[11:53] much they would love a PC if you.

[11:54] Personal experience with the product is

[11:57] gold in this section. If you actually

[11:59] use it, say so. Tell them a specific

[12:02] story about something that you enjoyed

[12:04] about it or something that you like

[12:06] about it. It shows that you're not just

[12:08] chasing a check. You actually believe in

[12:10] their message and what they're trying to

[12:11] make happen. Paragraph three, your stats

[12:14] summary.

[12:15] You want to put the highlights from your

[12:17] media kit here. Don't paste the whole

[12:19] thing. Just summarize the most

[12:21] impressive numbers. Total views across

[12:24] all platforms, engagement rate, average

[12:26] viewership counts, follower accounts

[12:28] across platforms, etc. Paragraph four,

[12:30] this is the ask. What are you actually

[12:33] proposing?

[12:34] A stream integration, a video, social

[12:37] media post, ongoing partnerships of some

[12:40] sort. Be specific. vague asks get vague

[12:43] responses or no response at all. And

[12:46] then you want to attach your media kit

[12:48] or link your card if it's attached to

[12:50] there. Make it very easy for them to

[12:52] find everything. The subject line is

[12:54] important, too. Don't just write

[12:55] partnership inquiry. Write something

[12:57] like partnership proposal and then put

[13:00] your name and maybe X their brand name,

[13:04] but your name is very important there.

[13:06] Professional, clear, and tells them

[13:08] exactly what it is and who it's from.

[13:09] And finally, the thing that nobody talks

[13:12] about for some reason, you should be

[13:14] vetting sponsors just as hard as they

[13:16] vet you.

[13:17] And I know that sounds wild when you

[13:18] feel like you're just a little guy and

[13:20] you're just excited that somebody gives

[13:21] a about your content, but listen to

[13:23] me. A bad sponsorship deal can genuinely

[13:26] damage your reputation with your

[13:28] audience. And your audience is the most

[13:29] valuable thing you have. Before you say

[13:31] yes to anyone, ask yourself, "Do I

[13:34] actually believe in this product?" If

[13:36] you wouldn't use it yourself, your

[13:37] audience will feel the same way. And if

[13:40] something goes wrong with the company,

[13:41] late shipments, bad customer service,

[13:43] controversy, etc., your name is going to

[13:45] be attached to that. Make sure you've

[13:47] researched the company. Google them,

[13:49] look for complaints, look for how

[13:50] they've treated other creators, and ask

[13:52] around in your circles. You can never be

[13:54] too careful nowadays. Make sure the

[13:56] contract makes sense as well. Make sure

[13:59] to read it, and I mean all of it, the

[14:01] fine print included.

[14:02] >> [gasps]

[14:02] >> If there's something that you don't

[14:03] understand, just ask. And if they don't

[14:05] let you ask questions, that's a huge red

[14:08] flag. Make sure the compensation is also

[14:10] fair. Know your worth. Product-only

[14:12] deals can be fine when you're just

[14:14] starting out, but when you grow, you

[14:16] should be moving towards paid

[14:18] partnerships only. Don't undersell

[14:20] yourself forever. You do have value. If

[14:22] something feels off, make sure you trust

[14:24] that feeling. There will always be

[14:26] another sponsor, and always be another

[14:29] open door, but you might not have

[14:30] another chance with your audience. So,

[14:32] don't it up.

[14:33] >> [laughter]

[14:34] >> Okay, so let's recap because I know

[14:35] there was a lot of stuff and your brain

[14:36] is probably a little bit cooked.

[14:38] >> [laughter]

[14:39] >> Number one, sponsorships are a business

[14:41] transaction, not a reward for progress.

[14:43] You can get them at any size. Two, audit

[14:46] your socials before you pitch to anyone.

[14:48] Clean page, consistent branding, and

[14:50] professional email. No drama. Three,

[14:52] build a media kit. It doesn't have to be

[14:54] fancy, it just has to exist. Four, find

[14:56] brands through Twitter, affiliate

[14:58] portals, publisher programs, and yes,

[15:00] just sending people cold DMs.

[15:03] Five, your pitch email needs a personal

[15:05] touch. Tell them why and why you

[15:08] specifically. Generic pitches usually

[15:10] get ignored. Six, vet your sponsors.

[15:14] Your audience trusts you. Don't burn

[15:16] that trust for a free product. And the

[15:18] most important thing I can tell you is

[15:20] just send the damn email. Apply to the

[15:22] program. The worst that they can say is

[15:24] no, and no might just mean not yet. I

[15:27] believe in you. Now go make that bag

[15:29] really pop.

[15:30] >> [laughter]

[15:31] >> And if this helped you, make sure you

[15:33] like, subscribe, and turn on

[15:34] notifications, all of those things. And

[15:37] if you end up landing a sponsorship

[15:39] because of this video, please tell me in

[15:41] the comments because I will be so happy,

[15:44] and it will genuinely make my entire

[15:46] week.

[15:47] I will see you guys in the next video.

[15:48] Bye-bye.

[15:50] >> [laughter]