A sponsored ad integration is a 1-2+ minute segment during a video or podcast where you, the host, are paid to speak about a certain brand. You will also see this called an “ad read” and it is integrated into your content. Sponsorships are an excellent way to create additional revenue for your YouTube channel and work with brands you like!
You’re already creating fantastic content, so your ad read should be a piece of cake! Here are some of the best practices to keep your sponsors happy, fill your ad slots, and earn consistent revenue.
Most advertisers will require you to try the product and give a personal endorsement. Your audience is watching your channel for you, so your personal endorsement is key. You want to be genuine and sincere and your audience will know if you’re lying about a product.
During our onboarding process, we will ask you what types of products you and your audience are most interested in. It is most important that you are authentic, so we aim to match you with sponsors that you genuinely enjoy and want to talk about.
Your relationship with your audience is important. At Adhesive Media, one of our core things we look for when assessing a campaign is if you will be able to genuinely talk about a certain product.
If you just sit in front of your camera talking about a product, your audience will get bored quickly and won’t be interested in what you have to say. Not only will this hurt the advertiser, but it’ll also drive viewers away from your video and lower your audience retention.
Make sure you incorporate visuals, or b-roll, showing the product in use. If it’s a food and beverage product, you’ll want to show yourself eating/drinking it. If it’s an app, you’ll want to show yourself using it on your phone. Visuals like this are engaging and memorable, and will help the ad to stick more with your audience. Your audience will be more likely to buy, your sponsor will sell more product, and you’ll be more likely to get renewals!
Tell your audience about how the product has been useful to you and give specific use cases. Rather than just listing a number of benefits from the talking points, speak about how the product has actually benefited you and why you’ll continue to use it! Again, being genuine and authentic is the key.
Ultimately, your goal is to drive people to the advertiser’s website or to the link in the video description. Make sure you create a clear & compelling call to action (CTA). Don’t forget to share your unique promo code and what your audience will get by using your code.
When someone uses your promo code to buy the product, this is called a conversion. The more conversions you get, the higher likelihood a sponsor will want to work with you again.
The worst thing you can do before an ad read is make a loud BLEEEP noise or put a black screen for a few seconds. Rather, naturally integrate the product into the video.
Here is an example from Kelly Stamps. Kelly integrates Hello Fresh directly into her video and makes the transition into her sponsored ad integration seamless. It doesn’t feel like she’s cutting away to a commercial. Instead, the ad is just another segment of her video. It is completely natural and keeps her audience engaged.
You don’t want to just read off the talking points that the advertisers gives you. While there may be some points that an advertiser may require you to state verbatim (like a CTA), the bulk of your ad read should be your own words. You’ll want to speak about the product how you’d speak about anything else on your channel: authentically.
Just like your relationship with your audience, your relationship with your sponsors is important! You don’t want to say anything that may be harmful to the brand or not brand safe. You also don’t want to make false statements that could get the brand in trouble, like claiming that a supplement can cure a disease. Keep your ad reads light and fun, and keep them brand safe!
Sponsored Ads are a great way to add additional revenue for your YouTube channel. Adhesive Media is here for you through the entire process. We make sponsorships simple by matching you with brands you and your audience actually like, and making it easy to speak authentically about the products you’re sponsored by. After all, our mission is to build relationships between creators and brands that stick!
Adhesive Media (previously Select Partnerships) is an LA-based influencer marketing agency that connects leading brands & high-performing YouTubers.
