How to Collaborate With Other YouTubers - The Complete Guide
Sep 3, 2021
Want to learn how to collaborate with other YouTubers? If so, you've come to the right place.
One of the best ways to grow an audience on YouTube is to collaborate with other content creators. While the process might seem simple, however, there are things you must do to ensure that you're collaborating with the right YouTubers in a proper manner.
In this article, you will learn:
How to Collaborate on YouTube
What Does Collab Mean on YouTube?
Which YouTuber Should You Collab With?
How to Find YouTubers to Collaborate With
Read on and learn everything you need to know about YouTube collaborations.
How to Collaborate on YouTube
On paper, the collaboration process seems simple. Find a content creator, create a video together, and move on. In reality, however, the process is more complicated and should be done with caution, as many issues can arise when collaborating with creators.
Here's how to collaborate on YouTube:
- Determine your target audience
- Find YouTubers with a similar audience
- Brainstorm collaboration video ideas
- Contact YouTubers
Let's cover this process in more detail.
1. Determine Your Target Audience
To begin, you must determine your target audience. Meaning, who are the people likely to consume your content and support you? After all, not every person likes the same things- everybody has different interests.
You need to determine your target audience to ensure you collaborate with the ideal candidates. There's no point in collaborating with a YouTuber who has a completely different audience than yours- the collaboration will not be very effective if you do.
2. Find YouTubers With a Similar Audience
Once you've determined your target audience, your next objective should be to find YouTubers with a similar audience. Your goal should be to find channels that are a similar size to yours and create content similar to yours.
You can find YouTubers through a variety of different sources. Some of the most popular sources for finding creators to collaborate with include YouTube (search, recommendations, etc), forums, social media, in-person meetups, and local groups.
3. Brainstorm Collaboration Video Ideas
Part of the collaboration process typically consists of creating a video. Often, content creators will reach out to other creators in hopes of collaborating with them before they even have a video idea for the collaboration- this is not what you should do.
Before you send an email or message to request a collaboration, brainstorm some potential video ideas so you decide to work with you an easier one for the individual you're reaching out to. Make sure your ideas are relevant to both channels involved- not just yours.
4. Contact YouTubers
At this point, you should have a list of creators you'd like to collaborate with, and a list of potential video ideas for the collaboration. Next, you need to get in contact with your potential collaborators.
You can contact YouTubers in a variety of different ways, but the most common ways are email and direct messaging. If the creator you're trying to collaborate with is small, direct messaging might be the ideal option. For large creators, contact them via email.
5. Collaborate
Chances are, when your potential collaborators see your message or email, they'll have a few questions. Do your best to answer their questions as honestly as possible. After all, you are trying to work with them.
When the fine details have been worked out among both parties, the next step is to collaborate. In other words, it's time to create, upload, and promote the video. This part of the process should be the most straightforward, but don't rush the process.
What Does Collab Mean on YouTube?
You might be wondering- what does collab mean on YouTube?
A YouTube collab takes place when two (or more) YouTubers from separate channels work together and create a video. Collaboration videos can take on many different forms and are meant to promote every creator taking part in the collab.
When people say the word "collab" they're referring to the word "collaboration" or "collaborate." As with most words online, people found it ideal to create a short-form word that content creators would understand.
Which YouTuber Should You Collab With?
So, which YouTuber should you collab with? After all, there are millions of content creators online. Will any creator do? Or, are there certain types of creators you should be keener on searching for and collaborating with?
As it was touched on above, you should collab with YouTubers who share your target audience and upload videos similar to the types of videos you upload. This way, you can ensure that the collab will be the most effective.
It can be tempting to collaborate with YouTubers based on the size of their audience, but you must not put your channel growth at risk by selecting the wrong collaborators. People have different interests- your audience will not like every type of video and vice-versa.
In small niches, it can be difficult to find a YouTuber that publishes the same content that you do. When circumstances such as this arise, your objective should be to collab with YouTubers who have a target audience most closely related to you.
How to Find YouTubers to Collaborate With
Finding YouTubers to collab with can be a difficult process. However, some places are more likely to lead to collaboration prospects than others. Knowing where to look can make the process much easier.
Here's how to find YouTubers to collaborate with:
- Social media
- In-person meetups
- Local groups
Let's go over these places in more detail.
1. YouTube
As you might imagine, one of the best places to find YouTubers to collab with is on YouTube. One of the perks of using YouTube to find potential collaborators is the fact that you can discover them in a variety of different ways.
Go to YouTube and try searching for topics that you create videos about. Then, search around for channels that are a similar size to yours. Try using search filters to narrow your searches down by view count, upload date, etc.
2. Forums
Another great place to find YouTubers is forums- niche relevant forums in particular. Often, creators will hang out in niche-relevant forums and promote their videos in them, making these forums a great place to find creators to collab with.
Along the same lines, forums such as YTtalk and the TubeBuddy Forums contain a large number of YouTubers and often feature threads designed to help creators find channels to collaborate with.
3. Social Media
Where do YouTubers go when they aren't creating and uploading videos? In many cases, they go to social media. As you can probably guess, this makes social media a great place to discover and get in contact with creators.
Finding creators in your niche is as simple as searching through hashtags, posts, and account followers. Also, many YouTubers have links to their social media pages on their channel page, so consider finding someone on YouTube and then following them on social media.
4. In-Person Meetups
In-person meetups are another great place to find YouTubers. Some of the most popular in-person meetups are YouTube conventions, such as VidCon and VidSummit. However, there are many other in-person conventions and meetups as well.
Of course, in-person events present the need to be able to get to a physical location, but many meetups happen throughout the year in various locations around the world. So, you never know if one will be held near your location.
5. Local Groups
Believe it or not, local groups can be a great place to meet other content creators- especially if you created local content. While they might not be the largest events, they can present some of the best collaboration opportunities.
Your niche will impact your ability to find similar channels to yours through local groups. With this said, however, if you're in a popular location, there's a good chance that somebody in the same niche as you will be present in a local group.
Conclusion
You now know how to collaborate with other YouTubers. Take your time when vetting potential collaborators, and search for prospects in the ideal locations. Do not rush this process or force yourself to collab with the wrong creators- doing so will hurt your channel.
