How much should I charge for a YouTube brand integration?

YouTube is the one platform where your rate genuinely does scale with audience math — and where creators most often undercharge because they price by subscriber count instead of by views. Subscribers don't pay you; viewers do. A 50K-subscriber channel that averages 100K views per video is worth more than a 500K-subscriber channel averaging 20K views.

The CPM framework

The entire YouTube creator economy prices off CPM. When a brand says "we have a $15 CPM for this niche," they mean: for every 1,000 views the video earns (usually measured at 30 days post-publish), they will pay you $15.

2026 CPM ranges by niche

Typical YouTube brand integration CPM by niche.

Niche	Low	Typical	High
Finance / investing	$15	$25	$50+
B2B / SaaS / tech	$12	$20	$35
Beauty / fashion	$10	$18	$30
Lifestyle / vlog	$8	$15	$25
Gaming	$5	$10	$15
Education	$10	$20	$40

Two things matter about these ranges. First, CPM is set by what brands are willing to pay for your audience, not what you want to earn — which is why finance creators earn 3× gaming creators despite lower viewership. Second, the high end is real but reserved for creators with demonstrably high-quality audiences (low bot rate, strong U.S. or target-market skew, high completion rates).

The pricing formula

Once you know your niche CPM, the math is straightforward:

Integration rate = (Avg 30-day views ÷ 1,000) × CPM

Examples

• Beauty channel, 40K avg views, $18 CPM: $720 for a 60-second integration.
• Finance channel, 15K avg views, $25 CPM: $375. Round up to $400 as a micro-tier floor.
• Tech channel, 120K avg views, $22 CPM: $2,640. Round to $2,650.

The first time most creators run this formula, they find their published sponsorship rate is 30–50% below what the math supports. That gap is the cost of pricing by feel instead of by CPM.

Integrated vs. dedicated videos

The "integration vs. dedicated" distinction is the most important pricing lever on YouTube.

Integration types and multipliers on your base integration rate.

Integration type	Typical length	Multiplier on base
Brief mention / shout-out	15–30s	0.5×
Standard mid-roll integration	60–90s	1.0× (base)
Extended integration	2–3 min	1.3–1.5×
Dedicated video (full)	Entire video	1.5–2.0×
Dedicated + review/tutorial	Full, scripted	2.0–3.0×

A dedicated video gives the brand 100% of the audience's attention, no split focus, and usually much stronger conversion. The premium reflects that — and brands that balk at a 2× multiplier on a dedicated video are either new to YouTube or testing you.

Placement pricing

Where the integration sits in your video changes its value.

• Pre-roll (first 30–60s): +20–30%. Nearly everyone watches the first minute.
• Peak mid-roll (30–50% into a well-retained video): +20–30%. This is prime real estate.
• Standard mid-roll (60–70% in): baseline.
• End-roll (last 10%): −20–40%. Retention drops hard in the last third.

If a brand specifies "end-roll only," you're both flexing for them (it's lower quality) and should price accordingly. If they want pre-roll, charge for it.

Usage rights on YouTube

YouTube integrations usually include in-video usage in perpetuity — once it's published, it lives on your channel forever. That's standard and already priced into your rate.

What's not included by default:

• Reposting the integration to the brand's channel: typically +50–100% of the integration rate.
• Paid ads (YouTube, Instagram, TikTok) using the integration clip: +100% is common.
• Short-form repurposing (Shorts/Reels/TikTok): +30–50% per additional platform.
• Perpetual advertising rights: +150–200% on top of base.

Bonus structures: when they make sense

Some YouTube deals add performance bonuses — e.g., base fee plus $X per 1,000 views beyond a threshold, or a code-based commission per sale. These are fine when:

• The base fee alone is already fair (bonuses should be upside, not replacement).
• The threshold is realistic (your typical video, not a hit).
• The brand will actually track and pay — check their history before agreeing.

Avoid performance-only deals unless the product has strong affiliate economics (finance, SaaS with high LTV) and you genuinely trust the brand's attribution.

A worked example

Offer: $2,500 for a dedicated YouTube video on a personal-finance app, plus paid ads usage for 6 months.

Your channel: 30K avg views, finance niche, $25 CPM.

• Integration base: 30 × $25 = $750.
• Dedicated video multiplier (1.75×): $1,313.
• Paid ads 6 months (+100%): $1,313.

Defensible total: $2,625. The $2,500 offer is within 5% — a fair deal worth accepting or counter-offering at $2,750.

Know your views, know your niche CPM, and price the video type with intention. YouTube rewards creators who treat brand deals as ad inventory — because that's exactly what they are.