Why Marketers Are Going All-In on YouTube Influencers (And How to Do It Right)

For years, Instagram and TikTok dominated influencer marketing. But the landscape is shifting. According to Emarketer, more than half of US marketers will leverage YouTube influencer marketing in 2025 — a historic first — and it’s clear that brands are doubling down on the platform. 

Here’s why brands are flocking to YouTube for influencer marketing and how you can do it the right way.

Why are influencer marketers doubling down on YouTube? 

Studies show that influencer marketing thrives on YouTube. It’s the top strategy for marketers on the platform, with US influencer marketing spend on the platform expected to hit a record $2.35 billion this year — the most of any other major platform. Here’s why so many brands are flocking to the legacy video platform:

Platform stability

Unlike TikTok, which faces ongoing uncertainty in the US due to potential bans, YouTube offers a more stable and predictable environment for both brands and creators. Marketers are growing increasingly hesitant to work with TikTok-only creators and are diversifying their efforts across platforms, with YouTube emerging as a primary beneficiary.

And according to Jasmine Enberg, VP and principal analyst at Emarketer, “Even prior to TikTok’s troubles, the conversation was growing around YouTube. As brands and creators prioritize more predictable content, longer-term relationships, and storytelling over trends and ad-hoc sponsorships, YouTube is quickly becoming the place to be for brands and creators.”

Familiar features

It’s no secret that short-form video content is dominating social media with no signs of slowing down. In fact, 88% of marketers say they plan to invest more into short-form video content in 2025. 

The good news is that while YouTube is best known for its long-form video format, YouTube Shorts has given marketers who may only have experience running Instagram or TikTok campaigns a familiar way into the platform. Not to mention, YouTube Shorts is particularly thriving in the short-form video scene:

• YouTube Shorts boasts an engagement rate of 5.91%, outperforming TikTok (5.75%) and Reels (2%). 
• YouTube Shorts garner 90 billion average daily views, up 200% since its launch in 2021.
• There are now over 175 million YouTube Shorts users in the US, a 6.44% year-over-year growth. 

Skyrocketing engagement

YouTubers deliver an average engagement rate of 72.84%, blowing even popular platforms like TikTok and Instagram out of the water. Unlike viewing an Instagram or TikTok post, watching a YouTube video is an explicit action taken by users. This deliberate action counts as an engagement, which makes up a large portion of interactions on YouTube.

Built-in social commerce tools 

With over 90% of consumers finding new products on YouTube, YouTube Shopping is reshaping how consumers discover and buy products. The platform’s integrated shopping features let viewers seamlessly browse and purchase directly from videos, Shorts, or live streams. By collaborating with YouTubers and tapping into the platform’s robust analytics, brands can foster trust, engage loyal communities, and drive sales — all within one platform.

YouTube influencer marketing best practices

Ready to run a YouTube influencer marketing campaign? Keep these best practices in mind.

1. Focus on developing long-term relationships with your YouTube creators. 

You always want to go into your influencer search with a long-term mindset — particularly with YouTube creators, who have very loyal fans. Instead of one-time campaigns, consider turning successful partnerships into ongoing agreements to amplify your success and create an ongoing stream of new fans. If you can make your product an influencer’s go-to product, their audience will trust that recommendation even more because it’s something that has shown the test of time. 

For example, a chef could use your kitchen knives in every video, showing that the quality holds up. Or if a beauty vlogger keeps using the same foundation, that speaks well to the texture, tone matching, and level of coverage of the product. 

There’s good reason data shows that long-term brand ambassador programs drive the highest ROI for brands. Plus, it’s a win for influencers, too — 62% of creators prefer long-term partnerships over any other type of partnership, both for the steady income and to develop more authentic relationships with the brands they love. These influencers are often willing to make it exclusive, meaning less competition for you.

2. Build your YouTube campaign strategy based on your goals. 

Different types of campaigns will yield different results. So the type of campaign you choose should be directly influenced by your goals, whether it’s brand awareness or sales. Keep in mind creators will expect different compensation depending on the type of content they’re creating. 

Traditionally, there are three primary YouTube influencer marketing campaign types:

• A dedicated video is all about your brand. Think product unboxing, reviews, hauls, or tutorials that focus exclusively on you. 
• A brand mention integrates your product naturally into a video among other products or content. For example, a home renovation project using a brand's  tools or a morning smoothie incorporating a brand’s protein powder. 
• Ad reads promote products that might not otherwise be in the video. They’re typically a short sequence that’s different from the rest of the content in the video. They can be added to any part of the video, but they’ll perform better in the middle because ads at the beginning or end could be skipped over.

Don’t forget you also have the option to partner with YouTube creators for short-form video #ads, just as you would on Instagram and TikTok. 

3. Optimize your YouTube campaigns for mobile. 

A significant portion of YouTube’s traffic comes from mobile devices, so ensure your linked store and product pages are mobile-friendly to minimize bounce rates and encourage seamless checkout experiences. Ask creators to link to your products across multiple media types (i.e. regular YouTube videos, Shorts, and live streams). 

This brings us to our next point.

4. Leverage YouTube Shopping to streamline the buyer’s journey.

YouTube’s unique community aspect — loyal subscribers and creators who regularly engage with each other — positions it perfectly for building relationships that translate into sales.

And now with YouTube Shopping, brands can streamline the path to purchase by integrating commerce features directly into content consumption. Whether it’s through Curated Shopping Collections, Product Tagging, or Connected Storefronts, viewers can discover, browse, and buy products without leaving the YouTube ecosystem, giving brands a chance to meet consumers where they’re already engaged. This seamless integration removes the friction of external searches or shopping apps, creating a pathway for effortless purchases, directly from YouTube videos, Shorts, or live streams. 

By turning creators into your brand affiliates and tapping into YouTube's extensive Shopping analytics, your brand can build authority and foster trust with engaged audiences. 

5. Use an influencer marketing platform to optimize your YouTube campaigns.

Leverage a platform like Aspire to streamline everything from YouTube creator discovery and relationship management, to campaign measurement and content amplification. We also recently launched our YouTube Shorts integration, which allows marketers to easily review creators’ Shorts, compare industry-standard metrics, and quickly scale their YouTube Shorts campaigns.

The Future of Influencer Marketing Is on YouTube 

YouTube’s combination of stability, engagement, and commerce features makes it the next big thing in influencer marketing. 

‍Ready to kick start your YouTube influencer marketing campaign? Book a demo with Aspire to see how we can help you scale your program and achieve maximum success.