YouTube Sponsorship Glossary
The words brands and creators use about sponsorships, in plain language, with real figures where Claritea measures them.
CPM
Cost per mille: a price for every thousand views. A sponsor paying by CPM pays more the more views the video gets.
Dedicated video
A video about the sponsor's product from start to finish, rather than a read inside a video about something else. See integrated sponsorship.
Engagement rate
Likes plus comments, divided by views, as a percentage. The typical channel sits at 2.4%, and above 3.3% is the top quarter.
Engagement rate by niche →Flat fee
A fixed price for a sponsor read, however many views the video gets.
Integrated sponsorship
A sponsor read inside a video about something else. The creator stops, talks about the sponsor, then goes back to the video.
Media kit
A short document a creator sends to brands: what the channel is about, who watches it, typical views and engagement, and past sponsors.
Sponsor reports →Mid-roll
A sponsor read in the middle of the video, after the first 15% and before the last 15%. 56% of reads sit here.
Read length and placement by niche →Paid promotion disclosure
When a video includes a sponsorship, YouTube asks the creator to tick the paid promotion box in YouTube Studio, and viewers see an "Includes paid promotion" label. Advertising rules in many countries ask for a disclosure in the video too.
Post-roll
A sponsor read near the end of the video, in its last 15%. 9% of reads sit here.
Read length and placement by niche →Pre-roll
A sponsor read near the start of the video, in its first 15%. 35% of reads sit here.
Read length and placement by niche →Promo code
A code the creator gives viewers to use at checkout, usually for a discount. It tells the sponsor which sales came from which creator.
Read length
How long a sponsor read runs. The typical read runs about 1:10.
Read length and placement by niche →Repeat sponsor
A brand that sponsors the same channel more than once. In 51% of brand and channel pairings, the brand ran in more than one video.
Sponsor read
The part of a video where the creator talks about a sponsor. Also called an ad read, a sponsor spot or an integration.
Sponsor tracker →Tracking link
A link, in the description or spoken in the read, that takes viewers to the sponsor's site and credits the creator for the visit or the sale.
See the figures
- How YouTube sponsorships work The read, where it sits, how deals are priced, tracked and disclosed.
- Sponsor read length and placement How long reads run and where in the video they sit.
From long-form videos published in the past 12 months on the YouTube channels Claritea tracks, updated Oct 27, 2026. Each channel's typical value is taken first, so a channel that uploads daily counts the same as one that uploads monthly. These channels lean toward ones that run sponsors, so read the figures as how sponsored channels compare, not as all of YouTube.
Comment sentiment
Whether viewers' comments lean positive, neutral or negative, about a video or about a sponsor in it.
Comment analyzer →