YouTube creators to get swappable sponsorships in long-form videos, direct brand links in Shorts

New Delhi: YouTube has unveiled a suite of new tools designed to strengthen brand partnerships and expand revenue streams for creators. 

Dynamic sponsorship slots

Creators producing long-form videos will soon be able to add “swappable slots” for sponsored segments. Unlike traditional integrations, these slots can be dynamically replaced or removed, allowing creators to update older videos with new partnerships or adapt campaigns for different markets. The feature also gives creators access to sponsorship performance data within YouTube Studio, which can be shared directly with brand partners. Pilot testing begins next year with select creators.

Monetisation in Shorts

For Shorts, YouTube is introducing the ability to link directly to brand websites, giving advertisers clearer conversion data and making short-form branded content more commercially attractive. This comes as Shorts continues to scale globally, competing with TikTok and Instagram Reels for both audiences and advertiser budgets.

Smarter matchmaking with brands

YouTube’s Creator Partnerships Hub inside Google Ads is being upgraded with AI-driven tools to help brands and agencies discover creators whose audiences and values align with their campaigns. The platform will also expand its sales and industry outreach to help brands and creators collaborate more seamlessly.

Shopping integrations

The YouTube Shopping programme is witnessing rapid growth, with gross merchandise volume up fivefold year-on-year and over 500,000 creators enrolled worldwide as of July 2025. Building on this momentum, YouTube will introduce AI-driven automatic product tagging, which detects when products appear in videos and applies clickable tags at those moments. This feature will roll out later this year, making shopping content more scalable.