CollabKrewCollabKrew is a creator marketing platform. On YouTube it connects to the creator's channel, reads engaged views from YouTube analytics there, and pays on what survives the checks.
How a creator connects YouTube
Connecting is an OAuth step. The creator authorises their channel on YouTube's own sign in screen, so CollabKrew never holds a password.
A what we read note for YouTube is shown first, in plain words, and the creator agrees to that before anything is linked. Facebook Pages and X accounts link the same way, and each platform shows its own read note first.
What CollabKrew reads for a video
We read engaged views from YouTube analytics, through the connected channel. We do not copy a public counter. Public views and engaged views are recorded separately, and the number a brand pays on is the platform's own data, as the channel owner can see it.
A creator can also grant an optional extra YouTube analytics scope for more detail. It is optional. The wider case for reading the account is in how fake views get past brands.
Shorts and long form
Shorts and long form videos are both posts on the connected channel, and both are read the same way. The brief says which format a campaign wants. Put it in the brief and the creator will know before they accept.
The 7 day hold and the lock window
Publishing a video does not trigger payment on a Reward campaign. Two waits come first.
- The 7 day hold. Once a submission is in, it waits 7 days and then auto verifies against fresh metrics.
- The lock window. You choose it for each pool, anywhere from 7 to 90 days. The payout basis stays provisional until the lock date.
If you run a channel campaign, pick the lock window with that in mind. YouTube removes fake views some days or weeks after upload, and a longer lock lets that happen before you pay. You are billed for the views that remain.
What gets held
At settlement a risk assessor scans each video for bot and duplicate patterns. A match pauses the payout and sends it to a person.
Holding is all it does. It never rejects a creator or a video. When the assessor is unavailable it fails closed, so an unchecked video pays nothing. Real views clear the hold, and the money then goes out on its usual date.
The three campaign modes on YouTube
- Direct hire. You pick the creators and agree a fixed price. The fee waits in escrow and is released once you approve the upload.
- Reward. You fund an open pool. Any creator who meets the brief can post and earn per 1,000 verified views. No follower minimum applies.
- Hybrid. Each approved video earns a base fee, and views add a per view bonus on top.
Reward pool money left unspent goes back to you automatically. Plans and fees are set out on the pricing page.
What a YouTube brief contains
A good brief is short and specific. On CollabKrew a YouTube brief covers:
- Disclosure. It goes in the first line of the description.
- The hook. What the opening seconds of the video must show.
- Format. Whether the campaign wants a Short or a long form video.
- Usage rights. Where and for how long the brand may reuse the video, quoted to the creator before they accept.
How creators get paid
A YouTuber earns into a single wallet. Withdrawal is by bank or UPI for creators in India and by PayPal for everyone else. The wallet has a payout minimum, and a clearance period that varies with the creator's tier. Timing is shown before they join.
Where this is used
These are the industries where brands plan YouTube work with us.
To walk through your own brief, book a demo.
Questions brands ask
Can a creator with no subscribers join a Reward pool on YouTube?
Yes. Reward pools have no follower minimum. Anyone who meets the brief can post a video and earn per verified view. Direct hire brands may set their own requirements.
What if YouTube removes views after the video is posted?
Per view money waits for exactly this reason. Each Reward submission is held for 7 days and then checked again with fresh metrics. The pool's lock window, set by the brand between 7 and 90 days, keeps the payout basis provisional. Anything the platform removes before then is left out.
Does the creator have to grant extra access?
There is an optional extra YouTube analytics scope the creator can grant for more detail. It is the creator's choice. CollabKrew shows what we read before the creator agrees.
Are Shorts and long form paid differently?
The brief says which format a campaign wants. Both are posts on the connected channel, and both are read the same way.
Where does the brand see verified numbers?
Post by post in the campaign dashboard, using numbers from the connected channel. A view that is held for review shows as held and is not billed until a person clears it.