How to price a YouTube integration vs a dedicated video

A brand emails asking for your YouTube rates. Then the follow-up: "Do you price integrations and dedicated videos differently?" If your answer is a single number, you're probably undercharging for one of them.

An integration and a dedicated video look similar on an invoice. They're very different amounts of work, very different risks to your channel, and very different value to the brand. Here's how to price each one so the number holds up when a brand asks how you got there.

The two formats, in plain words

An integration is a sponsor segment inside a video you were making anyway. Usually 30 to 90 seconds, often near the start or the middle. The video is about your normal topic. The brand gets a slice of it.

A dedicated video is a whole video built around the brand or product. A review, a tutorial, a "I tried X for 30 days" piece. The brand is the topic.

	Integration	Dedicated video
Length of brand content	30 to 90 seconds, sometimes up to 2 minutes	The whole video
Extra production work	Script and film one segment	A full video from idea to edit
Risk to your channel	Low, viewers expect sponsor reads	Higher, a weak sponsored topic can underperform
Value to the brand	Exposure to your normal audience	Deep focus, search traffic, a long-lived asset
Typical price relationship	The baseline	Often 2 to 4 times an integration

That last row is a rule of thumb, not a standard. The real multiple depends on your channel, which is what the rest of this guide is about.

Start with the number that matters: your typical views

Brands buying YouTube care about views, not subscribers. A channel with 200,000 subscribers whose videos get 15,000 views is, to a sponsor, a 15,000-view channel.

So before you price anything, work out what a normal video of yours actually does.

1. Take your last 10 to 15 long-form videos (skip Shorts, they're a different product).
2. Note each one's views at around 30 days old. Comparing a 3-day-old video with a 2-year-old one tells you nothing.
3. Take the median, not the average. One viral outlier will drag an average up and set expectations you can't meet.

If your last 12 videos sat between 8,000 and 22,000 views at 30 days, with one at 140,000, the median might be 13,000. That's your number. The 140,000 is a nice story to tell, not a price input.

A simple formula for integrations

Most sponsors think in CPM: cost per thousand views. You can use the same language.

Integration price = (median 30-day views ÷ 1,000) × your CPM

The CPM part is where you set your position. YouTube integration CPMs vary widely by niche. Finance, software, tech and business audiences tend to command much higher rates than general entertainment or gaming, because the products being sold are worth more per customer.

Rather than chase a "correct" CPM, pick a range and test it:

Your situation	Where to position your CPM
First few sponsors, general niche	The lower end of what you've seen quoted in your space
Clear niche with buying intent (tech, finance, software, tools)	Higher, because each viewer is worth more to the brand
Strong engagement, loyal comments, proven past sponsor results	Higher again
Brand is a direct fit and you already use the product	Hold your rate, the fit is the value

Worked example

Median 30-day views: 13,000. You pick a CPM of $25.

13 × $25 = $325

So a 60-second integration starts around $325. If you're in a high-value niche and you pick $45, it's $585. Neither number is right or wrong in the abstract. The test is whether brands book you, and whether you feel fine doing the work for it.

Adjust for placement and length

Not all integrations are equal. Common adjustments:

• Placement in the first two minutes: worth more, because far more people see it. Some creators charge a premium for an early slot and less for a mid-roll or end placement.
• Longer than 90 seconds: charge more. A two-minute walkthrough is close to a mini-video.
• Pre-roll vs mid-roll: pre-roll (in the opening) catches everyone; mid-roll catches fewer people but the ones who stayed are more engaged. Many sponsors prefer early placement and will pay for it.
• Multiple mentions: a segment plus a callback at the end is more work and more exposure.

How to price a dedicated video

The CPM approach still works as a floor, but a dedicated video has things an integration doesn't:

• It's a full production. Research, scripting, filming, editing, thumbnail, title. The same effort as any other video on your channel.
• It takes a slot. If you post once a week, a dedicated video is one of your four videos that month. It replaces something you'd have made for your audience.
• It might underperform. Viewers often click less on obviously sponsored topics. That's a real cost to your channel's momentum.
• It lives forever. A good dedicated review can pull search traffic for years. The brand benefits from that long after the campaign ends.

Two ways to calculate it

Multiplier method. Take your integration price and multiply. Two to four times is a common range, and it rises with how much work the video takes.

$325 integration × 3 = $975 dedicated video

Time plus value method. Add up what the video costs you to make, then add the reach value.

1. Hours to produce (say 20 hours) × an hourly rate you'd accept for your time (say $40) = $800
2. Plus the reach value (the integration price, $325)
3. Plus any direct costs (props, travel, a hired editor)

$800 + $325 = $1,125

Run both. If they land close together, you're probably in the right zone. If they're far apart, the time method usually tells you the multiplier was too low.

When a dedicated video should cost a lot more

• The brand wants it to rank in search for a specific keyword (that's ongoing value).
• They want script approval and multiple review rounds.
• The product needs real testing over weeks.
• They want it in a playlist, linked in other videos, or pinned on your channel page.

The extras brands ask for (and what they're worth)

The base price covers the video going live. Brands often ask for more, sometimes casually in the brief, as if it's included. It usually isn't.

Extra	What it is	How to think about pricing it
Link in description	A tracked link near the top	Usually included, but get the placement in writing
Pinned comment	Your top comment with the link	Often included, small add-on if you'd rather not
Usage rights	The brand runs your clip in its own ads or site	Priced separately, by duration and channels
Exclusivity	You don't work with competitors for a period	Priced separately, by length and how broad "competitor" is
Shorts cut-down	A vertical clip from the segment	A separate deliverable, priced as one
Community post	A post on your channel's community tab	A small add-on
Guaranteed views	You promise a view count	Avoid, or price in a big buffer

Avoid guaranteed views if you can. You don't control YouTube's recommendations. If a brand insists, offer a "make-good" instead: if the video falls below an agreed number at 30 days, you add a Short or a community post, not a refund.

How to present your rates

Give a brand two clear options. It turns "how much?" into "which one?".

Thanks for reaching out. For YouTube I offer two formats:

Integration: a 60 to 90 second segment in the first third of a new video, with a link in the description and a pinned comment. $650.

Dedicated video: a full video built around [product], typically 8 to 12 minutes, with the same link and pinned comment. $1,800.

Both include one round of revisions on the script. Usage rights for paid ads are available separately. My videos typically reach around 13,000 views in the first month.

That last line does a lot of work. It shows you're pricing from real numbers, which makes pushback less likely.

Handling "can you do it cheaper?"

Common responses, depending on how much you want the deal:

• Trim the scope, not the rate. "For $400 I can do a 30-second mention at the midpoint instead."
• Offer a package. "If we do three integrations over three months, I can do $550 each."
• Hold. "That's my rate for this format. Happy to work with you whenever the budget fits." Then mean it.

Discounting for a multi-video commitment makes sense: less pitching, steady income. Discounting a one-off because someone asked usually just resets your price for the next brand too.

Mistakes to avoid

Pricing from subscribers. Sponsors will check your views, and the gap makes the quote look naive.

Using a lifetime average. Old videos have had years to collect views. Price from what a new video does in its first month.

Throwing in usage rights for free. "Can we use this in ads?" is a different product. Price it separately.

Agreeing to a dedicated video at an integration price. If the brand calls it "just a quick review", check the brief. A review is a full video.

Forgetting your Shorts are separate. Your long-form views don't predict your Shorts views, and the reverse is true too. Price them as their own thing.

The short version

• An integration is a segment in a video you were making anyway. A dedicated video is a full video about the brand.
• Price from your median 30-day views on recent long-form videos, not subscribers.
• Integration: views ÷ 1,000 × your CPM, adjusted for placement and length.
• Dedicated video: commonly 2 to 4 times an integration, or time cost plus reach value. Run both.
• Charge separately for usage rights, exclusivity, Shorts cut-downs and anything beyond the link.
• Present two options with your typical views, and offer packages instead of discounts.

If you'd like your median views worked out for you, Vantr's rate card reads your real post history and prices from it, so the numbers you quote match what your channel actually does.