Join me as I chat with Cody Schneider about the power of using YouTube Creators for influencer marketing. Cody explains a step-by-step playbook for acquiring customers through YouTube creator partnerships. The strategy involves reaching out to 100+ creators in your niche, offering a three-video package plus affiliate commission, identifying which creators drive the most conversions, then putting top performers on monthly retainers. This creates a scalable system where you eventually have dozens of creators regularly making content about your product, with trackable ROI through affiliate links.
Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
01:03 – Why partner with Youtube Creators
04:38 – How to find and contact YouTube creators
08:11 – Crafting the email and follow-up strategy
09:26 – Overview of the Strategy
14:42 – The value of underpriced attention
19:12 – The numbers and scaling the process
22:06 – Biggest Bottleneck
22:50 – Automating the process
24:47 – Why start now
Key Points:
• YouTube creators + affiliate marketing is an effective strategy for getting initial customers, especially for SMB products with one standout feature
• The strategy works by reaching out to creators, having them make videos about your product, and giving them affiliate commissions
• This is a marketing arbitrage opportunity because many smaller creators (10k-50k subscribers) don’t know how to properly price themselves
• The goal is to identify underpriced creators, test them, then put the best performers on retainer to create monthly content
1) The YouTube Creator + Affiliate Marketing Strategy
This approach is PERFECT for:
• SaaS products with one standout feature
• SMB-focused tools
• Products that solve specific pain points
The concept? Get YouTube creators to demo your product in their videos + give them affiliate commissions.
2) Why This Strategy Works So Well
It’s an INEFFICIENT MARKET opportunity:
• Smaller creators (10K-50K subs) often don’t know their true value
• You can find creators dramatically underpricing themselves
• Unlike short-form content, you can track EXACT ROI through affiliate links
• The content is evergreen and keeps driving customers
"I have a friend that took his company from zero to six million ARR in 18 months only running this strategy." – Cody
3) Step 1: Finding The Right Creators
Here’s how to build your creator list:
• Search YouTube for topics related to your product niche
• Filter for 4-20 minute videos (longer form content)
• Look for creators already making content in your category
• Focus on engagement (likes/comments) over just subscriber count
4) Step 2: The Perfect Outreach Email
The EXACT template that works:
Subject: paid collaboration
"Hey, I love the content you’re posting on YouTube.
Can I get a cost breakdown for a three video package and I’ll give you an affiliate commission of 30%?"
Then follow up 10+ times (seriously!) – creators get bombarded with messages.
5) Why Three Videos Instead of One?
This is strategic genius:
• One video = flash in the pan
• Three videos = establishes credibility with their audience
• Spread them over 6-8 weeks mixed with their regular content
• Viewers think "this creator ACTUALLY uses this tool"
The affiliate commission creates long-term alignment and prevents price increases later!
6) Finding The Underpriced Attention
When you reach out to 100 creators:
• About 50 will respond
• ~10 will dramatically underprice themselves
• 2-3 will drive 80% of your revenue
The key metric: Cost of 3-video package ÷ Subscribers (or avg views)
This helps you identify which creators offer the best ROI.
7) Scaling The System
Here’s the compounding growth strategy:
• Start with 100 outreach emails
• Work with the 10 best-priced creators
• Identify the 2-3 top performers
• Put them on monthly retainers
• REPEAT the process with 100 new creators
8) The Viral Flywheel Effect
The magic happens when:
• One of your sponsored videos goes viral
• Other creators make videos about that viral video
• They join your affiliate program too
• Your product gets "astroturfed" across the entire ecosystem
The #1 tool to find startup ideas/trends – https://www.ideabrowser.com/
LCA helps Fortune 500s and fast-growing startups build their future – from Warner Music to Fortnite to Dropbox. We turn ‘what if’ into reality with AI, apps, and next-gen products https://latecheckout.agency/
Boringmarketing – Vibe Marketing for Companies: http://boringmarketing.com/
The Vibe Marketer – Join the Community and Learn: http://thevibemarketer.com/
Startup Empire – a membership for builders who want to build cash-flowing businesses https://www.skool.com/startupempire/about
FIND ME ON SOCIAL
X/Twitter: https://twitter.com/gregisenberg
Instagram: https://instagram.com/gregisenberg/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gisenberg/
FIND CODY ON SOCIAL
Cody’s startup: https://www.graphed.com/
X/Twitter: https://x.com/codyschneiderxx
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@codyschneiderx
