What is Creator Partnership Boost?
Creator Partnerships Boost allows brands to use YouTube creator videos directly in their Google Ads campaigns. Instead of re-cutting a sponsored video into a branded creative, you run the creator's original upload as the ad from the creator's channel.
Creator partnerships boost unlock the following features:
Use organic creator videos in ad campaigns
Build data segments from the creator's audience for campaign optimization
Measure both organic and paid performance for the linked video in a single report
If you’re running YouTube Creator Partnership campaigns through Aspire, this workflow is simplified. Once the creator has granted brand partner access on their video (the required YouTube-side step), the video automatically appears in the "Received" tab of your connected Google Ads account and becomes eligible to boost.
How to Run Creator Partnerships Boost
Step 1: Link the creator's video to your Google Ads account
Before a creator’s video can be used as ad creative, it must be linked to the Google Ads account running the campaign. This can happen in two ways:
Creator-initiated: The creator grants brand partner access from YouTube Studio. The video will appear in the “Received” tab of your Google Ads account (not the “Linked” tab) and is automatically accepted—no action needed on your end.
Brand-initiated: You (or your agency) send a request from Google Ads, which the creator approves via YouTube Studio.
If you’re using Aspire to run YouTube Creator Partnership campaigns, the process is streamlined. Once your brand’s YouTube account is connected and Creator Partnerships are enabled, requesting YouTube deliverables through a brief automatically triggers campaign setup, generates a campaign code, and prompts the creator to link their video to the campaign.
Note: You are responsible for securing the rights to use the video as an ad. Access via YouTube unlocks measurement and boosting — it doesn't replace a usage agreement. Make sure you have an agreement with the creator covering ad usage rights and duration.
Step 2: Add the creator video to your campaign
Creator videos live in the Received tab, not the standard asset library. That means they won't auto-populate when you browse your video inventory — you need to search for them by exact title or by YouTube URL during the ad-creation step.
Create or open the Google Ads campaign you want to use.
Proceed to the ad creation step and select Videos to add a video asset.
Use the search bar to enter the exact title of the creator's video, or paste the specific YouTube URL.
Select the correct video from the search results to attach it to your ad.
Continue with campaign creation as usual — set your objective, audience, budget, and bidding strategy.
If you need a refresher on video campaigns end-to-end, see How to create a Video campaign.
Step 3: Launch, measure, and optimize
Partnership Ads plug into the full Google Ads reporting stack. You can monitor impressions, click-through rate, conversions, and engagement exactly as you would for any other campaign.
Plus, you can access organic and paid metrics for the creator's video within Aspire's Social Dashboard to track total reach and engagement across organic and paid.
💡 Further Reading: YouTube Partnership Ads 101: How to Turn Creator Videos into High-Performing Paid Campaigns
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I boost a creator's video if it hasn't been linked to a campaign?
Can I boost a creator's video if it hasn't been linked to a campaign?
No. You need brand partner access to the video (either creator-initiated or brand-initiated) to run it as a Partnership Ad. You can still target ads to people who viewed the video through standard Google Ads audience targeting, but you can't use the video itself as ad creative without linking.
Does boosting affect the creator's organic performance?
Does boosting affect the creator's organic performance?
No. Organic and paid are separate systems in YouTube's recommendation engine. Boosting introduces the video to new, paid audiences but doesn't suppress or replace the organic distribution the video is already earning.