The sponsorship ladder
How many followers do you need to get sponsored?
Less than the internet tells you. We read the published entry bar for 15 brands off their own pages, and 10 of them are accepting creators right now. Most set no follower minimum at all. What actually stops people is a rule they never saw.
Open to any size
These publish no follower minimum at all, so the bar is whether your content fits rather than how big you are. This is where almost every creator should start.
- How to get in
No published minimum, but they only sign creators who already use the product, so tagged usage history matters more than size.
- How to get in
An open ambassador form plus a paid per-campus role. A provably adult audience is now the strongest thing to lead with.
- How to get in
Recruitment runs through tagged gifting contests judged in categories, with cash prizes, rather than a standing application.
- How to get in
No follower minimum published, and they pay a flat fee based on your average views plus code commission. US shipping only.
- How to get in
No first-party affiliate programme exists on any network. The real doors are the ambassador form and a paid per-campus role.
- How to get in
Their Brand Ambassador link is an affiliate signup, not a paid ambassador programme. Pitching it as the latter reads as spam.
- How to get in
They work far down the follower curve, with sponsored deals across roughly 800 channels, so small setups genuinely get picked up.
- How to get in
No follower minimum published. You must be a verified Wise customer, and every post counts as a financial promotion with strict rules.
Open from about 1,000 followers
A published minimum, but a low one. If you have a real audience and post consistently you already clear it.
- How to get in
Their creator portal opens at around 1,000 followers, which is one of the lowest real bars anywhere, but it is US only for now.
- How to get in
Their creator ladder starts at about 1,000 followers, so this is one of the most reachable gear brands there is.
Invite only
No application form that leads anywhere. Getting in means being found, which usually means showing up in the communities and events they already fund.
- How to get in
The public affiliate programme closed in 2021. Realistically you pitch individual hosts, who hold their own budgets.
- How to get in
Artist endorsement expects acts touring nationally and internationally. The affiliate route is the one open door with no gatekeeper.
Not accepting right now
Their roster or portal is shut. Worth knowing so you stop pitching, and worth watching because these reopen on a calendar.
- How to get in
The athlete team and event lineup are locked for the year. The 7 percent affiliate programme and the credential-gated pro deal stay open.
- How to get in
There is no athlete application form at all. The only scheduled door is their annual competition, which opens in late December.
- How to get in
The ambassador roster is not currently expanding. The affiliate programme is open to anyone at 8 percent on a 30 day cookie.
By what you make
The same brands, split by the kind of content they actually buy.
- Fitness brands that sponsor creators
- Wellness and supplement brands that sponsor creators
- Beauty brands that sponsor creators
- Fashion brands that sponsor creators
- Tech brands that sponsor creators
- Filmmaking and camera brands that sponsor creators
- Outdoor brands that sponsor creators
- Travel brands that sponsor creators
Common questions
- How many followers do you need to get sponsored?
- Fewer than most people think. Most brands publish no follower minimum at all, and the ones that do often start around 1,000. What usually stops a creator is not size but a rule they never saw, like a programme being limited to one country, or a roster that is closed for the year.
- Do brands really work with small creators?
- Yes, and several say so in their own terms. Some run programmes that start at about 1,000 followers, and others publish no minimum and select on whether your content fits. Small, engaged and on-topic beats large and unrelated for most of these programmes.
- Why do some brands have no application form?
- Because they do not want inbound applications. Those brands find creators by watching the communities and events they already fund, so the way in is being visible there rather than sending an email that nobody reads.
- How current is this?
- Each entry was read off the brand's own published material and is dated on its brand page. Programmes open and close on a calendar, so anything marked closed is worth rechecking near its usual reopening.
Find out where you stand
Paste your channel and we will check it against every brand here, tell you which would take you today, and name the rule for any that would not.
Match my channel