Have you ever wondered how some creators on YouTube seem to have a brand deal in every video?

When I first began negotiating brand deals for a channel with millions of subscribers, I was shocked to discover just how little subscribers actually mattered. Even more surprising was that views aren't all that important either.

Especially when it comes to how much brands are willing to pay.

Why Subscribers Don't Matter

Before you can understand why our key metric is so vital, it's important to understand why subscribers aren't.

Subscriber count is a great indicator of how well content is resonating with new viewers. If new people like your content, the number goes up. But there's an easy way to prove why it means so little:

That’s where views come in.

Views Are Great, But Come With a Catch

Views demonstrate that subscribers don't matter—simply by comparison.

Even MrBeast, "The King of YouTube," only has 12 long-form videos that have met or exceeded his subscriber count. But here's the catch:

If you don't get those viewers to like or comment, they are virtually worthless when it comes to landing brand deals.

That’s where our vital metric comes in.

Engagement Rate

Engagement rate is the king of all YouTube metrics.

While it may sound simple, you'd be blown away by how quickly a $50,000 deal can turn into $5,000—or even $0—simply due to a lack of likes and comments. (It’s happened to me more than once.)

Moral of the story
Master viewer engagement rate, and you'll have brands saying "take my money" so fast you'll need to set up a waitlist.