Creator collaborations: the what, why, and how + examples to inspire you

Creator Collaboration
Updated: October 14, 2024
Creator collaborations: the what, why, and how + examples to inspire you
25 min read
In this Article

The journey of a professional creator can be lonely and exhausting.

You rely on social media to reach your followers and attract new ones. You count on SEO to give you an organic search boost. You build lead magnets and send newsletters to nurture your subscribers.

And you do all of it on your own.

But thanks to creator collaborations, it doesn’t have to be this way. When you partner with fellow writers, podcasters, course creators, or YouTubers, you tap into their audience while letting them tap into your own—and it can be a game changer.

Learn why creator collaborations are worth it, how to find the right collaborators, what it takes to see success, and get inspired by great collaboration examples.

What is a creator collaboration?

Creator collaboration is a team effort between fellow content creators to grow your audience, make more sales, connect with peers, and learn something new.

For example, two personal styling coaches can partner on a webinar to combine and teach their signature frameworks and reach beyond their usual viewers. In a way, collaborators ‘borrow’ each other’s audience.

Creator collaborations can have overlapping or complementary audiences. For example, while the personal styling coach example had two creators in the same niche, a fitness YouTuber and a licensed psychologist could discuss the relationship between physical and mental health with their complementary audiences.

Types of collaborations

There are two types of collaborations you’ll use as a content creator—paid partnerships and unpaid collaborations.

Paid partnership

A paid partnership is an agreement where a brand pays a creator to advertise or endorse its company, product, or service.

For example, imagine a brand partnership between a chef and a cookware company. The company pays the creator to post Instagram stories about the product, which the company also shares. The creator is paid for their work and gains exposure to the company’s audience, and the company makes product sales.

Creators can set up paid partnerships between themselves, too, like a course creator paying a podcaster to share their work on an episode.

Creators can offer brands paid partnership spots in their newsletter, like Jay Clouse’s partnership with Creative Juice through the Kit Sponsor Network.

Unpaid collaboration

An unpaid collaboration occurs when a company offers goods, services, discounts, or exposure in exchange for a creator to share their endorsement.

You’ve likely seen unpaid brand collaborations when a tech influencer reviews the latest phone model before it hits the market or when a travel influencer stays at a hotel for free. While creators receive free products or services for content, the creators don’t get paid for the collaboration.

An unpaid creator collaboration occurs when creators team up to co-create content to share with each other’s audience, like a group of bloggers bundling their courses and selling it to all of their audiences at a discounted rate.

Inviting guests to your podcast is another unpaid creator collaboration opportunity. Image via Kit.

8 examples of creator collaborations to inspire your own

Want to work with fellow creators but aren’t sure where to start? Check out these creator collaborations between coaches, podcasters, writers, course creators, and YouTubers.

1. Megan Minns and Louise Henry: free workshop

Megan Minns and Louise Henry collaborated on a live video training all about using Asana as an online business owner. At the end of that webinar, there was a pitch for Louise’s online course Uplevel with Asana.

Megan specializes in helping entrepreneurs systemize their businesses and stay productive, and Louise is an online business strategist.

Megan previously ran an Asana HQ course, so she had already primed her audience for this type of content.

She had an affiliate relationship with Louise for this training, so while Louise reached new potential customers, Megan had a huge revenue opportunity. A definite win-win!

Landing page for Megan’s and Louise’s live training. Image via Uplevel with Asana.

2. Ali Abdaal and Khe Hy: livestream

Ali Abdaal is a doctor, YouTuber, and podcaster exploring strategies and tools for a happier, healthier, more productive life. On his YouTube channel, he hosted Khe Hy, the creator behind RadReads.

In this live session, they’ve shown the behind-the-scenes of building a productivity system in Notion. This allowed both of them to tap into each other’s large audience. The description below the video listed links to Khe’s YouTube channel, Notion course, and website.

The video description of Ali’s and Khe’s livestream. Image via Ali Abdaal.

On top of the earlier mentioned Reddit post by a viewer that was blown away by the quality of this livestream, folks from Notion also shared the love on their Facebook page and promoted the video to their followers.

Notion’s Facebook post about Ali’s and Khe’s livestream. Image via Notion.

3. Khe Hy and Keep Productive: YouTube tutorial

Here’s another example that includes Khe Hy, this time for his collaboration with the Keep Productive YouTube channel.

In this video, Khe took the Keep Productive viewers through a Notion dashboard for hiring and working with a virtual assistant. Khe also took an extra step: he built a dedicated landing page for a free template he mentioned in the video.

This allowed him to track new subscribers from that collaboration, as well as to personalize his landing page and email sequence for those subscribers.

Khe Hy’s collaboration-specific landing page. Image via RadReads.

This link was then included in the YouTube video description, along with Khe’s related free content.

The video description of the collaboration between Khe Hy and Keep Productive. Image via Keep Productive.

Want to know more about how Khe Hy uses Kit to grow and nurture a 27,000+ email list? Check out his Kit case study.

4. Jay Acunzo and Jay Clouse: podcast episodes

Jay Acunzo is an author, speaker, and showrunner. Jay Clouse is the host of the Creative Elements podcast and a creator coach.

They don’t just have the same name and over a hundred podcast episodes under their belt (each!). They also both run membership programs and are deeply curious about the creative process that fuels great work.

After the first time Acunzo appeared as a guest on Clouse’s podcast in mid-2021, he appeared several more times. They’ve now talked about speaking, resonance, and paid memberships amongst other topics. They’ve named this series “Jay Talking,” which includes episodes that are “less of an interview, and more of a conversation between two creators in the trenches of building their businesses.”

Jay Acunzo described this partnership as “unofficial—no contract. I appear on the show as a recurring guest/co-host, so we can cross-post and/or promote it together.”

An episode of Jay-Talking with Jay Clouse and Jay Acunzo. Image via Creative Elements.

5. Morgan Stradling and Trena Little: YouTube videos

Morgan Stradling and Trena Little are YouTube strategists and coaches. In their collaboration, they’ve made a video for each other’s channel. They’ve packaged them together as 10 tips to grow a YouTube channel, sharing five tips per video.

On Trena’s channel, she introduces Morgan at the beginning of the video, which is followed by Morgan’s five tips.

Morgan Stradling presenting her five tips for growing a YouTube channel in Trena Little’s video. Image via Trena Little.

The same structure follows on Morgan’s channel. They both list links in the video description that take viewers to the other five tips on the other creator’s channel.

Video description under the collab video on Trena Little’s channel. Image via Trena Little.

6. Arpit Singh and Komal Ahuja: X/Twitter Space

Serial content doesn’t have to be on video, and it doesn’t have to be a highly produced podcast. Thanks to X/Twitter Spaces, it can be a live audio conversation between fellow creators.

That’s exactly what Arpit Singh, a growth marketer, does with his Freelance Journey X/Twitter Space. In this example, he hosted Komal Ahuja, a freelance content writer, to talk about becoming a freelance writer for B2B SaaS companies. The live audio conversation becomes available as a recording after it’s finished.

The Freelance Journey X/Twitter Space. Image via Arpit Singh.

7. Tiago Forte and David Perell: joint course

Even interactions that seem small initially, like X/Twitter DMs and podcast interviews, can grow into long-term collaborations.

Take it from Tiago Forte, the creator of the Building a Second Brain course and book, and David Perell, a writer, podcaster, and a writing coach.

A few years back, David met Tiago on X/Twitter, then recorded a podcast with him, then took his course. In 2019, they co-created an online writing course called Write of Passage and built a global community of online writers.

The short story of how David Perell and Tiago Forte got to work together. Image via David Perell.

Here’s what David said about his working relationship with Tiago:

Tiago and I are business partners. He helped me create my online writing course and together, we’re building the infrastructure required to scale an online education business. Tiago is one of my closest friends and the person who shaped my career more than anybody else.

David and Tiago also sometimes get together for a podcast episode to reflect on their work and learnings as business partners.

8. Vedika Bhaia and Unnati Bagga: joint course

Vedika Bhaia is a personal branding strategist. Unnati Bagga is an organic growth specialist. Combined, they have over 100,000 followers, 80+ clients, and many years of experience.

Their collaboration is a two-month long cohort-based course, Crack Those Socials.

With an audience as big as theirs, each of them could certainly run a course like this without a collaborator. But doing this together means not only that their reach is bigger, but that they can split the big task of running a cohort-based course between themselves—and contribute their uniqueness to it in full.

9. Freelance Bold and Kaleigh Moore: newsletter cross-promotion

This example is a collaboration that I (Marijana) ran with Freelance Bold, my library of resources for freelance writers. I’ve partnered with Kaleigh Moore, a well-known freelance writer, to exchange links to our content in our respective newsletters.

In her email, Kaleigh shared a link to my landing page with free, downloadable email templates for freelance writers. In my newsletter, I’ve shared Kaleigh’s free ebook with dozens of lessons she learned about freelance writing.

Both resources were a great fit for our audiences, and the feedback was extremely positive.

A snippet of Freelance Bold’s email about Kaleigh Moore’s ebook. Image via Freelance Bold.

Why collaborating with other creators is worth it

While collaborations are a nice change of pace for solo creators, the benefits go beyond socializing. Creator collaborations are worth exploring because they are:

  • Inexpensive. Collaborations don’t require travel or new equipment; your time is usually the biggest investment. In most cases, you can rely on the tools you already have and the content creation process you know well.
  • Build your brand. The content you create lets people know what to remember you for, and showing up for your collaborator’s audience is no different. Just look at this post on Reddit after Ali Abdaal and Khe Hy’s livestream about their productivity systems in Notion.
  • Expand your network. Pretty self-explanatory—you access an audience you otherwise wouldn’t have. And the better fit the collaboration, the stronger impact it will have on growing your audience.
  • Mutually beneficial. Great collaborations give results to everyone involved. It’s not—and never should be—a one-sided deal where you both put in the work, but only one person benefits.
  • Flexible. You can collaborate with another creator in dozens of ways, like on free content or paid products, once only or on an ongoing basis, and more. This adaptability makes collaborations one of the most powerful tools for your growth.
  • Insightful. Working with other content creators gives you a new perspective on a familiar topic or an introduction to a new one. Use collaboration to spark new ideas and see what your audience responds to.
  • Increase credibility. Partnering with a respected creator in your niche can build trust with your brand.

What makes a great-fit collaborator

Who you choose to collaborate with can make or break a project—we’ve all had at least one less-than-perfect group project at school that you couldn’t wait to be rid of. When you work with the right creators, though, the process is smooth and enjoyable for you and your audience.

Here’s what to look for in a potential collaborator:

Complementary interests and skills

Your interests and areas of focus complement each other. As you saw in the examples section, you can serve a similar audience, like freelance writers, agency owners, or YouTubers.

Don’t be afraid of partnering with similar creators; think of them as amplifiers rather than competitors.

However, you can also partner with creators who serve a different audience that make your content richer—like a podcast coach partnering with an SEO expert to combine podcast production and organic search in their teaching.

Values and work ethic alignment

A similar level of care for your work, reputation, and results is handy in collaboration. It means you’ll both do your best job on it, rather than the majority of the work falling on one of you.

Take this example: you care about your audience and are in it for the long run, but your collaborator wants to see overnight success. So while you focus on organically building your list of attendees for a joint webinar, your collaborator buys a list of emails and spams a thousand people with promotional messages. Not ideal. Being transparent about your goals and work style ensures you can find a mutually-beneficial match.

Not how you want your collaboration to go. Image via 9GAG.

Similar success levels

Success level is less about your follower numbers or email list size and more about the stage of your business. Suppose one of you started a business a month ago, and the other has run dozens of successful launches over a decade. In that case, the collaboration will feel unfair and unbalanced. Look for collaborators at a similar stage of their creator journey as you.

No drama or controversies

If there’s something that could overshadow the content you and your collaborator put together, your work might not get the recognition it deserves. Protect your audience’s trust in you at all costs.

Where to find potential creator collaborators

Potential collaborators are out there; you just have to know where to look. Thankfully, there are plenty of ways to find partners for content collaborations.

Kit Creator Network (CN)

Kit’s Creator Network is a dedicated way to connect and collaborate with fellow content creators.

Instead of searching for the perfect partner in groups or on social media, the Creator Network recommends collaborators with similar audiences. Fellow creators can also view your creator profile and recommend you to their audience.

As you introduce your audience to fellow creators (and they do the same for you), everyone’s email list grows, and audiences find more content they love.

The Creator Network is available for paid Kit users and is easy to set up. Here’s how:

Step 1: sign up on the Creator Network home page

Step 2: set up your creator profile

Your creator profile includes past emails, social media links, and a place to subscribe to your newsletter. Image via The Perfect Loaf.

Step 3: find fellow creators

Search for or browse creators and read their bios to find related content.

Step 4: recommend newsletters to your subscribers

Partnering with a creator is as easy as clicking a button.

You need to recommend at least one creator to be a part of the Creator Network.

Step 5: grow your audience as other creators recommend you

Your own connections

Reach out to friends or people in your industry with similar interests and skills. Even if they aren’t a collaborative match, they may recommend you to someone who is.

  • Friends and family circles
  • Professional acquaintances

Social media followers or people you’re following

If there’s someone you admire on social media—reach out to them! You can also let your audience know you’re open to collaboration and see who they suggest.

  • Instagram / Facebook
  • TikTok
  • YouTube
  • Twitch
  • X/Twitter / Mastodon
  • LinkedIn

Communities and groups you belong to

Industry or niche-specific groups are a great place to find collaborators familiar with your topic.

  • Discord
  • Slack
  • Facebook Groups
  • Forums
  • Masterminds
  • Kit Community

Events

Like communities and groups, you can look for events related to your topic to meet like-minded collaborators. If you don’t see an event you want to attend, you can always host a live event of your own.

  • Conferences
  • Trade shows
  • Workshops
  • Seminars
  • Networking
  • Product Launches
  • Fundraisers
  • Popups
  • Parties

On the street

Sometimes creators meet collaborators by chance, like the musical duo Crash Adams and KingVvibe. KingVvibe freestyled with Crash Adams in a video that went viral. Hundreds of thousands of viewers and commenters wanted to see more of the collaboration.

Crash Adams’ audience reacted positively to ‘on the street’ collaborations, so they created more. Image via Crash Adams.

Similarly, Jacob Koopman was busking when VJ Jaxson asked to join in. The collaboration was a hit, and the video garnered nearly 3 million views on YouTube.

Creator collaborations can happen anywhere. Image via Jacob Koopman.

3 ways collaborations can go wrong

On the opposite end of the great-fit collaborator is a situation waiting to explode. If you partner up with someone who isn’t a match, you’ll have a frustrating experience, waste your time, and potentially damage your reputation.

Here are the main ways your collaboration could go wrong:

Unclear collaboration details

Everything in your collaboration should be well-defined and documented, from content formats, types, and amounts to deliverables like the number of emails you’ll send or the time you’ll spend teaching on the webinar. If you don’t do that, you and your collaborator might miss each others’ expectations and end up in a disagreement.

No contract

A contract is optional for collaborations who want to grow their social media following and/or email lists. But if there’s money involved—investing in tools and resources, receiving revenue, or both—a contract is a must-have. Look online for contract templates you can purchase, ensuring they outline details like deliverables, payout terms, and mutual obligations.

One-sided benefits

If your collaboration only benefits one side—grows its list, generates revenue, raises its reputation—but doesn’t do anything for the other, you’re in for a miserable time. Make sure the way collaboration creates results for you both.

How to approach a potential collaborator

Your next collaborator can be anywhere in your online world. They might be a long-time follower or subscriber, your favorite podcaster, or a fellow member of a community you’re part of.

You could go about this the public way, like posting a tweet or an Instagram story letting your followers know you’d love to collaborate with a specific type of creator on a project. Or, you can use the Kit Creator Network to allow fellow creators to recommend your newsletter.

If you already have someone in mind, you can reach out to them through email or DMs and let them know what you have in mind.

  • In your message, make sure to let them know:
  • What you (sincerely!) love about their work
  • Why you think you’re a great match
  • What you do as a creator—who you serve and with what types of content and products—and how what they do fits into what you do
  • A couple of ideas of topics and/or formats you could work on together
  • The goals and outcomes you’d love to see (for example, email list growth for both of you)
  • Proposal of next steps, like booking a call or continuing over email

There will likely be some ghosting and some rejections, but that’s okay. Don’t let that stop you from keeping at it until you find your dream collaborator.

Tips for a successful collaboration

If you want to make collaborations your next growth strategy, here are some final tips to help you make the most of each partnership.

Brainstorm ways you can collaborate and create content together

As you saw earlier in the list of examples, there are so many ways you can collaborate with a fellow creator. Here’s a list of collaboration ideas to get your brainstorming process started.

  • Guest posts. Both you and your collaborator write a guest post (or a series of guest posts) for each other’s blog around topics you can uniquely contribute to.
  • Interviews. Publish interviews with each other in written, audio, or video format.
  • Giveaways. Run a joint giveaway that you equally contribute to; for example, you could both give away a digital product of similar value or split the cost of a third-party product you’re giving away (like a book or a software subscription). People who enter the giveaway subscribe to both of your email lists.
  • Workshops. Host a workshop together, about 60 to 90 minutes long. Add attendees to both of your email lists. If it’s relevant, run a paid product promotion at the end and include an affiliate commission for your collaborator.
  • Social media takeovers. Publish to each other’s Instagram Stories for a day; for example, a day-in-the-life or an educational style of content.
  • Video features. Be a guest in each others’ videos and contribute unique tips and insights.
  • Newsletter swaps. Feature each other in your respective newsletter with the relevant context and links.
  • Joint course or digital product. Create a paid product together, like an online course, workshop, ebook, or templates, and promote it as co-creators.

Be clear about roles, deliverables, and expectations

Don’t let any detail of your collaboration hang in the air. Discuss everything that goes into your joint venture, and consider questions like:

  • What end product are we working on (a YouTube video, a podcast series, a webinar…)?
  • What tasks do we need to complete to make it happen?
  • What is the best way to split that work between us? Where does each of us shine?
  • How can we reach the largest number of people possible? How can we rely on our respective networks to do that?
  • How much content is expected from each collaborator on their platforms to promote this joint venture? Which platforms and content formats?
  • What can one collaborator do to help the other see the best possible results?
  • If there’s money involved, what are the payout terms?

Prioritize getting your audiences excited and engaged through promotion

Content promotion plays a massive role in the success of your collaboration. Consider these tactics to maximize the mileage of your collaboration:

  • Have a dedicated landing page to promote your joint venture wherever you mention it
  • Update your social media bios to promote your partnership
  • Dedicate a newsletter edition to your collaboration (chances are, more than a third of your audience will see it!)
  • Link to your creator collaboration in your newsletter footer
  • Share your collaboration in your welcome email or a welcome sequence so that your new subscribers instantly know what you’re working on
  • Ask your audience what they want to learn through email surveys, Instagram stories, and X/Twitter polls
  • Build anticipation by asking your followers to guess who you’re collaborating with

Grow your brand, email list, and revenue with collaborations

Collaborations are an excellent way to tap into an audience outside your own. You can get strategic and intentional about what you teach, who you serve, and how you lift yourself and a fellow creator.

The longer you work with fellow creators, the more you’ll build up incremental growth of your email list, reputation, and income. Be sure to leverage Kit’s Creator Network and marketing platform with its landing pages, visual automations, and commerce features to maximize the reach and impact of your every collaboration.

Sign up for Kit and get access to The Creator Network.

Grow your audience faster without working harder

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Steph Knapp
Steph Knapp

Steph Knapp is a freelance B2B + SaaS content marketer that loves educating and empowering curious humans. When she's not typing away, you'll find her volunteering at the animal shelter and obsessing over a new hobby every week. She shares marketing, freelance, and cat content on Twitter @ hellostephknapp. (Read more by Steph)