Whether you're looking for capital to hire an editor, launch a new series, or grow your production team, preparing your YouTube channel for outside investment or funding takes more than just having good content. Creators are businesses, and like any business seeking support, investors want to see that you're stable, growing, and ready to scale.
In this blog post, we’re sharing a few practical ways to make your channel more appealing to potential funding partners, and better yet, help you understand which financial opportunity would make the most sense for your business. Even if you’re not yet ready for funding, these tips can help you stay knowledgeable, organized, and more than ready for whenever that time comes.
Know Your Numbers
Before anyone invests in your channel, they’ll want to see your data. Better yet, you should know your numbers to make sure you are fully aware of what type of partnership makes the most sense for your business. This means more than just your subscriber count. You should be tracking and organizing your views, watch time, RPM, AdSense earnings, sponsorship revenue, and any other monetization streams you’ve tapped into. If you're earning from Super Chats, Memberships, or YouTube Shopping, document those numbers clearly.
If you are looking for equity partnerships, they will likely be more interested in each revenue stream from brand partnerships and other social media platforms and how those numbers are projected to grow. Financing companies like Breeze will be focused on your AdSense revenue and mostly reflecting on historical earnings to determine your channel’s earning stability and how much of an advance your channel may be eligible for.
Understand Your Costs
Before looking to get a big check, know exactly how much your channel requires in running capital, how much capital you are looking for and most importantly, what you can afford in terms of paying back the capital.
Let’s start with your working capital.
Know how much it costs to run your channel. Look at the cost of managers, editors, rent, subscriptions and other staff. This cost will help you see how much it costs on a monthly basis to run your business and how much you can afford in capital.
How much capital do you need?
If you are looking for a large sum of cash for a new project, studio space, new equipment or building out your team, what is that number? Some projects need a large amount up front, but others may need the cash in installments. In some cases, the capital you get can be given in multiple tranches, which can be helpful so that you don’t have large sums of money sitting in your bank account that you have to pay back that you’re not even using. Breeze, for example, is often able to give top-ups or second tranches of funding to eligible creators, prior to their original deal finishing.
What will it cost you?
Now that you know how much your running capital is for your channel and how much capital you are looking for from a partner, it is time to look into how much that capital will cost you. Is there a revenue share or equity in exchange for the capital? How long is the agreement for? Or is it a fixed fee that you pay back over a set amount of time? From here, you will see if the cost of capital is something that you can afford or are willing to give up, if it comes down to equity.
Treat Your Channel Like a Business
YouTube creators who want to work with funding partners should start thinking of their content as a business. If you're making significant income, it’s encouraged to register as an LLC or sole proprietorship, as it can help separate your personal finances from your creator work and make the funding process much easier for potential investors.
Why Funding Is Different from Brand Deals
One important mindset shift: funding is not the same as a brand deal, and often can work together. While a sponsorship is often short-term and transactional, outside funding can get you access to large amounts of capital and often faster. Many creators make the mistake of waiting to save up brand deals in hopes of saving enough to grow to the next level. You don’t need to wait for the perfect brand deal or take deals with brands you don’t fully support.
Growth capital can be leveraged so that you can get access to both; you can invest in your channel while still working with brands. For example, if you are using capital for bigger projects or planning out videos well in advance, this gives you more flexibility and time to secure brand deals.
Creator Funding by Breeze
At Breeze, we partner with creators who are already making money and are ready to take the next step. Our funding model is straightforward and simple. There are no hidden fees and you keep full creative control.
We’ve worked with creators across different niches and helped them scale faster with less financial stress. Whether you're looking to hire a content team, expand into new formats, or take a break without worrying about cash flow, Breeze offers a flexible, creator-first funding option.
If you're ready for the next level and want to prep your channel for funding, start by getting organized and thinking like a business. With the right foundation, funding can be the bridge between where your channel is today and where you want it to go.
