Key stat: By the eighth integration with the same YouTube creator, affiliate link CTR reaches 1.8x the rate of the first integration, according to a January report from Agentio.

Beyond the chart:

• The CTR lift makes sense when you factor in how consumers actually respond to creator content. On average, buyers need to see a creator promote a product three to four times before making a purchase, according to an EMARKETER and impact.com survey, meaning a single integration almost never converts.
• The value of long-term partnerships runs both ways. Some 45% of creators say working with a high-quality brand is their top priority when considering a deal, according to Ipsos and Publicis Media, suggesting the creators most likely to drive repeat results are also the ones who want to keep coming back.

Use this chart: Show this to your creator partnerships team to make the case for long-term contracts over one-off deals. Drop it in your next influencer strategy deck to benchmark how many integrations it takes to see meaningful CTR gains, and use the 1.8x as your north star.

Related reports:

• Creator Economy Trends to Watch in 2026 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• YouTube Influencer Marketing 2025 (EMARKETER subscription required)

Methodology: Data is from the January 2026 Agentio report titled “The Ultimate 2026 YouTube Creator Marketing Playbook.” Agentio analyzed more than 10,000 primarily US-based YouTube creator integrations on the Agentio platform during October 2023-December 2025. 92% of creators were based in the US, 5% in Canada, 2% in the UK, and less than 1% in Australia. A YouTube creator integration is defined as a paid sponsorship placement embedded directly within a YouTube creator’s video, where the creator features, endorses, or demonstrates a brand’s product or service. Unlike YouTube Ads, these integrations are native to the content and remain live as part of the video’s organic distribution over time.

We prepared this article with the assistance of generative AI tools and stand behind its accuracy, quality, and originality.