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Food-related channels continue to be extremely successful on YouTube. From food challenges to recipe vlogs, mukbangs, and culinary adventures around the globe, there are so many niches within the vibrant foodie community online.
So many brands have successfully tapped into the massive online audiences that watch food and culinary content. Food and food-adjacent brands are a natural fit for partnering with these types of creators. And yet, some of the biggest sponsors of food content on YouTube are brands that aren’t necessarily related to food, highlighting the fact that stepping out of your niche (both as a brand and as a creator) may not necessarily be a bad thing.
We have compiled a list of some of the top non-food-related brands that have been successfully sponsoring food-related content on YouTube.
ExpressVPN is a VPN service that encrypts users' web traffic and masks their IP addresses and is also the top sponsor of food and cooking channels on YouTube. One of ExpressVPN’s top collaborations is with the adventurous channel, The Food Ranger. The Food Ranger travels all around the world to get a taste of the street food and local food available to him, and, lucky for us, he takes us along for the adventure. The Food Ranger has 5.9 million subscribers and regularly accumulates hundreds of thousands of views, so it’s no surprise that The Food Ranger and ExpressVPN have teamed up over 100 times and received an average of over 3 million views.
Stephanie Soo, a food channel that focuses mainly on mukbang content, has also built a strong partnership with ExpressVPN. Having collaborated 34 times, they have received over 24 million views. It definitely makes sense - Stephanie has over 2.6 million subscribers and is used to receiving 400 up to a million views on each one of her videos.
Even though ExpressVPN is in no way a ‘food brand’, it’s actually one of the top companies that invest in YouTube foodie sponsorships. It actually makes sense that this VPN company sees content creators as great marketers - who better to explain the importance of cyber security, if not hungry content creators? For example, The Food Ranger knows how important it is to keep his online information safe, as a content creator who is constantly traveling to new destinations. Stephanie Soo also knows the importance of a secure online presence - she has shared a number of true crime stories during her mukbangs that continuously highlight the importance of making sure you’re staying safe on the internet and computer. By incorporating the sponsorship mid-bite, viewers are at the peak of their engagement.
With Squarespace, you have the ability to make your very own website in a matter of minutes with the help of thousands of ready-made templates Squarespace provides for you. According to our data, Squarespace has sponsored 133 food or food-adjacent channels.
They have sponsored Babish Culinary Universe over 90 times. This cooking channel is known for recreating foods and recipes from movies and TV shows and has built up its community to over 10 million subscribers. The videos that are in collaboration with Squarespace have received close to 170 million views so far, which definitely equates to a fair amount of brand broadcasting.
Adam Ragusea is another food-related collaboration that has proved incredibly successful for Squarespace. So far, they have worked with him to sponsor 86 videos, garnering almost 130 million views.
Adam Ragusea is very much an all-encompassing food channel - he makes content about food recipes, food science, and culinary culture, and he also manages to seamlessly mention the sponsors of his videos. When it comes to Squarespace, Adam Ragusea never fails to think of a fun and unique way to mention the brand, highlighting what the brand is known for, while not making the viewer feel too disconnected from the video they chose to watch. Both Adam Ragusea and The Babish Culinary Universe take the time to highlight their very own websites which were produced with the help of Squarespace, a platform that allows them to share their recipes, cookware, and merchandise, among other things. This way, the viewers get to see just how easy Squarespace makes the process of website creation.
Skillshare is an online learning platform that offers thousands of creative courses and classes that are taught by experts to help you learn new skills. Skillshare is another one of Adam Ragusea’s top sponsors. Together, they’ve been able to surpass 17 million total views, which is pretty impressive.
When you think about it, it actually makes sense that Skillshare is one of the top food channel sponsors - as a platform that provides people with the tools to learn new skills, the food business has a lot of skills available to you to learn. Food photography, food videography (like the videos that Adam creates), cooking, and baking are just a few that come to mind, and there’s no doubt that Skillshare is the perfect platform for you to get a start on learning these skills.
BetterHelp provides mental health counseling and therapy online. According to our platform, they have sponsored over 170 food-related creators.
They have partnered with The Best Ever Food Review Show 22 times, with a staggering 35 million views reached so far.
Sponsoring a food adventure channel might seem unusual for an online therapy platform, but it can be an interesting fit. The channel has a very broad audience, ensuring wider reach, and potentially engaging individuals who might not actively seek therapy services. Further, the platform is looking to remove some of the stigma surrounding talking about mental health and seeking support services. So partnering with a fun-loving food host who promotes their work can certainly help destigmatize such a touchy topic.
Surfshark also provides VPN and other internet security tools. They have been sure to include numerous food-related creators in their influencer strategy.
They have collaborated with Strictly Dumpling, a creator that boasts over 4.2 million subscribers, 44 times. Their sponsored videos have reached close to 50 million views.
Foodie channels will continue to gain traction on YouTube, and that’s because viewers enjoy watching their favorite creators cook, eat, and document their foodie adventures. Food is intimate (there’s a reason why first dates surrounding food are so awkward), and so creators that are comfortable enough to share their food habits and lifestyle are able to quickly build that close relationship with their viewers that many content creators work for years to get to. That level of intimacy and, ultimately, comfort is ideal for brands - when they sponsor food-based YouTubers that have reached this level of trust, they increase their chances of not only getting the viewers' attention but their engagement with the product/service as well.
If you are a food-based creator interested in scaling your YouTube sponsorship, let us help you match with relevant brands.
If you are a brand interested in tapping into the food category on YouTube, we can help you find the top-tier channels for your brand.
