Makegood

Short Definition

A makegood is what a creator owes a brand when a sponsored video misses a promised result, usually a views guarantee. The most common makegood on YouTube is an extra sponsored read or video at no cost.

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Detailed Definition

Makegoods come from broadcast and print advertising, where a publisher that under-delivers an audience runs the ad again for free. In YouTube sponsorships the promise is usually a minimum number of views by a fixed video age. If the video comes up short, the contract says what the brand gets instead. Common forms are:

• An additional integration in a later video.
• A bonus Short or community post.
• A partial refund or credit, prorated to the shortfall.

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What to Put in the Contract

• The metric. Name the exact count. Since YouTube changed how public views are counted on August 24, 2026, we recommend counting engaged views from the creator's YouTube Studio, not the public counter.
• The age. Measure at a fixed age, such as day 30, so both sides read the same number.
• The remedy. Say what the makegood is, when it runs and whether it carries its own guarantee.

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Makegoods at ThoughtLeaders

In the ThoughtLeaders Partner Program, if a sponsored video misses its view guarantee, the channel publishes an additional video for free. To size a guarantee a channel can actually hit, ThoughtLeaders runs a simulation over the channel's recent day-30 views and returns a guarantee size with the odds of hitting it.