The Small Creator's Guide to Getting Your First Collaboration

You want to collaborate, but you feel like you have nothing to offer.

Your subscriber count is low. Your views aren't impressive. You look at other creators and think, "Why would anyone want to work with me?"

This is the trap that keeps small creators stuck. They wait until they're "big enough" to collaborate — and that day never comes. Meanwhile, they miss out on one of the best ways to actually grow.

Here's the truth: you don't need a big audience to land collaborations. Some of the best collabs happen between small creators. And there are ways to offer value that have nothing to do with your subscriber count.

This guide is for creators who are just starting out — whether you have 100 subscribers, 10 subscribers, or zero. You can land your first collab. Here's how.

Why Small Creators Avoid Collaboration (And Why They Shouldn't)

The biggest reason small creators don't pursue collabs is imposter syndrome. They feel like they need to "earn" the right to collaborate by building an audience first.

But this logic is backwards.

Collaboration is one of the fastest ways to build an audience. Waiting until you're big to collaborate is like waiting until you're rich to invest. You're skipping the thing that would get you there.

Here's what small creators get wrong:

"I have nothing to offer." Your subscriber count isn't the only thing you bring to a collab. You have skills, ideas, time, enthusiasm, and a unique perspective. Many larger creators are looking for exactly those things.

"No one will want to work with me." Creators at your level absolutely want to work with you. And some creators above your level are more open than you think — especially if you bring something specific to the table.

"I should wait until I'm bigger." The creators who grow fastest are the ones who start collaborating early. They build relationships while everyone else is waiting for permission.

"Collabs are only for established creators." Some of the biggest channels started as collaborations between nobodies. Rhett and Link. The Try Guys. Smosh. They didn't wait until they were famous to work together — working together is what made them famous.

The Small Creator Advantage

Being small actually gives you advantages that bigger creators don't have:

You have time. Big creators are busy. They're managing teams, brand deals, and content calendars. You can be more flexible, responsive, and available.

You're hungry. You'll put in more effort because you have more to gain. That energy is valuable to collaborators.

You're relatable. Audiences often connect more with small creators because they feel more authentic and accessible. That authenticity is an asset in collabs.

You have nothing to lose. A collab that flops won't hurt your reputation because you don't have one yet. This freedom lets you experiment and take risks.

You can grow together. Two small creators collaborating can build a relationship that lasts for years. When you both blow up, you'll have a trusted partner in the space.

Stop seeing your size as a weakness. Start seeing it as a different kind of strength.

Who Should You Collaborate With?

As a small creator, you have three tiers of potential collaborators:

Tier 1: Creators at your level

These are your best bet for your first collab. They understand your situation because they're in the same one. There's no power imbalance. You both have everything to gain and nothing to lose.

Look for creators with similar subscriber counts, similar content quality, and similar posting consistency. They don't need to be in your exact niche — adjacent niches often work better.

Tier 2: Creators slightly above you

Creators with 2-5x your audience are often reachable. They're not so big that they're flooded with requests, but they have enough of an audience to help you grow.

The key is offering something specific. Don't ask them for exposure — offer them value. Maybe you can edit a video for them. Maybe you have a unique skill or perspective. Maybe you have an idea that would work perfectly for their channel.

Tier 3: Creators way above you

This is a long shot, but it happens. Some large creators actively look for smaller creators to feature, mentor, or collaborate with. Some want fresh perspectives. Some remember what it was like to be small and want to pay it forward.

You probably won't land these collabs right away. But as you build your portfolio of smaller collabs, you'll have more credibility to reach higher.

What Can You Offer? (It's More Than You Think)

Stop thinking about what you don't have. Start thinking about what you do have.

Your skills

Can you edit videos? Design thumbnails? Write scripts? Manage social media? Create music? These skills are valuable to other creators who might not have them.

A creator with a bigger audience but no editing skills might love to trade exposure for your editing work.

Your ideas

Maybe you have a great concept for a video that would work better as a collab. A fresh idea is valuable, even if you're small. Pitch the idea, not yourself.

Your perspective

Are you in a different country? A different age group? A different profession? Your unique background can add something that the other creator's content is missing.

Your hustle

Offer to do the work. Handle the editing. Manage the logistics. Promote the content. Taking tasks off someone's plate is valuable, especially for busy creators.

Your audience (yes, even if it's small)

A small, engaged audience is worth more than a large, dead one. If your 500 subscribers are genuinely into your content, that's 500 real people who might discover a new creator through your collab.

Your network

Do you know someone they'd want to meet? Can you connect them with a brand, a tool, or an opportunity? Value comes in many forms.

How to Find Your First Collab Partner

Use collaboration platforms

Platforms like ONUNDI exist specifically to connect creators for collabs. Everyone there is actively looking, which removes the awkwardness of cold outreach. You can filter by niche, platform, and what they're looking for.

Look at who's watching you

Check your comments and your analytics. Who's engaging with your content? Some of them might be creators themselves. Reach out to the ones making similar content.

Search your niche on YouTube (sort by upload date)

Find channels that are actively posting in your niche. Look for ones with similar subscriber counts. Watch their recent content to see if you'd be a good fit.

Join creator communities

Discord servers, Reddit communities, Facebook groups, and Twitter circles are full of creators looking to connect. Participate genuinely — don't just spam collab requests. Build relationships first.

Attend virtual events and livestreams

Many creators host livestreams where they interact with their audience. Showing up consistently, engaging genuinely, and building a relationship over time can lead to collab opportunities.

How to Pitch When You're Small

Your pitch needs to work harder because you don't have numbers to lean on. Here's how to stand out:

Lead with the idea, not yourself

Don't start with "I'm a small creator looking to grow." Start with "I have an idea for a video that I think would work great for both of us."

Make the idea so good that your subscriber count becomes irrelevant.

Be specific about what you offer

Don't say "let's collab sometime." Say "I'll handle all the editing, create the thumbnail, and promote it across my socials." Show them exactly what they're getting.

Acknowledge the size difference (briefly)

If you're reaching out to someone bigger, don't pretend you're equals. A quick "I know I'm smaller, but here's why this could still work for you..." shows self-awareness without being self-deprecating.

Show your best work

Link to your best video, not your channel. Make it easy for them to see your quality without having to dig through your content.

Make it easy to say yes

Offer to do the hard parts. The less work for them, the more likely they'll agree.

Your First Collab: What to Expect

Your first collaboration probably won't go viral. That's okay. Here's what you're actually getting:

Experience. You'll learn how collabs work — the planning, the communication, the coordination. This makes your next collab easier.

Content. You'll have something new for your channel. Content is content, whether it blows up or not.

A relationship. You'll know someone in the creator space. That relationship might lead to more collabs, introductions, or opportunities down the line.

Credibility. Having one collab under your belt makes the next one easier to land. You're no longer asking for your first — you're asking for your next.

Motivation. Working with someone else is energizing. It can reignite your passion for creating, especially if you've been grinding alone.

Don't measure your first collab by views. Measure it by what you learned and who you met.

What If No One Says Yes?

It happens. You pitch ten creators and get ten rejections (or worse, ten silences).

Here's what to do:

Keep creating. Every video you post improves your portfolio. The pitch that fails today might work in six months when your content is stronger.

Improve your pitch. Look at what you're sending. Is it generic? Is it too long? Is the idea actually good? Get feedback and iterate.

Lower your aim temporarily. If creators at your level aren't responding, find creators even smaller than you. Everyone starts somewhere.

Try different channels. Maybe email isn't working. Try Twitter DMs. Try Discord. Try commenting on their content first to build familiarity.

Join communities first. Sometimes cold pitching doesn't work because there's no relationship. Spend a month in creator communities building genuine connections, then pitch.

Be patient. Your first collab might take months of effort. That's normal. The creators who give up after a few rejections never find out how close they were.

The Long Game: Building a Collab Network

Your first collab is just the beginning. The goal is to build a network of creators you can work with repeatedly.

Deliver on your promises. If you said you'd edit the video, edit it well. If you said you'd promote it, promote it hard. Being reliable is how you get invited back.

Stay in touch. After the collab, don't disappear. Comment on their content. Share their wins. Check in occasionally. Relationships need maintenance.

Introduce people. When you meet new creators, think about who in your network they should know. Being a connector makes you valuable even when you're not directly collaborating.

Collaborate again. If the first collab went well, propose another. Recurring collaborations build deeper relationships and more consistent growth.

Level up together. As you grow, your collab partners grow too. The small creators you work with today might be big creators tomorrow — and you'll have history together.

Stop Waiting. Start Collaborating.

The biggest mistake small creators make is waiting for permission. Waiting until they're "ready." Waiting until they're "big enough."

You're ready now. You're big enough now.

Yes, you might get rejected. Yes, your first collab might flop. But you'll learn something every time. And eventually, something will click.

The creators who grow fastest aren't the ones with the best content or the luckiest breaks. They're the ones who put themselves out there, build relationships, and collaborate before they feel ready.

Your first collab is out there. Go find it.

Find Creators Who Want to Grow With You

Looking for your first collab partner is hard when you don't know where to start. You're scrolling through YouTube, sending cold DMs, hoping someone at your level is interested.

That's why we built ONUNDI.

ONUNDI connects creators across YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, podcasts, and more — including creators who are just starting out and looking to grow together. Instead of guessing who might be interested, you can:

Find creators at your level who are actively looking for collabs
Filter by niche, platform, and availability to find the right match
See what creators are looking for — skill exchanges, content collabs, or creative partnerships
Connect without the awkwardness of cold outreach to people who might not be interested

Everyone on ONUNDI is there because they want to collaborate. Big or small, experienced or just starting — if you want to find your first collab partner, this is where to look.

Join ONUNDI and find creators who want to grow with you.