YouTube Brand Deals Get Dynamic 🔄

TODAY’S EDITION

• YouTube’s new Dynamic Brand Segments feature lets creators insert brand-sponsored segments into videos, similar to TV commercials.

• Meta enters a new category of AI-powered smart glasses with the Ray-Ban Meta Display.

• Google makes creators a bigger part of Discover with social posts, a dedicated space, and a follow button.

YouTube Gives Creators The Ability to Dynamically Insert Brand Sponsored Segments In Videos

At its Made On YouTube event, YouTube announced over $100 billion in payouts to creators, artists, and media companies, alongside 30+ updates across shopping, brand deals, AI creation tools, podcasts, live streaming, and music.

One standout update is Dynamic Brand Segments, which allows creators to insert brand-sponsored segments into videos that can be swapped in and out rather than permanently embedded.

The feature is expected to be available for testing early next year, with a full rollout later in the year.

Why It Matters:

This approach mirrors how ads run on traditional TV (and podcasts), which is fitting as YouTube continues to reinvent television.

For creators, dynamic brand segments unlock ongoing monetization of existing videos. Instead of producing new videos for sponsorships , creators can cycle different brands through relevant videos, turning their catalog into continuous revenue streams. For example, a creator could update a holiday-focused video with new brand segments each year.

Brands benefit by featuring in already high-performing videos and adapting campaigns without commissioning entirely new content. Segments can be customized by region or messaging, offering more flexible and potentially more cost-effective partnership options, including performance-based deals.

Viewers also gain a better experience, seeing brand segments that are more relevant to the context in which they watch, rather than content that may feel outdated due to permanent brand integrations.

One potential downside though is that brand segments might feel less organic than content created with a brand in mind from the start. Even so, this feature adds welcome flexibility for creators and brands and aides in YouTube’s push to be more active in influencer marketing.

Meta Unveils New AI-Powered Smart Glasses With A Display

At Meta Connect, Meta announced several new smart glasses and metaverse technologies. Along with a second generation of its flagship Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and the Oakley Meta Vanguard designed for athletes, it revealed the Meta Ray-Ban Display, a new category of smart glasses featuring an in-lens display.

Key Details:

• The full-color, high-resolution display sits to the side of the user’s view and can be turned on or off, designed for short, glanceable interactions.

• Features include checking messages, making video calls, previewing photos, viewing live captions and translations, and connecting with Meta apps like Meta AI, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Facebook.

• Each pair comes with the Meta Neural Band, an EMG wristband that translates muscle activity into commands for the glasses.

• Priced at $799, they will be available starting September 30.

Why It Matters:

Meta’s first AI-powered smart glasses have already found traction with more than 2 million pairs sold, especially among creators. Lloyd George told me they “made it so much easier to capture content throughout my day,” noting that the more content he can create, the more opportunities that typically arise

The Meta Ray-Ban Display builds on that momentum by adding a glanceable display and controls that bring more mobile-like functionality into wearable form. For creators, the ability to preview content in real time is especially valuable for vlogs and “day in the life” videos. With Meta opening up the glasses to developers, new use cases are also likely to emerge, such as Twitch streamers going live directly from their glasses.

With built-in cameras, speakers, microphones, AI computing, and direct access to social apps, Meta is positioning smart glasses as a mainstream consumer product. While the $799 price may be high for average consumers, creators and tech enthusiasts are likely to jump in first.

Google Adds More Creator Content and the Ability to Follow Creators in Discover

Google is updating the Discover feed in its Search app. In the coming weeks, users will see more creator-driven content, including Instagram posts, X posts, YouTube Shorts, as well as traditional articles and stories. Google says more platforms will be added, with my predictions being TikTok, LinkedIn, and Substack content as next.

Google is also introducing a follow button next to creator and publisher names. When tapped, users are taken to a dedicated space showcasing all of their content, which can be filtered by format. Once users follow a creator or publisher, they will see more of this content prioritized in their feed.

Why It Matters: 

By giving creators followable spaces in Discover, Google is recognizing the growing demand for diverse voices and a wider spectrum of digital content.

For creators, this update means greater discoverability for their social posts and a new way to reach audiences who are actively searching across the web. For users, it creates an all-in-one feed where articles, videos, and social posts appear together, making it easier to keep up with favorite creators and publishers. Discover is evolving into a more personalized content hub guided by both user preferences and Google’s algorithm.

This update builds on Google’s recent move to let users mark sites and blogs as preferred sources in Top Stories, showing the company’s push to give people more control over content discovery in an AI-driven search era.

NUMBERS TO KNOW

• Over 1 trillion selfies were sent via Snaps in 2024 across Snapchat’s 930 million users. (Snapchat, Snapchat Newsroom)

• 97% of CMOs plan to increase their creator budgets in 2026, more than spending on AI search or paid ads (LTK & Northwestern University, 2026 CMO Creator Marketing Study).

• 89% of active followers of creators purchased something through Instagram Broadcast Channels in the last six months, with half making four or more purchases (Collective Voice, Holiday 2025 Creator Commerce Report).

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