YouTube API brandPartner part: find creators with influencer search

The YouTube Data API added a brandPartner part to the videos resource on July 7, 2026, so a creator can link a brand partner by channelId or channelHandle when calling videos.insert. Sume does not call that method or link anyone; POST /v1/influencer-search only helps you find candidate YouTube channels first.

YouTube facts are from its revision history page; Sume facts from the OpenAPI document behind the API reference, both read 2026-10-01.

What did YouTube add?

The revision history says the brandPartner part holds details about the brand partner linked to the video, for creator-initiated brand partner access. It can be specified on videos.insert, videos.update and videos.list. The object has channelId, the external channel ID of the partner, and channelHandle. Either must be set to establish a link, but only channelId is returned in the response.

How does Sume's influencer search fit?

Before you can link a partner you need candidates. The OpenAPI describes /v1/influencer-search as a ranked cold-discovery shortlist from a niche or natural-language query, covering Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. Pass platforms: ["yt"] for YouTube, and filter with follower_min, follower_max and engagement_min. It is unbilled, with no Sume SKU. Each creator in the response carries platform, handle, profileUrl, followers and engagementRate.

curl -X POST https://api.sume.com/v1/influencer-search \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $SUME_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "niche": "k-beauty",
    "platforms": ["yt"],
    "follower_min": 20000,
    "follower_max": 400000,
    "engagement_min": 0.03,
    "limit": 12
  }'

What do I do with a shortlist?

Review the creators yourself and check that each handle is the channel you mean. Then pass the chosen channel's handle or channel ID in the brandPartner part of your own videos.insert call, using your own YouTube credentials. Sume is not in that step. Sponsored posts have their own disclosure rules per platform; for the X equivalent see the paid partnership field.