Why 16 Brands Chose a 133K-Subscriber Creator — What 1,760 Partnership Records Reveal About Selection Criteria
Key Takeaways
- · 미드 티어(10만~50만) ER 1.93%로 전 구간 최고 — 플랫폼 평균(1.95%)에 가장 근접하면서 880명으로 표본 안정성도 확보
- · 뷰티·테크 카테고리는 조회수 플랫폼 평균의 40%이지만 반복 협업 비율은 예능 다음으로 높음
- · 다(多)브랜드 협업 상위 5명 중 3명이 매크로 이하 — 구독자 수는 선정 기준이 아닌 것으로 확인
- · 해피가이정호(13.3만 구독) 16개 브랜드 협업은 패션 카테고리 평균(2.9개)의 5.5배
Why 16 Brands Chose a 133K-Subscriber Creator Over Million-Subscriber Channels — What 1,760 Creator Partnerships Reveal
The data reveals a paradox: smaller creators often attract more brand partnerships than their mega-tier counterparts. We analyzed 1,760 creators to understand why.
A fashion creator with 133,000 subscribers — Happy Guy Jeongho — landed 16 brand partnerships in the past 3 months. During the same period, Understanding, a finance channel with 1.31 million subscribers, also had 16. A 10x difference in subscriber count, zero difference in brand demand. This is the reality that Dhesy data from 1,760 creators makes impossible to ignore.
Platform Benchmarks — What 1,000 Brands Tell Us
Individual numbers mean nothing without context. Here are the averages across 1,000 brands with active collaboration histories on Dhesy.
| Metric | Platform Average |
|---|---|
| Avg Views per Collab | 328,088 |
| Avg Engagement Rate | 1.95% |
| Collabs per Brand | 6.1 |
| Creators per Brand | 2.4 |
These figures serve as the baseline for everything that follows. A creator exceeding 1.95% ER is performing above average; one surpassing 328K views per collaboration video is competitive on reach.
Engagement by Subscriber Tier — Mid-Tier Leads at 1.93% ER
The relationship between subscriber count and engagement defies expectations. Against the platform average ER of 1.95%, each tier tells a different story.
구독자 티어별 인게이지먼트율
* Source: Dhesy
| Tier | Creators | Avg Brands | Avg Views | ER | vs Platform Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Micro (10K–100K) | 367 | 2.0 | 82,140 | 1.83% | -0.12%p |
| Mid (100K–500K) | 880 | 2.7 | 141,418 | 1.93% | -0.02%p |
| Macro (500K–1M) | 287 | 3.5 | 209,953 | 1.77% | -0.18%p |
| Mega (1M+) | 223 | 3.9 | 509,023 | 1.68% | -0.27%p |
Mid-tier creators (100K–500K subscribers) lead at 1.93% ER, closest to the platform average with the largest sample size of 880 creators. ER declines steadily as subscriber count increases — mega-tier sits 0.27 percentage points below average.
Meanwhile, average brand partnerships climb from 2.0 to 3.9 as subscriber count increases. Mega creators trade efficiency for raw reach: 509K average views is 6x the micro tier. Campaign objectives should dictate tier selection, not default assumptions about scale.
Category Breakdown — Entertainment Wins Reach, Beauty and Tech Win Loyalty
Category selection depends on whether you are optimizing for eyeballs or repeat business.
카테고리별 평균 조회수
* Source: Dhesy
| Category | Creators | Avg Brands | Avg Views | vs Platform Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Entertainment | 236 | 3.5 | 359,401 | +9.5% |
| Food | 227 | 2.6 | 214,487 | -34.6% |
| Gaming | 176 | 1.9 | 123,603 | -62.3% |
| Vlog | 170 | 3.0 | 178,914 | -45.4% |
| Beauty | 130 | 3.3 | 131,313 | -59.9% |
| Travel | 119 | 2.5 | 175,101 | -46.6% |
| Tech | 101 | 3.3 | 143,538 | -56.3% |
| Fashion | 93 | 2.9 | 130,532 | -60.2% |
Only entertainment exceeds the platform average on views (+9.5%). The real signal, however, is in repeat partnerships: beauty (3.3) and tech (3.3) rank just behind entertainment (3.5) in average brands per creator, despite views sitting at roughly 40% of the platform average. Brands return to these categories because conversion rates, not view counts, justify the investment.
Gaming has the lowest repeat rate (1.9 brands per creator) despite ranking third in creator count. This reflects the category's structural reliance on one-off launch campaigns tied to new game releases.
Multi-Brand Creators — Market-Validated Partners
Creators chosen by multiple brands within a short window have been validated by the market itself. The top 5 reveal that subscriber count is not the deciding factor.
구독자 수 vs 협업 브랜드 수 (원 크기 = 평균 조회수)
* Source: Dhesy
| Creator | Category | Subscribers | Brands (3mo) | Avg Views |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Donghyung TV | Entertainment | 829K | 33 | 91,482 |
| Genre-man Yeouido | Politics | 552K | 19 | 144,138 |
| Strange Snack Shop | Food | 1.61M | 17 | 1,242,901 |
| Happy Guy Jeongho | Fashion | 133K | 16 | 60,140 |
| Understanding | Finance | 1.31M | 16 | 114,669 |
Lee Donghyung TV tops the list with 33 brand partnerships. His entertainment format accommodates seamless product placement across industries — from food and beverage to financial services. His 91K average views sit at just 28% of the platform average (328K), yet 33 brands keep returning. This suggests metrics beyond views — conversion rate, brand affinity — are driving decisions.
Strange Snack Shop is the rare creator who delivers both volume and variety: 17 brands and 1.24M average views. The mukbang-meets-review hybrid format makes product integration feel organic for food brands.
Happy Guy Jeongho is the standout case: a micro creator at 133K subscribers with 16 brand partnerships — 5.5x the fashion category average of 2.9. His everyday men's styling content delivers precise audience targeting for brands focused on males aged 20–30.
Key Statistics
- 1,760 creators partnered with 2,215 brands across 5,627 collaborations in the past 3 months
- Mid-tier (100K–500K) ER of 1.93% leads all tiers, closest to the platform average (1.95%)
- Only entertainment exceeds the platform average on views (328K); beauty and tech compensate with repeat partnerships
- 3 of the top 5 multi-brand creators are macro tier or below — subscriber count is not the selection criterion
Takeaways for Marketers
Practical applications derived directly from the data, organized by reader type.
| Reader | Takeaway | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Brand Marketers | Build your shortlist around mid-tier creators (100K–500K) for optimal ER efficiency with statistical confidence | Mid-tier ER 1.93%, largest sample at 880 creators |
| Brand Marketers | Evaluate beauty and tech creators on CPA (cost per acquisition) rather than CPV — low views but high repeat rates signal strong conversion | Beauty/tech avg 3.3 brands, views at 40% of platform average |
| Creators | Format versatility matters more than subscriber growth for attracting multiple brands | Lee Donghyung TV: 33 brands via flexible entertainment PPL structure |
| Creators | Niche audience precision can outweigh subscriber scale — 133K subscribers attracted 16 brands | Happy Guy Jeongho: 5.5x fashion category average |
| Agencies | Present creator recommendations using "category average brand ratio" instead of subscriber count for stronger client buy-in | Happy Guy Jeongho: 5.5x fashion avg (2.9) |
| Agencies | Deploy gaming creators for launch campaigns only — the category's 1.9 avg brands confirms single-project dominance | Gaming avg brands lowest across all categories |
3-Step Checklist for Creator Selection in 2026
Data-driven selection comes down to three steps.
First, define the campaign objective. For awareness, target entertainment or gaming categories in macro/mega tiers. For conversion efficiency, focus on beauty or tech categories in mid/micro tiers. Starting with subscriber count without a clear objective leads to misallocated budgets.
Second, benchmark ER against category averages. Within any category, creators exceeding the platform average of 1.95% ER are efficiency-first candidates. Dhesy provides category-level benchmarks for direct comparison.
Third, verify multi-brand collaboration history. Creators with 3+ brand partnerships in the past 3 months are market-validated. Sort by collaboration count on Dhesy's creator directory for instant access.
FAQ
Q. Are micro influencers always more effective than mega creators?
A. Not universally. Mid-tier (100K–500K) leads on ER at 1.93%, and micro (1.83%) also performs well. But mega creators deliver 509K average views — 6x the micro tier's 82K. Choose mega for reach campaigns and mid/micro for conversion.
Q. Does creator category need to match brand industry?
A. No. Genre-man Yeouido, a political commentary channel, partnered with 19 brands across food, finance, and insurance. Content tone and audience interest alignment matter more than category labels.
Q. How do I find creators with repeat brand partnerships?
A. Sort by collaboration count on Dhesy's creator directory. Creators with 3+ brand partnerships in the past 3 months are market-validated choices.
Q. Should I prioritize short-form or long-form creators?
A. Short-form serves as the discovery funnel for brand awareness. Long-form drives higher conversion for products requiring detailed reviews. In 2026, a combined short-form + long-form strategy delivers the strongest ROI.
Q. Is a 1.95% platform average ER considered high?
A. YouTube-wide ER ranges from 1–3% depending on category. Dhesy's 1.95% is specific to sponsored content, which typically runs lower than organic. For collaboration videos, 2%+ puts a creator in the top tier.
Methodology: Based on Dhesy platform data covering 3,600+ brands and 64,000 collaboration videos. Data source: Dhesy — 1,760 creators, 2,215 brands, past 3 months External sources: BAT 2026 Influencer Marketing Trends, MADTimes 2026 Creator Marketing Last updated: 2026-03-23