# How to Ask a YouTuber for Permission (Email Template)

Source: https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/ask-permission-youtube-video/
Published: 2026-09-25
Updated: 2026-09-25
Author: Ema Zamboni, video editor (https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/about/)
Section: Credits and Rights (https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/)

**In short:** The way to ask a YouTuber for permission is an email to the business address on their channel that names the exact clip, time range, project, platforms and credit. Ask for a written yes. Keep the reply with your project files, next to the clip's .credits.txt, so the permission travels with the footage.

## When do you need to ask a YouTuber for permission?

You need a YouTuber's permission whenever you reuse their footage and no other right covers the use. Videos under the **Standard YouTube License**, the default for every upload, grant no reuse rights to other creators.

[YouTube Help on license types](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797468) states that YouTube cannot grant you rights to someone else's content, and that finding the rights holder is your job. The [U.S. Copyright Office fair use FAQ](https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html) gives the plain route: if you know who the owner is, contact them directly.

A request is not needed for your own uploads, for Creative Commons videos used under their license terms, or for uses you judge to fall under fair use or fair dealing. The four routes are compared in [can you use YouTube clips in your video](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/using-youtube-clips-in-your-video/). Check that the channel owns the part you want, because a YouTuber cannot license what they did not make:

- **Music** under the shot belongs to the label or composer.
- **TV, film and sports clips** belong to the broadcaster or studio.
- **Re-uploads and compilations** belong to the original filmmaker, not the channel that posted them.

> **Note:** This is general information, not legal advice.

[Download B-ROLL for Windows](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/download/): free, Windows 10 and 11 today, macOS and Linux planned. No account, no ads.

## How do you find a YouTube creator's contact email?

The business email in a channel's About section is the right address for a permission request. As of September 2026, [YouTube Help on business inquiry emails](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57955) says to open the channel, click the channel description to open About, and select **View email address**. The address appears only when the channel owner has added one.

When a channel lists no email, use the website or social profiles linked in the same About section. A direct message works to open the conversation, but ask for an email address and get the actual permission there. For company channels, look for a press, licensing or partnerships contact on the company's website.

Avoid public comments for the request itself. A comment gets buried under other replies, and a creator rarely negotiates rights in public.

## What should a permission request include?

A permission request must name the exact footage, your use of it and the credit you will give, so the creator can say yes without writing back with questions. A usable permission to reuse a YouTube video is written, comes from the rights holder, and states which clip, which project, which platforms and whether commercial use is included.

The request checklist lists each item and why a creator needs it.

| Item | Why it matters |
| --- | --- |
| The creator's name | Shows a person watched their work, not a mass mailing |
| Video title, link and exact time range | Permission covers only the footage you name, such as 02:10 to 02:38 |
| Your project and channel or client | Tells the creator who will publish the clip |
| How you will use and edit the clip | Crops, color changes, speed changes or muted audio can matter to a creator |
| Platforms and territory | YouTube only, or also social media, broadcast or paid ads |
| Commercial or not | Monetized, sponsored and client work carry a different weight than a personal video |
| How long the video stays up | An online video can stay published for years, so name the term |
| The credit you will give | Quote the exact line and where it appears |

Add your deadline and one sentence on payment: an offer, a question about their rate, or a clear note that the project has no budget. A deadline helps the creator prioritize, and being open about money saves a second round of emails.

## What does a good permission email to a YouTuber look like?

A good permission email fits on one screen: who you are, the exact clip, the use, the credit and a simple way to answer. Replace every bracketed field in the template before you send it.

```text
Subject: Permission request: 28 seconds of "[Video title]" in my video

Hi [Creator name],

I'm [your name], a video editor working on [project name], a [short description, for example a 12-minute documentary] for [your channel or client].

I'd like to use a short excerpt of your video "[Video title]" ([video URL]), from [02:10] to [02:38], about [28] seconds.

How I'll use it: [as b-roll behind narration, cropped to 16:9, no audio from your video].
Where: [YouTube and Instagram], published on [date] and kept online [indefinitely / for 12 months].
Commercial use: [yes, the video is monetized / sponsored by X / made for a client] or [no].
Credit: "[Video title]" by [Creator name], [video URL], used with permission, in the description [and on screen when the clip appears].
Payment: [I can offer X] or [what would your fee be?] or [this project has no budget].

If that works for you, a reply saying "Yes, you have my permission for the use described in this email" is all I need. I need to lock the edit by [deadline].

Thanks for your work,
[Your name]
[Channel or portfolio link]
```

The follow-up goes in the same thread, 5 to 7 days later, and only once.

```text
Hi [Creator name], a quick follow-up on my request to use [02:10] to [02:38] of "[Video title]". I lock the edit on [deadline]; if I don't hear back I'll use other footage. Thanks either way.
```

Ask for the reply to repeat or confirm the scope. A "yes" to a specific email covers exactly what that email described, which protects both of you.

## How do you keep a YouTuber's permission on record?

Keep the written permission in the project folder, next to the clip and its credits file, so anyone who opens the footage finds the proof beside it. Save the whole email thread as a PDF or an email file, not a screenshot of the last reply.

B-ROLL helps with the filing. With **Save credits (attribution) for each download** switched on in Advanced options, which is the default, every download gets a `.credits.txt` file listing the title, creator, channel, source URL, upload date and license. A clip gets its own file named after the clip, such as `Interview [02-10 to 02-38].credits.txt`. Every field of that file is described in [automatic credit files for every YouTube download](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/features/automatic-creator-credit-files/).

Download the clip only after the yes arrives, then save the thread under the same name, for example `Interview [02-10 to 02-38].permission.pdf`. The folder habits that keep the pair together are in [how to organize downloaded YouTube clips](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/guides/organize-downloaded-youtube-clips/).

Then record the permission in two places:

- **Credits log**: add the grant date, the grantor and the scope to the clip's row in your [video credits log](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/video-credits-log-template/).
- **Description credit**: use the "used with permission" wording from [how to credit a YouTube video](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/how-to-credit-a-youtube-video/).

For client work, deliver the permission files with the project. [YouTube clips in client and commercial projects](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/youtube-clips-client-projects/) covers who clears footage and what the client should receive.

## What are the common permission-request mistakes?

The most common permission-request mistake is asking the wrong person: a channel that re-uploaded or compiled footage cannot give rights it does not hold. Trace the clip back to the channel that filmed it before you write.

- **Vague scope**: "can I use your video?" gets a yes that covers nothing specific. Name the time range, the platforms and commercial use.
- **Silence as consent**: no answer means no permission. Replace the shot when your deadline passes.
- **Credit instead of permission**: a credit line is a courtesy or a license condition, never a grant of rights.
- **Trusting the License line**: B-ROLL's credits file shows the license yt-dlp reports, and defaults to "Standard YouTube License" when none is reported. Check the license on the video page; the file is a convenience, not proof of rights.
- **Missing credits file**: when B-ROLL cannot read a video's details, for example behind a sign-in wall, it writes no credits file and shows no error. Load a fresh [YouTube cookies.txt](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/troubleshooting/youtube-cookies-txt/) and download again, or copy the details from the video page by hand.

> **Careful:** Download only footage you have the right to use: your own uploads, Creative Commons, licensed or permitted material.

The other ways to clear footage, from Creative Commons to fair use, are gathered in [credits, licenses and fair use for YouTube clips](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/).

## How to ask a YouTuber for permission to use their video

1. **Check who owns the footage.** Watch the video and make sure the channel filmed the part you want. Music, TV clips and other creators' footage inside it need their own permission.
2. **Find the business email.** Open the channel, click the channel description to open About, and select View email address. Use the website or social profile linked there when no email is listed.
3. **Write a specific request.** Name the video, the exact time range, your project, the platforms, commercial or not, how long the video stays up, the credit you will give and your deadline.
4. **Send one follow-up.** If there is no reply after 5 to 7 days, send one short reminder in the same thread. Treat continued silence as a no.
5. **File the written yes.** Save the reply as a PDF or email file next to the clip and its .credits.txt file, and add the permission to your credits log.

## Frequently asked questions

Q: What if the creator does not reply?
A: Treat silence as a no. Send one short follow-up after 5 to 7 days, and if nothing comes back before your deadline, cut the shot or replace it. Creative Commons footage is the usual replacement, because the license already grants reuse on condition of credit. How to find and check it is covered in [Creative Commons on YouTube](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/creative-commons-on-youtube/).

Q: Is a YouTube comment reply enough?
A: No. A comment such as "sure, go ahead" rarely names the clip, the project, the platforms or commercial use, and the author can edit or delete it later. Use the comment to ask for an email address, then get the scope confirmed in an email you can file with the footage and show a client.

Q: Should I offer payment?
A: Only when you have a budget, and say so in the first email. A clear offer, or a question about the creator's rate, helps with commercial and client work, where the footage has real value to the creator. Some creators license footage as a business. Agree on who pays before the edit, as covered in [YouTube clips in client and commercial projects](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/youtube-clips-client-projects/).

## Sources

1. [YouTube Help: Business Inquiry Emails](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/57955)
2. [YouTube Help: License types on YouTube](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/2797468)
3. [U.S. Copyright Office: Fair use FAQ](https://www.copyright.gov/help/faq/faq-fairuse.html)

---

B-ROLL is a free, donation-supported desktop YouTube downloader for video editors: it downloads videos, clips, playlists and channels, converts them automatically into edit-ready ProRes or DNxHR (or saves MP4, MKV, WEBM or audio), and includes built-in trimming, subtitles and automatic creator credit files. Part of [Credits, Licenses and Fair Use for YouTube Clips](https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/attribution/) on the B-ROLL website. Download B-ROLL, free for Windows 10 and 11 (macOS and Linux planned): https://b-roll-6hk.pages.dev/download/