Declare your channels
Add the channels you publish on before you open an Orbit, and verify them so sponsors can find your Orbits.
A declared channel is a place you publish, such as your YouTube channel or your TikTok account, added to your ShoutOrbit profile. You need at least one to open an Orbit, because the link you paste at the end has to be on a channel you declared. Verifying a channel proves it's yours, and it's what lists your Orbits where sponsors look.
How it works
- Add a channel. Pick the platform and type your handle there. You can add YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, X, Twitch and Substack. Your first one is asked for when you open your first Orbit; add more from the Public page in your dashboard.
- Do it before you open the Orbit. When you paste the link to the published content, it has to be on a platform you had declared before that Orbit was opened. A channel added later counts for your next Orbit, not this one.
- Verify it, when you're ready. It's optional.
- YouTube: press Verify with YouTube and sign in with the Google account that owns the channel. We only read its name and subscriber count.
- TikTok, Instagram, Twitch and Substack: copy the short code we show you, paste it anywhere in your bio (on Substack, the short description) and save, then press Check. Once it says verified, you can delete the code.
- X: add the code the same way and press Check. A person looks for it, usually within a day, so leave the code in until then.
If we can't read a bio automatically, for example a personal Instagram account, the check goes to a person too. It's never refused because our reading failed.
What verification gets you
- Your Orbits are listed on the open Orbits page, where sponsors browse.
- Search engines can show your profile and your Orbit pages. An unverified creator's pages are hidden from search engines.
- Your audience size shows on your page, read from the platform.
An unverified Orbit still works in every other way. Anyone with the link can bid, and you're paid the same.
Why it works this way
Why the link must be on a channel you declared first. Sponsors bid on the promise that you'll name them on your channel. Declaring it before the Orbit opens fixes where that happens, so nobody can open an Orbit under your name and claim a video on someone else's channel.
Why verification buys discovery, not permission. Most bids come through your own audience, who already know it's you. Asking every creator to prove ownership before their first Orbit would slow down the real ones. Listing an Orbit for strangers to find is where proof matters, so that's where we ask for it.
Why a code in your bio. It's a quick way to show you control the account without giving us your password. It takes a minute, and you can remove it afterwards.
What can go wrong
- "Link to the published content on a channel you had declared before this Orbit opened." You published on a platform you hadn't declared when you opened the Orbit. A channel added now can't fix it. Publish on a channel you had declared.
- "… has no account @yourname." The handle doesn't exist on that platform. Remove it and add your exact handle.
- "… isn't in your bio yet." The platform hasn't saved the change, or we read it too soon. Save it, wait a minute, and press Check again.
- "That Google account doesn't have a YouTube channel." Sign in with the Google account that owns the channel.