Google has introduced Creator Search, a new feature within the Google Ads Creator Partnerships Beta that enables advertisers to discover and manage YouTube creator relationships directly inside the advertising platform.

The update was first identified by ads expert Thomas Eccel, who shared screenshots on LinkedIn, and later reported by Search Engine Land. “Spotted two new sections inside the Google Ads Creator Partnerships Beta,” Eccel wrote, highlighting Creator Search as one of the additions.

Creator Search lets advertisers find YouTube creators by entering keywords or handles in the search bar. The tool includes filtering options based on subscriber count, average views per video, creator location, and contact availability, according to Eccel’s documentation.

Advertisers can filter creators by specific subscriber ranges, such as channels with 100,000 to one million subscribers, and narrow results by average views per video, including ranges between 10,000 and 50,000 views. Location filters enable advertisers to focus on creators in specific markets, such as Germany or the UK. The tool also indicates whether inquiry or email details are visible for each creator.

Google has also added a Management menu that consolidates creator inquiry tracking into a single interface. The section displays creator names, inquiry status, subject lines, latest updates, response-by dates, and email addresses. Direct email access is integrated into the platform, based on information shared by Eccel.

Search Competition and Platform Behavior

The launch follows TikTok’s recent expansion of its search advertising capabilities and recruitment for more than 120 positions to support its search division across sales, engineering, and product teams globally. Nathan Barbagallo, a Senior Product Strategy Lead at TikTok, announced that the platform is seeking a sales leader for TikTok search ads in New York to shape “the go-to-market strategy and drive adoption of search advertising solutions.”

Research by Forbes Advisor and Talker Research, conducted in April 2024, shows that 45% of Gen Z are more likely to use social media for searches than traditional search engines. Prabhakar Raghavan, a Google SVP, revealed at Fortune’s 2022 Brainstorm Tech conference that nearly 40% of young people prefer TikTok or Instagram over Google Maps or Search when looking for lunch spots.

Instagram has also begun allowing search engines to index public content from professional accounts as of July 10, 2025, enabling photos, reels, and videos from eligible professional users to appear in public search results. Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, previously acknowledged that the platform is “starting to invest more in search on Instagram because there’s so much amazing content.”

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