Collabs are one of the fastest ways to grow because you borrow a whole new audience. Partner with creators around your size, reaching way up rarely works since there is nothing in it for them, in a related but not identical niche so both audiences care. Build the relationship before you pitch, engage with their stuff genuinely first. Then make something both audiences actually want, a duet, a shared video, a takeover. Aim for ongoing partners, not one-off favors.
You borrow their audience
A good collab puts you in front of people who would never have found you.
Match your size
Partner near your level. Big creators have no reason to collab down.
Related, not identical
Overlapping but different niches mean both audiences get something new.
Build before you ask
Engage genuinely first. Cold collab pitches to strangers mostly get ignored.