What is cross-promotion?

The short answer

Cross-promotion is an arrangement where two accounts, creators, or businesses each promote the other to their own audience, typically as a mutual exchange rather than a paid partnership. It can happen between similarly sized peers, complementary businesses, or a business and a creator with an aligned audience.

It depends entirely on genuine relevance

Cross-promotion between two audiences with little overlap tends to produce weak results for both sides. The value comes from introducing an audience to something relevant to them, not from the exposure itself.

A few common forms it takes

A few recognizable patterns show up often:

• Two complementary businesses recommending each other to their own audiences
• A creator collaboration where each party promotes the joint content on their own channel
• A shared giveaway or promotion co-hosted by two accounts