Don't Fall For This Trap As A Creator...

[@BlackBearForge]

Most days I get more than one offer for either a free product or paid sponsorship. Most are things I would never use and have nothing to do with my niche. Sponsored content is only about 6% of my KZbin income and as such I am thinking of stopping all sponsorships next year just to see if it improves audience retention and subscriber growth.

[@KaiCreative]

I literally got an email the other day asking me to create content around a teapot and tea for women who are experiencing menopause - apparently they "really liked my content" and thought we would work well together 🤔

[@PeterLindgren1]

Lmao 😂

[@chazjbrackley1194]

lollll But did you do it?😅

[@AndreSjoberg]

The potential for a video like that to go viral, if done from "a mans perspective", could have been Huuuuuuge ;) Also, free teapot and tea ... and the opportunity of taking pictures of yourself holding the teacup with both hands (the *staple* imagery of women on stock photography sites) ...

[@EdgardB]

Lmao😅😅😅😂😂😂

[@friendlyfilmz]

I’m facing this journey as a I work towards monetizing my channel and build my community. Trust is everything. Thank you for your advice.

[@VicBarry]

Great points dude! I've found myself in this scenario from time to time where it's content for contents' sake. And sponsorships, while great, are another double edged sword where they can absolutely destroy any momentum you've built because of an agreed set number of videos over a 12 month period or whatever. It's absolutely a learning process, daunting when starting out. Thing that worked or at least helped for me was to create a product agreement. If the product needs to be returned, pay for it. If there's custom charges, pay for it. And a key line that I've implemented is "Not every item received will be evaluated, but we strive to review as many products as possible" Anyways, just my two cents, thanks for making this Peter!

[@AhrenSteisBCP]

I’m obviously not in any position to be contacted by brands, but I can’t believe that brands think this is cool. Good for you Peter. I’ve watched you grow for the beginning. Stay true bro.

[@AJxBishop]

(saying this from a personal/ burner account) keep making dope videos, and they'll reach out before you know. Definitely show up to industry trade shows and get to know the marketing managers for brands you really enjoy. And don't be afraid to reach out to brands once you've really nailed down solid video concepts.

[@WanderingYooper]

Glad you made this video! Definitely agree with everything you said. Also if I could add one thing to that, it would be don't be afraid to reach out to companies that you're interested in and strike paying deals that way.

[@OhioShaves]

Great advice. I adhere to the same stringent standards as well.

[@meridacavediver]

I’m really glad you posted this as it’s been something that I”ve been struggling with on my channel. Cave diving is a small niche and I get a few offers but all of them have been as you described. It’s interesting because it seems like they place no value on the time it takes to do a really good review. Thanks for calling this out, it helps to know that you went through it as well.

[@KrisLuckPhoto]

This gives me hope that one day all the purchases I’ve made that my Canon or DJI videos will be seen by them

[@BlackBeltBarrister]

Thanks for this - I have exactly the same thought process!

[@BanginGearsGarage]

I also fell into this trap. I have a Automotive Enthusiast Channel and a get offers almost everyday now. lots of foreign companies hocking cheap crap I would never use on my one car. The few I did except early on in my channel, I felt so much pressure to do a over the top job and rush by the company to get the video out there ASAP. Speed + Pressure does not = Creativity. I will only do deals now with Name Brand Companies or products I actually use that allow me to take my time with the video making process. The KZbin AD Rev will never be enough to cover my cost and time of making a video. A straight payout or affiliate % is, in my opinion, the best way to go. Great Video Peter!!!!!

[@cinemadonut7744]

Thank for taking the time to make this video Peter, I appreciate you taking the time to help out your fellow creators! Kudos to you man!

[@jacobzatorsky]

Not selling your self short is so important! I love your perspective Peter. It's establishing boundaries and respecting yourself. It's very easy to accept everything. Because when starting out we don't have any brands reaching out to us. But I do understand your point and I think it's powerful!

[@BuildMontage]

You’re spot on Peter. I have made so many mistakes when working with brands but finally four years in, I have learned to say no, or ask for compensation in payment. The catalyst for me was when I hired an editor. Try bankrolling an editor without a steady income… so it becomes an easy justification to ask for a payment to cover costs.

[@MarkDuffyPhotography]

I'd love to see more KZbinrs come together on this and setup some sort of acceptable payment standards to help new accounts or smaller accounts like myself have a price point into the industry

[@kevgoes]

I believe youtube is working on a program to connect brands and creators trying to make it straight forward and fair for both parties.

[@friendlyfilmz]

Agreed. Opportunities are everywhere but that also means opportunists are everywhere. If we standardize our behavior, we collectively won’t get as taken advantage of.

[@TheBroadcastEngineer]

@@kevgoes They are but only for creators who have over 100k subscribers. At least that’s what I saw last time I looked. KZbin still considers < 100k subs as “small”.

[@kevgoes]

​@@TheBroadcastEngineerahhh. Thank you.

[@TheBroadcastEngineer]

@@kevgoes Someone else mentioned Craterr. I'm jumping on that as my biggest weakness is approaching and negotiating with brands. I'm a creative and engineer. Sales is not my strong suit.

[@KineticAirRgV]

We have to stick together on this subject. They will create a mean and not pay us for our work. We have to value ourselves and the practice.

[@jostalking]

I've been following you since the beginning, and you were kind enough to watch one of my videos and comment once and that was huge for me, congrats on 602k subs, that's amazing, looking forward to what you do in 2024

[@JackieDElia]

This is excellent advice. As someone who recently started a channel, I’ve already received 5 emails from camera gear companies offering to send me products to review.

[@Milledge.Austin]

Talk about a video hitting at just the right time. I have received a bunch of emails about doing product review videos since eclipsing the 1,000 (and now 2,000) subscriber mark. Initially, I took on a bunch of them and agreed to test them out and do videos. I feel like most have worked out pretty well, but there have definitely been some where I have either not responded or said, "No." It's tough as a smaller channel to not say yes to a free product (if it's a good one), and I have experienced what you were talking about in not getting to make the content I want to. Granted, I don't have enough time between a full-time job, being a husband and dad, going to grad school online, not to mention all the other things I try to do on the weekends, but I feel I am getting closer, but I do know that making meaningless product review videos takes away time from planning and creating the more fun projects. Thanks for this, Peter.

[@JordanGrabe]

I have been following your channel for years. I love your honesty. Keep it up!

[@DaveKnowlesFilmmaker]

I love your thoughts on free products. I have two “Free Products” both of which I tried and tried not to have sent to me as my channel does not do reviews but they came anyway. Soon they were chasing me for videos and telling me they wanted to see the videos before I put them out. One of the items retails at over £600.00 and I kept saying that they could have them back as I did not want it and had told them in numerous emails so. In fact one of them told me they would black list me to which I responded that as they probably would not send me anything else and I did not want anything more it really was not much of a threat. This company has now gone away but the other is still buggy me on a regular basis even though there are hundreds of videos on the item on KZbin.

[@4WheelingSA]

Great points. I see it as such, if they want to advertise in a Magazine, They pay for the advert. The same should apply for KZbin, they need to pay you for advertising their product.

[@englishwithmaria]

Great advice, Peter. As we say in Spanish: "Lo barato es caro" (Cheap is expensive), and it doesn't get cheaper than free. In my experience, this advice applies to almost everything. My business only took off when I dropped the "poor (wo)man's mentality".

[@SergeyVikultsev]

Hey Peter, I am 100% with you on that. You’d usually spend money on a product or brand you are interested in or trust. And that’s where you have genuine interest. Content for the sake of content makes no sense, in my opinion, as there is no growth. However, for some people, that can work. Thanks for raising this topic.

[@EspenJohan]

Peter, good to see you stand your ground, and is determined about what and how you want to share your recommendations. Unfortunately, there are many channels that share and recommend a product that they probably paid for. And it ends up with many people buying products, and it turns out that the product is rubbish. If I buy the product and it turns out to be crap. Then they lose me as a subscriber. Love your content Peter.

Totally agreed. Although I never received a free product I ve been lended products to review from one brand only that I really liked and use purchasing it with my own money. And however they had no say in my reviews it is true that this forced me to attenuate the bads unconsciously. I am now slowly switching to a different brand with more experience. Thank you for this content

[@RustyBrownPhotography]

Thanks man - I love this! As a super-small channel, I've often wondered how the "sponsorship" thing works. I appreciate you and your candor, my friend. Well done. And hey that "We'll give you a cinnamon bun" had me on the floor! Well-done, Peter! -Rusty

[@TatesTravel]

Yes. Appreciate this message today. Have this happen several times. I just want to do videos on products I back, like.

[@mondobytes]

This is why I started my new agency Craterr so that Creators don't get screwed and also fall into these traps. Not only do we give all our creators access to over 1 million products that creators can borrow and review without any requirements from any brand, we also give them opportunities to bring them on big projects with other creators making way more money than they would on their own. We're kind of like a Union for creators in the camera/tech space and already have some of the best creators on board. We should chat, would love to have you on our crew.

[@MichaelRockwell777]

Is Craterr already in operation?

[@KofiYeboah]

👊🏾👊🏾👊🏾 can confirm, Craterr changed the game for me 🔥

[@emielkeultjes]

Amazing! Is that also possible people from The Netherlands?! I am always buying everything that I am reviewing, and that hurts the wallet 🤣

[@PiecesofVinyl]

Hey Armando - I would be VERY interested in Craterr - how can I learn more about this?

[@Danielstrandbergs]

Great vid, Pete - and great topic! Not only does it suck for new/upcoming creators to only do deals where they have to borrow the products. There's also this approach from brands that think it's OK to send creators their products as a payment for the collaboration. As I've been working in the creator- and influencer industry for quite some time, I've seen that this is something that a big portion of smaller creators accept. Sure, it could be attractive to receive a product that you potentially like, but what they don't know - what most creators and brands don't know - is that in Sweden you have to pay tax on the products you receive as a payment. Meaning; the creator need to pay for making the collaboration at the end of the day. Keep up the good work!

[@Premier_lawns_official]

The best tip I have for anyone new to this starting out, is once a brand reaches out and says "Hey we love your channel, can you make a video about X..." I thank them for their interest and ask do they have a budget for the project. It cuts most of the crap out of the way from the get-go and lets me start a conversation about money or what I can expect to get from it before we get to far before they decide they are doing me a 'favour' by sending it out for me to make a video about it for free

[@TechWandererYT]

Peter, I didn't really feel like I had a connection with you prior to this video. But now finally subscribed. You're a big inspo for me after this, especially the part about making videos about stuff you're actually interested in. That's what I do, too. Thank you so much for sharing!

[@peterfritzphoto]

Excellent advice, Peter - thank you. As a small creator who's now receiving offers from brands, your approach aligns with my own thoughts on these issues.

[@CyberGizmo]

Thanks Peter I started getting some of these requests, I have done a few videos for them, but thanks to your advice I see that was a bad idea. Thank you so much!

[@usmvnjaved]

Thanks for transparent inputs. I don't usually get stressed about the products cause I've never been contacted by a anyone. 😅

[@techscout5710]

I found it really enjoyable that you did not use any background music. Your words, your content was absolutely enough to keep my attention and I agree with your opinion. 👍🏼 Apart from your arguments, „own content“ is way more authentic to me as a viewer than reviews about sponsored products, even if claimed to be neutral.

[@AmericanAbandoned]

Man, 'trap' is the right word for this. I work with other channels and when new folks get started I try to tell them to use what they have and make content around that before they start worrying about reaching out or taking hand outs from some of these companies because they could quickly get put in a box they don't want to be in...there are so many deleted "HEY CREATOR, review our product" emails over the past year it's unbelievable....occasionally something interesting pops in but even then, pass

[@JosezitoMotovlogs]

Without a doubt, excellent advice from someone with knowledge and experience. We content creators just have to thank you for sharing your knowledge. From my side, thank you very much.

[@SamFigueroa]

0:11 Looking for the expression: On my mind?

[@mazurstudios]

100%. To add to this, once you find your own accepted industry pricing be sure to stick to it. Never undercut yourself for a client that “just doesn’t have the budget right now.”

[@AdventureGearTV]

It’s the same theory for unpaid internships. You sweat for free in hope of building your resume. Sometimes the payoff is worth it in the long run. But, it’s is absolutely in their favor not ours.

[@kevgoes]

Hey Peter. I just got approached by a brand for the first time so I appreciate your insight and opinion on this and will keep these things in mind going forward. Pretty sure they want to give me an affiliate link without any product. No one wants to go to work without getting paid. All the best!

[@JasonYadlovski]

Hey Peter - Great video! Spot on with everything you said. I try to think the same way as my channel has grown. I appreciate all you do man, keep making awesome content! Love the vlog channel too. 👍😁

[@JasonPierceOfficial]

Great insight brother, and one of the few keeping it real these days! God bless!

[@the_daniel_life]

Great thoughts about it. Thanks for sharing and a wonderful Christmas time from Frankfurt, Germany, Daniel

[@AndrewSacoman]

Your channel and the amazing tutorials and insights are part of what gave me the confidence to edit videos and start my own channel. I wholeheartedly agree with you, objectivity in product reviews is critical to keeping the audience's trust. Nothing wrong with sponsored spec read videos but real unfiltered opinions on a product are what I always look for.

[@IntrovertAmateur]

Thanks for this video Peter! To be honest getting free products from well known brands is something I was dreaming about. But seeing what kind of duty is behind these free stuff (Gerald video was amazing on this topic) really made me thing otherwise and you nailed it with this video. Now I just purchase stuff I like and do my best to create videos about them, simply to get the reps in and improve myself and NOT because I want / expect to work with some brands down the line.

[@Unfilterd]

Totally agree Peter!

[@MattEpicAdventures]

Hey Peter ! Love your content, I've been following you since your video on a B-roll for a car commercial (How To FILM An EPIC CAR COMMERCIAL) I'm content creator around Fat bikes and I resonate so much with what you say, I do think you are right but (there is a but 😅) it's so hard not to fall into that trap. Personally I am seeking for Bike brands to let me borrow their bikes for free so I can create content around the bike and present it on my channel. With a channel of 2k subscriber, I can't go purchase a new bike for every of my videos. Now you made me reflect on the fact that I need to make sure that my videos are personnel, with making sure it's my style and good enough so that a brand will see the video and be curious enough to get in touch and actually pay me for talking about their bike. Thanks for sharing, keep doing it, I love it. Cheers bro ! Matt.

[@outdoorhabits]

Thank you for the heads up! You rock!

[@EricsTechFR]

Totally agree Peter! Thanks for sharing your thoughts 😉

[@JaimeAndresMedia]

“We’ll give you a cinnamon bun” 🤣🤣 this is great advice Pete!

[@tiltedroom]

Thank you Peter for your experienced insight! Always appreciate your knowledge brother!

[@kidfromsky]

This was a great video! I am currently on both sides of this situation. I am creator myself and my day job is head of communications at Snapmuse, a royalty free music library for creators. Putting aside the shoot the product and send it back schemes, I know that it is annoying to be offered non cash deals. However the creator economy budgets are often so high that only a few brands with deep pockets can afford to work with creators making it very difficult for alternative teams to break in the market. As I creator I know that creators need to make a living. Content creation is a really tough job. And as a brand representative that works with creators I also know that brands are sometime limited to offer what they can to try to get seen. Imo the key here as a brand, is to try and offer something that would have a positive impact on the creator’s life/job if you can’t offer cash. With the right circumstances I do believe creators and brands can grow together😁

[@kaptagn]

This is brilliant, I just started a second channel and will make sure to take some notes here for future reference. I have always leaned on the side of just buying the equipment myself and making the review as I did not want to feel "indebted" to the brand.

[@youknowwithMartyKauffman]

Yeah, for me personally only a few brands have ever sent me something for free, but I would never make a video on something if I had to send it back but yeah, I believe you’re completely right making videos on the stuff that you actually care about is great

[@the_mig]

This video couldn't have come at a better time !!! A huge brand ( In the web industry ) is doing a video call tomorrow with me.. I'm pretty nervous for the meeting ...

[@JezzLundkvist]

I think this was a great video with tons of amazing info! This really made me start re-think my videos. In a good way!

[@brianjordan8990]

Well said. You are a professional and should be paid accordingly.

[@DanielJohnFPV]

This couldn't have come at a better time - I literally have one of these emails in my inbox right now.

[@PlanetImo]

I HAVE done some vlogs in exchange for gifted products from sellers. I think for a lot of creators on the low end of the income spectrum that sort of thing can make a difference - i.e. getting useful items that you couldn't otherwise afford or justifty buying, but are actually really useful and potentially time saving. However, there has been one I regretted! Thanks for this video :)

[@PeterLindgren1]

I have too!

[@aks_kj]

it's also a trap, always, when they send you the product, they could tell you "and please make sure you will highlight this and that, and don't forget to tell this point". For sure marketing guys always interested to have more for less. but completely agree. need to have honour and value your time. and only when your really interested about some product, take it. but better colloborate with shop, for example, where you can get any product which you want, and sayd something like "and this product i take from this shop". And everyone is happy 🙂

[@Shutterbugsontheroad]

Very honest video from you. Thank you for sharing your experience

[@master-bpixelstudio3666]

I totally agree. The brand is what walks away with everything most times. It's something I had on my mind all the time as well. I love your channel thou I have been watching for a very long while now.

[@PeterLindgren1]

Thanks for tuning in buddy!

[@jimsdroneing]

great tip Peter ya key point be yourself luv ur vids bud

[@jaysonhindle]

Dude, I love this video. So informative and helpful. Especially interms of the Creator economy in regards to brand deal. As creators Especially small ones. We don't know what to price at. As we want to reach a wider audience, so we feel the need to accept a free product. 🙄 whilst they get the most benefit. Create at your value.

[@JayDiazFilms]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this issue Peter, I 💯 percent agree! I think a lot of these brands have gotten ridiculous and are taking advantage, especially the smaller creators who are struggling to make a name for themselves. Unfortunately I learned the hard way but now only accept free products if it’s something I actually want and helps to elevate my work AND if the requirements are reasonable, otherwise, NOPE! There needs to be a standard for fair pay.

[@mukisaelijah12]

Thanks Peter.. some great stuf

[@pedalvision]

Thank you for keeping it real 👊🏿

[@Interlincinternatural]

Yes good point of view. I got a good discount once done.

[@adel.khanghahi]

thats true , thanks for this video 😍

[@FlyZoneFpv]

Fact Peter . 👍🏻👍🏻👊🏻

[@AirFuzz]

It also happens a lot here in Portugal...

[@jonahkaiguam]

Awesome video....very informative about this topic as I've always wondered how some creators handled getting free gear or products from brands

[@Lifestylebydeeya]

Mic dropped, we needed to hear this.

[@lexgraham]

thanks for this. I made this mistake accepting free products and its a nightmare that i didn't see coming

[@GilbertTV]

its important to keep some credibility & only support quality products , If you say a product is good & its not ..there goes your reputation

[@mlmedia2023]

Good thoughts on that subject - thumbs up

[@matswraas2493]

Spot on bro👊 this makes you more credible👍🏻

[@ScottJeschke]

Solid advice

[@KristianRoald]

These are good thoughts! 👌🏻🙂

[@IntentionalTech]

‘Sorry, we are just a small start up who can’t commit to a paid sponsorship at this time’ - believe me, your company is much bigger than mine.

[@muralibalaraman]

Absolutely valid thoughts.

[@Rcschim]

Haha, I thought that making a video for creators doesn't find an audience - but apperantly we are a huge group now ;) I only accept brand deals for products I like. Since my toys get more expensive with growing age and experience, the number of reviews is quite reduced now on my channel. What are your thoughts on affiliate links? I've always turned this system down but now I'm starting to re-think this. Greets and thanks for your videos, Mario

[@chrispoulsen_]

3:16 I believe it was this way MKBHD started and look where he is today 👀 He’s almost as good as you Peter! Very snygg and informative video!!!

[@lowendahlTV]

Its the same for artists and conference speakers. They are asked to perform for free because of the "exposure".

[@PeterLindgren1]

Here in Sweden they get recurring revenue from being played in public areas.

[@BeginningsAndPaths]

@@PeterLindgren1 It's good mostly for players, singers, bands and music in general that can get a recurring revenue from being played publicly but it's the same issue for writers. It's full of give-me-your-short-story to publish it for free on my blog/site/magazine and you... get an exposure. It's a resounding No. Great video, Peter, on an important topic.

[@alpenfoxvideo7255]

I remember when Peter was testing out freewell filters, good times my business-side of things was also not as good Im not that kind of creator but definitely this can be translated into commercial work. I did the same mistake but it was worth it to improve myself 5 years ago I wish next time youre in italy or next time i'm up north i could buy you a coffe and steal 10 minutes from your life

[@AlvinDedeauxFlyFishing]

Dude the DHL part had me laughing out loud. I get those offers all the time. Since I have a real job where I use most of these products I have a pretty standard reply. Send me the free product and if I like it I might put it in a video. No guarantee. If you want to make sure it's in a video here is how much it will cost. I give them a couple of options that are not cheap, but not too expensive. Most of the time they opt to send the free product and hope for the best.

[@vas_mf]

Straight advice!

[@ETOE]

Who doesn't know the tea pot offer 😅 They send the pot you spend days of work for free adds and can keep the pot.

[@ThiagoMazzeo]

This is good food for thought Peter! Although it is nice to receive free products, it makes sense to go only with products you are genuinely interested in. The tricky question now is how to scale and grow only spending your own money to buy the products? 😅

[@PeterLindgren1]

Make enough videos with the products you’ve bought so that they pay themselves off 👊🏼

[@MarcusCreates]

The best of luck with your Jupio partnership. I think it’s a fantastic product and people are going to love it. I reached out to them actually to try and do a product review (ironic given this video) but it is something I would actually use day to day 😂.

[@PeterLindgren1]

Thanks! If you’re interested, you should purchase one. It’s been a lot of money invested on my end to bring this to life!

[@MarcusCreates]

@@PeterLindgren1 it’s on my Christmas list. 🎅🏼

[@KevinNordstrom]

I turn down every company that is not willing to pay me money for a midroll ad or a dedicated video. Im not working for free no matter how many products you send me for free. Im selfish and idgaf. Like you said those companies that wont pay you money are only out for themselves. I also dont want to be a horder with 96% of gear i never use. When i dial in my gear, i make videos on products i trust through field use. Not because some company sent it for me to review with a biased opinion with no monetary compensation. Thats a hard pass.

[@OneMonthTwoCameras]

Don't fall for the cinnamon bun. But the kardemummabullar - that's where I get weak.

[@biawa849]

Totally agree. Hope to meet you on the street someday, maybe Götaplatsen 😂

[@lydsfizz]

I needed to see this

[@aperture8983]

Well done 👍❤

[@AndreSjoberg]

It's sort of the same situation new photographers or creatives in general (programmers, game developers, website builders) face on a daily basis: "If you make this website for us for free we'll plug you in our social media and you get to put the project in your portfolio and brag about it." and "If you shoot these product photos for us for free you can put it in your portfolio and get more customers." (that actually may pay ... not) - which is both bad for the person doing the job AND for the industry in general, because the companies then know that they can always get free work from new, fresh talent, which again drives down prices from acceptable to *way* too low for proper work. Problem with instead doing spec ads and spec videos for oneself is they are just spec, no input from the client, no freebies, no nothing - and the work doesn't rate "as high" when it's not a "real job". Getting something, even for free, lends *some* form of "legitimacy" to the "review" - ie, the reviewer is "big enough" to get things for free, and they say "they will review it fairly since they aren't paid" and that is what some viewers think... and for the tiny channels it means views from people looking for videos on those new products, so they get views and maybe some subs, inching closer to that monetization-threshold, not spending money they don't have on products they can't afford yet ... And who's going to remember those "I got this for free"-videos 5 years from now when the channel is 100k subs and can afford to say no to deals like that and buy everything they want to test ... and that's why this will never go away :/

[@MariusIhlar]

Yep, we need to stop the DJI frenzy where nobody says anything bad about their products....

[@CraytonTv]

Awesome video bro 😎, great helpful information and nice way to explain it, yeah I have learned a lot from your channel, very helpful tips. Yeah I stopped selling myself short just to make a video for a company especially if I’m not interested in the product, I would rather buy it myself if I’m interested then I can have my own opinion cause some of these companies always be like you got say this an that but don’t want to pay, yeah I’m good, great information. Happy Holidays God Bless 😇