Weekly Update and Position on Sponsorships
Added 2023-08-18 15:13:47 +0000 UTCHey,
I just passed 30k Subscribers on YouTube and I have noticed an uptick in the number of companies requesting for me to review games and other products. Given that, I wanted to talk about my current position and ask how you all felt about this.
To date my responses have been unilaterally, "No." but I am willing to consider expanding my position. In a recent reply to a sponsorship inquiry I said:
Hello,
It is great to hear from you. I am a big fan of REDACTED and would love the opportunity to work with you. Unfortunately, while I do not accept sponsorships from Developers or Publishers due to legal and ethical issues: I am happy to work with REDACTED as long as:
1) I maintain creative control on what I say about a game as well as what I show. YouTube is increasingly restrictive on what is and is not acceptable content and I wish to continue to avoid suspension and/or bannings.
2) REDACTED makes a public donation to a charity that we both agree on in an amount that we both find acceptable. I am partial to cancer research and a charity like ZERO Prostate Cancer would be an acceptable choice for me.
I understand that these may be unusual requests and could constitute a non-starter for you all. Especially coming from a smaller channel like Sex Positive Gaming, but I feel I have an ethical obligation to my audience to not just try to maintain impartiality, but to also actively work to maintain the appearance of impartiality. Regardless of the outcome of these talks, rest assured that I will continue to recommend REDACTED as a viable option for my audience's gaming needs.
Sincerely,
Annie
Do you all think this is a fair way to leverage the growing impact of my voice while still maintaining a position of impartiality? Do you all think I should even bother at this point in my growth? I'm really not sure and I wanted to have an open discussion with you all. Feel free to PM/DM me if you don't want to post publicly on this. I really value the range and scope of opinions and experience that you all have, so it just makes sense to me to talk about this with you all. You Rock! Thanks again!
--Annie
Comments
Just be upfront with what's paid and what's not. At the end of the day, if you want to earn some form of living doing this, then you will have to find a way to make ends meet. That being said, your voice is also an important thing to maintain. I would prefer to keep to the theme of sex-oriented games as a deviation from this would just make your channel just-another-interactive-entertainment-channel.
richie
2023-09-28 21:38:26 +0000 UTCThis whole situation is kind of overwhelming.
Annie
2023-08-20 14:56:12 +0000 UTCBelieve it or not, legally (in most of the world) even a copy of a game is "tangible value" and counts.
Annie
2023-08-20 06:46:13 +0000 UTCAlso, if you ever get sponsored by Raid Shadow Legends... it better be a gag bit! The respect drops to zero when you shill for them, so you better be getting retirement money!
Omo
2023-08-18 22:53:30 +0000 UTCPersonally I'm of the opinion, receiving a free game key for a review, is not payment... unless you turn around and start playing the shit out of that game. Other opinions may vary, but I'm also a developer so my opinion may be biased. It's very hard to get your game known, so sending a review key to someone who might give you a fair shake is very fair from my perspective. Even if it's a negative review, it's still more eyes on the product, and I personally would take the criticism and attempt to improve. Not all feel the same way of course ;p Sponsorship would be another story entirely, and you should always be straight and clear on what is sponsored content and what is an unbiased review.
Omo
2023-08-18 22:47:53 +0000 UTCI'm not a content creator and don't know these things first hand, so take my advice with a grain of salt: First of all, your point #1 is not unusual at all, any creator who respects their audience will have a term in the contract where they have creative/editorial/some form of control over the production. Don't even use Youtube as an excuse, you should be able to put your foot down on anything for any reason. This is your channel, not theirs, and if they can't agree to such terms, then they can get lost. You do not want sponsors that don't respect you, and that goes double in your enviable position of not really needing a sponsor. You asked if you should bother at this point. Well, if you tell all the sponsors that you want full control, and they all back off as a result, then the answer is no. Otherwise I'd say it might be worth a shot. They might back off later and you'll have wasted some time and effort, but you'll at the very least get some valuable experience out of it. Do get a lawyer to write you a contract for sponsors to sign, that way it's on your terms. Secondly, there's no shame in taking sponsorship money when you're being open and honest about it. When you're promoting a product, there's two important things to remember. Number one is to make sure that it's your recommendation, not theirs. Use the product, verify the claims, and don't let anyone put words in your mouth. Number two is that you make it abundantly clear when something is sponsored in your videos and posts.
Faxmachinen
2023-08-18 19:32:00 +0000 UTCThanks!
Annie
2023-08-18 17:18:54 +0000 UTCI like your reply a lot! I think it is sensible, fair, and assertive. If you add sponsorships to your videos, that's fine by me.
MxMorganic
2023-08-18 17:06:58 +0000 UTCI'd rather focus on productive things, thanks!
Annie
2023-08-18 16:58:26 +0000 UTCMore exposure is good. Also, would you mind running for Congress? My mother was an Oncologist with a strong moral compass, I tried talking her into it, but she always thought I was joking...
Robert
2023-08-18 16:56:58 +0000 UTCoh. still i'd say go for it
Eric Schmitt
2023-08-18 16:40:09 +0000 UTCI'm not sure I could bring myself to peddle Gacha. Even to help fight cancer.
Annie
2023-08-18 16:26:27 +0000 UTCI love this!! Has Raid Shadow Legends been knocking at your door yet??? 😄❤️
Trude Perkins
2023-08-18 16:24:31 +0000 UTCI personally do not trust sponsored content on the internet. It is currently (at best) in a legally grey area that is intentionally bypassing laws regulating advertising. At worse it is outright fraud. For example: I personally think that Bethesda and many of the "influencers" at the Fallout 76 Greenbrier Event in 2018 should have been charged for fraud and racketeering. However I understand that my voice is in the minority on this topic.
Annie
2023-08-18 16:02:15 +0000 UTCAs a viewer, I feel that one of the greatest strengths is the personal passion, authenticity and sincerity that goes into your content. That you are so open with your concerns about taking on sponsors is a great demonstration of that. The stipulations you have around content that doesn't get you in trouble with YouTube and creative control seem appropriate..its your voice and the brand for SPG that you are building, if a partner or sponsor wants to tap into that, it become their decision if its worth it with these rules in place or not. At least its clear up front which should help avoid most future issues. As for the compensation side of it, I think its noble to earmark this for charity, and as I say what's next, I have no idea of your personal economics or aspirations, but it would seem that we all have rent or a mortgage to take care of and that this is an opportunity to expand your business if there are sponsors interested. Maybe you develop a model that is more 80 / 20 with the ability to increase your compensation and still do good things with a portion going to charity. Whatever the economic scenario (all profit, all charity or some mix in between), if you are clear that content is sponsored and are clear in your guidelines, I would think for most people, this would allow you to build your platform, maintain the trust you've built with your audience and hopefully keep yourself comfortable with your impartiality.
Sixpack Man
2023-08-18 15:54:39 +0000 UTCAnd to ending cancer!
Annie
2023-08-18 15:54:27 +0000 UTCI love your reply Annie, I really do. You show your comitment to staying true to yourself and to the subject matter.
Cory Jones
2023-08-18 15:53:48 +0000 UTCIf I did, it would only be for charity. Right now I just say no.
Annie
2023-08-18 15:47:07 +0000 UTCI'm definitely not going to accept review copies or take sponsorships as there are serious ethical issues as well as unresolved legal issues (in the US and EU). This was more about making a video with a company for purely charity purposes. Sorry if I didn't make myself clear. My bad!
Annie
2023-08-18 15:46:32 +0000 UTCi personally have no issue with you accepting review copies of games or what have you as long as you disclose that and i think your terms are more than reasonable. i wouldn't even mind sponsorships as long as it's an item or service you actually use. i say go for it.
Eric Schmitt
2023-08-18 15:33:30 +0000 UTCI mean, if thats how you do it… Sure. I know personally when one of my various dev friends asks me for my take on their game… I feel a strong feeling to not hurt their feelings… Accepting someone’s money for a sponsorship is the same way. You took their money. “They sponsored me, man I dont want to upset them…” if you think these thoughts would come to mind, then just keep saying no… but eventually you will keep getting bigger and bigger and so will the offers… Will you eventually take a sponsor and lose what makes SPG unique? Your middle of the road, see all sides takes? Or do you think you can have the restraint to do that AND keep being you like AngryJoeShow with Gfuel… I guess it is up to you.
The Magical Gurl
2023-08-18 15:30:37 +0000 UTC
