You have to do what is right for you! If you can get a sponsorship that does not conflict with your ethics and gives you money in your pocket to buy yarn and fibre, then seriously think about it. If you feel comfortable with it, it could be a way to cut down on your working hours, as you've said, or, if your economy in the UK is doing as bad as ours is in Australia, you may need the little bit extra it would bring! Whatever your choice, it will feel right, and ignore the nay-sayers. Its not their life! Or business!
I think sponsorship is probably necessary. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos so why shouldn't you make some income from it? Most of the people I watch have some sort of advertising content, or they are selling their own yarn or patterns, or books. I think it's unreasonable to expect all content creators to create for nothing, really. It's preferable, for me, to Patreon as I can't afford Patreon for everyone I watch. So, you do you. I love your content. Thank you for creating and sharing it.
Creator that I follow, respect and appreciate their knowledge and work are people whose opinion on things I would value. If a brand or designer were to come to you and look to work with you, and you find their item, design, yarn, tool etc. to be something of value than I would certainly look into it for myself. Finding a balance is key in all aspects of life, why wouldn't it be in your creative life!
Good yarn is not cheap. Creating content requires yarn so if accepting sponsorship means you have a few more pennies to spend on some beautiful yarn then why not. If people object they can always skip forward.
You’re never going to make everyone happy that’s for sure. Some folks will be turned off by sponsorship and that’s on them. I have a podcast I follow on YouTube that I used to watch religiously and then they became a 2 hour advertisement every other week. Now they’ve branched out to expensive European excursions. They aledge to teach classes but truth be told they don’t know any more about knitting than I do but they have the following so people pay ridiculous amounts of money and go on these trips and cruises. I now could care less if I ever watch them again because they now only basically cater to people with lots of money and frankly I get tired of them bragging about where they get to go next while I work my ass off just to pay the electric bill and maybe get to buy a couple skeins of yarn once in a while. I don’t think you’ll ever become that and I hope you don’t. I look forward to your weekly videos with life behind the scenes. Just remember you have to do you and that’s all that matters! Keep up the good work
Thank you, that's really where I see it, as long as it's an extension of me and I'm staying true to who I am then where is the harm? My community has been built since I started from the guy sitting on the floor chatting to his phone!
I am generally in favor of sponsorship, so long as every post/video/etc of a content creator doesn't read like a commercial. I know a lot of people - including you! - put a lot of time and money into producing free content for people, and I like the idea of y'all getting some level of support. There are some knitfluencers who have worked with yarn companies to create their own shades, and I 100% love that for them.
And honestly even when people approach their sponsorships in a more commercial way, my annoyance doesn't last very long b/c I do respect them trying to get compensation for their labor
I really understand your point of view regarding sponsorship opportunities. Creating content takes time, especially if you do it for multiple platforms like you do. (youtube, instagram, tiktok, substack, and more?) Generate an income from your crafting content and being able to work less hours in your day job sounds great. I really hope you can make that happen.
However, I really enjoyed the fact that your content wasn't sponsored. To me, it makes your opinions, thoughts and recommendations more valuable. Now, if the yarn / fiber / pattern is sponsored, I find myself wondering if that doesn't (subconsciously) change your experience. I'm more likely to enjoy something if it was gifted and / or if the company paid me to review their product, than when I'd spent money on it.
Again, I understand and respect your decision to explore sponsorships. Why would you do all that work for free? This is just my two cents...
Thanks for your comment and it sums up part of my dilemma. The online website I've promoted recently feels genuine to me as it was honestly something I used personally so saw a benefit of it myself, I had signed up to a membership with them before they offered to sponsor the video. There needs to be a natural link-up I think.
I think if it fits in with your content & you like the product that's fine. When knitting podcasts promote microwave meals or the sponsored section is 1/4 of the video, it gets annoying.
I think it's your channel and you put a huge amount of work into it, consistently, on top of a demanding job. As long as there is integrity and balance go for it :). In reality the other option for content creation is Patreon. Your work is very valuable. I'll keep watching x
For me transparency absolutely, but I watch enough craft podcasts to know when they are reciting the same pre approved ad content. Craftsy being the one that springs to mind first. I appreciate it when the point in the video that is an ad is clearly marked so it can be easily skipped with chapter markers or a time stamp on screen to skip to, to bypass the sponsored content.
Craftsy is certainly a popular one but for me a good fit as I'd actually used them and signed-up for my own membership before being asked to mention them!
I'm torn on this topic. I'm a person who fast-forwards thru ads whenever possible. But I'm also a person who when Martyn says, "this is my favorite _______ to use", I will check it out. I think that as long as it doesn't sound like an infomercial or a product that has nothing to do with the content, I would be ok. Other blogs I watch add links below the video. Many specify that they earn a fee if you buy thru the link or something. All good and if helps you bring us more and more interesting items to check out, even better. Any monies would be icing on the cake.
If you feel the brand you're endorsing is one that you believe in, then go for it. At the end of the day, it's up to the viewers to decide what to do with the endorsement. I don't allow myself to be swayed by podcaster endorsements for products that I have no interest in purchasing and it's my responsibility to keep up that practice. The same goes for celebrities endorsing a product that the marketer is hoping you'll buy just because a famous person endorsed it--if that product isn't for me, I ignore the commercial. That said, I'm also a member of Craftsy and agree it's an excellent platform.
I think it’s all about transparency. If I know a show is sponsored or that the presenter is showing me something they have been gifted, then it’s down to me to decide if I believe their comments on the brand. It is reasonable to accept sponsorship or gifts if you feel comfortable about it that help you finance your content and reward your work. Others use donation sites to help fund their content but this approach seems to require a lot of extra work from the content provider!
You have to do what is right for you! If you can get a sponsorship that does not conflict with your ethics and gives you money in your pocket to buy yarn and fibre, then seriously think about it. If you feel comfortable with it, it could be a way to cut down on your working hours, as you've said, or, if your economy in the UK is doing as bad as ours is in Australia, you may need the little bit extra it would bring! Whatever your choice, it will feel right, and ignore the nay-sayers. Its not their life! Or business!
I think sponsorship is probably necessary. I really appreciate the time and effort you put into your videos so why shouldn't you make some income from it? Most of the people I watch have some sort of advertising content, or they are selling their own yarn or patterns, or books. I think it's unreasonable to expect all content creators to create for nothing, really. It's preferable, for me, to Patreon as I can't afford Patreon for everyone I watch. So, you do you. I love your content. Thank you for creating and sharing it.
Creator that I follow, respect and appreciate their knowledge and work are people whose opinion on things I would value. If a brand or designer were to come to you and look to work with you, and you find their item, design, yarn, tool etc. to be something of value than I would certainly look into it for myself. Finding a balance is key in all aspects of life, why wouldn't it be in your creative life!
Good yarn is not cheap. Creating content requires yarn so if accepting sponsorship means you have a few more pennies to spend on some beautiful yarn then why not. If people object they can always skip forward.
You’re never going to make everyone happy that’s for sure. Some folks will be turned off by sponsorship and that’s on them. I have a podcast I follow on YouTube that I used to watch religiously and then they became a 2 hour advertisement every other week. Now they’ve branched out to expensive European excursions. They aledge to teach classes but truth be told they don’t know any more about knitting than I do but they have the following so people pay ridiculous amounts of money and go on these trips and cruises. I now could care less if I ever watch them again because they now only basically cater to people with lots of money and frankly I get tired of them bragging about where they get to go next while I work my ass off just to pay the electric bill and maybe get to buy a couple skeins of yarn once in a while. I don’t think you’ll ever become that and I hope you don’t. I look forward to your weekly videos with life behind the scenes. Just remember you have to do you and that’s all that matters! Keep up the good work
Thank you, that's really where I see it, as long as it's an extension of me and I'm staying true to who I am then where is the harm? My community has been built since I started from the guy sitting on the floor chatting to his phone!
I am generally in favor of sponsorship, so long as every post/video/etc of a content creator doesn't read like a commercial. I know a lot of people - including you! - put a lot of time and money into producing free content for people, and I like the idea of y'all getting some level of support. There are some knitfluencers who have worked with yarn companies to create their own shades, and I 100% love that for them.
And honestly even when people approach their sponsorships in a more commercial way, my annoyance doesn't last very long b/c I do respect them trying to get compensation for their labor
I really understand your point of view regarding sponsorship opportunities. Creating content takes time, especially if you do it for multiple platforms like you do. (youtube, instagram, tiktok, substack, and more?) Generate an income from your crafting content and being able to work less hours in your day job sounds great. I really hope you can make that happen.
However, I really enjoyed the fact that your content wasn't sponsored. To me, it makes your opinions, thoughts and recommendations more valuable. Now, if the yarn / fiber / pattern is sponsored, I find myself wondering if that doesn't (subconsciously) change your experience. I'm more likely to enjoy something if it was gifted and / or if the company paid me to review their product, than when I'd spent money on it.
Again, I understand and respect your decision to explore sponsorships. Why would you do all that work for free? This is just my two cents...
Thanks for your comment and it sums up part of my dilemma. The online website I've promoted recently feels genuine to me as it was honestly something I used personally so saw a benefit of it myself, I had signed up to a membership with them before they offered to sponsor the video. There needs to be a natural link-up I think.
I think if it fits in with your content & you like the product that's fine. When knitting podcasts promote microwave meals or the sponsored section is 1/4 of the video, it gets annoying.
100% there! "look at this chair I sit on to knit!"
I think it's your channel and you put a huge amount of work into it, consistently, on top of a demanding job. As long as there is integrity and balance go for it :). In reality the other option for content creation is Patreon. Your work is very valuable. I'll keep watching x
For me transparency absolutely, but I watch enough craft podcasts to know when they are reciting the same pre approved ad content. Craftsy being the one that springs to mind first. I appreciate it when the point in the video that is an ad is clearly marked so it can be easily skipped with chapter markers or a time stamp on screen to skip to, to bypass the sponsored content.
Craftsy is certainly a popular one but for me a good fit as I'd actually used them and signed-up for my own membership before being asked to mention them!
I'm torn on this topic. I'm a person who fast-forwards thru ads whenever possible. But I'm also a person who when Martyn says, "this is my favorite _______ to use", I will check it out. I think that as long as it doesn't sound like an infomercial or a product that has nothing to do with the content, I would be ok. Other blogs I watch add links below the video. Many specify that they earn a fee if you buy thru the link or something. All good and if helps you bring us more and more interesting items to check out, even better. Any monies would be icing on the cake.
If you feel the brand you're endorsing is one that you believe in, then go for it. At the end of the day, it's up to the viewers to decide what to do with the endorsement. I don't allow myself to be swayed by podcaster endorsements for products that I have no interest in purchasing and it's my responsibility to keep up that practice. The same goes for celebrities endorsing a product that the marketer is hoping you'll buy just because a famous person endorsed it--if that product isn't for me, I ignore the commercial. That said, I'm also a member of Craftsy and agree it's an excellent platform.
Authenticity is everything!
Great post
I think it’s all about transparency. If I know a show is sponsored or that the presenter is showing me something they have been gifted, then it’s down to me to decide if I believe their comments on the brand. It is reasonable to accept sponsorship or gifts if you feel comfortable about it that help you finance your content and reward your work. Others use donation sites to help fund their content but this approach seems to require a lot of extra work from the content provider!