The Untold Truth of Paid Partnerships
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- Just responding to the drama following the whole Team Pixel thing!
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Had a bit of fun with the opening on this video 😬
But fun aside, I'd love to know what you think about the state of tech reviews and TH-cam right now.
Why do you watch them? What sort of content do you enjoy the most? Are any of my videos specifically your favourite type to watch and why?
Just looking to constantly improve and get better at what we're making here on the channel. Love you all! ❤
I saw Tailosive Techs video on this subject. He said that Apple has more stringent requirements than any of the stuff Google was asking ( and have since changed position on). Where's the video about that?
Yo Pete, just wanted to stop by and say that this was a video that NEEDED to be made. I’ve been really turned off by all the controversies and weird diplomacies in brand/TH-camr relationships as well.
Maaate - great to see your face pop up on here! Thank you - one of those videos I wasn't sure about posting, but here we are! 😬
@@PeteMatheson love the transparency and experimentation! Keep it up!!
I've asked companies for compensation for products reviews and I've been getting two responses:
1. They actually just ghost me and act like I didn't help them with anything.
2. They are happy to pay as long as I only say positive things and don't do comparisons.
Keep on reaching out. 99% of emails I received I delete or ignore as they're like this
I had a dream collab this year (won't mention the brand) who just said they would send their device and I could make any kind of review at whatever time I wanted. They were supportive when I had questions but otherwise just let me get on with it. It wasn't a glowing review by any means, but I was honest and took my time to get my testing done right.
The fact that this was a 'dream collab' tells you everything you need to know about the state of the industry.
I took a leaf out of Tom Buck's book earlier this year and wrote up an ethical statement which all brands have to sign up to before we ever get on the phone together. Works pretty well.
Agreed, we did a similar thing with an ethics statement!
Congrats on the collab though! So nice when you finally make headway with brands you genuinely love to work with
Tom Buck is a great guy and I appreciate him having his ethics statement out there. I think anyone looking to get into sponsorships has to have a moment where they draw lines in the sand for themselves around how they'll handle things involving money.
Honestly there should be a LEGAL requirement that sponsorships must be clearly announced
That's the problem. There is! But some ignore or try and work around it 🤷🏼♂️
@@Recliness In France that’s how it works. They have to make it very clear. If they don’t, people will complain in the comments anyway and they would loose there reputation. It actually working very well.
There is. That's literally how sponsorship should work, legally
Also in Germany it's already a law. If it's a paid ad, it needs a label during this paid sponsor segment. Kurzgesagt is one example of channels doing this because of this law.
In Poland also. It may be even EU regulations.
This was a very interesting topic, and I appreciate you posting about it. I started my dive into the tech review genre here on TH-cam earlier this year when I got my Galaxy S24+ and Ultra. I was looking for videos about tips and tricks, and just kept finding interesting content creators. But it was always in the back of my mind which ones I could legit trust for their reviews. Finding creators like you and a few others has made it a bit easier to trust the videos. It seems this Team Pixel situation has really brought out who the more trustworthy creators are. Thank you for being one of them. I enjoy your videos a lot, even if it's for something I don't plan to purchase.
Thanks for watching it and checking it out. Yeah it's been a funny time here on YT, but I love making the content we make.
Just trying to make each video better than the last!
I'd love for you to name and shame these creators who are botting/rigging the system as it's not only against TH-cam's TOS, but also misleading people on paid partnerships is illegal.
Well said. I’ve often wondered how some content creators seem to come out of nowhere, loads of views, but meh content, whereas other creators who make good content seem grow more modestly. Glad to see you have ethics and honesty. Glad I’m a subscriber. 👊
Thanks man - aside from this rant, I'm just gonna focus on making more and hopefully getting better over time!
There is a clear and present danger within TH-cam and other media outlets for sponsored or affiliated reviews. This issue was evident with the release of Snapdragon X, where 90% of the reviews were cringeworthy sponsored content. Many TH-cam creators also include affiliate links that provide them with a small cut, further compromising TH-cam's neutrality. As a result, TH-cam is starting to resemble a platform filled with 10-minute ads. It seems that money talks.
The recent Pixel controversy has raised concerns about whether many TH-cam creators are being paid to promote products while pretending to genuinely love them. Personally, this has led me to unsubscribe from some creators, and now I only watch sponsored content long enough to see the disclosure.
Many in the TH-cam community are experiencing a decline in numbers, which is understandable. Viewers don't want to be bombarded with lengthy ads that are themselves sponsored. It's still not a widespread issue, and hopefully, creators will prioritize authentic content over sponsored brand reviews.
Cheers Andy!
It's a really difficult line to walk.
As someone who makes a living from making content, we're trying our best to make content that WE want to make, and then find a suitable sponsor that fits in well to that content.
As an example, our next video is about an LG Monitor which is sponsored by LG, but my approach with those videos are less about my opinion and more fact - ie here's the data and how it compares to others.
You're right - TH-cam / influencer marketing is in an interesting place right now, but it's not too dissimilar from the rest of the junk online blog / articles of the 'Top 5 X product', which, coincidentally are the ones with the biggest affiliate payouts.
And yeah, likewise - I was dubious about the SD laptops until I discovered the battery life didn't live anywhere near to the advertised claims.
I don't see harm in adding affiliate links for products in the description - problem is you don't know if the affiliate links are the reason they created the video in the first place, or an after thought (which is how I started out on here. Making the videos I want, then doing a quick google to see if they had an affiliate program I could join before posting).
I know a bunch of genuinely honest creators who are just trying to post the best videos we can whilst still feeding the family, but it's frustrating when we see others shortcut that process.
Appreciate you commenting, and sorry if I left a huge reply for you to read, lol
@@PeteMatheson Yes, I understand. You’ve built a successful business through hard work-it’s challenging to create a thriving TH-cam channel, so sponsorships and affiliates are a primary sources of income. I suppose my perspective is influenced by the direction the platform is headed, which has led me to adopt a rather strict stance. Age can be disillusioning, but fortunately, there will be many viewers who will watch your content and others sponsored by brands, keeping the momentum going. Good luck!
Which creators are compromised according to you? I've had yo switch to some low View count creators and some Indian reviewers because some of them buy with their own money and some of them are very blunt with their opinions
Thats why small channels are actually honest and better
Pete, the intro to this video is incredible. Your production levels have gone above and beyond since the start of the year. A very important video to make, so I'm happy that you got to make it, as you're one of those few that clearly tries every product you showcase on your channel. Solid vid my friend.
Ah man, thank you for this! Working hard on these videos, hoping to improve - still plenty to learn!
So basically ignore any online review of the Pixel 9 and buy an S24 Ultra instead? Cheers!
😂
That might be a good option. Like buy s24 ultra, and because the camera if s24u,has problems, buy a 1000bucks camera and keep it forever.^^
Ignore and buy an iPhone
iPhone is only for the US, in the other world It's only for lads and a few people with urban excitement, Samsung is the most common, and the king@LakithaSomirathne
@@PaulKasulej bruh because global Samsung users are broke and they don’t even have a flagship Samsung
amazing video! thank you for shining more light on this. its so annoying nowadays that you cant rust anything anymore. I can not understand how brands don't do their due diligence and check every creators numbers they work with properly beforehand. They pay all these fake reviewers and their fake views a lot of money which then makes the customer acquisition cost for these brands even higher which shouldn't be in their interest at all. Longterm these higher customer acquisition cost will effect product prices for the end consumer which is just a horrible cycle and the only people benefiting from this are the PR agencies which charge the brands and also the fake influencers who use affiliate links in their videos. I hope there will be more people like you calling this out.
Thanks for this!
Most people are probably just head down and focusing on their own stuff - which is probably what I should be doing to be fair.
Just got annoyed and thought I'd post this and see what happened 🤷🏼♂️ Glad people have watched and engaged on it though !
I think there are too many fans and hobbiest who want to be paid “influencers” and marketing teams who fail to do the simplest level of vetting who fall into the trap of engaging their friends and no following fakes. A bit ironic that the agency for the company who owns TH-cam, doesn’t seem to know how to use it.
I know you probably won’t see this but this right here is why you’re one of my favorite creators to watch. I know that I can trust and buy a product after you review it because you’re 100% honest. Thank you so much for everything you do. It really means a lot to me and everyone else that are wanting to buy products but are unsure of what to buy.
Thank you so much for this comment. Humbled that I get to call this my job, love doing what I do! 🙌🏼
The Google situation seems like they were looking for brand ambassadors with team pixel (like the name already insinuates) but the people in it thought of themselves more as independent reviewers.
Yeah exactly this - except they were actively inviting tech reviewers / youtubers into Team Pixel. At least here in the UK..
It's never a fair playing field on TH-cam. All we can and should do is make the best content we can and an audience will come.
i work in the industry and closely analyse the link between content and brand impact / sales. the fundamental issue is that (many) marketers are lazy and (many of) their bosses are stuck on dated metrics like views and "media value". Nothing beats real views for quality content, but cheaters and lazy marketers are killing social media's potential. It's concerning for the whole industry.
Seems to be few that seem to care about these things, but over time I can't see anything other than brands having to pay attention.
That or just totally ignore influencer marketing because it's too much of a wild west.
I knew some companies were likely doing this kind of stuff. Thanks for calling it out
Appreciate you watching and commenting! This is still the best job in the world, so I'll just carry on as is.
Just felt like it was time to vent a little 😅
Recently found your channel, and have been loving it. Bought an S24 Ultra yesterday in large part due to your long term usage reviews.
Happy to see you speak out about this despite the fact that it may make life more difficult for you.
Ahhh happy to hear that! How are you finding it?
Appreciate you watching and commenting.
I hope brands don't take this the wrong way. My main takeaway that probably got lost in my rambling was these brands make great products, they just need to stop self sabotaging themselves!
I've always had an issue with 'influencers'. There is a lot of dishonesty out there, and many of us rely on these reviews when making a purchase. I appreciate your transparency in sharing your experiences with this. It lets me know that you're someone that can be trusted to give his honest opinions. You earned a new sub!
What you were saying in the second half of the video really resonated with me (as a fellow tech reviewer). It hadn't occured to me to think of those channels whom are buying subs and views to try and get high paying sponsor deals.
In a way it'd be like a body builder who does so naturally versus someone who uses stimulants to grow muscle.
Thanks for sharing, very thought provoking take on an important topic
Very much so!
I'm sure it's a way to grow / make money - I'm just gonna focus on doing it this way.
Like I said, wasn't sure if I was going to post the video as it comes across a bit like me moaning when I should just focus on me.
But there we go - it's up! lol
I see this a lot with some recent product reviews like the Garmin watches, reviewers are failing to call out the laggy UI etc of certain new products, and it feels wrong, shoutout to all those who are creating this type of content, your reviews have been awesome !
I remember a long time ago when I was working as a journalist that we would get loads of free stuff to review, some of it was tech, a lot of it was books and CDs (yes, thats how long ago!). I had to review an album by a band I quite liked...the new album, not so much and I wrote the review accordingly, my opinion was that it was lacklusture and not their best work. When the piece was published the music label basically lost their s*** and told us they would never send up review items in the future because we had dared to give it a negative review. I certainly thought it was a fair critique and a balanced one as did the editors, there was nothing outrageous in it. Another larger publication, who we found out later had been paid a large amount of money and didn't declare the piece as an advertorial, did a review and funnily enough they gave it a glowing review claiming it was the best thing this band had produced to date.
This issue has always been kind of there and in the internet content age its becoming more prevalent and I have just become cynical about every review I read or watch because of the sneekyness behind many.
Oh yeah, this exactly! It's definitely not exclusive to tech. I've just seen so much of it lately that it's been a frustration of mine :)
Glad someone's being honest Pete, well done and keep your integrity Mate. To be fair to Google, they've forced a "Readjustment" , once this was brought to their attention and the 3rd party agency, got a wrap on the knuckles. However, you're absolutely right, there needs to be clearer lines between "Tech Reviewer" and "Brand Ambassador" .As for the new Pixels, these 9 series phones are the "Hold My beer" editions, until next year's TSMC produced 10 Series are released. I know, you'll love the design but, there's not much of an upgrade inside. As an 8 Pro owner, I'm happy about that, saves Me some cash!
Thanks bud! Good to know - I actually am really enjoying the 9 Pro XL.
Just wait for the comments when my review drops this week, lol.
It must be very frustrating for smaller indie reviewer/youtubers.....Are you willing to disclose how payments from TH-cam compare as a proportion of your revenue vs fees....Personally I believe any TH-camrs/influencers etc should disclose upfront any 'sponsorship/paymnets/freebies etc' . I'm much more likely to subsccribe/follow those that are upfront/clear AND offer genuine reviews etc.....
Sure! I'm not sure specifically what you're looking to learn.
The only money 'TH-cam / Google' pay me is Adsense, which is a percentage of the fee advertisers pay Google to display their ads in front of my videos. We have limited control over these ads, and the money each month can fluctuate heavily. For example, it typically increases towards Christmas when advertisers are willing to pay more.
Outside of this, it's Sponsorships where brands pay for either a dedicated video, or for me to essentially do an ad-read. This is a big portion of my income and allows me to continue buying gear and tech and hire people to make better videos as we grow.
Then there's affiliate marketing, where we throw a link into our descriptions so if anyone wants to click and buy a product, we'll earn a small commission.
And yes, I agree, and it's also required by law that creators disclose if they've received anything in exchange for a video, free product, money etc.
Nice editing and British accent, bro! Keep it up and thank you for making me as your new subscriber👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻💪🏻
Your cinematography is amazing. Great discussion topic
Thanks - still plenty of room for improvement!
First time watching your video
Opening was 🔥🔥great work 👍🏼
instant subscribe
Was so surprised when i first watched Mr Mobile disclose that the product was given by the brand and he used it for x days before making the videos
I thought every youtuber should disclose this information sadly i have only seen him do it
I am from India and sadly many tech (mainly(i know more than 5) big mobile sub in millions and only sponsor video)
(2.17 M subs 🤯) TH-camrs are sellout who will only say positive things,
Don't disclose it is sponsored
Don't put includes paid promotion
May put collab in description
Whole comment section is saying ad
I mean he is less reviewer and more add maker
I thing youtube and government should make disclosing is video sponsored,how many days product was used before review mandatory to disclose
as some reviewer are just adds
Ah thanks so much man! Appreciate you watching and subscribing.
Problem is that it is legally required, but many people ignore or find ways around it either way🤷🏼♂️
About time the truth was told well done Pete big up to you mate
Thanks mate! Bit of a minefield out here lately 😂
amazing vid found out so much i am already subed and u are my fav content creater /youtuber
Appreciated! Thanks for watching 👏🏼
@@PeteMatheson np keep up the great and informative vids
Is it a great phone? Absolutely.
Is it a great phone for the money? No.
Excellent video Pete and a well delivered message. From my position (Joe public/consumer), I see you as tech content creator. A good one too! I watch your content for your opinion. What makes opinions matter? On one hand, how the message is delivered is important. For example an unbiased reviewer who comes over as a bit of a clown,I wouldn’t put weight on their opinion but a well presented product review has me all ears. In the other hand that well delivered message has to be unbiased to help me make a decision on whether to buy or not. If I know you are paid to say things then I am less influenced by your presentation. So it is good content, presented well and with integrity that makes the difference, but your point about the use of bots and paid subs is crazy. Maybe TH-cam needs to be bought by Musk to have a clear out of the bots!
I'm not sure it would last very long if Musk came along 😂 Just wait for him to tell all the advertisers to do one
Outside of a few online reviewers, content creators I now pretty much ignore online recommendations since you can tell they will say one brand is totally life changing until next week when somebody pays them more to say the same about their product! I enjoy your reviews as you take longer to review products which lends itself to giving a better overall feel for a product and whether it suits your needs as an individual.
Appreciated bud!
I think I'm becoming a less objective reviewer over time as I've slowly realised that all phones are pretty damn good nowadays, lol.
Apple isn't as blatant with their messaging as this, but they very much operate the same way. They enjoy their cultish fanbase just the way it is.
living rent free lol
pathetic
It felt like you were talking about the music industry for a bit ahah. I do like your content. And thank you for the hard work you put into it. I like the new direction you're taking with those known songs at the beginning, and the interesting point of view you're talking about things from.
Is it that similar?! Lol
Thanks man, glad you're enjoying the new style. Still figuring it out a little as we go but I'm enjoying picking music and trying to hit people's emotions in each video 👌🏼
Brand ambassadors should not be able to create a review of a product.
In FPV drones, anyone who has any agreement with any company to review a product is considered a shill.
So I stopped reviewing products that were sent to me by companies.
Instead I do an “experience” video.
“I Tried the (product name)”
Some Still expected to be a review, after a few videos they get it.
Meanwhile, any legitimate reviews have a title that mentions the word review
That's fair! Most of the time I just put the product to the test and make sure it does what it says it can do, since that's less opinion and more fact based.
Hmmm , dunno mate , I have seen some excellent brand ambassador videos over the years , these where mostly dedicated type cameras , they where not so much reviews but more hands on and how to videos , and they where very good , they told you the best way to use the devices , and they told you where the weak points where and if you should use a different device to get a different or better outcome.
I think a lot of potential consumers that watch all manner of videos from reviews to basically advertisements have a fair clue what is legit and what's not , or maybe I'm just an optimist😊.
I can remember some years ago watching a review video for a phone , and it was a very popular reviewer at the time ,
And it stunk to high hell of being a blatantly paid review , to the point I instantly unsubscribed from that dude.
Some time down the track the same person did a review of a device I was interested in, so I watched it , and it was very obvious the dude had completely changed from that dodgy video review I saw maybe the year before to what I think was an honest reviewer , because his review was very much a warts and all review.
I think he must have lost a bunch of viewers and learned honesty is the best policy.
In the end that's what most of us want to see .
Maybe the big companies should learn , that honest reviews regardless of a few criticisms are still good advertising unless a product is an absolute dog that after you turn it on it sets fire to your hair 😂,
most people imo accept no devices are perfect and consumers are willing to allow some weak points in a review and they are much happier knowing the good and bad points before buying and willing to accept that rather than being told it is the device of the century only to find out after purchasing it's not.
I bought a pixel 8 pro after doing homework and accepting it's less than good points with its good points , and bought the bastard anyway , and all things considered I think it's still a good device .
In my choice of videos , I generally steer away from reviewers that are known one eyed this product is always the best types .
Plenty of good reviewers that talk honestly like Pete to get a fair take of a product.
Sorry for the long post.
In terms of Influencers/Tech Reviewers, you hit the nail on the head. Tech Reviewers are the only ones that give an honest review. The big companies probably forget that it's people's hard earned cash at the end of the day, which is why people like me rely on the reviewers like yourself, so that our money isn't wasted. If a new product comes out that I'm interested in, it's only you, Marques and Mrwhostheboss reviews I look at. Open, honest and a "real world" type of review. Keep doing what you're doing 💪🏻
Yeah it's definitely a challenge - a shame reviewers are treated with a yard stick sometimes with most of us having to constantly buy devices when others get gifted them and barely even take them out of the box!
Appreciate you including me with such big names and channels! Will work hard to stay up there!
Discovered you with this video, just followed, like your style ( and I was super surprised by your sub count, your video looks super high quality, definitely deserve more ! )
Well, thank you very much! Sorry, my other videos are much less ranty, hope you enjoy them :) lol
I’ve stemmed away from full on tech reviews, I and more so into people, who use the occasional product that they love to talk about. I think of Bob Wolf, who is more casual oriented and consumer minded. Also just a cool personality. Or FTP in the tech space moving away from constant rumors and leaks, making more documentaries. The real successful people are the ones who establish a personality and trust with the audience, and entertain.
That’s at least what I look for, so I’ll check you out.
Love this - and yeah I love the space fpt have moved into! Easy watch for me
Thank you for taking the time to make an honest video calling out what you believe to be an injustice. This is nothing new. Every industry has this type of challenge. Your ethics should always be more important than your success. Easy or difficult, you shouldn’t change what you believe is the ethics you stand on, even if you are the only person that lives by your standards. Life was not meant to be easy, it was meant to be intentional.
Thank you! Yeah, wasn't sure about posting this - didn't want it to come across as some privileged guy moaning about the industry he chose to work in. But - here we have it, and I'm moving on :) lol
and you, sir, just got a new subscriber!
Appreciate you! Hope you enjoy the other stuff that's less moany :) lol
Thank you for being so upfront and honest about this.
I used to do tech reviews many, many moons ago (back in the days of the Pocket PC, Palm Pilot and Psion organisers). There’s no way I could the stuff TH-cam requires.
Maybe it’s time for some industry standards but would a company such as Alphabet be willing to police such a thing? I very much doubt they would.
Btw I found it quite amusing that this particular video was interrupted by adverts for….Pixel 😂
😂
Love that, haha.
Google are too busy failing to block the lovely ladies panties who comment on my videos every time I post something 😅
It's still a fun thing to make these videos! Just frustrating when othere are gaming the system.
Appreciate you watching and commenting!
I can feel the saturation, leaving me slowly
Unrelated but Good Day by twenty one pilots in the intro caught me off guard, nice.
😜 Spot on, haha.
Uhh this video needs at least 10x the views, really glad I didn't buy a Pixel, never liked any of them anyway, but slimey from Google.
Thanks man - it's annoying though because I actually really like the Pixel 9 series! Just sent my 9 Pro XL back for the 9 Pro Fold instead (arrives tomorrow).
Annoying when brands do this sort of stuff!
Hi Pete, congratulations on the video. Unfortunately, there are few honest videos now. I send you a big greeting from Italy. Keep it up. Thank you. Sorry if my english is not very good.
Thank you! Appreciate you watching & commenting :)
Appreciate your authenticity, you got a real view and a new subscriber
Good on you mate for sharing the purchase records.
This is classic corporate "chasing growth" mentality. Even if you work for an established brand (certainly not a startup) you have to up those numbers each quarter. If you hire an agency that over promises then when the performance doesn't meet ridiculous expectations, they get desperate. Add irresponsibility and carelessness for long-term brand image, then you get this. I have a Pixel 8 Pro, it's a decent phone with great cameras (or rather post processing algorithms), but it's not a life changing device like some small and medium media outlets tried describe it. Now I know why they did that.
The worst thing about this is that they came online the same day as “normal” reviews. So you don’t know if it’s a “real” review or not
It has to come down to the disclosure. I have the same issue, but amongst the embargoed videos are legitimate reviews and opinions. But you can't easily spot them.
There are still many brands who will seed devices out to people with no requirement to vet content or for them to post positive reviews.
But yeah, difficult to impossible to tell sometimes!
👏👏👏 About time there was a bit of honesty on this platform. Really respect this and it’s so obvious that big TH-camrs are buying views when you can get about 0.01% like or comment ratio to the views. TH-cam should also be monitoring this!
I’m assuming this is how people are getting their channels monetised so quickly as well?!
Obviously can't speak for everybody as there are some incredible channels out there that grow crazy fast legitimately.
But yeah, that view to comment / engagement ratio is crazy.
But then on the other hand, makes them easy to spot! 😜
Hey Pete! I love this take, mentioning a free item given to us doesn’t take away from the video but the overhyping products does a lot of damage to all creators. There’s been so many cases of hidden promotions recently it really thawed reputation of YT review content.
Keep up the good work! 🤘🏻
Thanks Man! Appreciated!
You don't understand the difference of influencer and a reviewer? Right.. reviewers take a device and test it , influencers just promote it without any tests
But a reviewer can then influence someone to buy or not buy a product?
Great video. Subscribing now!
If a company needs to pay someone for good reviews, they probably aren't doing a decent, quality job to begin with. They need someone to speak for them because their products can't speak for themselves.
Hey Pete, Hang in there man, stay honest and open and people will get behind you. Like i did. You’re going through the growing pains. You make fantastic content! You’ll continue to grow. 😊
Man, thanks for this! Appreciated - I'll stop moaning now, lol
Thanks so much for your honesty that could make it harder for you to find brands willing to work with you which is insane! How can integrity be a negative?
Keep it up! This is the first video I saw from you but I already subscribed because of your honesty.
PS:
I'm not at all interested in buying the pixel so I might watch your pixel videos, just to help you out and make Google pay a tiny bit of their gigantic money pile with you
Man, thanks so much for this! haha. Just needed to vent for a moment - back to the regular programming! Appreciate you watching, even if you don't intend to buy the thing I'm talking about. Hoping to make it more about the memories I can capture than the tech. Cameras / phones are all pretty dope nowadays anyway
Google doesn't want Apple and Samsung reviewers to review Apple and Samsung products.
This whole quit
Drama is nonsense 😢...they tech TH-camrs should dedicate to posting honest professional reviews. No one cares whether you are or not on Team Pixel, Team iPhone, Team Samsung or Team Nothing. But TH-cam pay$ you which is Google which is Pixel...but that they won't quit 😂😂😂😂
haha! True, true :)
Fascinating insight into the tech review world, Pete. Thanks for being so honest and making us think about these videos and what is involved in their creation.
Very welcome, glad you watched and enjoyed it!
Your definitely an "influencer" by definition. Everyone who posts videos online are influencing people around the world even without knowing it. It can be as small as someone liking something on your wall or desk so they in turn go online to buy it. Your clearly not understanding how deep a video influences people.
Oh I definitely understand! My point is that apparently, I'm not an influencer according to the definition specifically set by Google and other brands. I don't agree with their definition!
Insta 360 breaks at the first fall outdoors. Telling from a friends experience.
Honestly your videos are informative and glad i watched this🎉keep the honesty i would rather buy an item after have heard your honest takes on it than buy it after hype train videos are poured out
Appreciate you watching! No change here - will carry on doing the best we can! :)
I am iffy about Content Creators and reviewers for a while now, including you too. It's really hard to find creators that make both good, unbiased reviews that ALSO go in-depth enough for my needs.
I love the design of the Pixel 9 series, but Tensor, and all the terrible drama surrounding the devices, especially here in Poland has been genuinely awful. On top of that, a lot of features are not present here, and we don't even have the "trade-in" option here! 😭
For the Polish drama in question: Google did send out the devices to reviewers, but didn't let anyone "turn them on", and "assured" that the same rules applied everywhere else in the world. It was a lie, because everywhere else.. reviewers were allowed to turn the devices on and show them. Absolutely shitty communication.
Companies need to treat both us, consumers, and reviewers better so everybody wins.
Ah man - I feel you here.
I've started going less in depth on reviews lately. Mainly because generally speaking, phones are pretty freaking great nowadays.
There are plenty of people who do all the benchmark tests and comparisons.
I just want to show people that these phones can still capture awesome memories and are still fast enough for most people.
Everyone's biased though, no matter how unbiased they try to be.
Heard similar things with some brands at times where you can't turn them on / only show the hardware etc !
@@PeteMatheson I agree with your first point- as I still use a trusty S22+, and haven't felt that upgrades are significant for me to change it. Hoping S25U is that.
Personally I like "lifestyle" reviews too, the usage and battery tests seem more believable on those! But I am aware of everyone's biases, which in to an extend is okay.
Great video - and truly honest words. Keep up the good work-
Thanks for sharing your insights. I watch some of the million view channels, but I also subscribe to lots of thousand view channels, and event channels that might only have a dozen or two videos. I cull subscriptions to channels regularly. TH-cam is the wild west of content offerings, since no old school press "rules" are followed with this content creation. I also have broader interests than tech reviews. I've been a photographer and a world traveller all my life, so I find incredible talent on TH-cam for nature, scenic, aerial, underwater, astronomy, exotic travel subjects. I would never presume to give you advice on your successful endeavor, but I would suggest you pull yourself out of the tech review niche once in awhile. There's more content out there! BTW, I can easily spot an "influencer" channel, and avoid them like the plague!
Thanks Joe! Oh absolutely!
I'm loving the health and fitness channels lately, I wish there were more of them!
I feel like I want to cancel my pixel pro fold 9 now what ever it's called
Mine arrived today to be fair. Great phone so far, and really enjoying the fold experience.
It has really become so obvious at this point that all these videos are paid partnerships, all the videos on the Pixel 9 Pro literally dropped on the same day, today it was the Garmin Fenix 8, anyone that still falls for all this literally needs to get checked. Great Video Pete
Thanks man.
To be fair, amongst those videos are some great and honest creators!
It's just damn near impossible as a viewer to know which ones are which.
If we have the opportunity, we will always try to get a video out when an embargo drops. But since reviews are flooding TH-cam we usually go for a different angle of the top tricks, things you didn't know, buyers guides etc
Great advice.....I wondered why I get some big viewed videos and the videos suck. I never knew people buy views.
There are plenty of really great videos out there - but some of them really blow my mind lol
i dont know. I get what you are saying Pete.
and I agree.
but this thing you said that views jump to insane numbers the day after.
Thats quite common. Even on my channel, doesn't mean bought views.
just means it takes some time for the algoritm to figure out if the video is good or not before
recommending it.
But of course I'm sure it happens that content creators buy views. But the evidence of views pumping a day later is not proof of this.
great video though.
Oh I get that too! But there are some clear cases where you can see videos pump to 500k views on like, a pool cleaner.. and then like clockwork, their views flatline at the same number of views or days.
But yeah, it's difficult to spot - really annoying if you're using it for research purposes and don't realise
Great video. Its sad that this is the way tech review is going now. And the google ad placed right in the middle of the google complaint was completely ironic🤦
😂 TH-cam be TH-cam'ing lol. It's in every industry to be fair, but said my piece and now moving on
This is true for every phone brand that gives out their phone to reviewers like s24 ultra they have an embargo period in which you can’t compare it nor point out the negatives and can’t use any other brand products in your video only phones that don’t do this is iPhone and ASUS
Nah we've received Samsung devices before and they've never controlled the videos we make or told us to leave out competitors.
Although my actual phones that I order tend to arrive before we post those videos so I end up just shooting the content with my own phones anyway 🤷🏼♂️
Mrwhosetheboss came out of nowhere, and didn’t organically grow like MKBHD. I’m sure he has bought bots to get him there.
I don't think he did, he is just the absolute king of retention with the way he scripts and edits his videos.
I can't watch them much anymore though as my brain just explodes after a few ADHD seconds lol
Thanks for your honesty on this!
There’s literally no reason to buy a Google phone over a Samsung phone. Their battery life is still not up to par, the CPU power is still lacking behind, and many other reasons. I think I would have to wait a bit much more longer until Pixel phones are on the same level as the Galaxy phones.
To be fair, I do really like the new Pixel 9 Series. Which is why these sorts of things makes it even more annoying!
I haven't thought my 9 Pro was slow in any way (except for one issue when using 50mp on the camera).
Some people prefer the Pixel OS, some prefer OneUI - just a personal choice!
@@PeteMatheson it’s definitely not a slouch, but it still has a lot to improve. I seen videos of how it doesn’t really handle gaming well and overheats and stutters while the latest S24 Ultra doesn’t have those issues. I know it’s a small complaint but it still shows how capable a chip really is imo.
@@YaretziaGarcia It appears that you want the iPhone actually because of issues that you're mentioning for the Pixel 🤔
@@lukabosnjak3829 no.
This guy is the James Corden of TH-cam tech channels
😂 Not sure if that's a compliment or not, but I'll take it as one, thanks! haha
def earned my sub! I love this video !
Great conversational video Pete. Really nice to see it and hear it from a UK creator's perspective. Good stuff.
Thanks man! Might have been a bit of a rant but there we go :)
Linus was wrong.
This is clearly aimed at all tech reviewers and not on some teamPixel ambassadors.
Great video, and I don’t want to deviate from the main topic but why is nobody saying anything about the Twenty One Pilots background music??? 😅 big TØP fan here
Keep doing you man, we support you!
Roger that! Thanks man :)
Great video, man.
Thanks dude!
This is wild ash and Google wanting the same respect as Apple ans Samsung but yet being sneaky with tevh reviewers is wilddd.. was never a Google fan nor have i ever liked their phone's anyways.. but to want others to lie about your phone being perfect is not a good look for their company 💯
Thanks for this 🙏😊🙏
Not every product is right for everyone, reviews are an important way to help find out if it is right for you. I’m not usually interested in the good in a review it’s the bad bits the missing features or bugs that might be a deal breaker that I look for.
Exactly this!
@@hlm601 Everything is pretty much a case-by-case basis unique to the individual. There’s various factors into the picture that nobody talks about like the budget they have to work with, paying outright/monthly payments, what device they’re upgrading from, etc. There’s definitely not a one-size-fits-all solution and in a way I think that’s the beauty of it with phone upgrades because even if one person could afford the latest iPhone they might go only one generation above from where they’re at (example somebody going from a 12 to a 13) to test the waters out before going for a higher upgrade down the road.
Remember when beautiful people would lie on the bonnets of cars? Influencers. As a person trying to get independent information about a product, I can’t understand why the makers of the products wouldn’t want both good and bad feedback. If only to see how they can then improve the product. Though I suppose the reality is the products want cheap advertising
The guys on PR team don't own the company. They couldn't care less if view are real or fake, as long as they fill their 'quota', retain their job and salary.
Im buying the devices at least 6 months after launch (devices get cheaper). So i dont care about early reviews (done like in the week the device launches). Also i think the device can be reviewed later (like 5-6 minths later) without time pressure, so maybe consider renting the device for like 50 bucks/month to do review (tech enthusiast review, not professional needing to live off content review). Here in germany there are service providers one can rent devices from. Also they have a flat fee, like always have the latest device for 75bucks/month.^^
Oh this is so true. Reviews that come out a few months after typically perform great since the competition has gone by then!
That's what I'm doing. Getting the S24 now after a few months for more than half off
Cannot agree more. Keep telling the truth!
Thanks man! 👏🏼
Insta 360 only offering 1000 pounds is a slap in the face, considering how much their products cost.
Sorry if that made me sound ungrateful, I'm definitely not! But for what they were asking for in return - it wouldn't cover costs let alone anything else
As someone who only buys iPhones, I feel like I would be the person that Google is trying to attract with these so-called only positive reviews and I can tell you it's having the complete opposite effect. I will buy the new iPhone 16 Pro Max next week and never even look at the new Google's phones. If they seriously wanted to attract somebody like me, it's not the positive reviews that would do it, it's that I feel like with the Apple ecosystem, I'm buying a product, where as with the Google ecosystem system, I am the product. I feel like that is the perspective they need to change.
All tech brands do the same thing, including Apple.
Very honest and informative video Pete 👌
Very welcome, thanks!
Doesn't apple has being doing something like this for years?
I always wondered what it costs on a channel like yours to put out a video? I realize this could fluctuate wildly but a rough average cost.. i only mentioed it since you brought it up here...
At this stage, for the hours it takes to script, shoot, edit, plan, title, thumbnail etc - it's a couple of grand at least. 😳
First time viewer here, longtime yt watcher and occasional poster. Good video from a technical standpoint, but I would really rethink this kind of video, im going to go into detail about why. This is intented for the creator, and if he isn't interested in the feedback he doesn't have to read or respond.
This (brands paying for good reviews) is pretty universally known or assumed, but the pixel team is on the extreme side for the industry fs. Botting isn't exclusive to any content category and has been around forever, and usually bot views are not as delayed as you describe here, because that would be insane.
You want views immediately after publishing, not a day after, and those services are designed to cater to those needs.
So point 1: info felt inaccurate and broad.
2.
Complaining about getting smaller deals than more influential creators comes off whiny and willfully ignorant. Obviously if you make a video that gets 100k, and you arent MQBHD, you will have fewer people act on your video.
3.
Luck and network play a huge role in online success, everyone knows this, but when people fail to quickly achieve a level of success that is insanely high, instead of just recognizing the inherent variance of an online career, they often ignore what they already know to be true (you need not only high quality, but also luck), and start blaming other people for their lack of success.
The feelings you express here are valid feelings, but it felt like a lot of cope. If your click through rates were really that good, you'd get more money.
4.
Lastly, what does a video like this accomplish?
Existing supportive viewers will offer you validation, fairly straightforward.
But new viewers, why would they care? Not getting the best brand deals is every smaller creator's struggle. You aren't outing anything here that isnt already widely discussed, or indicating that you're a source of such info (which would offer some value to a new viewer)
You aren't appealing to some particular circumstance that should engender people towards you ir your content (doesn't evoke a personal bond of empathy for specific struggle/drive)
All you see to be saying is: "being small is harder than being big, so please help me be big".
Not being a hater, you'll notice I'm not calling you names or assuming much of anything. Just offering my singular experience of your content, which is likely reflective of others. I went into detail because I don't like to say something isn't great without explaining why, and assuming that you as the creator might be interested in the feedback.
Again, nothing personal, you seem cool and the video was technically solid, but there are a million small channels talking about how they're small, and i can't remember the last time i saw a creator who would spend time talking about the system being against them, actually go on to succeed in a major way.
You become big by behaving as if you are already, by manifesting it, by just doing you, not by explaining to your audience why you aren't yet.
You want your audience to watch, notice the quality of your content, and comment "wow this channel is super underrated", because that's what happens when actually great content is posted on smaller channels.
NOT because you told your viewers that you're good too, and other people who do similar things are just advantaged.
Appreciate you watching and leaving such a long reply! lol.
Genuinely, wasn't sure about posting this as yeah - it comes across as a rant, and I should probably just focus on making more videos.
But as someone who does make a living from this as my full time thing - for the past 4 years now - I just wanted to moan for a little bit before I get back in my box of making tech videos 😂
It was less about the whole paid views - more my annoyance that brands make great products - which is why it's so annoying when they do silly things and essentially cancel themselves.
I've had friends channels flooded with negative comments after posting a video on a brand, sometimes before they even did anything wrong.
I'm not small anymore, but I'm nowhere near large, so thought it might offer an interesting perspective you don't find here on YT already.
Either way - appreciate the thoughts!
@@PeteMatheson Thanks for the response Pete, as a creator, would you advise me to never make comments like this, or to occasionally make comments like this?
In my mind its supposed to be helpful feedback, but if that's not what it functions as, I don't want to be bothering people.
Man make whatever comments you like! As long as you're not being a dick about it then it's all good :)
I don’t have a problem with workers earning money, however they earn money. However I’ve just got so jaded lately that I’ve been in an unsubscribe spree over the last month. If I’m still subscribed to your channel, it’s because I still get value.
Appreciate that! I've been similar since I live out of my subscriptions feed
Adter that whole team pixel dictatorship thing happened i think alot of us take any review with a grain of salt especially is "team pixel" is seen anywhere near said review. There are only a few i actually trust at this point
Thanks for this video and sincerity
Appreciate you watching!
I just watched a video from a creator where Motorola brought him San Diego Padres baseball tickets and he reviewed the Moto Razor 24 which he used at the game.