Whether it’s in the comments section or in a tweet, we’ve all seen the accusation, “that YouTuber is being paid by the company to say that.” Though anecdotal, in my 10+ years of being a “journalist,” I’ve never once been offered a dime for my coverage and I’ve never heard the slightest whisper of it from my colleagues, many of whom are close friends and would divulge that type of information. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t an exchange of sorts happening between content creators and companies.
Like most careers, being a YouTuber only works if you’re making money—after all, creators have bills to pay too. While what we the viewers often see is fun and games mixed with hopefully educational or informational content (since YouTube has endless content, my focus is mainly Tech YouTube), the equation and reality are far more complicated.
Yes (and this is especially true for more well-known content creators), they may get to live more extravagant lives but on top of the everyday bills that you and I pay, they also operate a small production company out of their houses. From travel expenses to the latest gear, additional editors, pro-software, and more, being a YouTuber can be expensive. So what does this have to do with Sony? Everything.
No matter if they’re a well-established creator or a rising star, if they fall under being a “tech Youtuber,” they’re covering Sony’s camera lineup and at an accelerated rate. Where before, Sony had equal stage time to Canon or Nikon, now, creator Gerald Undone has dedicated 10 out of his last 60 videos to Sony. In fact, since the start of 2021, Gerald has created 19 videos with 8 dedicated to Sony.
Why? Because it pays to work with Sony, but it’s not what you think. In a QA video, Gerald addresses this phenomenon which is true for nearly every other tech YouTuber.
No, despite what people lob against creators in the comments section, Sony, like every other reputable company, doesn’t pay YouTubers or journalists to cover their products. Hell, they won’t even offer you a discount to buy their products, but what they will do is respect your time and work with you and that’s worth its weight in gold.
As Gerald explains, where some manufacturers are plagued by high turnover rates on their PR teams, making it difficult to establish and maintain relationships and ultimately gain access to gear for review, as well as limited availability of said review units—a massive problem if your lens or gear arrives weeks, if not months, after release, resulting in a massive dip in viewership since the initial buzz has worn off—the Alpha division has managed to be a consistent partner for creators.
With a reliable PR team, an extensive number of review units, and a growing product line, Sony is not only putting more products into the market than competitors, but they’re doing it with increased accessibility to creators. For that reason, when Gerald needs to make a video, he knows he can rely on Sony to have products for him to review. Others? Less so.
So, do YouTubers get paid by companies like Sony? While there’s no inherent money exchange, by being attentive to their needs, the Alpha maker has wisely created a dynamic where people want to cover their products, not only because they’re genuinely making some of the best gear in the market, but also because they’re making the business of running a YouTube channel easier.
After all, creators have bills to pay, too and the dynamic that Sony has created is just good business all around.
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