For My Viewers
I value the trust of my audience above all else. I strive to maintain the highest ethical standards in my work, and I am committed to being transparent and accountable to YOU.
In order to uphold this trust, I make the following promises:
- Your trust is the most valuable aspect of my business and guides my actions.
- I will never compromise my view on any subject due to a sponsor, ever.
- All promoted products or services are things I already use or have tested for at least one month prior to being featured.
- If you feel that I’ve violated your trust, please contact me at tickersymbolyou[at]gmail[dot]com. I am committed to addressing any concerns you may have in a timely and respectful manner.
For Sponsors
As a content creator, I am always looking for opportunities to partner with brands and companies whose products or services align with the interests and needs of my audience. However, I am also committed to maintaining my ethical standards and upholding the trust of my viewers.
In order to ensure that any sponsored content is ethical and transparent, I have the following guidelines for potential sponsors:
- Your brand must be a fit for my audience’s interests.
- Your product or service must be well-regarded, regulated, and reputable.
- While you may review the sponsored portion of a video prior to publishing, you will not have any editorial control over the video itself.
NOTE: I will NOT work with the following brands: alcohol, tobacco, adult-related, gambling, or politics.
How I Earn Money
Integrations
YouTube’s Adsense rates vary wildly, making it an unreliable way to run a business. The most reliable method of revenue for my research is sponsored integrations, sometimes referred to as “shoutouts”. These are usually 45-60 second segments talking about a relevant product or service. There is always a clear message at the beginning of a video (e.g. “this video contains a paid promotion”) as well as verbal and/or visual call-outs during the integration, itself. These sponsored integrations make it possible for me to build a team and produce the highest quality content possible.
AdSense
Although unpredictable and unreliable, a large portion of revenue comes from YouTube AdSense rates. Because my audience’s time is valuable, I typically limit AdSense placements to pre-roll and post-roll ads and avoid multiple mid-roll ads during the video as much as possible.
Memberships
The most reliable source of income comes from memberships, like Patreon and YouTube Memberships. Compared to integrations and AdSense, this is a much smaller source of income. However, this revenue plays a key role in planning and budgeting to support the core business. Beyond the financial support, members bring two huge intangible benefits: support and ideas, making them a huge asset to my work.
Affiliates
Even though affiliate programs are very lucrative, they incentivize me to maintain a rigid stance on the products and services I recommend and promote them even when they may not be relevant. Because those incentives don’t align with the value I want to bring my audience, I don’t participate in affiliate programs. That means I only make money from sponsors for the integrations and shout-outs themselves and not when someone signs up.
Full Transparency
Securities
I am a long-term investor and a shareholder in many tech companies. These investments NEVER influence my research, coverage, or opinions in any of my productions. For full transparency though, I think it’s important to call out my larger positions:
- Nvidia
- AMD
- Intel
- Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company
- Tesla
- Microsoft
- Unity Software
- Palantir
- Wejo
- Other companies that my have been added or sold since the last update of this page
