The following info is for those interested in:
A) How I handle sponsorships and product reviews on my channel
B) Any company looking to partner with me

My channel isn’t the largest on the YouTube platform by any means, but I truly value the relationship and trust I have built with my audience of church media volunteers, tech directors and worship pastors.  

Sponsored content is rare on my channel. If I choose to work with a brand, it will always be because I actually use the product or service myself. More importantly, I will always make it abundantly clear that such content is sponsored. If I don’t explicitly say that a video is sponsored, then it is not sponsored. Simple as that!

In general, I prefer not to create sponsored work or receive free products unless it is a brand I am using or very curious about using. If I do partner with a brand, you can bet they’ve seen this page and that I’ve been able to build a relationship with them over an extended period of time based on mutual trust and understanding.

Beyond that, I think it’s important to question the purpose behind a sponsorship. For me personally, a sponsor should support and enable what I do, not constrain or control it. Ideally it’s a win-win-win situation for the viewer, the brand, and myself. I don’t want my channel to be an extension of any brand’s marketing department.

That being said, our church nor myself have unlimited funds to be able to purchase equipment, so on occasion I do receive free products.

Offering free products does not guarantee a positive review (or even a review/video at all).  If you’d like to send me a product and I use it, like it, and think my audience would benefit from hearing about it, I’ll make a video.

All that being said, there are a few additional non-negotiable points I’d like to share for the sake of clarity. I’ve made all of this info publicly available to viewers and brands alike so that we’re all on the same page:

• My work is my own. I create and produce each video based on what I’m excited about and what I think will be relevant/helpful to my audience at that time.

• My reviews are always as objective as possible and my opinions are always my own. 

• I do not submit previews of videos for approval or revisions. The only exception to this is when a brand PAYS for a sponsored video, and even then I retain creative control over the final video.  Revisions are only for fixing mistakes.

• I have full control over my calendar. While I’m happy to work collaboratively when possible when it comes to scheduling, no outside party can pay or otherwise influence me in return for scheduling priority.

• I only work directly with reputable brands. 

• I prefer to avoid “preproduction” versions of products/software and prefer to use what will actually be delivered to other customers.

• It’s appreciated when companies offer information about their products/services, but I will only include what I think is relevant and necessary in any videos.

• On that same note, I will work to seek answers for anything about a product/service that I don’t fully understand to make my videos as accurate and helpful as possible.

• While it usually makes sense to include certain links in video descriptions or social media posts, I retain full control over what is shared on my accounts across all platforms.

• I never include additional social media promotion in any sponsorship agreements (Instagram, Facebook etc).

• YouTube’s “includes paid promotion” option will be checked any time a video features a product or service that was provided at no cost, even if it’s not an official sponsorship.

• I’m more than happy to let others share my videos, as long as the post links directly to the original video uploaded to my YouTube channel. Videos may not be re-uploaded elsewhere.

• I reserve the right to sell, keep or giveaway the product that has been sent for review, IF I make a review video.  I will NOT sell a product that I have not produced a review video for.  Often times it does not make sense for me to keep a product if I’m not going to use it.

Thanks for taking the time to read and understand my Ethics Statement. This probably doesn’t cover every scenario under the sun, but it should give you a pretty solid idea of how highly I value the integrity behind what I do and the relationship with anyone who takes the time to check out something I’ve made.

Ultimately, I just want to keep having fun making videos, and that sustainable fun disappears without these guidelines.

-Ryland