So my views are down…

And this is what a potential sponsor sent me:

Here are my thoughts on it.

First: I understand the sponsor side

I used to be on the company side of things, negotiating deals with influencers.

(Once we paid $600 to someone under 5k followers - I was in awe of his negotiation skills.)

So I know there are different budgets and targets to hit.

And I’m used to measuring things in CPM (cost per mille, or how much it costs per 1,000 impressions).

So to read this wasn’t that surprising…

If sponsors are paying for eyeballs on their product,

The ROI here doesn’t make sense.

But from an ADHD creator’s point of view

It can feel very demotivating (esp with rejection sensitivity and wanting higher levels of dopamine):

• Views are low = “I put so much effort in for nothing, I should just quit”

• Rejection from sponsors = “I’m not good enough, my content is terrible”

And that’s why many creators quit or get burnt out.

Sometimes, even going viral can lead to spirals:

• “Omg too many ppl are watching me, I need to make the most of this otherwise I’ll lose out on opportunities”

• “Yay all the numbers are up! But then…a few weeks later they’ll be down again, I can’t go viral every week, it’s too much pressure”

• “I’m so overwhelmed with all the comments, DMs, and emails…I’m burnt out doing all this admin when I would rather be creating”

That’s why I actually don’t think ADHD creators should monetize with mainly sponsors…

While it works for some, I just don’t see sponsorships as a long-term revenue stream for me:

• I’m too scared to negotiate lol (I could probably improve on this tbh)

• I don’t enjoy emails back and forth

• There’s so much pressure - I want the video to perform well so if it doesn’t, I feel terrible about myself

And sure, you can get an agency to help with some of this.

But it just feels so different to make content for yourself vs for a company -

Unless it’s a company you’re really excited about and genuinely love.

Here’s what I’d rather do…

The business I want to build

You probably see a lot of people online promoting passive income.

Working from anywhere, not being stuck in meetings…

But tbh, I really enjoy meetings.

I like yapping with someone, working with them closely, and seeing their growth.

It feels more fulfilling seeing them change their lives that way.

Meetings don’t feel like work to me…so I was actually kinda confused by all the online advice out there saying “free up your calendar from meetings, build passive income by selling an ebook instead.”

Because imagine showing up to a few calls, talking about stuff you’re passionate about, and then having the rest of your day free for your hobbies and side quests,

While making $20k or more per month.

(And without needing millions of views or doing lots of boring admin work.)

That’s what a few of my coaches do. I didn’t realize this type of business was possible until they showed me.

So I guess today’s email is mainly to encourage you to build a business you know works well for you - not what other people tell you to do.

Because when you build a business that gives you energy,

You don’t get demotivated by low views.

Because you know your content is helpful and you enjoy creating it.

(It’s how someone paid me $2,000 for a program after watching my video - which only had 200 views.)

Hopefully this inspires you to keep believing in yourself and focusing on building the business of your dreams too 🫶

Til next week,

Jennifer

P.S. my YouTube has more in depth breakdowns about creator tools I use to save time - subscribe here. Vid dropping soon!