Taren's catching heat on YT

formysanity · Jul 18, 2012

So Taren posted this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBIy0CSi9Ek&feature=g-all-lik
It's 32mins long so I'll summerise.

She's upset that companies send her products to review and not want to pay her for that review.
She feels like celebrities get paid for their endorsements and as a vlogger she should too.
-Also she feels like YT should compensate her for reviewing products and not just plan an ad on her channel when she doesn't want to

Some of the posters are going off on her saying she's spoiled and should get a real job if she doesn't like how YT works

Evolving78 · Jul 18, 2012

i don't think youtube she compensate her for the ads. her youtube account is free. youtube has done a lot for her, by putting her name on the cyber map. i do feel companies need to pay for reviews of their products. you want me to review, push, promote your product for free? that is down right greedy and wrong.

DDTexlaxed · Jul 18, 2012

Like her or not, this woman always stays relevant. :lol:

FlawedBeauty · Jul 18, 2012

They probably view the products as payment. She gets a bunch of free crap. I think she got a lacefront once that was like hundreds of dollars. I could be mistaken tho. Also, once folks start getting paid for reviews it makes the review less credible. Its like that dave chappelle joke where he was talkin bout you can't taste the diff between pepsi and coke. Then went on to say but pepsi paid him most recently, so it tastes better lol

Dominicanatural · Jul 18, 2012

Just curious, does anyone know how much youtubers get compensated for reviews (obviously this would fluctuate depending on the number or subscribers and the guidelines for the review)? I do not have a problem with youtubers getting compensated for their time and effort, but I don't like that less and less folks are outright stating how they get their products. I know one person in particular who just puts the "sponsored by" at the bottom of the description box and that irks me for some reason and makes the review seem more like an advertisement. Maybe I'm overthinking it...

diadall · Jul 18, 2012

I would not fully trust a paid review.

She should create a webpage and post her videos there. She could charge for.subscriptions.

She needs to meet with a business and pr consultant on how to take her niche and make it more profitable.

ladysaraii · Jul 18, 2012

I agree with above posters, I thought the payment was the products, at least for a review.

Now if she's going to be hawking them on a regular basis, then sure, get paid, but to me that is 2 different issues.

vtoodler · Jul 18, 2012

Could she monetize the webpages on which videos are featured with Google advertisements?

That way, she will get something from it too.

Philippians413 · Jul 18, 2012

YaaAsantewaa said:
She's upset that companies send her products to review and not want to pay her for that review.

She should discuss her terms with these companies before accepting their products to do reviews. Lots of youtubers DO get paid by companies who send them products, but I agree with flawedbeauty about some companies considering the free product as a form of payment.

YaaAsantewaa said:
Also she feels like YT should compensate her for reviewing products and not just plan an ad on her channel when she doesn't want to

Youtube isn't affiliated with any of these companies so they owe her nothing. Youtube provides her with a FREE service that allows her to upload her material. Most sites that give you a free service use ads to help them pay for their hosting costs (imageshack, photobucket, webs, etc).

melissa-bee · Jul 18, 2012

I listened to like half of this vid yesterday. What she is sayin that other vloggers need to be more peristent with asking companies for compensation.
At fisrt it starts of as fun because the vloggers are tring to get their subcriptions up. But then after a while they gain so much web presence so they are of more value to companies. Taren said that if she doesn't like a product then she simply won't do a review on it so I still trust her.
She's just putting it out there that vloggers she be more demanding and not just review everything they recieve even if they don't like it. I only listened for about 15 mins so I don't know what she said after that.

ClassicBeauty · Jul 18, 2012

It's ironic that I just saw her on YT for the first time this morning. I bought some kinky curly products last night that I want to try on DD, and I was looking for styling ideas on YT. Her review came up, and then I noticed that she has a lot of videos.

I agree that I don't like the idea of paid reviews. It seems more like an advertisement. That's why I don't trust a lot of product and restaurant reviews when you're getting the products and food for free. What are you going to say? I hated this product??? I doubt it.

There's a children's hair blog that I don't trust. I like to look at the pictures, but I don't trust what she writes about the products or how she achieved the styles. I see why people don't trust hair boards! I always trusted everything I saw and read on here until I started reading these blogs with advertisements. Now I scrutinize everything!

Saga · Jul 18, 2012

First and foremost-OP, I think that the summary you gave of the video was kinda shabby, no offense. But the entire video was NOT all about her.

Here's a better description of the vid, for those who care:

1. Taren is upset with the fact that vlogging is one of the most effective platforms for advertising, but vloggers are willing to do it for free or for some free products while there are so many celebrities out there who put their face on a product and they get so much money regardless of their actual opinion of the product. She knows that companies put thousands of dollars aside for the sake of advertising when it comes to commercials, billboards, magazine ads-whatever. But that vloggers are more effective at getting people to buy products because of the relationship they have with their viewers, and the fact that companies want them to do it for some free product is insulting. So all the money they would've spent on advertising they get to keep and do whatever they want with instead of using it to compensate the vloggers they ask to sponsor their products.

2. She is upset that a lot of viewers get mad with a vlogger whenever they find out a video is sponsored by such and such company. She said that making videos is not just a hobby, for some people it is also a business so if a vlogger gets paid to do certain things the viewers shouldn't bash the vlogger as long as they're honest and keep their integrity. Also, no one can force someone to watch a video. If you don't like sponsored videos or product reviews, its as simple as not watching them.

3.A good way for a vlogger to be able to do compensated reviews and still be honest is to tell the company before they send them stuff that whether they pay them or not if they like the product or dont like the product, they will tell it like it is. It is then up to the company to decide if they still want that vlogger to do a review or not.

4. Vloggers should be more ambitious woith their platform (meaning the amount of people that view them) and use it to propel them forard into their future goals and aspirations as opposed to jsut doing product reviews for the sake of free stuff. That they need to realize how much their opinions on things are really worth.

She also said these statements dont apply to people who aren't interested in the business side of YouTube, OR to companies that are JUST starting out cause they need more of a handicap since they're new. The video was NOT about her, but how she feels about others.

EbonyCPrincess · Jul 18, 2012

DanceOnTheSkylines said:
2. She is upset that a lot of viewers get mad with a vlogger whenever they find out a video is sponsored by such and such company. She said that making videos is not just a hobby, for some people it is also a business so if a vlogger gets paid to do certain things the viewers shouldn't bash the vlogger as long as they're honest and keep their integrity. Also, no one can force someone to watch a video. If you don't like sponsored videos or product reviews, its as simple as not watching them.

She also said these statements dont apply to people who aren't interested in the business side of YouTube, OR to companies that are JUST starting out cause they need more of a handicap since they're new. The video was NOT about her, but how she feels about others.

I'm sorry but Taren has not done anything to establish herself as a business besides have beautiful hair (which she does) and take care of her hair. Is she a sole proprietor, LLC, corporation? Does she have a media or press kit? Own her own website even? Youtube videos, while time consuming are FREE to upload. If you really think companies should pay you, do something worth being paid for. Sites like Necole *****ie, Fashion Bomb Daily, etc are paid ALL THE TIME for their reviews/featured products/ads, etc. They own their web space and have original content. Honestly most of what all of us "hair vloggers" do is repetitive. And this is speaking as someone who also posts videos. So why should companies think your time is worth more than just free product especially if YOU haven't had any discretion up until now with accepting free stuff?

I don't care for Kimmaytube, but I respect how she understood her value as a businesswoman early on and did not accept many (if any) free products. There are plenty of other ways to make money as a vlogger and Taren should explore those options rather than expect compensation for using a free service.

Personally I think there is way too much emphasis on positive vs. negative reviews. The only thing that matters is an HONEST review. For me, when I see someone bashing a company in an effort to "keep it real" or appear to be more authentic, it seems tacky and unprofessional. You can be thorough and give the positives/negatives without being mean.

30something · Jul 18, 2012

I think you really got to watch the whole video to fully understand what she is talking about.

Saga · Jul 18, 2012

EbonyCPrincess said:
I'm sorry but Taren has not done anything to establish herself as a business besides have beautiful hair (which she does) and take care of her hair. Is she a sole proprietor, LLC, corporation? Does she have a media or press kit? Own her own website even? Youtube videos, while time consuming are FREE to upload. If you really think companies should pay you, do something worth being paid for. Sites like Necole *****ie, Fashion Bomb Daily, etc are paid ALL THE TIME for their reviews/featured products/ads, etc. They own their web space and have original content. Honestly most of what all of us "hair vloggers" do is repetitive. And this is speaking as someone who also posts videos. So why should companies think your time is worth more than just free product especially if YOU haven't had any discretion up until now with accepting free stuff?

I don't care for Kimmaytube, but I respect how she understood her value as a businesswoman early on and did not accept many (if any) free products. There are plenty of other ways to make money as a vlogger and Taren should explore those options rather than expect compensation for using a free service.

Personally I think there is way too much emphasis on positive vs. negative reviews. The only thing that matters is an HONEST review. For me, when I see someone bashing a company in an effort to "keep it real" or appear to be more authentic, it seems tacky and unprofessional. You can be thorough and give the positives/negatives without being mean.

I think you missed the whole point of my post. She was not talking about herself, she was talking about other vloggers. She is saying that hair and beauty vloggers are allowing themselves to be used by these companies when they could gain more. She KNOWS how to handle sponsoring and product reviews. She's not complaining cause companies aren't giving her enough money, she's standing up on be-half of the vloggers who are being treated as though their opinions on products aren't worth as much as an advertisement

I'll put this in big letters so people can understand:

She is NOT saying that anybody owes her anything

She is NOT saying that youtube owes her anything

What she is saying is that some vloggers owe it to themselves to demand more from these companies since THE COMPANIES are coming to THEM and telling them to review products on THEIR OWN CHANNEL, only offering to give them free product. Meanwhile the COMPANY is getting a lot of profit from all the people who watch the REVIEWS and then buy the product.

Also Taren owns her own non-profit called Faces of Autism, since you asked what business she is in.

smwrigh3 · Jul 18, 2012

So they get paid to endorse a product then that means they would only endorse that brand, right?

Because I hate YT'bers that like every single thing they are given and say "you should go get it" and then do regimen videos and the products aren't even there anymore.

theAlist · Jul 18, 2012

What I've noticed with the tech niche on youtube (which they have waaay more subscribers and views than black hair care) they are not paid for their reviews, but companies buy sponsored ad space at the end or beginning of their videos. SoldierKnowsBest (a black male tech reviewer who is one of the top on youtube) comes to mind.

Now, I don't know if someone like Taren could go and do that, her numbers (or any black hair youtuber) just aren't enough like they think it is.

And Taren is also getting heat for the slight shade she threw. Go back and watch at 24:50 when she starts to talk about that blog on the "only business woman on youtube" then she makes a face. We all know who she's talking about b/c she talks about this woman's product line....and I hope she doesn't get wind of this video or its on :lol:

.

On a serious note that was uncalled for. You felt all of the hate and jealousy in that look she gave.

Saga · Jul 18, 2012

theAlist said:
And Taren is also getting heat for the slight shade she threw. Go back and watch at 24:50 when she starts to talk about that blog on the "only business woman on youtube" then she makes a face. We all know who she's talking about b/c she talks about this woman's product line....and I hope she doesn't get wind of this video or its on .

On a serious note that was uncalled for. You felt all of the hate and jealousy in that look she gave.

Honestly, I think I know who you're referring too and I don't believe that's who she's talking about. The reason I feel that way is because she said that the youtuber stated that she thinks she is the only real business woman and everyone else is getting used by the system. As far as I can tell, the business woman we all know very well has never said anything negative about any other vlogger. Also, there are a lot of youtubers with their own product line, so there isn't really anyway to know who that person is.

formysanity · Jul 18, 2012

DanceOnTheSkylines said:
First and foremost-OP, I think that the summary you gave of the video was kinda shabby, no offense. But the entire video was NOT all about her.

Here's a better description of the vid, for those who care:

1. Taren is upset with the fact that vlogging is one of the most effective platforms for advertising, but vloggers are willing to do it for free or for some free products while there are so many celebrities out there who put their face on a product and they get so much money regardless of their actual opinion of the product. She knows that companies put thousands of dollars aside for the sake of advertising when it comes to commercials, billboards, magazine ads-whatever. But that vloggers are more effective at getting people to buy products because of the relationship they have with their viewers, and the fact that companies want them to do it for some free product is insulting. So all the money they would've spent on advertising they get to keep and do whatever they want with instead of using it to compensate the vloggers they ask to sponsor their products.

2. She is upset that a lot of viewers get mad with a vlogger whenever they find out a video is sponsored by such and such company. She said that making videos is not just a hobby, for some people it is also a business so if a vlogger gets paid to do certain things the viewers shouldn't bash the vlogger as long as they're honest and keep their integrity. Also, no one can force someone to watch a video. If you don't like sponsored videos or product reviews, its as simple as not watching them.

3.A good way for a vlogger to be able to do compensated reviews and still be honest is to tell the company before they send them stuff that whether they pay them or not if they like the product or dont like the product, they will tell it like it is. It is then up to the company to decide if they still want that vlogger to do a review or not.

4. Vloggers should be more ambitious woith their platform (meaning the amount of people that view them) and use it to propel them forard into their future goals and aspirations as opposed to jsut doing product reviews for the sake of free stuff. That they need to realize how much their opinions on things are really worth.

She also said these statements dont apply to people who aren't interested in the business side of YouTube, OR to companies that are JUST starting out cause they need more of a handicap since they're new. The video was NOT about her, but how she feels about others.

I'm gonna be honest, listening to her rant for 32 minutes is more time than I would spare for anyone vlogger, so yes i didn't catch all of her points.

However she clearly says at one point (and it made me pause to rewind cause I was like wow how arrogant) she doesn't like smaller companies sending her products, trying to use her name to shift products when it's likely that when they get a large number of orders, they won't have the inventory to fulfill the demand.

She also said why do companies pay other celebrities but don't want to pay vloggers - like she's really on the same level as Bey or someone like this.

She may have caveated her rant by saying she was trying to raise awareness among vloggers of their advertising worth, but she was really talking about her and her experiences and what she thinks she's worth.

AHeadOfCoils · Jul 18, 2012

I think that Taren was on the sly. She wants to be paid for her reviews & that's all there is to it. She probably hasn't been getting much business lately and it's because she's been demanding payment in cash. The companies are going to other people with less followers that don't think their ish don't stank. She posted that video because she is salty.

TBH, I NEVER purchased a product because Taren said it worked. She just doesn't sound genuine. I do like her talking shows though.

She wants newer companies, with no money, to only send products to people with little to no followers. That is because they might not have enough supply to meet the demand that her channel will create and they can't pay her. That's utter bull.. Companies, usually cap their websites to only allow payment for the amount of products they have available. Like Sage Naturalceuticals, on every product they show the number available.

*Frisky* · Jul 18, 2012

vtoodler said:
Could she monetize the webpages on which videos are featured with Google advertisements?

That way, she will get something from it too.

Taren is already a Youtube partner and gets paid alot compared to the average youtuber.

EbonyCPrincess said:
I'm sorry but Taren has not done anything to establish herself as a business besides have beautiful hair (which she does) and take care of her hair. Is she a sole proprietor, LLC, corporation? Does she have a media or press kit? Own her own website even? Youtube videos, while time consuming are FREE to upload. If you really think companies should pay you, do something worth being paid for. Sites like Necole *****ie, Fashion Bomb Daily, etc are paid ALL THE TIME for their reviews/featured products/ads, etc. They own their web space and have original content. Honestly most of what all of us "hair vloggers" do is repetitive. And this is speaking as someone who also posts videos. So why should companies think your time is worth more than just free product especially if YOU haven't had any discretion up until now with accepting free stuff?

I don't care for Kimmaytube, but I respect how she understood her value as a businesswoman early on and did not accept many (if any) free products. There are plenty of other ways to make money as a vlogger and Taren should explore those options rather than expect compensation for using a free service.

Personally I think there is way too much emphasis on positive vs. negative reviews. The only thing that matters is an HONEST review. For me, when I see someone bashing a company in an effort to "keep it real" or appear to be more authentic, it seems tacky and unprofessional. You can be thorough and give the positives/negatives without being mean.

I could be wrong but I think Taren has several things in the works outside of youtube so she possibly has a registered business. She does a lot of social events and appearances so I would think she would have all that type of stuff in place. She is opening a non-profit organization real soon so she has to be familiar with the business side of things.

As far as her getting paid, I think she should of just dealt with that behind the scenes with the companies and not made a video rant about it.

AHeadOfCoils · Jul 18, 2012

YaaAsantewaa said:
She may have caveated her rant by saying she was trying to raise awareness among vloggers of their advertising worth, but she was really talking about her and her experiences and what she thinks she's worth.

She wants smaller vloggers to start charging, so it won't be a problem with she starts charging. I see behind this, "know your worth" mess. People do youtube because it's fun and a hobby. They get free products and if they like them, they say thank you to the companies by doing a review. Simple. She wants to make it so that we definitely can't tell when someone likes a product.

If I get a $500 check monthly from Miss Jessie's, I'm sure that my hair's vision will be clouded and those weak arse products might be my new bestfriend.

0live0il · Jul 18, 2012

EbonyCPrincess said:
I'm sorry but Taren has not done anything to establish herself as a business besides have beautiful hair (which she does) and take care of her hair. Is she a sole proprietor, LLC, corporation? Does she have a media or press kit? Own her own website even? Youtube videos, while time consuming are FREE to upload. If you really think companies should pay you, do something worth being paid for. Sites like Necole *****ie, Fashion Bomb Daily, etc are paid ALL THE TIME for their reviews/featured products/ads, etc. They own their web space and have original content. Honestly most of what all of us "hair vloggers" do is repetitive. And this is speaking as someone who also posts videos. So why should companies think your time is worth more than just free product especially if YOU haven't had any discretion up until now with accepting free stuff?

It's so annoying when people respond without watching the WHOLE video. If you actually watched the video you would know that she stated that she doesn't plan to go down the route of hair, product making, or anything else to do with the hair world. Thanks to the youtube platform she's built, she has been able to start a non-profit organization charity for Autism (her two adorable boys have autism) that she's always wanted to. And she has tv-shows/media stuff planned too, which she has bee working on for a while.

The main objective of Taren's video is to tell Vloggers to know their worth and that advertisers prey on them because they know they'll get a bargain. So what if vloggin is free? We've all witnessed the power of reviews and how a product can finish due to sky-rocketing sales from the review that vlogger made. Therefore it makes perfect sense that a vlogger would like commission from the sales they've helped to generate. What's wrong with that?

IMO, people are just bitter/and jealous. You guys need to respect people's hustle. Although you mentioned that you're not throwing shade becauseyou post videos yourself, but are you as popular as Taren? I'm guessing no. Whether you admit it or not honey.. you're subconsciously a hater!

theAlist · Jul 18, 2012

DanceOnTheSkylines said:
I think you missed the whole point of my post. She was not talking about herself, she was talking about other vloggers. She is saying that hair and beauty vloggers are allowing themselves to be used by these companies when they could gain more. She KNOWS how to handle sponsoring and product reviews. She's not complaining cause companies aren't giving her enough money, she's standing up on be-half of the vloggers who are being treated as though their opinions on products aren't worth as much as an advertisement

I'll put this in big letters so people can understand:

She is NOT saying that anybody owes her anything

She is NOT saying that youtube owes her anything

What she is saying is that some vloggers owe it to themselves to demand more from these companies since THE COMPANIES are coming to THEM and telling them to review products on THEIR OWN CHANNEL, only offering to give them free product. Meanwhile the COMPANY is getting a lot of profit from all the people who watch the REVIEWS and then buy the product.

Also Taren owns her own non-profit called Faces of Autism, since you asked what business she is in.

DanceOnTheSkylines said:
Honestly, I think I know who you're referring too and I don't believe that's who she's talking about. The reason I feel that way is because she said that the youtuber stated that she thinks she is the only real business woman and everyone else is getting used by the system. As far as I can tell, the business woman we all know very well has never said anything negative about any other vlogger. Also, there are a lot of youtubers with their own product line, so there isn't really anyway to know who that person is.

DanceOnTheSkylines No, Taren said that the BLOG SHE READ said that...not the youtuber

lux10023 · Jul 18, 2012

i agree with everything taren stated....

everything!--its a business--compensation is expected point blank period...

who has time to put a product in your hair just for kicks or just to try the product--pay me and now we're talking

ppl dont trust paid reviewers---do people watch commericals on televsion--lmaooo--you think the model and etc are all working for free..lol?

BUTTTTT IF THAT IS THE ROUTE SHE WANTS TO GO--get your own website Taren
YT is a business they do what works for them

Raspberry · Jul 18, 2012

If I were Taren I would've kept my mouth shut and worked out commission based compensation on the low with the vendors I personally preferred :look:

All the public dissection and back-and-forth with strangers is for amateurs. She's not paid enough to be giving advice and putting her business out to other vloggers at this point.

BostonMaria · Jul 18, 2012

I think that what she's saying is fair. Why should a large multi-million dollar corporation make tons of money off bloggers and not pay them?

And if you're worried about dishonest bloggers lying about a product to get us to buy them.. newsflash they're already doing that :lol:

BTW this might not work for all YT bloggers, but for the ones that have like 50k subscribers I think they should expect some money. Hey why not?

SimJam · Jul 18, 2012

I havnt watched the vid but I was just thinking that Ive never bought a product from a you tube vid recommendation.

I stay using my 6.50 and rely on the ladies of LHCF !!!!

On the real though, they should be paid for reviews

smwrigh3 · Jul 18, 2012

perfect28 said:
i agree with everything taren stated....

everything!--its a business--compensation is expected point blank period...

who has time to put a product in your hair just for kicks or just to try the product--pay me and now we're talking

ppl dont trust paid reviewers---do people watch commericals on televsion--lmaooo--you think the model and etc are all working for free..lol?

BUTTTTT IF THAT IS THE ROUTE SHE WANTS TO GO--get your own website Taren
YT is a business they do what works for them

I don't think that is the same thing. Celebrities and Model are paid to promote and sell a product. A product review is completely different. I do think that they should be paid however I think there should be a standard of ethics involved. Otherwise your just a spokesperson and what you say carries no merit and then people wont watch.

but that is just my opinion.

daviine · Jul 18, 2012

Dominicanatural said:
Just curious, does anyone know how much youtubers get compensated for reviews (obviously this would fluctuate depending on the number or subscribers and the guidelines for the review)? I do not have a problem with youtubers getting compensated for their time and effort, but I don't like that less and less folks are outright stating how they get their products. I know one person in particular who just puts the "sponsored by" at the bottom of the description box and that irks me for some reason and makes the review seem more like an advertisement. Maybe I'm overthinking it...

I *think* there are regulations that require you to state that you were given the products if you're going to be reviewing them. That way the viewer can take that into account.

Taren's catching heat on YT

New Member

Well-Known Member

TRANSITION OVER! 11-22-14

Well-Known Member

New Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

The Generous Queen

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

The Generous Queen

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

The Generous Queen

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

New Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads