Working with the right brands to tell a genuine story pays off…

Sitting in front of Mac working is nothing new to me – but sitting in a hotel room working on a Mac, well that is brand new territory to me, but this week, that is precisely what happened.

It’s been a long time coming. I started out on my creator’s journey in September 2021 and there were many, many days that I felt I was either writing stories that no one would ever read or making videos that nobody would want to watch.

But, it turns out, one of my qualities is being tenacious and not rolling over. Although it took me longer than many, eventually I began to find my feet, my voice and my style and I could sense progress.

The notion of making a living out of writing and making content in about Apple gear appealed – it was something I was passionate about and post-pandemic, I was looking for a new challenge. So with a large dollop of self-belief thrown into the mix I set off on my way – a Mac and Apple creator I would become.

The Mac made me

I’d been working on Macs for over a decade by the time I started to write about them. Like so many of us, working on these things leads to them becoming part of our life and DNA. They become more than just a work station – they become a part of us.

We invest in them.

By no means am I the tech-iest of people. I’m just an average user, but a passionate one and a huge nerd along with it. I’ve always had this desire to learn and go balls-deep into something when I’m consumed by it – and trust me, the idea of being a content creator was consuming me at a pace. I’ve also never been afraid to stick my neck on the block and try something. I come from the school that I’d rather try and fail than not try in the first place.

Although I have always rued the fact that I missed the COVID wave which was undeniably a gift sent from heaven for creators, I did hop on the bandwagon at the right time in regards of what Apple was launching. Apple silicon was just filtering through when I was new at this, and that was creating a lot of interest and buzz.

To help make relevant, and up to date content, early on I bought an M1 Max MacBook Pro and a Studio Display to go with it. Of course, that was just the start, but it meant I was writing about other Mac fans hadn’t yet experienced. It was on point. What I hadn’t factored in to this ‘business plan’ was that being a purely Apple-focused channel meant it was going to cost me a fortune.

While I could make content without buying and using it, it wouldn’t be as relevant. I knew in my heart that I was going to have to dig deep and buy some kit. Until this point I’d just bought a new Mac every 5 or 6 years or whenever my current Mac was slowing down and was on the carrier upgrade for my iPhone.

Now though, I was suddenly buying more kit than I needed and was trying to learn how to make some money back on it. Everything I now buy is with an eye on how to make some interesting content – there is always a plan.

I’d decided to give this new business a loan to see if I could make a fist of it, but I couldn’t and wouldn’t let it become a passion project. I had to see returns or I would have to move on.

In short, I needed growth to help attract sponsors to help facilitate my buying all this new gear. But picking the right sponsors and brands – well, that’s another story altogether.

Backing the right horse

As much as Apple is a bloody expensive brand to make content about, the passion that myself and many others share for their Macs & iPhones makes it so worthwhile.

I guess it must’ve been after about 9 months or a year I began to see some seeds of that much needed growth – and although I was still severely out of pocket, I was loving every moment of what I was doing and it was undeniably heading in the right direction. All the while I’d been crafting my skills – learning how to write more engaging stories and shoot and edit more entertaining videos about the latest Macs or Apple gear.

It’s been a challenge for sure, but boy oh boy, it’s fun.

It was the business side of it, oddly, that appealed to me from day one. I’d only heard about the creator’s economy for the first time through lockdown – and it immediately piqued my interest. I’ve always run my own businesses, but they’ve always been based in an industry that I had some previous knowledge about. This time though, I was entering into very foreign waters.

Whilst buying a new MacBook is now becoming more commonplace and a business acquisition, it’s still fun – that’s never changed. It’s a never-ending source as well – as I’m sitting writing this, Apple has just released a new iPad Air, iPad 11th Gen, iPhone 16e, M4 MacBook Air and new Mac Studios.

Not only am I not in a position financially to buy all that gear, equally, I don’t think some of it would be of much general interest. This is the side of it that you start to get a ‘feeling’ about. The Mac Studio, in my mind for instance, is too niche but the MacBook Air would probably have more general appeal. Those are the sort of decisions that I now weigh up.

I bought the iPhone 16e not because I needed a new iPhone, but because I can see an angle that may make it of interest to readers and viewers – it’s a case of trying to weigh things up and make the right call. A return on investment, if you like.

Perfect partners

To make this whole content thing work, of course I need to make some income – and that’s where sponsors come in.

At the start, I think we are all guilty of believing that brands will be tripping over themselves to start working with us and that the cash will start flooding in. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth – it’s tough and it’s a very busy marketplace.

Then of course, you go through that other start-up phenomenon of being flattered when anyone reaches out and you say yes to everyone. It’s all been a huge learning curve, but slowly, bit by bit, it’s starting to make sense. As I’m learning it’s a case of not agreeing to everyone. It’s more important to get into bed with the right brands and ones I believe in and ones that I think would bring some value to my audience. Trust can never be underplayed.

There was a tipping point when sponsors began to reach out more regularly – and for me that was around the 12,000 – 15,000 sub point on YouTube. Most mornings I’ll now wake up to a slew of emails about collaborations. Many get deleted almost straight away, but there are always those that get your attention.

With those that you can sense potential, you then enter into the back and forth of emails and begin the dance. The dance I’m talking about is the one over budget – what they want to pay versus what I need to keep the lights on! This dance will then filter out another layer or two before you are left with the ones that I want to work with and the ones that are willing to be fair in return.

With some, the fit just feels right from the get-go and that for me was the case with Espresso Displays. This isn’t a paid story – they didn’t even ask me to write this piece, but they highlight what can happen when you work with the right people. We just fit together perfectly.

Speaking of people – we actually had a meeting and that rarely happens. But by putting a face & voice to the brand it helps make it more personal – it somehow matters more. After that first meeting it just felt right. We clearly had a similar view and outlook and wanted the same end result. They’re a passionate, young, stylish start-up and are looking to partner with creators with a story to tell. It seems we were destined to meet!

For a collaboration to come off, you need to believe in what you’re on screen talking about for it to come over as genuine. The fact that I loved their portable displays and found myself using them made my job so much easier. If I use it, believe in it and would buy one, then why wouldn’t someone else be interested in hearing about them and trying them out for themselves, right? Us Apple fans and Mac users love finding out about new, cool gadgets & gear that fits into our ecosystem.

Living the dream

Don’t forget, most of my days are spent alone in the studio scripting, editing, shooting or uploading. I love what I’m doing, but I’m guessing like you, sometimes a change is needed to spice things up a bit.

When Espresso & I started to chat, I pitched this idea to them about sending me to a hotel and being seen working on one of their displays. Their portable displays are all about making work on the go easy, so in my mind at least, this would work so much better than me sitting in the studio talking about them – it would bring everything to life. Well guess what – they bought the idea! They loved in fact and were right behind me making our first collab together out on location. It was taking me way out of my comfort zone, but that relish of being challenged still burns bright.

I’m not going to try and be cool about this – it was a big moment for me. Three and a bit years of slogging away had led to me staying at a lovely London hotel making content about something I loved. It was a pinch myself moment.

This all came about from my love of the Mac and everything Apple and it goes to prove that dreams do come true. Being passionate about something and following that goal can pay off.

The reality

I was only staying overnight. I checked in at 2pm one day and would check out by midday the following day.

It was then that reality set in and I felt daunted and a little scared too. I suddenly realised that there was no second chance and no plan B. If I didn’t nail this in the hours I had available, then it would all have been an expensive & elaborate waste of time.

I’d paid for another creative to meet me in town to take b-roll of me working on the Espresso displays. It was another risk and would eat into my profit, but I knew the story I wanted to tell, and I knew I’d need some help. I also realised that Espresso hadn’t even asked to see the script beforehand. They had put a lot of trust & faith in me, and I was damned if I was going to let them down. Again I think it came back to that symbiotic belief in one another that stemmed from that meeting.

As much as I wanted to savour and enjoy the moment, make no mistakes here – I worked like a mad man in those precious hours I had. No way was I going to look a fool over this. I made all kinds of script outlines before leaving, and story-boarded the entire video – I knew the look and feel I was after and that vision helped a whole load.

Overcooked

I packed so much gear that at first it seemed ridiculous.

Now, although I didn’t use everything I took, it wasn’t far short and to be honest, I’d rather have taken too much than have found myself missing something. It dawned on me that these opportunities have a habit of happening at the right time, don’t they? Whilst this may’ve been my first paid trip, I had gained enough experience of what it takes to turn out content week after week. Inherently I had a feel of what I’d need – down to LED lights to use in the background of the room.

As best I could, I tried to leave nothing to chance. I took too many of my Apple devices with me for sure though – that’s a lesson learned. In future I’d probably leave the MacBook Pro at home as pretty much everything I needed to do could’ve been done on the M3 MacBook Air with the Espresso Display plugged in for more real estate.

Although I needed the iPad Pro for this shoot, out of choice I’d probably travel with only the iPad mini next time.

Espresso and I are already musing about our next collaboration – and although I can’t say too much right now…it may be further afield than London. So that point I made about everything happening at the right time stands true. Not that I made any mistakes on my virgin outing, but there are things I’ve learned that I’d do differently – particularly if airports are going to be involved.

Going back to what Apple has just released, and to the point about working out what will work for me to write about and make videos about – that is where some judgement comes in. Having now worked with Espresso, for example, who are obviously a brand that is inspired by Apple’s style and design flare, I also want to pick gear that would work with them too. That makes sense right?

The start

I wanted to write this story in case you found yourself in a similar situation to me.

You love sitting and working in front of your Mac. You adore your iPhone or iPad and you can’t get enough content about them. You may have a story inside you just waiting to be told. You will have a different perspective from anybody else – so get out there and tell it whether thats a written story or a video – just make the damn thing!

There’ll be days that you’ll think you are the only person who’ll ever read what you have to say – but if you have the passion burning inside you, it will eventually all come together – I promise you.

I got lucky this week. I found a great device, from a great brand that I wanted to share a story about, which in turn ended up with a dream coming true. If it can happen to me, then there is no reason why it can’t happen to you. Don’t ever be told that the market is too saturated for another Apple voice to be heard.

Your story may be the most unique yet to be told – starting is always the hardest part, but it’s equally the best part too.

I know this story is a little different from the normal – but I felt it was a story that started from a love affair with using Macs that may resonate. If it inspires just one person to write a story or make a video then I’ll be a happy man.

Normal service will be resumed soon!