Ad transcription:
I’ve never had a sponsor like this before. They’re not asking you to buy anything. They’re asking if you want to help change the world.
80,000 Hours is a nonprofit, and they help people find a fulfilling career that also does good. Based on ten years of research with academics from Oxford University, they want to help you find a job that makes a positive difference in the world, helps solve the biggest problems facing humanity, and also gives you job satisfaction.
So they’ve asked me to ask you if that’s something you’d be interested in. They have a website with their research, a podcast, a newsletter. They also have a job board with hundreds of open listings that, based on their research, they believe are the best ways to make the world better for now and the future. And all their advice and research, everything they do, is free forever.
So if you are not sure what you should do with yourself, with your job, with the 80,000 hours you have in an average working life, then there’s a link in the description and a card on the screen. They will send you their in-depth career guide. So, with the very best of luck for your future, back to the show!
Video is by Tom Scott, it was mentioned here that he had a sponsorship deal pending.
I thought this was great—he did a nice job!
Tom Scott is the perfect youtuber to be sponsored by 80k. Glad to see this.
Thanks for the crosspost—FYI I negotiated this deal (it was very easy, Tom Scott & his team are lovely & great to work with) so feel free to AMA!
If it’s OK to answer: how much did you end up dictating the content/wording of the ad?
So, I don’t dictate per se, but I have input in two ways:
I send creators an initial doc with ‘talking points’ (things I’d like them to say about 80k) and example ad reads we’ve liked in the past
I review the script they’ll read from and/or the final filmed video (mostly to veto anything I don’t like, because rewording once the video is filmed is pretty costly)
I always encourage creators to use their own tone, say things they think will resonate with their audience, and take judgement calls on what will work best in their context. IME that has higher conversion rates :)
In Tom’s case we talked a bit about alternatives, and especially the ‘call to action’ at the end. I signed off on a script and the final filmed video.