Paying with Exposure: Why This Brand Deal Is a ScamThoughts Off The Stem

TOTS420 podcast host with a sign saying Exposure Doesn't Pay The Bills, featuring a chart comparing Frosty Cake and Campfire Smoke quality.

Paying with exposure is a hustle that belongs in a buddy’s garage, not a professional business.

Why Paying With Exposure Doesn’t Work in the Real World

Imagine walking into a local pot shop, asking for an ounce of top-shelf flower, and offering to settle the tab with a shout-out on your Instagram story. You’d be laughed right out of the building. Why? Because legitimate industries don’t run on “vibes” or “likes,” yet in the podcasting world, my inbox is treated like a black market dealer’s garage where everyone expects a free bag in exchange for a few errands.

Welcome to Thoughts Off The Stem. I’m Justin Barone, and I hope life is being good to you, because lately, life has been acting like a prospecting pimp and I’m his prospective hoe. Recently, a couple of companies reached out with their pimp hand asking for me to get on the track and work for nothing but a slap in the face.

Light them if you got them, ‘cause here’s how these “exposure” deals played out.

The Worst “Paying With Exposure” Brand Deals I’ve Seen

Recently, a few companies reached out with “opportunities” that were really just chores in disguise. If you’re a creator, watch out for these red flags.

1. The Tin Joint Holder Tactic

A company reached out wanting a full suite of content: social shorts, feed posts, stories, a website feature on Tots420.com, and a spot on my YouTube review playlist.

The Offer: A free sample.
The Reality: They asked for my rates, saw them, and vanished. If you want a billboard, you have to pay the lease. A $10 tin doesn’t buy a week of production time.

2. The AI Tool That Wanted a Free Employee

This one was a masterclass in audacity. An AI podcast editing tool wanted a “partnership” where I would:

Edit one episode a week for three months using their (buggy) software.
Act as their unpaid QA and R&D department (reporting bugs and UI feedback).
Give them free rights to all my content for their ads.
The Payment: Use of the software.

Pro Tip: If a company asks you to find the bugs in their product while you advertise it for them, they aren’t a partner—you’re an unpaid intern.

Weed Facts: Stop Chasing THC Percentages

Before we get deeper into the “Dude, For Real?” files, let’s clear the air on some cultivation myths. THC potency is not the ultimate qualification for good weed. High potency is a byproduct of great cultivation, but a lower percentage doesn’t mean it’s “bad.”

Beyond the Hype: Weed Facts and Quality Control

Since we’re talking about high-quality work, let’s talk about high-quality flower. THC potency isn’t everything—potency is a byproduct of great cultivation.

How to Spot “Mid” Weed vs. Top-Shelf Flower

Feature	What to Look For
Smell	Pungent, bold, and nuanced. It should make your brain say, “I want to eat this.”
Look	Vibrant colors (whites, reds, oranges) with visible, “frosted” trichomes like a cake.
Feel	Sticky and slightly spongy. Stems should snap, not bend like celery.
Structure	Sativas should be light and fluffy; Indicas should be tight and dense.

The Red Flags of “Bad” Weed:

The “Musty” Nose: If it smells like a damp basement or a pile of straw, it’s aged or compromised.
The “Brown Sugar” Look: If the trichomes are amber and the bud is dirt-brown or lime-green, it’s past its prime.
The “Brittle” Touch: If it crumbles into dust or feels “wet” and tears apart instead of breaking, the cure was botched.

Dude, For Real? The “Exposure” Hall of Fame

They say there are no dumb questions, but the “Choosing Beggars” of the world prove that wrong every day. Whether it’s HuffPo asking for free articles while being a multi-million dollar entity or the guy who thinks Garlic is a valid currency for labor—the entitlement is real.

We’ve all seen the screenshots. The mechanic who gets asked for a “quick fix” for free, or the photographer (shoutout to the legends on BoredPanda) who gets told their work is “overpriced” because “I could do that with a filter.”

The bottom line: Exposure doesn’t pay the bills. Quality—whether in your flower or your content—costs money. If you want the “frosting,” you can’t pay with “crumbs.”

What’s Your Worst “Choosing Beggar” Story?

Have you ever been offered “exposure” in exchange for your hard-earned expertise? Drop a comment below or hit me up on socials. Let’s vent.

Want more unfiltered takes on the industry? Check out our Off The Stem Reviews

[Stay tuned to Tots420.com for more “off the stem” thoughts]

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Paying with Exposure: Why Your Brand Deal Is a Scam