SOCIAL
YouTube Adds New ‘Creator Liason’ to Improve Relationships With Creators
Over the last year, YouTube has been working to improve its relationship with creators, after various decisions in the past which have negatively impacted monetization, distribution and more.
Those efforts have seen significant improvements in its systems, and have been largely welcomed by the creative community – but then, earlier this month, the platform announced that it generated some $15 billion in ad revenue for 2019, up 36% from the previous year.
That’s obviously a great result for YouTube, but creators have rightfully questioned where their cut of that huge chunk of change might be. While the systems have improved, if YouTube is generating billions off their work, there’s seemingly more opportunity for better revenue share and profit mechanisms for them. That means that YouTube may need to do more to facilitate better relationships, and ensure that its creators have an even stronger voice into the future.
Aligning with this, YouTube has this week announced the appointment of a new “Head Creator Liason” who will be tasked with advocating on behalf of creators from inside the company.
Job news! I’m in a new gig as Head Creator Liaison @YouTube. I’ll still tweet from here, but anything more official & stuffy might be from @YouTubeLiaison. Goal is to help creators understand YouTube, and vice versa. Complicated stuff on both sides. https://t.co/p5ZeUU6pvz
— Matt Koval (@mattkoval) February 24, 2020
As reported by The Verge, new Creator Liason Matt Koval is a former YouTube creator himself, who then joined the company as a content strategist in 2012. As Koval notes in his tweet, his role will be to help creators better understand YouTube, and what can be done to assist them, while also providing the creator angle in relevant internal discussions.
It seems like a step in the right direction – while YouTube is also exploring new revenue opportunities for creators, including an option which would enable them to sell ad space direct to advertisers. That option is in limited testing at present, but it could provide another avenue for creators to maintain more control over what has become a full-time business for many.
Indeed, in an update posted back in August, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki noted that YouTube’s creative community has facilitated over 28,000 full-time jobs in Canada alone, while the number of channels earning more than $100,000 continues to climb 40% year over year. The platform has become a critical source of income for many – which, inevitably, also leads to increased sensitivity around any platform changes or updates. Which is why a role like Creator Liason is necessary.
And ideally, it will also help YouTube keep creators aligned to its platform. With Facebook still working to build upon its own video ambitions, through Facebook Watch and IGTV, and other, newer challengers like TikTok seeking to provide their own revenue streams, YouTube knows that it also needs to keep its creators happy, in order to keep fresh content flowing through.
At $15b in revenue, YouTube is in a strong position, but if some of its top creators were to shift focus, and take their audience with them, that could still be a significant blow.
Given this, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on what Koval does in the role, and if/how that leads to the launch of new monetization products and tools to help YouTube creators.
And then, as these new options do arrive, what that will mean for marketing outreach and your options through increasingly influential YouTube creators.
SOCIAL
Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?
In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.
The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.
According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.
Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.
Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.
The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.
This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.
Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.
As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?
Only time will tell.
SOCIAL
Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach
While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.
When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.
“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.
Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.
“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.”Â
“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.
“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.
Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.
SOCIAL
Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement
Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.
As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.
That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.
Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.
That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.
Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.
Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.
We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.
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