SOCIAL
YouTube Tests Product Tags in Selected Creator Videos as Part of Larger Shift Towards eCommerce

In a move that will come as little surprise to most industry watchers, YouTube is working on a new process which will enable creators to tag products displayed in their video clips, eventually leading to more direct shopping options on the video platform.
As reported by Bloomberg:
“[YouTube] recently started asking creators to use YouTube software to tag and track products featured in their clips. […] The goal is to convert YouTube’s bounty of videos into a vast catalog of items that viewers can peruse, click on and buy directly, according to people familiar with the situation. The company is also testing a new integration with Shopify Inc. for selling items through YouTube.”
This is not the first time YouTube has ventured into eCommerce. Back in 2018, YouTube added a merchandise ‘shelf’ for product tie-ins, which enables creators to showcase their branded products beneath their video clips.

YouTube also added ‘merch alerts‘ for live-streams earlier this year as another means to help creators boost awareness of their products, while it also has AR try-on videos for make-up tutorials and other eCommerce related ad tools, which could additionally be used to provide more pathways for creators to generate direct revenue from their content.
But tagging products within the videos themselves could add another level. With this, YouTube would essentially be looking to single out specific items within a video frame, which users could then tap on as the clip is playing in order to get more information about that specific product.
Really, this is what every video platform is now moving towards – TikTok, for example, which is still looking to establish its revenue generation process in order to ensure its creators get paid, began testing tappable product links on its video clips late last year.
eCommerce will be a key element in TikTok’s future expansion. In China, the Chinese version of the app, called ‘Douyin’, has seen significant monetization success via eCommerce integrations in the app.

Douyin generated over $122 million in revenue last year, mostly generated by eCommerce, which is more than 2x what TikTok brought in. That’s a pretty clear indicator of where TikTok will be looking to evolve, and with Walmart seeking to buy into the platform, with an eye to expanding its eCommerce ambitions, it seems evident that the next stage of broader video monetization will focus on in-stream buying, and providing means for viewers to shop for the items displayed in these clips.
Instagram, too, has flagged its intention to include shopping options in Reels videos soon.
Given this, it’s little surprise to see YouTube also looking to advance in this respect – though from the sounds of it, YouTube’s initiative will go a little further than simply including a shopping button overlaid onto the video playback.
As Bloomberg notes, YouTube’s process will ‘tag and track’ products within video clips. That could lead to a new, habitual process, where users become accustomed to being able to simply tap on any product they see in a clip for more information.
How, exactly, this will work in practice is unclear, but it does seem like YouTube is taking a more advanced approach to video eCommerce, which could be a significant evolution of note. That will provide more revenue generation options for creators, who’ll be able to include more items in their clips, and new advertising opportunities for brands, tagging onto popular YouTubers to help showcase their products.
It could be a major development – we’ll have to wait for more details, but definitely, integrated product listings within videos, in general, is set to become a major focus moving forward.
SOCIAL
How to Train ChatGPT to Write in Your Brand’s Tone of Voice [Infographic]
![How to Train ChatGPT to Write in Your Brand’s Tone of Voice [Infographic] How to Train ChatGPT to Write in Your Brand’s Tone of Voice [Infographic]](https://articles.entireweb.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/1702266964_How-to-Train-ChatGPT-to-Write-in-Your-Brands-Tone.jpg)
Are you looking for ways to improve your ChatGPT output? Want to train it to write in a more unique tone of voice, in order to better suit your branding?
The Creative Marketer shares his ChatGPT prompt tips in this infographic. To enact these, add “Write like [INSERT CHARACTER]” at the start of your ChatGPT instructions.
TCM breaks things down into the following categories:
- Innocent
- Sage
- Explorer
- Ruler
- Creator
- Caregiver
- Lover
- Hero
- Everyman
- Magician
- Jester
- Outlaw
Check out the infographic for more information.
A version of this post was first published on the Red Website Design blog.
SOCIAL
Elon Musk reinstates far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on X

Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones has been reinstated on X, formerly known as Twitter, by company owner Elon Musk – Copyright GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA/AFP/File Joe Buglewicz
Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X, on Sunday reinstated far-right conspiracy theorist Alex Jones on the social media platform, a year after vowing never to let him return.
Jones, who claimed that a December 2012 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut that killed 20 children and six educators was a hoax, was banned from the platform — then still known as Twitter — in 2018 for violating its “abusive behavior policy.”
He was also sued by families of the victims of the Sandy Hook school shooting and ordered by a judge in the case to pay up more than a billion dollars in damages last year.
Musk had himself promised never to let the Infowars host back on the social media platform, which he bought last year for $44 billion.
But following a poll Musk conducted on X asking whether Jones should be reinstated, to which some two million users responded, he flipped that decision.
“I vehemently disagree with what he said about Sandy Hook, but are we a platform that believes in freedom of speech or are we not?” the SpaceX founder said on X.
But Shannon Watts, founder of the group Moms Demand Action group which pushes for tighter gun laws, said that “defamation is not free speech.”
Musk’s decision comes the same week that the Sandy Hook families commemorate the 11th anniversary of the December 14 shooting, which Jones alleged was staged to allow the government to crack down on gun rights.
Jones’ followers harassed the bereaved families for years, accusing parents of murdered children of being “crisis actors” whose children had never existed.
It also came a week after Musk had responded to advertisers pulling out of X because of far-right posts and hate speech, including an apparent endorsement by Musk himself of an anti-Semitic tweet.
Asked whether he would respond to the advertising exodus, Musk said in an interview with journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin that the advertisers could “go f*** yourself.”
Jones, who has a million followers on X, returned to the site with his first post re-tweeting Andrew Tate, the controversial former kickboxer facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania, in which he hailed Jones’ “triumphant return”
US media reported that as of Sunday, the account of Jones’ controversial show Infowars was still banned.
SOCIAL
Instagram Launches New ‘Close Friends Only’ Podcast to Showcase Celebrity Users

Not sure if this will be a valuable addition, or another stream that’ll fade out pretty quick, as Meta stops paying attention to it.
Today, Instagram has launched a new podcast called “Close Friends Only”, which it says will present “the latest on culture – from memes and icks, to fashion and friendship – all from your favorite celebrities.”
And they’ve gone big out of the gate, with the first episode featuring Ice Spice in conversation with Doja Cat.
The conversation sees the two stars discuss their favorite memes, their favorite animals, celebrity crushes, experiences in flirting on IG, their juiciest DMs, and more.
Which will no doubt get a heap of attention, and will help make Instagram a bigger focus for youngsters seeking to replicate their idols. But in terms of practical advice or tips, yeah, there might not be a heap there.
But it could be worth tuning in anyway, in order to get the lowdown on the latest trends, from some of the people that are leading the way on cultural shifts.
But then again, as noted, it’ll be interesting to see how IG follows this first episode up, and whether they keep running regular episodes of the podcast with more celebrities.
Either way, it’s an interesting promotional vehicle for IG, especially given that it’s focusing on musicians, as TikTok becomes an even more critical platform for music promotion.
Maybe, then, this will be Instagram’s counter to that, but again, we’ll have to wait and see whether more episodes arrive.
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