How YouTube Used "Close Friends" to Connect With Creators
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???? HIT FOLLOW
????? The Biden-Harris campaign is now on TikTok, even though President Joe Biden previously signed legislation prohibiting TikTok on federal government devices. The account launched on Super Bowl Sunday with an either/or Biden quiz. It’s been five business days, and they’re at 140K followers.??
Make it make sense: The Biden HQ account is part of a move to reach and connect with young voters: Eleven percent of all voters in a recent NBC poll are ages 18-34 and say they use TikTok at least once a day. But only 23% of Democratic-leaning young voters approve of Biden’s job as president, according to the poll.
“The campaign is now on TikTok because frankly that’s where people are,” Biden campaign spokesperson Seth Schuster told CNN.
??? You Tube launched a @YouTubeCreators account on Instagram last Friday, promising followers tips, tutorials, news and inspiration to supercharge creator channels. It’s been a week, and they’re at 63K followers.?
As long as video remains a priority for brands, creators and consumers, I expect YouTube, Instagram and TikTok will focus their outreach efforts wherever creators might show up. See also: @TikTokCreators on Instagram and @InstagramCreators on TikTok.
Bonus Social Account Backstory: YouTube Social Marketing Manager Rich Terry shared some behind the scenes details on the decision to spin off a new Instagram account dedicated to creators.?
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In 2022, they decided to experiment using Instagram’s Close Friends feature on the @YouTube Instagram account where they have 31M followers.
“We gave creators the chance to opt in to Close Friends via an Instagram Story question sticker, and our community grew to nearly 3,000 creators,” Rich told me, describing it as a very manual but worthwhile exercise.
“When Instagram launched Broadcast Channels in 2023, we considered pivoting, but ultimately stuck with Close Friends as we'd built such a highly engaged group of creators and wanted to continue experimenting with what the Story & Post formats of IG could deliver for this close-knit group.”?
When the team saw their Close Friends engagement rate hit ~10X that of their regular Stories, it gave them one of the proof points they needed to justify a standalone account.
ICYMI: Will there be an overlap with the @YouTubeCreator account on YouTube?
RT: The @YouTubeCreators YT channel breaks news & platform updates directly from YouTube itself, while our content pillars for @YouTubeCreators IG will be more rooted in creator-to-creator learning and inspiration. There are so many incredible case studies and educators in the creator community, so our mission on IG is to elevate them. In time, we plan to cross-pollinate, with content optimized to each platform but leveraging similar themes and moments.
ICYMI: How do you think about maintaining the "Close Friends" community vibe while also opening this up to anyone who wants to follow?
RT: We shared a heartfelt thanks to our @YouTube IG Close Friends upon launching @YouTubeCreators IG. We also offered them an opportunity to celebrate their involvement with their own followers and help spread the word about the new channel.
@YouTubeCreators IG will offer a constant source of community, peer-to-peer learning, and direct engagement with YouTube to stay true to our mission of uplifting creators and helping them thrive. Be it Close Friends, Broadcast Channels or features on newer and emerging social platforms, we plan to experiment lots more this year with how to connect with creators, and connect creators with each other, in the most meaningful ways.
?? ?? In one of the UCLA Extension classes I teach, students are asked to suggest food creator-influencers who would be good partners for a CPG brand looking to increase awareness with Gen Z. Food creators are always easier for assignments than other industries since everybody eats.
There were some new (to me!) names introduced, in addition to the usual favorites like Zach King, Emma Chamberlain, Khaby Lame, Alix Earle and Dave Portnoy. So I’m putting some of the accounts on your radar:?
?? INSPIRATION OR IMITATION?
Where’s the line between inspiration and lifting someone’s idea? That’s the burning question of the week after a couple of creators accused brands of stealing their TikTok video concepts.
Sharon Mbabazi is a TikTok creator who accused Cetaphil of copying her videos to create their Super Bowl spot featuring a young woman and her dad bonding over Taylor Swift.
Taylor Swift may have been a unifying force for all kinds of people but in Mbabazi’s case there were so many similarities in the execution of the video (Black daughter and white dad bonding over under eye treatments at her bedroom vanity) that Cetaphil partnered with Sharon on a new TikTok spot that welcomed her to the “Cetaphil Creator Fam.” Cetaphil continues to deny that the concept for the ad was taken from Mbabazi’s feed.?
The same week, TikTok creator Elliot Duprey accused Vogue of plagiarizing the thesis of a video he produced on the “eclectic Grandpa” trend. Duprey alleged that his “personal style epidemic” video was duplicated in their “personal style dilemma” opinion piece.
Creators accusing brands of content theft is nothing new — influencer Cece accused BarkBox of uploading her TikTok video without her consent while Julie Kay sued Nars for using her audio in a Black Friday ad.
But copying someone’s video concept isn’t a legal offense, even if it generates bad press and community ill will.
“Ideas are not protectable by copyright, nor are general thematic elements, like a father and daughter bonding over a major pop culture story,” advertising and ecommerce lawyer Rob Freund told me. “And the Cetaphil ad does not copy any protectable elements of her [Sharon’s] videos.”
Of course, public shaming is a powerful force but it shouldn’t be the only deterrent to stop companies from taking creator concepts for their own purposes. So what’s the solution? I’d love to hear if you have a take on this. Sound off in the Comments below ??
?? IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Thanks for reading! Join me and Sway Group founder and CEO Danielle Wiley on Monday as we discuss this week’s biggest headlines on The Art of Sway podcast.
?? Social Media Marketing & SEO Expert | ?? Helping Brands Boost Visibility & Drive Engagement | ?? Founder of CW DigiMark
8 个月Great article, Lia! The updates on YouTube and TikTok are particularly interesting. It's fascinating to see how these platforms are evolving to better serve creators and users alike. The insights into the Biden Harris campaign's presence on TikTok also shed light on the importance of reaching diverse audiences through various channels. Looking forward to more updates from you! #cwdigimark
Chief @UP - Curated social for youth. Scroll Happy??
8 个月Exciting updates in the social media world! Can't wait to dive into the latest trends. ??
I'm a founder, community manager, fractional CXO and business development specialist - I'll raise your visibility in competitive markets by helping you make meaningful connections
8 个月Exciting updates in the world of social media! Can't wait to see how these changes impact marketing strategies. ????
Fractional VP of Social Media + Influencer Marketing ?? Professional Storyteller who drives explosive growth on Social Media and turns Brands into Powerhouses??????
8 个月This headline is fascinating and I definitely will be bookmarking this read!