TikTok Elevate Program, Threads Losing Momentum, New META Video Tools and Twitter's New Ad-Revenue Sharing Program

ByteDance Elevates Musicians on TikTok

Elevate, a new music program from TikTok, is ByteDance’s next step toward forming a solid foundation in the music industry. TikTok Elevate is said to be a platform dedicated to highlighting up-and-coming musicians and supporting their careers beyond the typical one-hit-wonder roadblock. ByteDance recently launched a new program for rising artists in addition to expanding TikTok Music, which is now available in Australia, Mexico, and Singapore.

TikTok Elevate’s inaugural class consists of top trending artists producing music in diverse styles from classic country to genre-bending trap hip-hop. Kali, Sam Barber, CHINCHILLA, Omar Courtz, Isabel La Rosa, and LU KALA join together to make up the first group of talent promoted by TikTok Elevate and participate in a series of amazing performances around the world. TikTok Elevate artists will be performing in their hometowns to shine a light on the communities that inspired their artistry. These artists will also use Elevate as a new platform to share updates about their music, performances, and more to deepen their connections with their growing fan bases.

TikTok plans to announce new cohorts in the coming months. TikTok Elevate’s inaugural class will conclude this October. We look forward to the success of Elevate and all the talented musicians participating.?

Is Instagram Threads Losing the Hype?

It’s been a few weeks since Instagram Threads was released… is it still worth the hype? Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg insists that Threads is still on the come-up, sharing in a recent post that “10s of millions of people come back daily” to engage with content and post on the new platform. As Zuckerberg wrestles to put anti-Threads content to rest, several analytics reports have been released detailing Threads’ “decline.”

In a report from analytics firm Similarweb, active daily users on Threads dropped 41% from 49 million down to 23.6 million in approximately one week of being available globally. A recent Wall Street Journal cited third-party data from Sensor Tower with new analytics for Threads’ second week. According to Sensor Tower’s research, the number of daily active users dropped to 13 million nearing the end of the Twitter competitor app’s second week. Not only is this a 70% decline from the peak number of users on July 7th, but 13 million is a mere fraction of Twitter’s average of 200 million daily active users.?

Is Threads a bust? It is far too soon to say according to TechCrunch and Mark Zuckerberg himself. It’s important to recognize that Threads is still effectively a beta and undergoing rapid behind-the-scenes development in response to user feedback from recent weeks. Most users who have turned away from using Threads have noted that the platform feels unfinished but poses an opportunity for growth. Users have set up their accounts and got a feel for the overall “vibe” of the platform, they just await more developments to get that “complete” experience.

Although daily users may be declining, TechCrunch recently reported that the app is continuing to grow its users in global markets which may, in turn, boost overall usage in addition to new highly-anticipated features. “The focus for the rest of the year is improving the basics and retention. It’ll take time to stabilize, but once we nail that then we’ll focus on growing the community. We’ve run this playbook many times (FB, IG, Stories, Reels, etc) and I’m confident Threads is on a good path too,” Zuckerberg shared.

New Video Tools Coming to Meta Platforms

Meta recently released new video editing tools and features to both Instagram and Facebook.?

The first to come to the string of updates is a new update to Facebook’s dashboard. If you’ve been spending time scrolling on Facebook Watch, you may have noticed the tab has recently been renamed Video. Why the switch? Meta is looking to make your video experience more seamless on their platforms, with the Facebook Video tab hosting all video content including livestreams, Reels, and more.?

Not only has Meta streamlined content viewing to a single hub on Facebook, but it has also further unified content creation on Instagram to push for more in-app editing and viewing. Meta recently announced a new Reels Template Browser for Instagram which will serve as a mode of discovery and inspiration for users looking to create content. The new Template Browser will showcase templates curated from high-performing Reels alongside various templates categorized by what’s Recommended, Trending, and more. All saved templates and audio will also be available via the Template Browser for Instagram users.

With Reels having the greatest reach compared to all other content on Instagram according to HypeAuditor, it comes as no surprise that Meta continues to develop and release new features to encourage Reels viewership and content creation. A study from SocialInsider revealed that Instagram Reels usage has increased 57.4% year-over-year in 2023 with rapid usage growing amongst big-name brands. As more brands and users continue to create content with Reels, we can expect to see more big shifts and updates from Meta to strengthen its growth.

Twitter’s New Ad-Revenue Sharing Program

Twitter recently kickstarted a new ad-revenue-sharing program for creators to earn payouts from ads placed in the replies of their posts, but the effort to retain big names on Twitter has been met with some considerable backlash. Musk previously shared that the first round of creator payouts would total approximately $5 million and would be cumulative earnings from February 2023 onward. If some creators are earning as much as five figures from the new program, why are some still unhappy with the platform?

Many creators took to directly Tweeting Elon Musk with their complaints about eligibility requirements and restrictions for Twitter’s ad-revenue-sharing program. Users such as Battle Beagle shared complaints against a legacy policy that prevented users with animals or fictional characters on their profiles from participating in the new program. Musk announced that users may disregard the “silly policy” in a Tweet, remarking that the restriction would promptly be deleted.?

Another major pain point for Twitter users is the recent rate limits on how many Tweets users may view. In response to active Twitter users’ numerous complaints, Musk shared that the rate limit for Verified users would be increased by 50% to avoid further complications. Twitter’s previous login requirement to view Tweets was also recently removed due to similar complaints from active users about being barred from the platform.

Looking towards the future, Musk recently Tweeted that Twitter’s ad-revenue-sharing program will be expanded to include profile page views and potentially double user payouts. There is, of course, a catch to this monetization program for users. Only views from Verified users will be counted towards the new ad-revenue-sharing program to avoid spam views from bot accounts. Musk did not share when exactly the expansion would commence, but Twitter’s overarching goal is to become an everything platform on which content creators may earn a living.

What do you think of Twitter’s new monetization program? Is the ad-revenue-sharing program a promising opportunity for creators to earn big on Twitter, or will content creators turn to other monetization methods to receive payouts on Musk’s platform? We’d love to hear your thoughts