Hello hello and welcome to the last newsletter of November!

I hope all of my US-based readers had a happy Thanksgiving and got in some R&R, I got in rest, but relaxation was put on the back burner as I scrambled to find Black Friday couch deals. Sectional secured baby. 😎 

-Luke

The Keith Lee Effect 🍔 

• Meet the man who is single-handedly saving food businesses all across America and collabing with the likes of MrBeast, Chipotle, and beyond.

• Keith Lee is a father, a creator, an ex-MMA fighter, and just so happens to be one of the biggest food reviewers in the game right now. Keith’s creator journey began on TikTok, but his early content wasn’t giving real and raw reviews of attainable menus.

• Keith started out just as many other creators did on TikTok: following trends and trying to get famous. But these early days of his content creation are in part what has allowed him to garner such a massive, cult-like following. Viewers of Keith’s early content could see that he’s a positive, down-to-earth father who is creating content just to have some fun and get some views.

• This relatable energy that Keith portrays has followed with all of his content shifts, allowing him to garner a massive and loyal following as he commands his niche, becoming the tastemaker of local eateries all across the US.

• On Keith’s content journey, he’s tried many different styles, trends, and niche types. But once he began posting food reviews at local restaurants and fast food chains, his views began to skyrocket, and his new content focus was born.

• Now, Keith is at the top of the food critic game and his reviews can quite literally make or break establishments. He has such a cult following, that his word is God to his loyal fans, and they will bash a restaurant into oblivion, or lift it up into the heavens.

• Some examples of the positives include restaurants that were once on the brink of closing getting reviewed by Keith and then having to hire dozens of team members for the influx of customers.

• Or a food truck that went from making $200 or less per day to seeing a 900% increase in Revenue in the days following Keith's review.

• But why does this random, normal guy hold so much power in the food critique game? It’s because he’s not trying to be what he’s not.

• The genius behind his content is that he IS just a normal guy reviewing food just like you and I. It’s like watching a friend give you a review of a local restaurant, and juxtaposed with most food creators reviewing unattainable restaurants, Keith has set himself up as the people’s food reviewer. No power dynamic, and no special treatment, Keith just wants good food and he wants to share his experiences with us.

• Keith continues to post attainable and relatable food reviews, commanding the food review niche and lifting up restaurants he likes wherever he may be. Who knows, maybe he’ll be in your town or city next. 👀 

Snapchat Creates Opportunities for Middle Eastern and African Creators 🤝 

• Snapchat is introducing new programs and features to help creators grow their audiences while creating more sustainable businesses in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region.

• I was honestly super surprised to find that features that we’ve come to know and love in the US and EU have not rolled out in this region until this past week.

• With this region bolstering hundreds of thousands of creators, these changes mark a massive opportunity for creators in this region to earn more money and gain more eyes on their content.

• Let’s jump into the updates below!

• Creators in these areas can now join the Stories revenue share program

• Snapchat is increasing rewards for Spotlight Snaps in the region.

• If you’re 18 or older you can now post your own Public Story

• Creators can now tag locations in their Spotlight Snaps

• Creators can now save their favorite Stories to their profile, making it easier for viewers to discover new creators to follow.

• Snapchat has also introduced new tools for creators in this region to help them build their presence and express themselves, including Spotlight Replies, Remix, Linktree integration, and sounds for Lenses.

• While this news may not be super helpful for you US or EU creators, we should still take a moment to celebrate our creator fam in the MENA region. Any moves from big corporations that allow more opportunities for creators is a win in my book!!

AI vs. Human Creators: Are We Doomed? 🤖 

• Yep, you read that title right. More than half of content consumers (60%) prefer AI content over human-generated content.

• A survey by creator agency Billion Dollar Boy found that a majority of consumers prefer creator content designed using generative AI.

• Another survey of creators found that four in five (81%) reported more favorable audience engagement on content designed using AI technology.

• This study is also backed up by a study conducted by MIT which found that when consumers “were not told how content was created, they preferred AI-generated content.”

• So is the end for creators neigh? Are we watching the creator space fall apart right before our very eyes?

• In short, lol no we’re fine.

• To me, these studies don’t necessarily signify the takeover of AI, it just means that, as much as you may hate it, AI can help create some strong content. And if you’re not utilizing it as a tool, others who are may just be coming out on top.

• I believe that as creators we need to use the tools at our disposal rather than fight the boogeyman that frankly, is already here.

• As a firm believer in AI being a tool, not a solution, I have been using these tools for many different aspects of my content, but I couldn’t imagine just grabbing what the AI created and passing it off as my own.

• As creators we need to put our creative, human touch to content that’s spit out by AI. Don’t take the computers as gospel, and don’t discount their usefulness in lending you a helping hand in your creative process.

• In short, we’re fine. Some people prefer AI content, but then again, some people can’t watch a 30-second video without also watching Subway Surfers, so I’d wager that we’re going to be alright.

• Are you using AI in your content creation? If so, how? Reply to this email and let me know how you’re leveraging our future overlords!

Looking for Creators 👀 

As you all know and love, this is the section where I usually cover a content creator who is killing the game and deserves a spotlight.

This is one of my favorite parts of the entire newsletter as I get to dig into new creators, check out fresh content, and most importantly, showcase their work for all of you to check out and explore.

While this is my favorite section and one of my first loves is YouTube rabbit hole discoveries, I can’t always break through the algorithm to find these fresh creators.

So this is where I’ll call on you lovely readers to ask a favor: who are some creators you believe deserve a spotlight? I love exploring all types of niches, content styles, and beyond, so who should be in this place next week?!

Reply to this email and drop me some links! I would love to cover creators that you’re a fan of, creators who are your friends, or even your own content if you want more eyes on your work!

This section, like the entire newsletter, is all about uplifting incredible creators and getting them the attention they deserve, so let’s uplift them together and get some wind in the creative sails! ⛵️

🤔 What Are Your Thoughts?

Did any of you readers grab some content creation gear for Black Friday or Cyber Monday? I would love to see what tools you folks are using to step up your production game, so, reply to this email and let me know what gear you grabbed for a potential feature in next week’s issue!

🚀 Up Your Career as a Creator

If you’d like to keep learning about topics like the ones shared above, be sure to follow and connect with me on LinkedIn or Twitter! I’m always excited to meet new creators!

Hope you enjoyed this week’s post. See you next week ✌️