Heyooooo! What’s up beautiful people?! How are we feeling after collectively staring at the sun the other day? I forgot that the eclipse was happening and I thought it was the end of days when I looked out the window and saw all of my neighbors staring into the sky. Also, I’m not sure what this eclipse means for my mental health this month, so can one of you Mercury in Gatorade folks tell me what’s goin’ on?

Anyway, I digress. Let’s get back to business! How is everyone feeling this week? Spring has for sure sprung, and the adventures in my life are just about to begin, especially with the new puppy coming THIS SATURDAAAAAAAY!

Don’t worry peeps, puppy pics coming in next week’s issue, I promise. 😌 

Outside of solid sunny days, a tiny corgi puppy, and bringing a ton of new readers into the Cmd+Shift+Create community, it’s still onwards and upwards as always. Now let’s jump into the latest in creator news! 🔥 

Twitter Commanding Monetization 💸 

Bash Twitter, X, whatever the hell it’s called now, as much as you’d like, but for MrBeast, the monetization proof is in the cash pudding. MrBeast recently tweeted that he’s made over $1M from views on just five of his videos posted to the platform. Could Twitter be a good place to repurpose your content? Let’s dive in.

• One of the biggest issues with Musk trying to push creators to post videos on X was the issues with monetization (among other things). With no clear means of monetization or set rules for how much you should be getting paid, creators hesitated to post on the platform.

• While that hesitation is understandable (if someone watches on X, they may not watch on YT, which makes you lose ad dollars), it’s clear from MrBeast’s experience that there is an opportunity within this platform.

• My biggest concern with this specific example of monetization lies in who MrBeast is. He’s the biggest creator in the world, bar none. Because he’s going to get millions of views on any piece of content he posts, it’s hard to determine whether this success metric can be related to the content that most other creators will post.

• At the same time, Musk has been pushing for MrBeast to post on the platform, and I could fully see monetization being skewed to make the biggest creator in the world happy & want him to keep posting to the platform.

• I would like to see a mid-sized creator begin posting on X to see if their revenue is comparable to MrBeasts, as these small to mid-sized creators will move where opportunities lie.

Although X is still in its infancy when it comes to video content and the monetization aspects of that content, it’s super exciting to see yet another platform making the push to bring in creators. I hope to see more monetization opportunities on X, and if some transparency can be presented in terms of how much you can make and from what is available, we may just see creators begin to prioritize X over YouTube. But I’m still team YT for the foreseeable future.

Have any of you video creators repurposed your content on Twitter? Would you? Let me know your thoughts by replying to this email!

Head of IG says Engagement > Followers 👀 

I honestly never thought I’d be linking a Threads….Thread? But here we are. The Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, says that follower counts matter less than views and likes. So what does this massive call out mean for creators?

• It’s no secret that a large following can bring in even more followers. Perceived “vanity metrics” can at times, add credibility and celebrity, leading to people “trusting” you enough for a follow. But the times they are a-changin’, viewers don’t want to be just another follower, but instead, be a part of a community.

• With Adam Mosseri calling out this fact, creators with close-knit communities and dedicated audiences should be celebrating, and those without should be establishing a line of communication with their fans!

• As we continue to grow as an interconnected society through the internet; even more, super-specific niches are popping up, allowing creators to speak to their passions and share with others who have the same mentality.

• We’re no longer in the realm of millions of followers adding credibility and relevance, instead, we’re in a place where consumers and creators alike are fostering hyper-defined communities to share their passions.

• With this in mind, it also allows for creators with these communities to monetize far more specifically. From UGC to creating your own merch, these inclusive audiences can drive your fans to feel even more attached to you, your content, and your message.

• While this was a very short thought from the Head of IG, it’s not something that should be overlooked. Start defining your community and engage with your audience so they feel more inclined to engage with you.

• And if you don’t have millions of followers, good. That just means you have the opportunity to craft that community to your desire and build something that your audience truly wants.

Creators, do you worry about follower counts, or are you more inclined to look at engagement metrics? Personally, for my newsletter, I adhere to the engagement > following mantra. I want to spark convo and get you incredible readers fired up to keep creating content! 💪 

Creating with No Aim 🎯 

Kyle Reid has no idea what he’s doing, but he and his audience are loving it.

Kyle’s channel is an amalgamation of hysterical comedy commentary videos, challenges that don’t match up to your average challenge channel (you ever fist fight your dad?), and more recently, he dives into “no notes” episodes, talking directly to the camera about his life, feelings, and beyond.

If you’re looking for a down-to-earth creator who exudes an attitude and energy that will get you fired up to pick up a camera and start creating yourself, look no further than Kyle.

I first found Kyle from his video Faking BeReal’s for a Week and Nobody Noticed. From the incredible concept to his infectious energy throughout the video, I found myself craving more of Kyle’s content.

No matter if it’s his super interesting video concepts or his evolution in content over the last year, Kyle’s videos only made me want to start doing some commentary scriptwriting of my own and finally conquer my fear of speaking direct to camera (if any of you readers have tips for this feeling, let’s chat!).

While watching Kyle’s channel, I also learned that this isn’t his first bout with YouTube creation. He also has a music review channel where he posts his own music, creates commentary on different albums and artists, reviews albums, and beyond. It’s clear that Kyle’s love for creating goes far beyond YouTube as he hones in on creative outlets across the board.

Whenever I find a channel that makes me want to start creating myself, I know that the creator behind the scenes is insanely passionate about their craft. With the positive energy that is portrayed in his videos, I believe that I love Kyle’s content so much because it’s not only relatable, but it’s also tangible. Tangible in the sense that he’s able to be so nonchalant with his delivery, but you can tell the amount of thought, time, and energy he puts into these videos and concepts. As mentioned, it inspires me to want to start creating the content that I want to as well. Kyle’s content reminds me that I can just jump in and try it out, and that’s what content creation is all about.

If you’re looking to have a laugh while also getting some inspiration to be a little bit more carefree in your content creation process, look no further than Kyle. Give him a sub and follow along on his journey!

Check out Kyle’s content!

🗞️ In Other News

• IShowSpeed had a bit of a WWE debut by getting ripped out of his PRIME costume, put on a table, and then RKO’d into oblivion.

• AI video tool, Sora AI, may have used countless hours of footage of from YouTube creators without their consent to build out the technology. Google isn’t happy, and creators shouldn’t be either.

• IG is taking a tip from Spotify’s tool book by introducing a tool called “Blend” that allows you and a friend to get a feed of reels recommended to you based on the reels that you’ve sent your friends. But don’t worry, they (probably) don’t read your messages.

🤔 What Are Your Thoughts?

Anything exciting going on in your lives? Have new content that you’re jamming on? Go through a recent move? Maybe you’re getting a puppy too! Reply to this email and let me know what you readers got goin’ on; I want to get to know all of you new readers and introduce you to the community!

🚀 Up Your Career as a Creator

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