Tick tock for TikTok (...I'll see myself out 😂)

While it's a massive debate, I believe that we're seeing the end of TikTok's reign. As the company has been pushed by President Biden to sell the brand or be banned in the US, and the company's CEO will be testifying tomorrow (3/23), we will see some major developments towards the end of this week.

Short form creators, have you started to urge your followers to tune into your content elsewhere? Or are you feeling confident that this isn't the end of TT as we know it?

Respond to this email and let me know your thoughts for a feature in next week's newsletter!

New TikTok Rules (Yes... Again...) ♻️

New community guidelines are coming to TikTok on April 21, if the app can make it that long in the US.

Now I'll break down those changes below, but first I'm going to drop a few lines from this press release. You tell me if you think TikTok may be doing this to save face and not get banned, because you already know my opinion. 😅

• "These principles guide our decisions about how we moderate content, so that we can strive to be fair in our actions, protect human dignity, and strike a balance between freedom of expression and preventing harm."

• "To inform the most comprehensive updates to our Community Guidelines to date, we consulted more than 100 organisations around the world, including our US Content Advisory Council."

• "Including more detail about how we use informational labels, warnings, and opt-in screens."

• "[Including] more detail about our work to protect civic and election integrity, including our approach to government, politician and political party accounts."

To me, all of those fixes above sound like they're essentially marking off a bulleted check list to not get banned. Regardless of the reasoning, these changes are coming in about a month. We'll hear more on the potential ban tomorrow, but until then, here are the rest of the TT changes to keep an eye on.

• Remove violative content.

• Age-restrict mature content so it is only viewed by adults (18 years or older).

• Make content ineligible for recommendation in the For You feed that isn't appropriate for a broad audience.

• Empower our community with information tools and resources to stay in control of their experience.

• Advancing our rules for how we treat synthetic media, which is content created or modified by AI technology.

So these changes, albeit not very drastic or specific, are coming in April. Will this change your content direction? Do you believe this is just a way for TT to save face? Let me know in the comments of this post on LinkedIn!

[Read the Full Press Release]

Roku: The Silent Video Platform Competitor 😶‍🌫️

Roku is silently building out their presence in the creator community, and no one is taking notice. Could we have a YouTube (TV) killer lurking in the shadows?

A few weeks ago, Roku announced that they are partnering with Jellysmack to feature 17 creators on a native streaming channel. But the creator support from Roku doesn't stop there.

Last week, Roku announced that it will partner with Rhett & Link of Mythical to bring 24/7 streaming of Mythical content. 🤯

Now, my napkin math says that they can stream Mythical's content 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for just under a month (and that's without any ad breaks). Seems to me like that particular content will take a while to get stale, and that's before Roku adds even more creator giants to their table (like I predict they will).

To me, the addition of Jellysmack's creators as well as the Mythical content library to Roku's roster is a massive sign for creators to start looking at Roku's developments. It's clear that this brand is doubling down on the value that creators and their brands can bring. So what can you bring to them?

I'm super intrigued by Roku's developments in this realm, and as more people begin to purchase the inexpensive televisions instead of a brand such as Samsung or LG (I've personally used Roku TVs for years), I believe we will see the brand continue to build out this branch that showcases content creators.

What creator would you like to see on this channel? Let me know on this LinkedIn post!

Creator Economy News 🚨

This week in the creator world, $25M fund for child friendly creators, smaller creators are turning their audience into their full-time jobs, becoming a full time creator without millions of followers, Yes Theory back lash, and more.

• Little viewers can bring in some big bucks! Jellysmack and Pocket.watch put $25M to creators who make content for kids.

• You can make money as a creator even if you don't make viral content. Introducing the rise of the "Nano-Influencer" (I hate that name, it's literally just being a creator 🙃).

• Yes Theory & co is getting some hate after announcing a $350 course. Now I'm not going to use this as an ad opportunity.... but I hear CreatorPad's pricing is pretty affordable. 😉

You should see these 👀

• Multiple creators get caught up in a $1B lawsuit for promoting a crypto scam.

• Jellysmack this Jellysmack that, I promise all of these mentions are just a coincidence! Check out these six tips for making viral content from Jellysmack.

• There's a new way to get paid as a Fortnite creator. Goodbye Support-A-Creator!

Creator Spotlight 🔦

Meet Noor AKA BarknoorZ!

Noor is a creator from Jordan who is producing some truly beautiful content. From editing to storytelling, Noor's ability to capture a moment in time and tell the story behind it is top tier.

As part of the YouTube New Wave, Noor adheres to the type of storytelling that pulls you in and makes you feel as if you're living those moments right along with her. Stories surrounding the trials and tribulations of being a creator, experiences of growing up, and the opportunities and adventures that come along with that growth create a wonderful atmosphere and develop such a deep story of Noor's life.

Noor's storytelling, editing, scripting, production, music choices and beyond all work together to create captivating and moving content, you end up putting your feet in Noor's shoes throughout these videos. I'm so excited to continue to check out Noor's videos and continue to watch her story develop.

Keep up the amazing work, Noor, can't wait to continue to see you push out your insanely well crafted content! 😎

Want to go even further? 🚀

If you’d like to keep learning about topics like the ones shared above, stick around! But more importantly, check out the links below to further your development as a creator. 😎

1. Join our free creator community

2. Find a personal mentor to learn from