10/3/2022: Here’s what’s new and what caught my eye last week
Hey, this newsletter’s two years old! Cupcakes and mimosas all around!
Four Unexpected Side-effects from TikTok’s Search-Engine Ambitions: So now you can put up
to 2,200 characters in a TikTok description (up from 300). Why? To make it easier for you to search TikTok for places to e
at, gear to buy, DIY tips and much more. There are at least four unexpected consequences from this move that I can think of (so far).
- First, don’t expect creators to type in 2,200 characters on their tiny mobile phones, that would take longer than editing the video itself. Production workflow will change.
- Second, VCs are salivating. Top creator economy investor Connie Chan from a16z explains why video search is so exciting and how China/TikTok/Douyin are leading the way.
- Third, Google will freak. Big-G just released a much more visual search experience to counter double-Ts ambitions, and you’ll see more Shorts/Goog integrations coming soon.
- Finally, search optimization will replace thumbnail science as the buzzy new algorithmic-busting tool. VidIQ and Tubebuddy are likely already coding new features, conference organizers are curating TikTok SEO workshops, and a new crop of “experts” will rise to separate creators from their cash while promising AMAZING results.
Who will be the king of TikTok SEO? I asked Dall-E 2 to create “A mash up of Danny Sullivan and Derral Eves in a digital art style with a dark post-apocalyptic background” but the results were meh. I put the best one in the LinkedIn comments, but if you can do better, post your own versions too!
Dall-E 2 Now Available to Everyone: The moment I’ve been waiting for is here. Now you can use Dall-E 2 to generate AI-based artwork, along with MidJourney and Stable Diffusion. I’ve obviously been having too much fun with it. But it won’t stop here. Facebook Research just announced new AI tool that generates animation from text – alas, you can’t use it yet. But text, images, video will all be created – or helped along – by AI. And it’s going to keep getting better and better. Smells like disruption time to me.
Walmart, the Creator Economy Innovator: I Love what Walmart is doing. They just opened new experiences in Roblox, and are also creating an innovation ads partnership with TikTok, Snapchat, Firework, TalkShopLive and Roku. They aren’t the only ones shaking up e-commerce. Don’t sleep on PinDuoDuo either. The huge Chinese E-Commerce platform is coming to America and will push everyone to adapt. Wondering where Pinterest is in all this? Mike Shields explains how the platform -which knows intent better than most – completely missed the boat. I don’t think commerce in the west will look exactly like the China model – but changes are coming quick.
Podcasting’s Fraudulent Listener Scam Exposed: Buying viewers is never a good idea (see Ozy Media), and now it looks like podcasters have been using video games to juice download numbers. It’s not the only media industry under fire, connected TVs were recently accused of fraud as well. It’s too bad, because these revelations only serve to diminish the value of the entire industry in the eyes of buyers. Just like in the early days of YouTube, a host of shady companies have sprung up selling podcast listens for as little as a half-cent a view. Just say no to buying listeners, views and subscribers. Make better content – and spend your time on SEO and thumbnails instead.
QUIBIS:
- Good news for Twitch and DEI – Kai Cenat tops 100k subs and becomes top English-speaking creator on platform.
- Dude Perfect plans to build a trick-shot oriented theme park.
- Top VC Firm explains where the opportunities are in the creator economy.
- TalkShopLive partners with TikTok in the US to roll out live shopping. That will be fun to watch.
- And then there were three (Try Guys) – and unfortunately now I know what a wife guy is.
- Only Fans leans into comedy with $100k contest. Phil Ranta thinks it’s a dumb idea – but he’s got a solution.
- Darth Vader will be voiced by an AI of James Earl Jones. Don’t fear voice cloning – explains Papercup CEO Jesse Sheman.
- New research from Evan Shapiro and Publishers Clearinghouse explores what content consumers will actually pay for (TLDR – 18-34 cohort leads the way).
- Interesting read on how culture might be the determining factor for startup success.
- Tim Schmoyer shares his secrets of building a sellable business on YouTube – fresh off his successful exit to VidIQ.
- Mr Beast turned down a soft Billion Dollar acquisition offer – wants at least 10 (and I hope he gets it!).
- Call it the carcinization of media: crustaceans evolve into crabs, and apparently now the entire internet will evolve into TikTok.
- Napster’s back (again). So psyched for my friend Jon Vlassopulos who is finally taking over as CEO.
- Hot off their great Mexico event, VidCon is expanding to the east coast of the US! Congrats to the whole team.
CRYPTIS:
- Walmart heads to Roblox – but will they have an official greeter?
- The “pay anyone anywhere” dream of crypto nears reality and could enable true micropayments between creators and fans.
- Neil Stephenson drops an incredibly geeky whitepaper on how to build the metaverse.
- Gaming and crypto heat up with the creator of PubG considering a blockchain utility in his upcoming title, while Sega embraces it with Three Kingdoms card trading game.
Tip of the Week: Peter Yang explains how you can find focus in a world full of distractions.
What We’re Watching: Taste the Biscuit earns TikTok Fame. Just Jared explains why.
See you around the internet, and feel free to share this with anyone you think might be interested, and if someone forwarded this to you, you can sign up and subscribe on LinkedIn for free here!