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- Influence Weekly #362
Influence Weekly #362
Nii Ahene
November 08, 2024
Spotlight Stories
Beyond Trends And Dance Moves: 10 Experts Share Strategies To Dominate TikTok's Search Traffic
Why UK PM Keir Starmer’s Team Is Ditching Traditional Media For TikTok Influencers
The Professional Platform Shift: Why 3 In 5 Content Creators Are Betting Big On Linkedin In 2025
Gen Z More Likely To Find Longer Videos Engaging Than Millennials [REPORT]
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Great Reads
Mastering TikTok’s search capabilities has become crucial for brands as the platform evolves into a powerful search engine, especially for Gen Z. Experts share proven strategies to boost discoverability on TikTok, moving beyond viral trends.
Key tactics include optimizing captions with relevant keywords, creating intent-driven content that addresses customer needs, leveraging user-generated reviews, and encouraging co-creation through immersive brand experiences.
With TikTok’s growing role in product research and local discovery, brands that align their content strategies with the platform’s search ecosystem can better connect with their target audiences in authentic, sustainable ways.
Heylist, a startup founded by Vicky Boudreau, has developed a platform connecting major brands with nano-influencers (creators with under 10,000 followers). The platform streamlines the process of discovering, briefing, tracking, and compensating these authentic voices for brands seeking user-generated content and genuine advocacy.
With a focus on inclusivity and economic opportunities, Heylist guides nano-influencers through structured campaigns while leveraging AI ethically to provide targeted recommendations.
As Heylist expands into the U.S. market, Boudreau aims to democratize the industry, inviting curious individuals to monetize their voices through content creation regardless of follower count. The platform addresses challenges like rapid payment and preserving ephemeral content, offering strategic services to brands seeking a complete solution.
YouTube recently extended the maximum length for YouTube Shorts, allowing creators and brands to share longer short-form videos up to 3 minutes. This change enables deeper storytelling and more engaging content within the popular short-video format.
Industry experts suggest brands can leverage the extended Shorts length for tutorial videos, behind-the-scenes glimpses, and interactive elements to drive engagement. Educational content adding value for viewers, along with effective calls-to-action, can help boost product discovery and conversions.
High production quality and A/B testing different formats are recommended to identify what resonates best with target audiences. Early adopters have an opportunity to enhance visibility across YouTube’s rapidly growing Shorts platform by taking advantage of the new extended length capability.
Campaign Insights
The UK government is launching a New Media Unit focused on partnering with social media influencers to reach audiences who don’t consume traditional news media. The unit, led by Tom Lillywhite, will integrate data analysts, content producers, and paid media specialists to redirect communications resources to match changing consumption patterns, with over half of Britons now accessing news through platforms like YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.
The move aims to rebuild public trust amid declining confidence in the government and follows successful pilot influencer campaigns. It reflects a broader shift as younger audiences increasingly rely on “social searching” over traditional search engines for information.
Content creators are increasingly shifting their focus to LinkedIn, with 60% planning to expand their presence on the professional network in the next year, according to new research. The study found creators are motivated by strong engagement rates, conversion metrics, and revenue potential for B2B influencer marketing on LinkedIn compared to traditional B2C platforms.
Additionally, 58% of LinkedIn users favor more creator content from brands. The data suggests the creator economy is evolving beyond its consumer roots to incorporate more professional and corporate marketing opportunities leveraging creator relationships.
This Iowa startup just raised over $10 million to expand its platform connecting local content creators with national and regional brands. Hummingbirds allows brands to generate city-specific social media content through nano-influencers with under 10,000 followers, who are trusted voices within their communities.
The oversubscribed seed funding round validates Hummingbirds’ approach of using these nano-influencers to build engagement in local markets, generating higher returns compared to working with macro-influencers. With the funding, Hummingbirds plans to scale its SaaS platform and rapidly grow its creator network across the U.S. Current clients like CPG brands have reported up to 14x increases in local sales through the platform.
The U.S. Army is developing a new policy to leverage social media influencers within its ranks while maintaining oversight. With some soldiers accumulating larger online followings than official Army accounts, the initiative aims to address recruitment challenges and connect with younger audiences difficult to reach through traditional marketing.
Key aspects include providing basic guidelines while allowing flexibility, navigating monetization rules, and collaborating informally with influential service members. The Army recognizes social media’s potential for effective communication amidst obstacles like TikTok ad restrictions and changing media consumption habits.
TikTok Shop has partnered with Venmo ahead of the holiday shopping season. The collaboration includes targeted discounts for new and existing TikTok Shop customers using Venmo at checkout during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
TikTok Shop is running a “Brand Palooza” campaign from November 13-27 featuring product offers and planned livestream events. The platform has made efforts to protect consumers by banning over 5 million products and revoking over 30,000 creator selling permissions due to intellectual property violations.
Notable brands have seen viral success from creators promoting their products on TikTok Shop. The upcoming seller-creator matchmaking events in LA and NYC aim to strengthen brand-creator relationships before the holidays when 73% of Gen Z consumers purchase based on creator recommendations.
New research from Traackr reveals shifting video consumption preferences across generations. Gen Z audiences are more likely to find longer video content engaging compared to Millennials.
While short-form videos remain the most engaging format overall, long-form video and live streaming have climbed in rankings year-over-year. YouTube leads as the top platform for creator content across both Gen Z and Millennials, but the remaining top platforms show distinct generational differences.
The study indicates 61% of consumers are willing to try new social platforms where trusted influencers post. As the creator economy continues expanding, with influencer marketing spend projected to grow 14.7% in 2024, understanding evolving consumption patterns across diverse audiences is critical for brands to optimize their influencer strategies.
A new study finds that influencer marketing effectiveness is driven by a powerful combination of three key factors - influencer credibility, message quality, and platform characteristics like transparency and interactivity.
The research revealed these elements account for around 40% of the variance in consumer trust in influencer content. Specifically, influencer expertise, trustworthiness, informative posts that resonate emotionally, and interactive social platforms all contribute to building trust that can lead to increased purchasing.
Brands looking to maximize influencer campaign performance should focus on partnering with credible creators who produce high-quality, engaging content tailored to the strengths of each platform. The findings highlight the nuanced interplay required for influencer marketing success in today’s complex social media landscape.
Interesting People
The creator economy, worth $250 billion and projected to reach nearly half a trillion dollars by 2027, is facing a countertrend called “de-influencing.” De-influencers on platforms like TikTok advocate against consumerism and overconsumption, criticizing products for their utility, cost, and environmental impact. While some de-influencers genuinely discourage buying, others paradoxically build their own brands by promoting minimalism and intentional spending.
Critics argue de-influencing ultimately generates engagement benefiting social media platforms designed for marketing and consumerism. However, the trend reflects a growing self-awareness and guilt around society’s complex relationship with digital media’s influence on spending habits and attention economy. De-influencing embodies the contradictions of advocating anti-consumption on platforms driven by consumer engagement.
Running influencer Matt Choi has been banned for life from the New York City Marathon and other events by organizers New York Road Runners. During Sunday’s race, Choi ran flanked by two cameramen on electric bikes who obstructed other runners, violating competition rules. Videos showed the bike riders weaving between participants on crowded stretches.
NYRR disqualified Choi after determining he received unauthorized assistance that endangered others. In an apology post, Choi acknowledged his “selfish” choice had consequences like blocking runner access to water stations. The organizers’ decisive action upholds the integrity of major races and levels the playing field for all competitors.
Popular Twitch streamer Kai Cenat recently uplifted a small creator’s channel by raiding her livestream with over 7,000 new followers. Bobbie Bee, known for family-friendly content, was overwhelmed with emotion as Cenat’s audience flooded her chat. Visibly shocked, she held back tears, expressing heartfelt gratitude for the unexpected boost.
Cenat himself was moved by her reaction, highlighting the power of community support on platforms like Twitch. This viral moment showcased how influential creators can positively impact smaller channels, reinforcing the value of genuine human connections celebrated within online communities.
Both the Trump and Harris campaigns in the 2024 US presidential election have embraced an influencer-style approach on social media, posting behind-the-scenes content, memes, and videos aimed at Gen Z voters. Harris’s campaign operates accounts that portray her as an iconic figure using internet lingo and fawning posts. Both sides have relied heavily on influencers to promote their messages or attack opponents.
However, polling data suggests this strategy may have limited impact in actually swaying young voters, who appear more motivated by core issues like climate change, Gaza policy, and the economy - topics that have been de-emphasized lately by the candidates in favor of the influencer push. While clever online tactics could shift slim margins, substantive policies will likely prove more decisive in determining youth turnout and votes in this high-stakes election.
Industry News
Dentsu, a major advertising agency, is launching an educational program in South Africa to train aspiring influencers and content creators. The six-month program covers various aspects of influencer marketing, including content creation, platform mastery, financial management, brand partnerships, personal branding, and ethics. Participants receive monthly stipends during the program.
The inaugural 2024 class demonstrated measurable success, with participants achieving follower growth of up to 11.5% and engagement rates of 10.4%, exceeding industry benchmarks. The program aligns with ethical guidelines established by the Interactive Advertising Bureau of South Africa.
Applications are open until November 8, 2024, for South African citizens over 18 with a high school qualification and an existing social media following between 1,500 and 10,000 followers. Participants will complete assignments and receive mentorship from industry experts throughout the program, focusing on practical influencer marketing skills.
YouTube has reached a significant milestone, with total advertising and subscription revenues surpassing $50 billion over the past four quarters according to Alphabet’s Q3 2024 earnings report. The video platform’s advertising revenue alone hit $8.92 billion in Q3 2024, contributing to Google Services’ overall 13% revenue growth to $76.5 billion.
Subscription offerings like YouTube TV, Music, and Premium also drove Google’s subscriptions, platforms, and devices revenue to $10.66 billion. Alphabet’s consolidated Q3 revenues grew 15% year-over-year to $88.3 billion, with operating income rising 34% and net income increasing 34% to $26.3 billion.
The company maintains its AI development focus, reorganizing the Gemini app team under Google DeepMind. With growing financial performance and strategic prioritization of AI, YouTube’s strong revenue contribution underscores its importance to Alphabet’s business.
Troveo, a new content licensing platform, has launched with $4.5 million in seed funding to facilitate payments between AI companies and content creators. The platform enables creators to license their work for AI training while maintaining ownership rights.
Troveo has secured agreements with AI firms to distribute over $5 million to content owners by the end of 2024. Founded by Marty Pesis, previously of the creator hiring platform Vouch, Troveo positions itself as a solution for content owners who invest heavily in video production but do not receive compensation when AI companies use their content for training purposes.
The launch comes amidst concerns over major tech companies using YouTube videos to train AI models without creators’ consent, leading to lawsuits. As AI adoption grows in the creator economy, Troveo aims to establish a fair compensation model for creators whose work is utilized by AI companies.
Acast, a leading independent podcast company, is partnering with Barometer to provide AI-driven brand safety tools across its global network. The collaboration aims to address advertisers’ brand safety concerns by using AI to evaluate podcast content against safety standards.
Barometer’s technology transcribes and analyzes thousands of podcasts, allowing brands to set custom risk levels for ad placements. This automated system expands inventory for brands with strict requirements while enabling monetization opportunities for diverse creators. The integration provides transparency at scale, making it easier for brands to engage with a wider range of voices while meeting their standards.
Twitch is deploying AI technology to generate sponsored instant replays during gameplay streams, providing a new advertising opportunity for brands. The AI identifies significant moments and creates instant replay clips that brands can sponsor, allowing ad integration without disrupting the viewer experience.
This innovative format aligns with Twitch’s strategy of preserving entertainment value on the platform. The AI replays respond to the platform’s increasingly diverse audience and focus on partnering creators with brands based on shared values rather than surface compatibility. Twitch positions itself as an experimental space for advertising, with its community receptive to testing new approaches that maintain the entertainment experience.
Nicolas Bon, founder of Clark Influence, is pioneering a strategic and ethical approach to creator marketing campaigns. Born on Reunion Island, Bon moved to Montreal and identified a gap in helping brands effectively partner with creators during his studies. He launched Clark Influence in 2017 to provide comprehensive influencer marketing services spanning strategy, creator partnerships, content creation, and social media management.
The agency has grown rapidly, now employing over 50 professionals across Montreal, Toronto, and Paris offices serving major brands like the NBA, Starbucks, and Air France. A key differentiator is Clark Influence’s Strategic department staffed with top marketing strategists who develop insightful, creative influencer strategies going beyond basic product promotion.
The agency’s Clark Talent Factory builds genuine relationships with creators through networking events, providing qualitative and quantitative intelligence for optimal creator selection. Prioritizing industry ethics, Clark Influence established a Code of Ethics for transparent, authentic creator collaborations which over 40 Canadian influencers have adopted.
As AI-generated content proliferates, Bon believes authentic creator voices will become paramount. He advises brands to trust creators’ voices resonating with their audiences rather than tightly controlling campaign messaging. With its innovative vision for data-driven yet creative influencer marketing, Clark Influence is elevating standards for effective and ethical creator partnerships.
TikTok is reportedly testing a new feature that allows users to pre-save upcoming music albums directly to their Spotify or Apple Music libraries. This builds on TikTok’s existing “Add to Music App” capability and follows similar initiatives from competitors like Instagram. Pre-saves serve as a key music industry metric, with over 80% of pre-savers streaming new releases within the first week.
The feature could drive significant pre-save numbers for artists by tapping into TikTok’s highly engaged user base. While TikTok recently discontinued its own music streaming app to focus on driving value for other platforms, this move suggests TikTok is positioning itself as an influential marketing channel for the music industry.
Levellr, a community analytics platform, secured $1.75 million in funding to expand its tools that measure engagement metrics on platforms like Discord and Telegram. The funding round was led by gaming and media veterans, allowing Levellr to transition from a bootstrapped operation to a venture-backed company.
Levellr’s software integrates with Discord and Telegram to analyze community engagement, providing quantitative data on how active communities impact business performance. With the new funding, Levellr plans to integrate with Reddit in 2025 and offer consolidated analytics across multiple community platforms for brands. The creator economy is increasingly recognizing the value of engaged communities in driving tangible results.
An Estonian startup called Modash has raised $12 million in Series A funding to scale its creator search engine and platform for brands. Modash’s technology crawls the internet to build a comprehensive database of over 250 million content creators without requiring individual profiles. This allows brands to discover niche creators who may be overlooked on traditional influencer marketing platforms.
Major brands like Birkenstock, Victoria’s Secret, and Farfetch already use Modash to manage creator partnerships at scale. With the funding, Modash plans to improve its AI-powered creator discovery, global payment solutions, and expand its presence in North America by opening an office near Shopify’s headquarters. The creator economy is projected to grow to $480 billion by 2027, driving demand for Modash’s data-driven approach to scaling creator marketing programs.
LOST iN, a Berlin-based travel guidebook publisher, has embarked on an ambitious expansion strategy to become a comprehensive travel media platform. Under the leadership of Jonathan Skogmo, the company recently acquired several high-profile social media accounts and established travel creators, amassing engaged communities of passionate travelers.
LOST iN targets the “premium economy” travel segment, offering authentic storytelling and localized perspectives beyond traditional guidebooks. The acquisitions align with LOST iN’s mission to build a vibrant, like-minded community of travelers across platforms. With a focus on engagement metrics and community dynamics, LOST iN aims to solidify its position as a leader in the travel media space, offering inspiring content and influencing how people experience and think about travel.
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In an ironic shift for the creator economy, TikTok executives now view former President Trump, who previously attempted to ban the app in 2020, as their best hope for survival. According to The Information’s reporting, TikTok leadership believes a Trump victory could offer relief from the new law requiring Chinese-owned ByteDance to sell TikTok or face a U.S. ban by January.
While Trump has recently opposed the ban, citing concerns about strengthening Meta’s market position, TikTok maintains connections to his circle through former aide Tony Sayegh. The platform faces an imminent appeals court decision expected before Thanksgiving, with legal experts suggesting enforcement discretion could be key.
Running influencer Matt Choi has been banned for life from the New York City Marathon and other events by organizers New York Road Runners. During Sunday’s race, Choi ran flanked by two cameramen on electric bikes who obstructed other runners, violating competition rules.
Videos showed the bike riders weaving between participants on crowded stretches. NYRR disqualified Choi after determining he received unauthorized assistance that endangered others. In an apology post, Choi acknowledged his “selfish” choice had consequences like blocking runner access to water stations. The organizers’ decisive action upholds the integrity of major races and levels the playing field for all competitors.
Nostalgia has become a potent strategy for influencer marketing, tapping into powerful emotions and shared experiences. Aesthetics play a crucial role, evoking past eras through visuals, colors, and moods that resonate deeply with audiences. Content creators skillfully combine nostalgia with strong visuals, humor, and cultural touchpoints to forge emotional connections.
Brands like Coca-Cola and Bobby Jack have successfully leveraged nostalgia, with research showing over 90% of consumers find nostalgic ads more relatable. By harnessing the power of nostalgia and aesthetics, influencers and brands can stand out, build engagement, and forge lasting bonds with their audiences across generations.
Madalin Giorgetta’s moved from being a successful fitness influencer with 1 million Instagram followers to becoming a nutritionist after realizing her content promoted harmful ideas about body image. Giorgetta built an online fitness empire selling workout guides that promised a sculpted, muscular physique. However, in 2019, she had a realization that her messaging celebrated thinness and made people feel their bodies weren’t good enough.
This prompted her to radically change her content to an anti-diet stance, leading to backlash and loss of followers. Determined to have credibility, Giorgetta went back to college to study nutrition. Now working as a functional nutritionist, she encourages a whole-foods diet and believes her relationships with her body and loved ones have improved after leaving the obsessive influencer mindset behind.