|
Top stories for bloggers, newsletter writers, and content creators.
|
|
|
If there is an article you think should be included in this roundup, please reply with a link. |
|
|
No. 1: Brands Gain Leverage in Creator Sponsorships
Competition, focus, and performance will impact influencer (creator) marketing this year, according to a new EMARKETER webinar titled "Beyond Brand Deals: How Marketers Can Navigate the New Creator Economy."
First, there is no shortage of content creators. Citing reports from YouTube and the Keller Advisory Group, EMARKETER notes that "Among US Gen Zers who are active online, 65% consider themselves video content creators" and in "July 2023, the US had 27 million self-identified income-earning creators."
"You can just see how big the creator pool really is—and that means there's inevitably going to be a lot more competition for ad dollars and consumer spending."
Second, in the past three years, brands have reduced the number of influencers they work with from as many as 20 in 2021 to five or fewer last year.
Third, marketers have gotten better at measuring creator sponsorships and will optimize for performance.
Influencers who want to keep sponsorship dollars flowing must deliver an audience, a solid endorsement, and real results.
|
|
|
No. 2: A Wealth Creation Masterclass
The Billion Dollar Creator podcast combined several conference videos and interviews into a creator wealth creation masterclass that includes actionable tips content creators can use to move from professional to superstar.
The clips included in the episode feature cameos from host Nathan Barry, Ali Abdaal, Matt Schnuck, Sahil Bloom, Simon Severino, and Sam Parr.
|
|
|
No. 3: Midjourney Update
Midjourney, the leading AI image generation platform, has rolled out its latest update, version 6.1, bringing significant advancements in rendering realistic human images.
In total, here are the improvements.
- More coherent images,
- Much better image quality,
- More precise, detailed, and correct small image features,
- New up-scalers with much better image/texture quality,
- Improved text accuracy (when drawing words via "quotations" in prompts),
- A new personalization model with improved nuance, surprise, and accuracy
- Personalization code versioning (use any personalization code from old jobs to use the personalization model and data from that job)
- A new "--q 2 "mode, which takes 25% longer to (sometimes) add more texture at the cost of reduced image coherence,
- Things should look "generally more beautiful" across the board.
The Future Pilot YouTube channel did a great review and demonstrated how to compare version 6 to the new 6.1.
|
|
|
No. 4: Blogs Build Trust in the AI Age
Generative AI has many writers worried. It seems like ChatGPT or some similar bot can write just about anything on any topic in seconds.
While this possibility is certainly a concern for content creators, the abundance of AI articles has readers demanding authenticity.
In an article about business blogging specifically, Ron Lieback argues that authentic blogging gradually builds long-term, trusting relationships with readers.
|
|
|
No. 5: In Spite of "Concerns," Generative AI is a Tool for YouTube, TikTok
A Digiday video with a misleading headline — "Why YouTube and TikTok creators aren't going all-in on AI-generated videos"— starts by expressing concerns about how AI-generated videos harm the environment and make poor "art."
But before Tim Peterson is done, a gentle argument is made in favor of AI-aided workflows and research. Ultimately, generative AI does have a lot to offer for content creators.
However, some of the attendees at VidCon, where Peterson interviewed creators, are alarming in appearance, so watch with care.
|
|
|