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I’m back from seeing NoFX’s final shows and feeling very punk rock.

And what’s more punk than our company Fixated launching a new version of Punk’d for the digital age?

Okay, a very different definition of ‘punk,’ but it’s been a mosh-pit of a week in creator economy news.

Facebook, known for creator unfriendly programs (that’s saying it nicely) is claiming to launch a simpler monetization program with millions of users in the beta and open enrollment in 2025.

And let’s talk conventions! The announcement of SoCom, the social commerce convention, the third edition of the 1 Billion Follower Summit in Dubai has a date (I spoke at last year’s con), and VidCon is taking shape under its new ownership (I’m back as an Industry Track advisor!)

In ‘I for one welcome our robot overlords’ news, Ironmouse, a virtual influencer in the form of an anime girl, is now the record holder for the most Twitch subs. Lots of implications here.

Let’s get into it.

NEWS:

Meta Betta Pay Up!

Fool me ten times, I guess I’ll try you again.

Facebook has launched another monetization program after creators and publishers saw billion-dollar companies grow and fail due to Meta’s massive sudden changes to their programs and algorithms (Jellysmack should be NBC by now!).

And this program, on its face, shouldn’t be that exciting. The press releases even admitted it was just a way to aggregate their current monetization programs into one interface.

So, creator reps, should your creators care?

My hot take: Facebook is finally doing exactly what it should have always done: simplify. They finally built the right thing.

Jellsmack raised $40m and signed huge creators like MrBeast and PewDiePie simply through Facebook’s inability to get those creators to care without an intermediary.

If creators can understand how to monetize on their own through a one-click opt-in without needing to effectively start an ad account (yes…this was seriously the old system…), creators will be more likely to lean into these 2.5b monthly active users as a serious, and seriously monetizable, market.

Convention Inventions and Interventions

VidCon had an off year; other conventions have stepped in to win the creator economy.

VidSummit had an incredible showing but may have been held back by its strange decision to be in Irving, Texas.

CreatorFest launched and had some decent press, though attendees did say it felt like a ‘first-year’ kind of vibe.

And this week came the announcement of SoCom, the first social commerce convention, and already has some killer speakers (here’s a link to 50% off an industry pass for a limited time!)

Meanwhile, in Dubai, the 1 Billion Follower Summit is back for year three as the UAE makes a play to be the creator economy epicenter of the world. And based on how well they’re treating creators including a promised $1m award to a creator this year and a $40m government fund just for creators, I think they have a shot.

So who will win the battle of the conventions for your clients?

My hot take: It’s wide open because no convention has nailed the creator experience.

I’ve been taking top-tier creators to VidCon, Playlist Live, and more since 2012 and there has always been a glaring issue:

It’s not worth their time.

These conventions are generally made for fans, brands, and wannabes because they’re the easiest to monetize.

The first convention that can make creators feel celebrated, actually advances their career, gets them paid, and makes them have a lot of fun will get the major creators to show up in droves.

Then the fans, brands, and wannabes will follow.

Ironmouse is the New Cartoon ‘Mouse’ of Record

Ironmouse is the most profitable creator on Twitch by subscription revenue.

And she’s not real. She’s an anime cartoon character.

That’s part of why she achieved 321,000 subscribers and over 2 million followers by streaming for 30 days straight.

So as a creator rep who likes money, you’re likely asking yourself, “Should I ditch all of these complex human creators and make my own?”

My hot take: Yes. As much as possible.

This is the hardest it will ever be to make your own Vtuber. With AI already moving into voice-driven chatbots, realistic video, and increasingly exciting personalities, staying ahead of the curve for virtual creators will be a huge benefit to your career.

I’m shocked nobody has launched a company where, based on a few prompts and a monthly fee, you can launch a 24/7 game streamer that plays a game on Twitch, learns about their fans, follows all best practices, and never has ‘low energy’ issues.

Feels like you can do this by stacking existing technology that’s already public.

We don’t need these to be real humans. Spongebob, Pokemon, and Dragonball Z are all cartoons and I wouldn’t put any creators’ fandom above those.

So time to brush up on your marketing and branding skills so you can properly launch your own digital puppet.

OPTIMIZATION:

Tell Fans Why You’re Doing This

There’s nothing more important to a creator’s growth than turning viewers into followers, followers into fans, and fans into superfans.

And the easiest way to not sound like a shameless self-promoter is to give fans something to believe in.

Tell them ‘why’.

I’m not asking you to click to subscribe. I’m asking you to subscribe so you don’t miss my next video, in which I tell you how to make a million dollars using a single pen.

I’m not telling you to buy Celsius. I’m asking you to take a selfie of yourself with a can, and if it’s good, I’ll share it with my audience so you can be a star.

I’m not launching a TikTok Shop to get rich. I get a lot of requests from fans to share where I get my clothes, and now I’ll make it easier for them to buy.

Creators don’t need to be afraid to peel back the fourth wall and let them into their decision-making process.

It makes them more human.

MONETIZATION:

When to Take a Chance

Creator reps: you aren’t going to close big outbound deals for every talent every month.

You may be good, but nobody is that good.

One rule has stuck with me from my days as a full-time manager: always be working on three things for every client.

If you have three killer brand deals, that’s awesome!

This may be a great time to shoot for the moon if you don't.

Perhaps your creator wants to join the board of a young startup that may become the next Facebook. It's not a slam dunk, but it could be transformative.

Maybe it’s time to start that TikTok Shop. Risky? Yes. But I’ve talked to plenty of creators making more than six-figures per month on the platform.

Or maybe it’s time to try that podcast. Even if you don’t release your first three episodes because they’re terrible, but exploring passions will be the only way to evolve.

Don’t be afraid to take chances when time allows. There’s no completely de-risked way to go big.

INDUSTRY HIRING:

Supergut needs a Director of Social & Influencer Marketing that has brag-worthy BMs.

High Scale wants a TikTok Creator who isn’t afraid to literally dance for their dinner.

Andreessen Horowitz is looking for a Partner 18, Digital Community Manager but you have to lie and say you listen to your boss’s podcast…

MEME ZONE:

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this edition, give it a share and if you get someone to sign up, I’ll send you my ‘10 Rep-Friendly Ways to Monetize Today!’ deck!

Until next time, protect yo rep.

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