Welcome back to ‘brat’ summer!

Yes, I did have to Google what the heck Charlie XCX was talking about and why what appears to be a Fiverr design for the prompt ‘ugliest album cover from 1991’ is so hot right now.

K-hive coconuts aside, this week was full of vibe theft lawsuits, Michael Bay embracing Skibidi Toilet, and a super disturbing scandal on the MrBeast team.

But this newsletter is about action, not gossip, so I’d like to dive deeper into TikTok’s decision to launch the ability to upload custom thumbnails and its announcement that it’s hiring a slew of in-house thumbnail designers.

If you read between the lines, dear creator representatives, this gives clues to where TikTok plans to go with its content strategy. And if you get ahead of it, your creators can lead the next TikTok revolution.

Let’s get into it.

NEWS:

TikTok’s Thumbnail Strategy Implies an FYP Pivot

Thank you, Matt Navara, for flagging TikTok’s quiet launch of custom thumbnail uploads!

TikTok has only allowed users to select a frame within their video to act as a ‘thumbnail’ that lightly animates with a few surrounding frames when a user scrolls over the post.

Historically, I’ve advised my clients to ‘hide’ a well-designed thumbnail within their video so they can simply select that frame and have an amazing-looking grid like Brendan Gahan’s TikTok.

But I believe this ‘nice to have’ feature tells a more complex story about where TikTok is heading with their platform.

My point of view: this feature signals a move away from the FYP and towards searching, surfing, and subscribing like YouTube.

The reasoning is simple: thumbnails didn’t matter much on TikTok because almost all views came from the FYP feed, which doesn’t show thumbnails.

The videos just play.

However, recent reports about Gen Z / Alpha using TikTok as a primary search engine have caused the platform to start embracing the power of search.

And unlike the FYP, search surfaces a series of videos where you can see thumbnails and post text.

Mix that with creators’ complaints of large reach on TikTok with low fan loyalty, and that gives TikTok a huge reason to focus on making channel pages into destinations.

For your creators, now is the time to start polishing their back catalogue with branded custom thumbnails, push into longer-form content (doesn’t perform as well on the FYP but does great when building fandom), and optimize that post text for search instead of just writing ‘chillin’ again!

NEW OPPORTUNITIES:

Microlearning is the New College

Attention spans are getting shorter.

In fact, I’m guessing most subscribers haven’t read this far into this newsletter!

Enter microlearning, or very specific online courses that can give someone a targeted bit of knowledge quickly.

And it’s ADHD-friendly!

Many creators I’ve worked with are interested in launching courses but were intimidated by structuring and producing a useful series.

But with the rise of microlearning, you can start a Kajabi class and offer a 30-minute class on using AI to write an autobiography for $10.

So if you have a creator that isn’t selling digital products, it may be time to get them thinking smaller!

SOCIAL OPTIMIZATION:

Stop Overthinking Ephemeral Video

I’ve recently been deep-diving into the ephemeral video strategies from top creators on platforms like Instagram Stories and Snap.

Shameless plug: that’s because at Fixated we help top creators operationalize Snap Story monetization to serve as a passive and meaningful revenue opportunity and you should absolutely reach out to me if you want more info.

That aside, a few findings shocked me.

1. Very few top creators are posting more five ephemeral videos per day.

2. None that I found were posting the same content on Instagram Stories and Snap.

3. Very few are using links within ‘stories’ to promote initiatives and content on their other social media.

4. Almost none are telling stories through their stories. They’re just random moments rather than a fun, follow-able story of their day.

This all leads to one conclusion: creators are either overthinking ‘stories’ as a format or not thinking about it at all.

There’s a happy medium that can yield huge results.

My rule, take pictures and videos throughout your day. Most creators will do that anyway.

Pick a few times in your day when you’ll spend 10 minutes posting those stories onto your ephemeral video platforms along with text to help move viewers through the story.

Feel free to include a link in between longer stories to attract audiences to your merch, YouTube videos, or, if you’re me, LinkedIn.

The content goes away after 24 hours. It doesn’t have to be perfect. But it’s a powerful engagement tool that doesn’t need to take much time.

INDUSTRY HIRING:

Electrify Video Partners needs a Physics YouTube Channel Writer/Director - Veritasium EU for anyone who wants to really confuse their parents when they ask “Wait…what are you doing for a living?”

Big Loud Records wants a Vice President, Digital & Viral Marketing if you love country music and know what ‘rizz’ means.

Dick Clark Productions seeks a SVP, Talent Strategy. Hot tip: the strategy is always “Call Ryan Seacrest.”

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.