Jim Louderback: YouTube Algorithm Insider Explains What’s New, and Revelations from an Expert Model of the Creator Economy

BY JIM LOUDERBACK

This Week: New insights on audience satisfaction and content optimization from YouTube’s internal algorithm czar, copyright challenges for the video and AI age, and new academic research on the influencer economy. Also updates on the post-creator landscape, TikTok’s Creator Marketplace and much more. It’s the end of May and here’s what you need to know.

YouTube Algorithm Chief Explains How It Really Works: A must watch video for anyone building on YouTube featuring Todd Beaupré. Top insights include “don’t think algorithm, think audience”, and an exploration of how YouTube takes the long view via “satisfaction” – and how that complements watch time. He also shares how YouTube evaluates new creators and helps them find an audience and how to think about optimizing Shorts, podcasts, and long-form. Todd also expands what “satisfaction” really means in a LinkedIn comment. Love hearing from the source, more please YouTube! (Pro tip: YouTube lets you adjust playback speed. It’s even better at 1.5x).

From F* Pay Me to F* Hire Me: OG creator Peter Hollens 🟣 has been an advocate for creators nearly forever. One of Patreon’s first investors, he’s now focusing on the post-creator experience. And his recent essay passionately explains why creators really do make the best social media managers. And also why companies that hire creators build real competitive advantage. The article also lays out the thesis for his latest startup, but is worth reading beyond the self-promotion. Other examples are emerging too, including Too Faced’s new creative director Sara Echeagaray, Sophie Lightning’s stint at Nerf and now Made by Gather, and many more. But it’s not just another promotional avenue, as success creators can directly translate those skills to building success for you.

From Andy Warhol to YouTube Swatting: Copyright in the video/AI age is a vipers nest of contradictions. Our institutions – from government to top platforms – remain woefully behind the times, which creates minefields for creators and artists alike. First up, an awful story about how a vindictive creator uses YouTube’s creaky copyright strike system to attack competing creators. Hey Big Red, why is strike “swatting” still a thing? Next, the US Supreme Court narrowed fair use by slapping Condé Nast for its transformative interpretation of an Andy Warhol painting. Peter Csathy explains why this ruling could have huge implications for generative AI. Copyright needs to be reinvented for the AI and digital age – but we’ve known that for nearly 30 years.

Academics Discover the Creator Economy: When should creators demand reciprocal exclusivity during brand deal negotiations? Now there’s a scientific answer! Researchers from Cornell and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology just released an economic and quantitative model of the influencer economy to explain how it works and divulged some interesting conclusions. In addition to exclusivity optimization, they also predict when long-term hookups are better for both parties and much more. Read the dense and non-peer reviewed paper (or download my free GenAI summary sourced from ChatPDF, Bing and ChatGPT). And expect more academic scrutiny on Creator Econometrics in the months ahead. That’s a good thing.

QUIBIS:

• NBC builds a social media consulting team – with a focus on Olympic athletes. 
• Good post from TikTok’s Jerry Soer on how to use the Creator Marketplace to drive results – I’ve used it and I’m a fan. Thanks, Adrienne Lahens, for resurfacing it.
• No surprises here – TikTok sues Montana.
• Interesting essay on persuasion from media and marketing expert Brad Berens, Ph.D.
• GenZ dream – get paid to watch TikTok!
• YouTube shuts down stories. Phil Ranta is sad. I’m all like WTF and good riddance.
• Meta with another round of layoffs, this time in the creator and music partnerships area, among others. Hard to claim you are creator-first when you cut back on the support teams ($).
• Popular streamer Amouranth joins CarynAI, launches “your sexy and playful girlfriend”.
• Top game streamer Kai Cenat spurns Kick, announces new show on Rumble.
• Interesting Twitter stream from Peter Kafka, exploring the ad vs. sub split in YouTube’s $40B annual revenue.
• Perhaps preparing for a long strike, SAG-AFTRA signs comprehensive deal with Cameo. Could OF be next (probably not, but it probably should).
• Oracle started reviewing TikTok’s source code – but The Information begs to differ ($).
• The “Ad Recession” has definitely arrived, says Simon Owens – who suggests doubling down on subscriptions and other paid revenue. Unfortunately, it also means cutting back, layoffs and fire sales.
• Should you be monetizing your Discord server? – Part 1 of a timely tutorial series.
• The latest social media trends and fads (HT Brendan Gahan).
• Rex Woodbury dives into how Duolingo grew its massive TikTok audience.

CRYPTIS & GENIES:

• Li Jin explores the potential of the Lens Protocol, a creator-friendly open social graph that lets you keep your followers as you change social platforms.
• OpenAI releases white paper laying out how government should regulate superintelligence.
• Adobe brings cool new GenAI tools to Photoshop.
• AI ad reads could soon come to your Spotify podcasts.

Thanks for reading and see you around the internet. Send me a note with your feedback, or post in the comments! 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! 

If you’re interested in working together as a sponsor to reach the leaders in the creator economy, check out Inside the Creator’s sponsorship packages and/or email me at jim@louderback.com.

And don’t forget to listen to The Creator Feed – the weekly podcast Renee Teeley and I produce – get it on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Stitcher!

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