ICYMI: Meta Wants You to Outsource Engagement to AI Chatbots
Creators will be able to dupe themselves to answer DMs and more
[via Meta]
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Meta announced AI image editing tools coming to Instagram + more AI news from Meta Connect
Scroll for four creator-related conferences to add to your calendar
Forbes dropped its second annual Top Creators list
Building reports is a pain. Here’s a solution*
💻 ROADMAP
Platform updates you need to know about as a marketer or creator
📲 Meta Updates
Generative AI was a big focus of Mark Zuckerberg’s time on stage at Meta Connect’s developer conference this week:
Meta is bringing AI image editing tools to Instagram next month
They’ll also be rolling out customizable AI stickers that anyone can create
Meta’s Ray Ban smart glasses might finally be worth investing in with some new creator-friendly features. Coming October 17, the glasses will allow you to livestream handsfree to friends and followers on Instagram and Facebook and use voice commands to share photos with others. This latest version, priced at $299, also comes in more styles, with an improved camera, speakers and more powerful processor
A beta version of Meta AI’s basic assistant will be rolling out across their platforms, along with 28 unique AI personalities soon. Zuckerberg says they're experimenting with personality-driven AIs with interest and expertise in cooking, fitness, travel, fashion, sports, writing, games and more. The company partnered with creators and celebrities such as MrBeast, Charli D’Amelio, LaurDIY, Dwayne Wade and Snoop Dogg, to embody these characters
Meta is also working on a tool that will allow brands, celebrities and creators to develop their own AI characters to interact with friends and followers — imagine being able to respond to every DM without actually having to type a word yourself
My Takeaway: As with anything Meta related, these AI developments could be a double-edged sword for creators. Being able to outsource FAQs responses and random follower replies to an AI character or dupe of yourself might be a time saver.
But these personality-plus AI characters sound a lot like an evolution from standard chatbots to virtual influencers. Zuck even said the AI personalities were meant to go beyond commerce and delivering assistance to also providing entertainment and “fun” interactions.
It’s possible the company sees this as a way forward that doesn’t rely on the unpredictability of human creators. That could mean brands without a visible spokesperson or mascot may be encouraged to see these AI personalities as a viable alternative to creators.
Chatbots can be an efficient and relatively affordable way to scale customer support and engagement but — outside of the 2013 movie Her about a man who falls in love with an operating system — it doesn’t replace human connection. Doubling down on unique, personality-driven content will be even more important for creators and emphasizing those real life partnerships will become a campaign selling point for marketers.
📲 TikTok Update
TikTok announced its Creative Assistant AI-powered tool for advertisers, promising virtual assistance with trending insights, research to analyze top performing ads, generating creative concepts and writing scripts.
📲 Snap Update
Snapchat is testing sponsored links through its My AI chatbot. Brands inserting themselves into a consumer chatbot conversation makes more sense than your actual DMs given that the AI isn’t creeping on or interrupting an actual conversation. The suggestions that will be provided around food and dining, beauty and fitness, shopping and gadgets are meant to be relevant to the chat with My AI.
📲 Reddit Update
Reddit is rolling out a new Contributor Program where qualifying redditors, including mods, can earn cash for the content they share and contributions they make to the platform.
📲 LTK Update
If you’ve been following the TikTok Shop news, you know that frictionless ecommerce is the way. Creator affiliate platform LTK just announced a Buy Now feature that lets users buy directly through creators' Shops without ever leaving the app.
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💰 Forbes Top Creators 2023
There aren't any big surprises in the second annual Forbes' Top Creators 2023 list. The top contenders are pretty much the usual suspects in the creator space, especially the top 10 list Forbes crowned as the highest-earning influencers in the world (based on Forbes’ own estimates, which means none of this has been fact checked):
MrBeast
KSI
Jake Paul
Rhett & Link
Charli D'Amelio
Logan Paul*
Elliot Tebele (FuckJerry)
Emma Chamberlain
Matt Rife*
Brent Rivera*
*newcomers to Forbes’ list but not to the world of digital creators
📱 Samsung’s new ploy to get kids off iPhones is a MrBeast sponsorship
Almost 90% of teens own an iPhone. In an effort to flip that script, Samsung is turning to the world’s most powerful creator. Earlier this week, the company announced the Galaxy S series would be MrBeast’s official vlog cam.
The partnership kicked off with this September 16 video comparing the world’s most expensive cars and has already racked up 114M views, which MrBeast suggests is arguably the best cost per impression in the world.
🛒 As Its U.S. Shop Opens, TikTok’s Chinese Merchants Struggle to Sell Their Mops and Soap Dispensers
TikTok Shop is trying to find its footing. The entertainment platform has succeeded in making some items go viral — pickle shirts, anyone? — but those seem to be one-off trends. Turning the FYP into a mall selling mundane items like mops and soap dispensers is a challenge, according to this Wall Street Journal piece:
“Learning to navigate marketing on social media, picking the right products and avoiding cultural faux pas are all part of the challenges faced by Chinese merchants. Some of the vendors also say their margins are being squeezed by TikTok’s desire to compete with low-price platforms Shein and Temu in online retail.”
As much as retailers and the platform want to tap into the US’s 150 million users — and the article cites free classes and third-party agencies trying to make that happen — Americans still want to be entertained. It’s going to be a lot harder than flipping a switch on the FYP to turn it into the next QVC or HSN.
Read More:
✈️ EVENT WATCH
Spooky season, cuffing season, PSL season… whatever you call it, it’s a busy time for social and creator events. Here are just a few of the dates on my calendar this week and next:
Meta Connect, which focused on AI, mixed reality, and smart wear, took place Wednesday and Thursday
VidCon Baltimore runs Thursday through Sunday on the East Coast
LTK Con’s annual creator conference is October 2-3 in Dallas — I’ll be attending
VidSummit’s conference for creators and marketers takes place October 3-5 in Dallas
🧮 DATA OF THE WEEK
The order of links on a creator Linktree has a huge impact on what gets attention. Looking at a list of 10 links, the first three links have an average of 130% higher click-through-rates (CTRs) than the bottom seven.
Marketers: if inclusion in a creator’s Linktree list is part of your campaign, make sure you’re securing one of the top three spots! Data according to Linktree’s 2023 Creator Report
📖 WORTH READING
A round-up of the most interesting tech and trend headlines of the week
Help! I Hate My Brand The longer a creator’s career, the more likely they are to evolve — and to feel a growing gap between their online and offline selves -Bustle
B2B influencer marketing is on the rise; Besides LinkedIn, YouTube is the most used platform for B2B influence -Business Insider (paywall)
Irish university to offer degree in influencing -BBC
Brands are adding their most engaged customers to the PR list -Glossy
The FTC is cracking down on stealth advertising to kids and warns platforms, influencers, and marketers: “Read carefully” -Passionfruit
AI-generated ‘subliminal messages' are going viral; They're not going make you subconsciously crave McDonald's, but they are pretty cool as optical illusions -Vice
Linda Yaccarino Defends Elon Musk in Tense Interview About Twitter’s Transformation Into X -The Hollywood Reporter
Thanks for reading!
