YouTube Shorts' Creator Flex
Here's what happened on social media this week, September 23
This is a recap of creator news and trends. If you’re new here, welcome! My POV is shaped by going from building influencer programs and managing campaigns to working for a creator-turned-entrepreneur and teaching influencer marketing at UCLA.
📲 Roadmap
This week, I attended a Made On YouTube event with executives, creators and the media where the company confirmed some major updates (you might have seen last week’s leak) and shared some new announcements.
The big takeaway is that YouTube’s new ad revenue share for Shorts could make becoming a YouTuber more lucrative and appealing to all creators.
This is especially timely as allegiances are shifting and creators are deciding where to focus their efforts against a backdrop of tech industry growing pains.
Twitch just cut back how much its biggest streamers can earn
TikTok’s Creator Fund has been widely criticized and its TikTok Pulse program is limited to select creators
So, should you set your sights on YouTube? Let’s dig in.
🤝 The new path to the YouTube Partner Program
Acceptance into YouTube’s Partner Program is what gets you paid for your content. The new eligibility requirements announced this week are 1,000 subscribers plus 10 million Shorts views (over the last 90 days) or 4,000 public watch hours (over the last 12 months). This makes it easier for short-form creators to qualify. And once in the YPP, creators will receive the full suite of monetization offerings no matter how they got there.
This could incentivize someone who previously created TikToks or Reels to think of themselves as a YouTube creator. It also creates more flexibility between content formats. Even as TikTok and Instagram extend the length of videos that can be posted, YouTube clearly has an advantage for short-form creators looking to experiment with long-form content since the audience is already primed to expect videos longer than 60 seconds.
This part is key: The Shorts algorithm and the long-form algorithm will “speak to each other.” So someone who watches a Shorts video on a particular topic could be served up long-form content around the same topic. “That connectivity exists and we’re going to continue to build on it,” Amjad Hanif, YouTube’s VP of Creator Products told the audience. That means more discovery opportunities for all creators.
💬 Support for smaller creators
There’s also going to be a new Partner Program tier rolled out later in 2023 for smaller creators (with lowered requirements) who will get access to fan funding features, including:
Super Thanks
Super Chat
Super Stickers
Chanel Membership
Overall, the message is YouTube wants to be the home for creators regardless of format and the company is implementing actual measures to reinforce that message.
💰 Revenue sharing for Shorts creators
Shorts Creators in YPP will earn a 45% ad rev share from Shorts. This will be based on ad revenue earned by spots that run between Shorts videos in the app. The ad revenue will be pooled and paid out to Shorts creators based on the number of views each creator has generated over the past 30 days. An undisclosed portion of that revenue is also going to cover music licensing costs for Shorts.
Pooling funds may prove unpopular. YouTuber Hank Green, who’s been vocal about TikTok’s efforts, also expressed concern over the lack of clarity around what creators will actually earn after the record labels have been paid.
But whatever the payout, this is the first at-scale revenue sharing program for short-form video. And it should make Instagram and TikTok very nervous. If you can get paid for your content, why wouldn’t you post to Shorts? And depending on how lucrative it proves to be, Shorts could become the priority destination on creators’ cross-posting checklist between apps.
🎵 Creator Music gets artists and creators on board
YouTube announced the upcoming launch of Creator Music, a new destination in YouTube Studio for creators to search, browse and choose popular or trending music for their long-form videos.
There will be two models for accessing and using tracks from Creator Music:
-Creators can buy an upfront license to use copyright music
-Creators can choose a rev share option to split revenue with the artists and song writers who created the track
What this does is gives creators more diverse and readily available options beyond the Audio Library (which will still be available within Creator Music). It could also help get artists and major labels on board with the program since it’ll get tracks in front of fans and potential new audiences.
As for Shorts, YouTube announced that they would extend the length of music creators are able to use in videos from 15 seconds to 60 seconds.
Finally, if you’re weighing your content format options, YouTube says it would continue to invest in long-form, short-form and live. There’s been a lot of talk lately about how livestream e-commerce has struggled to find its footing in North America, but don’t count out this format just yet.
TL;DR
This is a very good time to start uploading to YouTube if you’re already making video for Reels or TikTok
Post content around a clearly defined niche so you can take advantage of YouTube’s algorithms introducing you to new audiences
If you’re already posting Shorts, start experimenting with long-form content and live video
📣 QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“We know the tricks. We are always watching the trends because we need our page to go off.”
-TikTok influencer Michael Dion on the trend of brands hiring TikTok talent to work in-house detailed in Glossy’s piece: Brands are hiring TikTok influencers to run their accounts
🧮 DATA OF THE WEEK
Five million followers
-The follower count allegedly required to tap into TikTok's two-tiered moderation system which gives preferential treatment to influencers, celebrities and VIPs as detailed in Forbes’ How TikTok Has Bent Its Rules For Its Top Creators. TikTok has denied the claim.
👩🏽🤝👨🏻 PEOPLE
Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen launches nonprofit to make social media healthier -CNBC
Adam Levine's alleged cheating DMs with model become viral meme -NBCNews
The Ultimate Power Ranking of Horny Celebrities Sliding Into DMs -Vice
Marques Brownlee’s team is hiring -MKBHD
📖 ALSO ON MY READING LIST…
Instagram is working on a "Popular Business on Instagram" badge -Alessandro Paluzzi, Twitter
Instagram is working on the ability to replace the audio track in your reel -Alessandro Paluzzi, Twitter
Instagram Story videos will no longer be split into separate story segments if under 60 seconds long -Matt Navarra, Twitter
TikTok has increased video description character limit to 2,200 characters -Matt Navarra, Twitter
ESPN launches its Creator Network -Lindsey Gamble, Twitter
NyQuil chicken isn’t actually a TikTok trend -TechCrunch
Will TikTok’s ‘Butter Board’ Become the Next Charcuterie Board? -Eater
What Happens on the Internet Every Minute (2022 Version) -SocialMediaToday
Patreon's deals with top TikTokers fell far short of expectations, leaked documents show -Insider (paywall)
A leaked Hype House contract reveals its 11 'House Rules' for influencers -Insider (paywall)
What China Can Teach Us About the Future of TikTok and Video Search -a16z
Instagram Slow to Tackle Bots Targeting Iranian Women’s Groups -Wired