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Extra Value | A Realistic Way to Get Brand Deals

Extra Value | A Realistic Way to Get Brand Deals

PLUS: TikTok is heavily pushing live streaming, influencer marketing tips during elections and how Ronaldo took over Youtube in 90 mins!

Creator X & JT Barnett
November 07, 2024

What’s Hot?

What would Youtube look like without view counts and upload dates?

JT’s Takeaway: This ended up just being a google chrome extension but it was intriguing to me to experience what YouTube would feel like without view counts or upload dates. One of the ways I started looking into thumbnails was by using my hand to block out the title, view count, and upload dates while scrolling the home page and just seeing what I could notice and if the thumbnail gave me understanding of the video before putting my hand down and seeing the actual title. It’s a helpful game to play with yourself and see if your thumbnails give the gist of what your video is all about.

TikTok's LIVE Fest, uniting creators worldwide and pushing live streaming to more people

JT’s Takeaway: Tiktok is REALLY pushing live commerce, and even though it hasn’t fully been adopted yet in the US like it has in China, we will see if it eventually does because there is no stopping the push that live platforms are making. If you have never joined a live before on your TikTok or IG or anywhere, if you want to be an early adopter, I would be testing it out and trying to have fun with it. It might lead to somewhere!

Youtube is eating traditional TV for lunch!

JT’s Takeaway: YouTube is crushing TV by letting people watch what they want anytime. It has tons of different creators and personalized suggestions, making it more appealing, especially to younger folks. Ads on YouTube are better targeted, so advertisers prefer it. TV is going to have to drastically change to keep up with YouTube.

Marketing Execs Say Knowing Influencers Helps Avoid Political Backlash

JT’s Takeaway: This election was largely influenced by the world of creators, and it will continue to be that way moving forward. Any candidate, political or not, who dives deeper into relationship building with creators and influencers will have a leg up on their competition.

Who’s hiring?

Demand for creator economy jobs has more than doubled this year!

How did Cristiano Ronaldo gain 1 Million subscribers in 90 mins?

The collaborative strategy (and efforts) between Dentsu Creative Iberia, and the CR7 media company.

Have you heard of “Nostalgia Marketing”?

How happy memories from the past help build emotional connections with consumers.

TikTok Search Insights are an underused strategy for understanding your audience

Start understanding your analytics so you can level up your content and connect more with your followers.

Struggling to make your message clear and persuasive ?

A step-by-step video on how to talk and have clear ideas while making your videos.

Why Publishers are saying “audience is the new king, not content”

Why building direct connections with your audience outperforms on major platforms.

ZCON showcased Gen Z's commitment to sustainability, creativity, and entrepreneurial spirit.

A conference hosted by UTA, brings together young creators, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders to discuss topics relevant to Gen Z.

Founder’s Corner

Let me tell you exactly how to land brand deals that pay and make a real impact. Whether it’s locking in partnerships with big names like Sony or teaming up with brands you genuinely love… I’m sharing practical tips to make the process straightforward and, most importantly, doable. ✅

🛣️ Know Your Lane

Know your lane and be the go-to person in your niche. You don’t need millions of followers; an engaged, quality audience is gold. I’ve seen success with around 100K on Instagram, 300K on TikTok, and 25K on LinkedIn, but you don’t need massive numbers to make money. I’ve seen people with as few as 5,000 followers landing brand deals and building income! It’s not about the numbers but the loyalty of your community.

Define Your Niche: Know what you stand for and why people should follow you. Be the go-to in your community.
Stand Out: Make your content memorable so people can easily describe what makes you unique. You want to leave an impression.

🚀 Freebies to Opportunities

Doing something for free with brands can legit open so many doors! My Sony partnership started with an unpaid invite to a camera camp, which led to a paid $15K campaign and even a Best Buy commercial.. every free exposure is a chance to grow your network and show your value.

Practice: Treat each free experience as a way to get comfortable creating brand videos and UGC. This practice helps you build confidence and develop your style, so when paid offers come in, you’re fully prepared to deliver high-quality results.

🎯 Who Are Your Dream Collabs?

If you love certain brands and use them regularly, jot them down. If it fits naturally into your content, pitching becomes effortless. Your audience will vibe with what you actually enjoy, making your future partnerships feel real and impactful.

Keep It Authentic: Only pitch brands you believe in. Authenticity attracts the best partnerships and builds trust with your audience.

💬 Reaching Out to Brands

Keep your outreach short and to the point. Start using DMs or LinkedIn, and mention why you’re a fan. The main purpose of your message should be to explain how you would add value to their product.

Showcase Value: Make it clear why you’re worth their time and how your content aligns with their goals. Be sure to study their audience
Use Loom: This one is unique: Use Loom to create a personal video pitch; walk brands through your ideas and show them why you love their product so much.

🤝🏽 Aim for Long-Term Partnerships

Whenever possible, go for ongoing collabs instead of one-offs. My WeWork gig started small but grew into a year-long, six-figure partnership because I stuck with it. And don’t limit yourself to one platform; expand to stories, reels, LinkedIn – the more ways you show up, the stronger the partnership.

Be the Brand Advocate: Show brands you’re invested by integrating them into your content naturally and consistently over time.

Opportunities

My biggest focus right now is the recruiting firm I started called CreatorX. We help companies connect deeper with their audience by hiring the best creators in the world for their own accounts.

Our current openings ⬇️

Creator X