Creators to the Moon 🚀

Creators and platforms that are breaking the mold

May 11, 2021

4,418 of you are here for the first issue of The Publish Press 🙌🏼 🙌🏾. Samir and I wrote today’s top story and the incredible Alice Ophelia wrote the bottom two. We’re in the early stages of this project and are 100% fueled by your feedback. Hit reply and don’t hold back.

In Today’s Issue 💬

→ Elon Musk sends SNL ratings to the moon with YouTube stream

→ Hype House to White House: why the future President could be a YouTuber

→ Snapchat Originals’ fight for Gen Z

SNL Heads To YouTube

Saturday Night Live makes history by livestreaming to YouTube

Source: NBC/Saturday Night Live

Tesla CEO Elon Musk hosted Saturday Night Live (SNL) over the weekend. For the first time in the show’s history, the cable TV show was streamed on YouTube globally. It aired to mixed reviews, but saw record ratings, beating out the previous episode’s approval ratings by over 30%. Elon’s episode was the third most-viewed episode this season behind Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle. 

Why does SNL streaming on YouTube matter?

  • Breaking the Mold → SNL broke the mold for late night television with live, outrageous moments that would never be approved by the network. They were media renegades that created must-see TV. Today’s renegades aren’t on TV, they are on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, and the show is recognizing that.

  • Numbers Speak for Themselves → Elon’s clips on YouTube generated roughly 44m views within 24 hours of the show airing. To compare, the show is currently averaging 12.6m viewers per episode. The episode promo has 1.1m views on YouTube, while the previous host’s promo video (actor Carey Mulligan) sits at just 264k. 

Elon Musk is equal parts tech titan and social media influencer. The line between founder and creator is getting blurry. The teaser promos, international YouTube live-stream link, and YouTube clips were all shared to the tech titan’s 53m global followers on Twitter. His social reach is backed by true fans that will follow him anywhere (except for maybe cable TV).

Our Take 

Streaming live, full-length shows on YouTube is a big departure for NBC. The company’s digital strategy has historically been clip-based, opting to upload only the best parts of shows onto YouTube. But, the network is increasingly recognizing the reach of creators and platforms like YouTube and bringing them on board. Elon Musk is hardly a digital-native creator, but the tech titan turned meme machine is a step in the right direction. Maybe SNL will think twice before opting for the traditional Hollywood host lineup for their next show?

Nothing But Respect For My (YouTuber) President  

Two UK-based YouTubers ran for Mayor of London

Source: C&S Creative

This week two British YouTubers went head-to-head in the race for Mayor of London. Creators Max Fosh and Niko Omilana campaigned alongside career politicians in the unexpected fight for the nation’s capital. Though neither emerged victorious, Niko managed to place fifth in a race of 20 candidates. đź‘€  

This creator pivot to getting ~political~ isn’t just a British phenomenon. YouTuber Meet Kevin is running for Governor of California, telling supporters, “I’d be the only Governor making YouTube videos everyday”.

So, why is this happening?

  • Built In Reach → Prospective legislators spend millions in campaign funds trying to reach their constituents with messaging that sounds relatable. Creators just have to press publish to do that. They have the upper hand because they already have a scaled audience that trusts their authenticity. 

  • Creator Two Way Street → US House Representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez aka AOC’s strategy to GOTV (Get Out The Vote) with younger audiences and first-time voters resulted in one of the biggest Twitch debuts ever. Jon Ossoff became a mini TikTok celebrity in an attempt to reach the 23,000 Georgia teens who turned 18 between November’s general election and the January runoff. Influence certainly works both ways.

Our Take

Niko’s 5th place finish proves the power that creators have to drive voter turnout. Who needs a vast promotional budget when you’ve got a built-in audience thanks to YouTube or TikTok? Max’s YouTube series on running for Mayor also shows creators how to develop content of the people, by the people, for the people. Sounds like a winning formula to us. As younger politicians enter the political sphere, it’s clear that creators will play a major role in the outcome of future elections. 

Don’t Sleep on Snap

Snap is courting Gen-Z with creator-focused originals

Source: Snap / C&S Creative

Snapchat drew more than 400 million viewers in 2020 with their slate of original programming. 85% of Gen Z Americans tuned in to at least one of its 128 original shows in the latter part of 2020. Now, the D’Amelio sisters, Megan Thee Stallion and others are joining the app’s 68 existing Snap partners to deliver produced content through Snap Originals. Originals fall into three categories: talent, issues and “shows that are only possible on Snapchat”, according to Vanessa Guthrie, Head of Snap Originals.

So, with high ambitions for the year ahead, should creators still care about Snap?

  • Know your Audience → Snap is dropping nine new original shows across topics like LGBTQ+, climate change, and finding love. It’s clear that Snap is focused on feeding the appetites of shared Gen Z interest. Creators in those categories can ride the wave of Originals with commentary and companion content.

  • Snap Nation → Up 22% YoY, Snap has 280 million daily active users and Spotlight has 125 million MAU (monthly active users). So yeah… people use Snap. With the advantage of eyeballs in Snap’s corner, the platform is spending big on creators with the hopes of cashing in. Snap’s Originals is going with a creator-first strategy, enlisting digital natives instead of traditional talent - like we saw YouTube do with their originals last week. 

Our Take

In our opinion, Snap should double down on creators, giving them creative freedom and funding, establishing themselves as the home for creator-first premium programming. 

TL;DR Don’t sleep on Snap

🔥 In Other News