Good morning. Snapchat is experimenting with “Sponsored Snaps,” aka brand placements that appear as unread messages next to chats with friends. So if it looks like Gucci is suddenly sliding into your DMs, just know they’re probably not asking you to be the new face of their upcoming campaign.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

Three Takeaways from VidSummit 2024

This year’s VidSummit in Dallas showcased tried and true strategies for monetizing small audiences, becoming multi-format, and (naturally) leveraging AI. Plus? Colin & Samir spoke three times, we saw 10 attendees repping Press Publish merch, and we survived the Texas humidity.

Here are some top learnings from the two-day event →

On short-form as a competitive angle: Shorts are no longer a loss-leader. When the video format debuted on YouTube in 2021, it earned a reputation for bringing in views and subscribers, not revenue. Action-adventure creator Hafu Go said in a session that’s no longer the case. 

• His most-viral Short generated $12,000 in ad revenue and only cost $122 to make.  

• “Shorts is how we compete against giants” like MrBeast, PrestonPlayz, and other creators with massive budgets, Go said. 

On starting a membership product: “People want to join a party that’s already started,” creator Jay Clouse said about launching a membership offering. He suggests starting a subscription product with a private opening of 5-10 people to work out the kinks before a larger public launch.

On retention hacks: Filmmaking lessons like “cause and effect” storytelling can help keep viewers’ attention. 

• “Each beat in a story should directly cause the next scene, which is the most effective retention strategy that film can offer to YouTube,” Curtis Nicotra from Sticks said in a presentation. 

• Sticks has gained 880,000 subscribers in the last year and credits using cause and effect as the overarching narrative of their channel as an engine for that growth.
  

Russian Operatives Allegedly Paid US Creators to Spread Propaganda

Federal officials have charged two employees of RT, a TV network run by the Russian government, with covertly paying US creators to spread pro-Russia propaganda across YouTube, TikTok, and X, the Justice Department revealed on Wednesday.

The creators, including right-wing political commentators Benny Johnson and Tim Pool, have claimed they were unaware of the Russian operatives’ involvement.

Catch up quick: When Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, most American cable distributors dropped RT, and it soon ceased production for its US channel.

• RT redirected some of its funding to a Tennessee-based startup called Tenet Media.

• Tenet recruited high-profile creators such as Johnson and Pool to produce videos featuring talking points “consistent with the Government of Russia's interest in amplifying US domestic divisions,” according to the Justice Department’s indictment.

The impact? Since launching in November 2023, Tenet topped 16 million views on its YouTube channel. The startup has funneled $9.7 million of Russian funds to its creator contributors—one participant was reportedly paid $400,000 a month. FYI: YouTube terminated the Tenet Media channel on Thursday.

Big picture: Creator economy journalist Taylor Lorenz called for an increase in regulation and transparency around where creator-led media companies get their funding. “[Otherwise] how will any of us know whether the content we're consuming is shaped by dangerous hidden agendas or foreign interference?” Lorenz wrote in her newsletter.

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Gaming Creators React to ‘Minecraft’ Movie Trailer

Warner Bros. released the first trailer for its live-action movie adaptation of Minecraft on Wednesday—and gaming creators quickly weighed in as the trailer topped YouTube’s trending charts.

• “It looks kind of wonky and weird, but I think that’s the point,” Oliver “Mumbo Jumbo” Brotherhood said in a video.

• “[It’s] a huge moment for the Minecraft community,” Thomas “TommyInnit” Simons said.

• “Three tickets to the mine craft movie please,” Alex “Quackity” Maldonado tweeted.

Zoom out: Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, and creators have played a big role in driving its popularity. YouTube videos about the game have notched trillions of views, and Minecraft was the seventh-most watched game on Twitch last month.

🔥 Press Worthy

• Comedy creator Brian Jordan Alvarez’s new TV show English Teacher debuts with 97% approval rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes.

• John Green leads a new Crash Course series on religion.

• Reesa Teesa’s “Who TF Did I Marry?” TikTok series is being made into a TV show.

• Bobbi Althoff is hosting a live podcast in LA next month.

• OnlyFans says users spent $6.6 billion on creators last year.

• YouTube announces new AI detection tools for music and faces.

📚️ Thank You For Pressing Publish

The content we’re looking forward to reading, watching, and listening to this weekend.

• Read: The New York Times Magazine explores how standing meetups can help us form deeper relationships with friends.

• Watch: Julius Ewungkem Jr. uploads slice-of-life short films to YouTube. One of his most recent: “my cousin thinks she’s fleabag.”

• Listen: Derek Thompson discusses the psychology of conspiracy theories with political scientist Joseph Uscinski on the latest episode of Plain English.