Today’s Edition

• TikTok is developing a scoring system for creators in the TikTok Creator Marketplace

• TikTok and Disney partner for a first-of-its-kind content hub

• Snapchat is preparing to announce new ways for creator-brand collaborations

• Cirque du Soleil is launching its own influencer network

News, Insights & Trends

TikTok Launches Direct Post to Enable Uploads from Third-Party Apps

TikTok has launched Direct Post, a new Content Posting API. This API enables creators and social media managers to directly upload videos to TikTok from third-party apps like Adobe (Premiere and Express), CapCut, and Twitch. During the export process in these apps, users will also have access to native TikTok features, including captions and audience selection.

Why It Matters: Direct Post simplifies the content creation process for TikTok users, streamlining video editing and publishing directly from third-party apps. This not only saves time in post-production but also has the potential to increase the amount of content shared on TikTok.

Competitors like Meta have successfully employed similar integrations to boost content on its platforms, including Sharing to Reels. TikTok is likely following a similar strategy to expand its ecosystem.

TikTok is Developing a Creator Scoring System

TikTok is currently developing a new creator scoring system for the TikTok Creator Marketplace (TTCM). This system will provide creators with a score based on a set of industry attributes, which will be developed with input from TTCM users. These numerical scores will be visible on creators' profiles, and include an overall score along with individual scores for each attribute.

Why it Matters: A scoring system allows marketers to make data-driven decisions when selecting creator partnerships. In the past, marketers primarily focused on metrics such as follower count, engagement rate, and content quality. However, these metrics have limitations. With the introduction of a scoring system, marketers will be able assess creators comprehensively, taking into account a standardized set of attributes.

As scores will impact the opportunities available to creators, it is essential that creators have access to their own scores. This not only promotes transparency but also allows creators to identify areas where they can improve their scores, if necessary.

TikTok and Disney Announce New Partnership with a First-of-Its-Kind Content Hub

TikTok and Disney have announced a new partnership to celebrate The Walt Disney Company's 100th anniversary. Focused on a first-of-its-kind content hub, spanning four weeks (October 16th to November 13th) and involving 24 regions around the world, this partnership will allow users to:

• Watch videos from Disney's various brands, including Pixar, Star Wars, Marvel, ESPN, National Geographic, and Disney Parks

• Create their own TikToks using Disney music and effects

• Participate in daily Disney trivia

• Collect and trade Character Cards featuring Disney characters

Additionally, Disney is becoming a TikTok Pulse Premiere publisher, allowing it to split ad revenue with TikTok in exchange for running ads alongside Disney content.

Why It Matters: Partnerships with publishers have become a prominent trend for social media platforms. TikTok has been particularly active in this regard. These partnerships typically benefit all parties involved by offering new ways for everyday users to consume content from publishers, providing creators with access to intellectual property (IP) to use in their content, increasing revenue streams for publishers, and enabling social media platforms to get more premium content that attracts advertisers.

Snapchat Plans to Announce New Ways for Creator-Brand Collaborations

Snapchat is planning to announce new ways for creators and brands to collaborate. In the latest episode of Creator Upload, hosted by Lauren Schnipper and Josh Cohen, Jim Shepherd, who serves as the Director of Global Talent Partnerships at Snapchat joined as a guest.

During the interview, he revealed that Snapchat will be making announcements about creator-brand collaborations at Advertising Week New York (October 16th to 19th). These will include new ways for creators and brands to discover and connect with each other, a "Paid Partnership" label for creators to disclose sponsored content, and the ability for brands to easily amplify sponsored content through paid media

Why it Matters: Snapchat has been increasingly introducing various ways for creators to earn income on the platform, such as its Stories revenue-sharing program, which help creators like Caryn Marjorie earn up to $15,000 per day.

With these upcoming launches, Snapchat will further help creators monetize by facilitating creator-brand collaborations, likely through a marketplace experience. Adding disclosure tools and native paid media solutions for creator content is also notable. The former promotes transparency in these partnerships, while the latter enables brands to extract more value from their sponsored content, aligning with features offered by Meta and TikTok, such as Partnership Ads and Spark Ads, respectively.

Overall, this will help Snapchat play a larger role in influencer marketing, especially for brands that want to reach Gen Z audiences.

Instagram Rolls Out Edit Option and Voice Posts to Threads

Instagram has rolled out a pair of new features for Threads. Firstly, there's a new edit option that allows users to make updates to posts within five minutes of publishing. When posts are edited, there will be an edit icon next to the timestamp but no edit history. Secondly, users can now share Voice Posts. Through a microphone icon, users can share a post or reply with a voice recording, including auto-generated captions that are editable.

Why it Matters: The option to edit a post empowers users to correct typos or enhance their content by adding photos or videos after publishing. The five-minute edit window safeguards against potential misuse, especially for posts that have attracted significant attention.

Voice Posts align with Meta's broader initiative to integrate voice components into its suite of apps, offering an interactive way for users to share and engage, all while improving accessibility.

The features come with the forthcoming launch of trending topics and, a surge of X (Twitter) creators and journalists joining Threads, despite the platform's resistance to amplifying news.

Meta Introduces New Features for Reels Ads

Meta has introduced a range of new features for Reels ads. Here's a breakdown of what's new:

• Collection Ads: This format features a prominent video or image alongside smaller swipeable images. After its successful launch on Instagram, it's now being tested on Facebook.

• Multi-Destination Reels Carousel Ads: Reels Carousel Ads now support multiple calls to action, allowing advertisers to direct viewers to multiple product pages within a single ad.

• Swipe-Left Functionality: This new feature lets viewers swipe left to explore and shop the products featured in the ads.

• Creative Optimizations: For ads using Advantage+, advertisers can access tools like automatic templates to adapt media to various formats and enhance color and video resolution.

• Music Optimization: Advertisers can source, select, and add music to their Reels ads during the campaign creation process.

• Brand Suitability: Through Zefri, Meta’s brand suitability partner, advertisers gain greater control over the type of content that appears alongside their Reels ads.

Why it Matters: These arrive aheadmof the holiday shopping season and as Reels continues to gain momentum, surpassing 200 billion plays on Facebook and Instagram. For advertisers, this dynamic and rapidly growing format offers a valuable way to connect with their desired audiences and drive actions.

The new features expand the possibilities for Reels ads, introducing engaging formats like Collection Ads and Multi-Destination Reels Carousel Ads. The Swipe-Left feature enhances the potential to convert viewers into shoppers, and Creative Optimizations and Music options provide advertisers with more tools to optimize and scale their ad content.

Finally, extending Brand Suitability to Reels builds advertisers' confidence and encourages them to utilize this ad format, all while safeguarding their brand.

YouTube Announces Community Posts Feed, Pronouns on Profiles, and Audio Descriptions

During its recent Creator Insider video, YouTube revealed new updates for creators and fans, which are as follows:

• Community Posts Feed: YouTube is currently testing a dedicated feed for Community Posts on mobile. Users participating in the experiment will notice a 'View All' button on a Community Post, allowing them to access more posts from the creator, including previously engaged posts and those that YouTube believes users will like.

• Pronouns: U.S.-based creators now have the option to add their pronouns to their profiles. Creators can choose whether to display their pronouns publicly or restrict them to subscribers only.

• Audio Descriptions: Creators now have the capability to include audio descriptions in their videos. These additional narration tracks describe the content of the video during natural pauses, making it easier for blind or low-vision users to follow along.

Why it Matters: After making headlines with AI tools for creators, YouTube returns with a series of smaller yet impactful updates.

The dedicated feed for Community Posts allows viewers to consume more of these short-form posts that creators typically share in between video uploads. With Stories being phased out and Community Posts becoming more widely available, YouTube seems to be pushing this format more.

Adding Pronouns enables creators to express themselves more effectively and exercise greater control over their identity. Audio Descriptions contribute to increased accessibility on the platform, aligning with the continued priority many social media platforms place on accessibility.

Cirque du Soleil Launches Its Own Influencer Network

Cirque du Soleil Entertainment Group, the parent company for Cirque Du Soleil, Blue Man Group, VStar Entertainment, and more, has launched the Cirque du Soleil Artist Influencer Network.

This new network allows brands to collaborate with over 1,500 talents from their various properties for sponsored content. With a combined total of over 35 million followers, these talents come from diverse backgrounds, age groups, and verticals, including onstage performers, stage technicians, and costume designers.

In addition to their regular salaries, talent will receive compensation for their brand partnerships. They will also gain access to educational and training opportunities provided by the company.

Why it Matters: Cirque du Soleil's investment in its own influencer network highlights how companies are launching their own network of creators and tapping into their employees as creators. It also offers valuable opportunities for the company, its brand partners, and its talent.

By facilitating brand collaborations for its talent, the company can enhance brand awareness and exposure, extending partnerships and sponsorships with brands beyond live shows and experiences. This move aligns Cirque du Soleil with others like Paramount and The Arena Group, both of which have recently launched similar initiatives to expand their advertising offerings to brands.

For brands, this means they can tap into this diverse talent pool to reach global and local audiences while also capitalizing on Cirque Du Soleil's traditional touch-points with consumers. For the talents themselves, this provides a way to leverage their social followings, generate more incom, and improve their skills as creators.

Upcoming Event: Influencer Marketing Show Europe (London) (October 26th)

I'll be heading to London later this month to speak at Influencer Marketing Show Europe (October 26th). If you're planning to attend the conference, join me for 'The Creator Economy Challenge: Unleash Your Influencer Marketing Expertise' session that I'll be hosting for Mavrck.

Check out the full agenda here and register here.

What I’m Reading

• Inside NFL’s pitch to include NIL talent in its collegiate marketing program (Digiday)

• Sorry, you're never going to get a clickable link in your Instagram grid posts (Mashable)

• YouTube For Now Is Focusing More On Refining NFL Sunday Ticket Than On Pursuing NBA Rights, CEO Says (Deadline)

Thank you for reading! If you've enjoyed this, please consider sharing it with a colleague or friend. If you have any feedback, ideas, tips, or questions, or would like to collaborate, please don't hesitate to reach out here or send me a DM.