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- Keeping It Currant: April 2024
Keeping It Currant: April 2024
Social Currant
April 29, 2024
Welcome to the 8th issue of Keeping It Currant, a newsletter by Social Currant & Girl and the Gov® focused on sharing insights on how to navigate the intersection of the creator economy and the political and social impact space. This issue includes:
Top-line tips on how to pitch creators for political podcasts
A creator interview with Mary Esposito [@moneywithmary1]
Ballotpedia’s new creator toolkit that launched for election szn
A look at Drumbeat, a new way for creators to get paid while staying civically engaged
Details on an upcoming event on how to create effective skit content
Dive into it all below.
ADD TO THE CAL
An upcoming creator event to add to your cal
SUPREME COURT, DEMOCRACY & MORE
About: For our 7th creator briefing, join us and experts from the United For Democracy team to learn more about the Supreme Court, the role it plays in our lives, and why it's important to pay attention to the decisions they release — especially as it plans to hand down decisions in the coming weeks.
When: Thursday, May 16, 2024; 4:00-4:45pm EST
Where: Zoom - virtual.
CREATOR BRIEFING #7: CREATING ENGAGING IMPACT CONTENT
About: Who said impact messaging had to be boring? It doesn’t and creators @adesso.laurenzo & @barrierose know how to make it fun. The two will be sharing how they use impact messaging to create skits and humor-based content at this Social Currant Creator Briefing.
When: Thursday, May 23, 2024; 5:00-5:45pm EST
Where: Zoom - virtual.
CURRANT CONTENT TRENDS & STYLES
When content trends meet political topics – a look at the latest concepts to take for a test drive
NO RESPECT IS DUE TREND
About: This audio is popping off on Reels. It’s being used to highlight a scenario where no respect is due, respectfully.
What this can be used for: With political content in mind, it can be used to highlight a figure or a group in politics that doesn’t deserve respect [again, respectfully]. Doing so should be done in the context of ‘rating’ the figure/group on a decision they’ve made, a situation they’ve created, or a job that they’re doing or have done.
A few examples to follow:
GUESS WHO’S JEALOUS OF ADELE? TREND
About: This audio is gaining traction on TikTok and being used to create videos where a creator is sharing a situation in which they’re spilling the tea and to whom they’re spilling it.
What this can be used for: There’s constantly a barrage of political tea. Capitalize on one of the daily scandal drops to create a video where you’re sharing what that tea is to your audience [add it via text to the video] and who the first person you’re telling the tea is – it can even be the audience you’re making the video for.
A few examples to follow:
I’M WORKING LATE TREND
About: The latest Sabrina Carpenter tune has the people in a tizzy, and this cut of the Espresso has quickly become a trending audio used to share reasons why creators are up late – aside from being singers.
What this can be used for: Not to go negative nancy, but the trend in the context above, can be used to share things that are on your mind that prevent you from getting a good night’s sleep. Is there a political issue that’s keeping your brain up past your bedtime. Highlight it with this audio and trend.
A few examples to follow:
HOW THEY CREATED IT
The BTS with creators who’ve knocked it out of the park
Meet Mary Esposito, a neurodivergent, queer creator whose platform empowers Gen-Z to pursue financial literacy. Her videos explore the complex interplay between money and politics, as she argues that it is impossible to divorce the two. Mary is also a student at UNC-Chapel Hill, where she’s studying business.
Image courtesy of Mary Esposito.
What's something you wish someone told you before starting to make content?
“I wish someone told me that it’s okay for my content to change and morph beyond its original intended track. For example, I’m new to discussing politics on my financial literacy platform, but I think this shift is a good thing. I’m realizing the importance of speaking out, and just because I used to focus more exclusively on budgeting and investing in the past doesn't mean I’m tied down to a narrow content niche. It’s normal and healthy for your content to evolve as you do and to reflect your personal growth and maturity.”
Why is making political content so important to you?
“I think social media is playing an increasingly important role in current politics. It’s arguably the cheapest, fastest, and most effective way to reach millions of people and spread awareness about what’s happening in our world right now. I’m very interested in exploring how I can harness the power of the algorithm to make a positive impact on a greater scale.”
When thinking of a dream content collab, what would it be? Who would it be with?
“My dream collaboration would probably be with Madeline Pendleton, a popular creator on Instagram and TikTok. Just like me, she’s an alternative woman navigating entrepreneurship and the nuances of capitalism. I also share aspirations of writing a memoir-like book, something she recently accomplished and released. I would love to just have a conversation with her about her experiences.”
What social media platform do you prefer, and why does it get the #1 spot?
“Honestly, I’m an Instagram girlie, and here’s why: I love using Instagram stories to deeply engage with my audience and display my authentic self beyond my niche-specific videos. I feel like this feature strengthens my personal brand, which positions me as someone interesting and entertaining that people want to follow. I’m also pessimistic about the TikTok ban, and so I am prioritizing Instagram growth to ensure my platform’s longevity.”
RESOURCE ROUND-UP
Something to save, something to use
CREATOR VOTER TOOLKIT → Ballotpedia launched a Content Creator toolkit filled with nonpartisan voter resources creators can share with their followers. Check it out here.
CREATOR COMMUNITY → Networking made easy – join the Social Currant Slack Channel and chat with fellow creators about your experience across the inter-webs.
HEADLINES
News at a glance from ‘round the creator sphere
Mashable: TikTok’s answer to Instagram, Notes is rolling out
Social Media Today: Meta Looks To Help Instagram Influencers Create AI Bot Versions of Themselves
Tubefilter: YouTube lets creators group together their favorite items with shoppable Collections
Entrepreneur: I Tried Airchat, the Hottest New Social Media App in Silicon Valley – Here’s How It Works
GROWING PAINS
A moment for the digital teams
A growing pain that we’re seeing in the political content creator space, is the practice of blasting every creator on an office’s possible outreach list with the same message. This is being done instead of the office taking the time to strategically pitch creators, as well as forge meaningful communications channels. In addition, we’re seeing that some of those messages are presumptive in nature. They typically are guilty of assuming a few things about the creator receiving the note:
They assume that the creator is aligned politically with the elected official/candidate/org that’s sending the message.
They assume that the creator is aligned on the issue area the message is about.
They assume that one creator is like all creators.
They assume what the ‘shiny object’ is to the creator.
Making assumptions and blasting out a one-sized-fits-all message to creators that vary in niche, coverage, persona, location, and so on is a recipe for a lot of missed opportunities. Forging relationships with creators should be taken seriously and conducted similarly to what’s been done in the past between PR and journalists.
Our 1st best piece of advice: Don’t put creators all on the same email chain. In doing so, you’re indirectly sharing each creator’s contact information with others without their permission.
Our 2nd best piece of advice: Virtual or IRL coffee meetings are your friend. Make them happen. Get to know the people behind the platforms.
Our 3rd best piece of advice: If you’re not paying them, they’re not working for you. Don’t approach creators like you’re their boss when asking for something in return or a favor.
TALENT TIP
Pitching political podcasts properly
Podcasts are an important part of the creator PR circuit as a whole. And for political creators aiming to land guest slots on political podcasts, knowing the best practices for pitching booking teams and hosts is essential. So, what are those best practices? Let’s start with these:
TOPICS:
The pitch should exclusively outline the topics or topic areas the creator can speak to. The pitch should also include why they’re qualified to speak to those topics.
Do proper due diligence – check to see if there’s a segment on the show that would specifically tie in with the expertise of the creator you’re pitching. If there is one, focus the ‘ask’ on how and why the creator would be a valuable source for that segment.
If a topic or even the guest being pitched seems to be outside of the wheelhouse of what the show typically covers, acknowledge that element and then explain why the show should expand its horizons in this instance.
In pitching a creator, truly think about whether their expertise would align with the show. It will take more than a creator having a substantial following to be a logical conversational fit for a show.
CADENCE:
If a show releases an episode weekly, unless it’s a one-topic show [ex: only on repro rights], you should review what topics they’ve covered recently. If they’ve covered a topic in the last few weeks, they’re most likely not going to cover it again for a while. That means, if your goal is to pitch them a ‘creator X a topic’ that’s been covered recently, you should position as a long-lead pitch. In other words, it should be angled for a few weeks to months ahead.
If a show releases an episode daily, expect that the turnaround time for booking will be expedient should the guest be relevant/a fit. Don’t pitch a daily show a potential guest during a week where the guest doesn’t have flexibility in their schedule.
DUE DILIGENCE 2.0
If your client/creator has appeared as a guest on the show previously, acknowledge that and the episode they participated in within your correspondence. The due diligence should always be done before reaching out to see whether your client has been on the show you’re pitching before or not. A big red flag is receiving a guest pitch for a guest that was just on the show, presented as an entirely new guest/concept. It shows a lack of research, as well as respect for the previous opportunity. If the point is for the guest you’re pitching to come back on the show to provide further insights, position it as such.
Connect the dots between audiences. In the case of the podcast host(s), they have one. In the case of the potential guest, they also have one. Do the research to understand whether there are synergies between the two audiences. Ask yourself questions like: would the show be interested in the audience we offer? Does the creator’s audience align with the show’s?
Before pitching a show you should understand what type of show it is. Is it a ‘gotcha’ show? Is it a 1v1 interview? Is it live? Pre-recorded? Short series?
Our best advice: ALWAYS listen to an episode or two of the show before pitching it.
SOMETHING FUN…
…something to try!
Drumbeat has entered the chat with social media-based contests around the issues that you care about. It’s simple, you enter a contest by completing a super duper quick TikTok challenge – literally, may the best creator win. Video posts in conjunction can vary, from skits to reaction-based concepts all with one goal – being entered to win big prizes, like up to $1,000 in gift cards. Who doesn’t need more of those?
CAMPAIGN CORNER
Upcoming and current paid campaigns, available now. See one that’s of interest? Fill out this form and we’ll get in touch with details. Please note, if you’re a talent agent we’ll be in touch with a talent agency specific form – just respond to this email!
Campaign Focus → Voter Registration
Date Available: Now - November 5, 2024
Campaign Goal: The goal is to increase voter registration in the states listed below in partnership with Gen-Z men on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Discord.
Location Requirement: Based in and/or votes in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, New Hampshire, Texas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, or North Carolina.
Campaign Focus → Reproductive Justice
Date Available: Now - May 30, 2024
Campaign Goal: The goal is for creators to craft engaging content around the various attacks on reproductive justice and abortion access.
Location Requirement: n/a
Campaign Focus → Climate Justice
Date Available: Now - May 30, 2024
Campaign Goal: The goal is for creators to generate engaging content around climate justice. It’s also to celebrate wins from the Inflation Reduction Act.
Location Requirement: n/a
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