Keeping It Currant: The Latest in the Creator Economy x Social Impact

Welcome to the latest 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. Before you scroll, make sure to pop in and say hello in the Social Currant creator-dedicated Slack channel.

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ADD TO THE CAL

A creator event to add to your cal

PROJECT DRAWDOWN: DRAWDOWN’S NEIGHBORHOOD VIRTUAL WATCH PARTY

About: ​Join Project Drawdown and their team to celebrate the launch of the new San Francisco Bay Area series of Drawdown's Neighborhood, a climate solutions short documentary series focused on passing the mic to climate heroes who often go unheard – including Black people, Indigenous people, people of color, youth, LGBTQIA+ people, women and nonbinary people.

When: Wednesday, October 23, 2024; 6:00-6:00pm EST

Where: Virtual

SPEAK YOUR VOTE OPENING NIGHT

About: Join Speak Your Vote, a nonpartisan movement, to amplify the voices of Gen-Z and Millennial voters to share their hopes and dreams for the future, for an evening of dancing, bites, beverages, and of course, a DJ. Please note, this an RSVP-required, invite-only event.

When: Wednesday, October 16, 2024; 5:00-9:00pm

Where: 1306 Abbot Kinney Blvd, Venice, CA 90291

RSVP “YES” with your name by EOD October 15, 2024 to [email protected]

OPEN CALL FOR CREATORS

Apply for this election-focused opportunity

CCA is looking for up to 15 creators to make a series of content [1-5 deliverables] educating their audience about the importance of this year's election and what's on the ballot. If selected, creators would receive a stipend to create their content. To apply, complete the form below by the end of this week.

RESOURCE ROUND-UP

Something to save, something to use

• FOR SNAPCHAT CREATORS → For creators making their mark on Snapchat, this new study is one to have on hand for negotiating paid campaigns. The study found that for Gen-Z, Snapchat was the number one platform for creator-driven shopping, making the appeal from you – the Snapchat content creator – to brands, even higher than it was beforehand.

• FOR PA-BASED OR FOCUSED CREATORS → Creators that are looking to share a resource for PA voters, especially Gen-Z voters, this new nonpartisan resource from the state of PA is easy-to-use and easy-to-share. 

• FOR CREATORS THAT WANT TO GROW ON IG → Instagram has dropped this mini guide on where to find personalized best practices for creators using the app with the goal of growing one’s following. In addition, this quick read also includes the tea from creators on how they’ve grown on the platform.

• FOR CREATORS CALLING OUT MISINFO ON THE HURRICANE RESPONSE → The amount of misinformation surrounding the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene has been staggering – so much so that FEMA has launched a rumor response page. This guide provides an easy way to see ‘the rumor’ versus ‘the reality,’ and can be used to educate followers/viewers.

• FOR CREATORS LOOKING FOR A FUN WAY TO GOTV → Sometimes peer pressure just does the trick, and that’s part of the idea behind this “Did They Vote?” tool. The tool let’s you and your audience check to see if someone voted or not. If not in the past, perhaps hit send on a reminder text or post.

CONTENT CORNER

Three ways to utilize media clips

Clips from news programs, podcasts, YouTube shows, events, and more aren’t just circulated by their original source. Some accounts i.e. aggregators strictly repost or share clips related to a topic. And other accounts, namely creator accounts, take those clips and generate fresh content utilizing those clips. That second method is one that allows creators to put their own spin on the OG and can come in a few forms like so:

• GREEN SCREEN REACT: Using the green screen feature, creators can play/upload a clip that they pause at points that they wish to react to/share their POV. 

• INTRO-POST-OUTRO TRIO: A creator can make a video via CapCut or another editing platform that features an introduction on the topic from the creator, followed by the clip that they want viewers to watch, and concluded with an outro of thoughts on the topic at hand.

• AGGREGATE UPGRADE: A creator can act in part as an aggregator with a twist by uploading/sharing a clip, and adding their two cents on it via text on the screen and/or the video’s caption.

However you decide to share clips, a few things to keep in mind:

• Adding the date that a clip was recorded – the original clip, not your take as a creator – provides important context for viewers. Consider adding that in the caption of the video.

• Giving credit where credit is due is always a winning strategy, and one that's important with video clips. If there’s a source to credit, be sure to highlight that in the video’s caption.

• If there’s a call to action related to the video, make sure that ant related links necessary are added to your ‘link in bio’ platform.

PLATFORM UPDATES

New capabilities loading…

YOUTUBE → October 15th cannot come soon enough for those that have been yearning for the ability to upload longer Shorts. YouTube will enable creators to upload videos to Shorts that are up to three minutes in length, up from the current one minute cap. This is BFD for creators that cross-promote content and often aren’t able to on YouTube Shorts because their videos are even a tiny bit over that 60 second mark. The platform has also announced a few other updates to its Remix feature and how viewers can curate their recommendations.

FACEBOOK → The explore page is coming to a Facebook account near you, as well as a Local tab. Both tabs will serve content from across Meta pillars – Reels and Marketplace, as well as Groups and Events. The ‘new tools, who dis’ approach is oriented toward keeping young people on the platform and creating community [Slack, they’re so coming for your vibe]. 

INSTAGRAM → The platform has added a new feature for Reels – one that is going to live rent free in all our heads unfortunately. All Reels that are downloaded from the platform will now feature this jingle that um… well… is something…Instagram is calling it their ‘sonic identity.’ Very tech bro-esque if you ask us. Regardless, this is something to be aware of if you're downloading your content or others and reposting it. It will ‘tell on you’ that it’s IG content.

TIKTOK → The focus is back on TikTok Stories with this new launch. The added feature, dubbed Flip Story, allows creators add what they're calling “a second side to a Story” when an action is taken by a viewer. Think of it as a before and after format or a reveal enabled by engaging with the content. Is it groundbreaking? No. Is it another way to share your content with viewers? Yes.

QUICK MYTHBUSTERS

Rumors put to rest around the social media universe

ON INSTAGRAM → IG Head Adam Mosseri shared that using external/third-party editing apps for your content does not impact its performance on Instagram. That said, he did note that that status quo does not apply if the content features watermarks from other applications. 

ON LINKEDIN → There’s been chatter around the possibility of LinkedIn launching a Community Chats feature that would enable job seekers looking for similar roles to connect, as well as people with similar work interests. The rumors are in fact true, and LinkedIn addresses them here, sharing that they’re testing it out and seeing how it goes.

HEADLINES

News at a glance from ‘round the creator sphere

• Social Media Today: Threads Will Look to Reduce the presence of ‘Rage Bait’ Posts

• Tubefilter: Meta is uniting the revenue streams it has to pay more than four million creators

• Yahoo Finance/Fast Company: The 2024 election is razor close. TikTok creators could tip it

• Fox26 Houston: “Underconsumption core” social media trend can free up money and time

• VentureBeat: Meta enters AI video wars with powerful Movie Gen set to hit Instagram in 2025

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 → Reproductive Justice

Date Available: Now - November 5, 2024

Campaign Goal: To educate audiences on the dangers of abortion bans.

Location Requirement: USA

Campaign Focus → The Economy

Date Available: Now - November 5, 2024

Campaign Goal: To share information around economic policy and what is being done to decrease the cost of living.

Location Requirement: USA

Campaign Focus → Leadership for Office

Date Available: Now - November 5, 2024

Campaign Goal: Talk about the importance of strong leadership for our country and what an effective leader is.

Location Requirement: USA

LET’S GET SOCIAL

Stop by & say hi