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Hey Creators,

A lot is going on this week. OpenAI just debuted their Sora AI Text to Video technology, and the entire internet is rocked, believing this will either save Hollywood or finally spell its DOOM. I'll give you my Insider's take on Sora AI and what it means for content creators.

I also Interviewed AppSumo Founder and CEO Noah Kagan who you may know from his 1M+ Subscriber YouTube Channel, on his new book The Million Dollar Weekend! Be sure to check out the Podcast.

OpenAI has unleashed Sora, a revolutionary Text-to-Video AI model. Previous incarnations of Text-to-Video AI have been disappointing and unrealistic, but Sora is on a whole other level entirely... so much so that Tyler Perry has pulled back on an $800M studio expansion to reposition for this emerging technology.

Once you see what this can do, you also have to consider that this is the WORST version of the technology that will ever exist in our lifetime in the future... which is pretty remarkable.

My Insider's Take on SoraAI: The reality is that this will significantly lower the entry barrier to making content over the next few years as the technology improves. However, that doesn't mean that Creators who use their face and voice are going anywhere. IRL content and high levels of community engagement will stand out as AI Content and YouTube Shorts become truly "saturated" in a race to the bottom for attention.

Standout Creators will be the ones that build on authenticity and authority and we will see a return the golden era of YouTube. AI Content and Shorts will produce several breakout "Fast Food" channels that will blow up and then fade away with no staying power and no unique value.

Destination Channels with unique content that is hard or impossible to duplicate will ultimately win long-term.

There are some positive implications of SoraAI video content, as it will help creators with unique challenges in making content, such as those with disabilities or who have a stronger need for privacy. They will be empowered to make more compelling content very easily.

Human beings want connection, so Creators who put their audience first will be the last ones standing.

Creator News: (MKBHD) Marques Brownlee Partners with Ridge for a $1M Deal, Product Creation & Equity

Marques announced via Twitter that he will be the Chief Creative Partner for Ridge. This accessory brand has a strong history of working with Creators but especially supporting the tech community.

My take on this: The partnership with Ridge is ideal as Marques will get to use their expertise and their logistics to make building his own products a reality, and it will also give him greater distribution than if he built this from scratch himself and only sold to his own core audience.

The deal is a 4-year $1M contract that also includes an undisclosed amount of equity. The equity is the key piece here as this goes beyond the scope of a deeper "sponsorship" or "brand deal play".

By having equity in Ridge, Marques has real stakes in the company's overall success and the contribution his influence brings to the table.

More creators should look towards these types of partnerships, and frankly, more brands should look at bringing Creators to the table and building these deeper relationships with them.

We've seen the success of Creator-owned and led brands before, but seeing an established brand recognize what Creators bring to the table means the future of the Creator Economy looks bright!

How Anyone Can Grow An Audience in 2024: Sponsored by OpusClip​

If I were trying to grow an audience today from scratch, knowing what I know now I would do it very differently, and by that I mean INTENTIONALLY instead of bumbling through it.

​I did a full live stream on EXACTLY how to FIND your audience.

The first thing I would do is focus on WHO I want to reach and WHAT I can offer them on a regular basis, instead of thinking about WHAT I WANT TO MAKE and HOW BIG I WANT TO GROW.

Instead of trying to reach random people and take any attention they are willing to offer, I would focus on ATTRACTING MY TRIBE.

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One of the things that holds many Creators back is not finding CLARITY when it comes to their audience and their purpose, but after that, too often, they get stuck and paralyzed when it comes to generating ideas for their content.

Honestly, I tend not to have this problem because I'm focused on educational content that solves specific problems, and there are always new ways to tackle them; even if the titles for some of my videos can feel repetitive, I always tend to find a fresh take. If you've followed me long enough on X/Twitter you know that I can always go deeper on a subject.

In my case, I use my Live Streams quite often to explore those ideas and go deeper with my audience, which is something I recommend that more of you consider. PewdiePie, one of the most famous Creators of all time on YouTube, used to do "Fridays with Pewdiepie" to hang out with his community, and eventually, that also led to the creation of the Pewdiepie Subreddit, which would become one of his greatest sources of inspiration for new content. To find "outlier videos" that people are interested in around a topic and find more inspiration, use 1of10.com.

I use StreamYard to multi-stream across multiple platforms simultaneously, and this lets me also use the NOTIFICATION SYSTEM for multiple platforms. I'm able to grow a potential audience native on each platform while only doing the work once. Still, in terms of growing on YouTube, many people realize that I'm also streaming there, and it might offer a better video experience.

Lately, I've been running some of my current and previous live streams and interviews through OpusClip so I can take advantage of AI Automation to make short-form versions of these videos both in widescreen and vertical video so that I can publish them to my other platforms like LinkedIn, and Instagram. Right now, this isn't ideal for gaming or vlogging content, but it works out great for other types of content, especially interviews or talking head content.

One thing I know that I would prioritize if I were starting over is uploading 2-3 Videos per week on YouTube, and I would probably be prioritizing that alongside doing daily Instagram Stories and using X (formerly Twitter) for my Networking and also to go deeper with my community engagement. It would also likely be where I would initially grow my email list outside of promoting it in Instagram Stories and the YouTube Community Tab.

The way I would keep up with that is by making straightforward content and focusing on my PERSONALITY and PERFORMANCE on camera, as well as my title and thumbnail combinations, instead of trying to worry about fancy editing techniques. I would keep the retention with my structure and storytelling instead and maybe do a little fancy editing in the first 15-30 seconds of the video, but not much more.

I put together a helpful chart if you're struggling with finding time to edit.

If you only have 10-20 hours a week because you a working class creator with a Full-Time 40 hour a week job I recommend only making combinations of low to medium effort videos no longer than 8-12 minutes in length and uploading 2x a week. Maybe try to make a banger high-effort video once every three months…

The key to growing your audience is to look at how much time you have available and to do the best thing you can with those time constraints, but focus most of your ENERGY on the Idea being aligned to the Audience and Packaged Correctly (Topic/Title/Thumbnail/Timing) for that Audience overall.

Don't focus on fancy editing and over editing, focus on your delivery and presentation on camera and connecting emotionally with the audience.

Editing can be improved when time allows for it as a result of building and monetizing your audience to buy back your time.

Making consistent content is your most likely path to gaining an audience, as it will give you more opportunities. You miss every shot that is not taken, and showing up matters. I would say make 100-150 videos per year, especially early on, but if you can't bear the sight of what you can make if you only put that amount of time and effort in, at least put one video a week and NEVER miss a week, by putting out at least 50 videos a year.

My INSIDERS Take on Repurposing Content in 2024
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​OpusClip is the main tool I use for Repurposing my Content but I also am using ChatGPT and some of the prompts I built in my CreatorPrompts product (Over 200 ChatGPT prompts for Creators) to create show notes and episode summaries of my Podcast, and to optimize it to perform better as well as monetize better with links to my Affiliate Partners and my own products in every episode.

When it comes to Repurposing content I think about it very intentionally. Even some of the images you are seeing in this newsletter are Repurposed from my presentations within Awesome Creator Academy and keynote presentations I give at events.

And the information from those slides is also Repurposed from long-form articles I write on LinkedIn, which are, ironically, made coherent and Repurposed with some assistance from ChatGPT, from long stream of-consciousness posts that I create on X (formerly Twitter), or from tangents pulled from my Live Stream Transcripts.

I honestly believe that for many Creators they should be embracing a workflow around Live Streaming and Multi-Streaming across multiple platforms (with StreamYard) and then using the transcript from that Live Stream in ChatGPT to create written content for a newsletter, listicle content they use on X/Twitter, and quotes that can be paired with graphics or photos to use on Instagram.

Taken further extreme long-form content can be repurposed with OpusClip to short-form videos and distributed across multiple platforms where they can be monetized.

In this way, a single piece of content can now give you every variation of content possible for every platform.

Do I think you should also be making content INTENTIONALLY for individual platforms tailored to that audience's experience? YES? I think this approach, however, makes it more realistic for solo creators who don't have a team (yet) to scale, have a content library and presence across all platforms, and have a better chance of being discovered.

Suppose these other platforms can be used to grow a Creators Email List. In that case, it can take the pressure off if they are reluctant or superstitious about taking attention away from a YouTube video while people are watching.

CREATING MORE RESOURCES FOR YOU

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We've been trying to create more resources for you over at Awesome Creator Academy to build the ultimate Creator Education Business. This includes our library of articles and videos to help you navigate becoming a full-time content creator.

Check out our Academy Member Pro Group! We offer 2 Office Hours Sessions Every Week.

You Will Get Access to All of Our Current and FUTURE Digital Products and Courses as long as you are a paying monthly member!

On top of all of that, you will be part of a community where you can get feedback and accountability partners!

CREATOR NEWS AND UPDATES

Here are some great videos and other content #TeamRoberto has for you!

• 👀 Read: How Many YouTube Channels Have 10M Subscribers​
• 🎧 Listen to: My Million Dollar Weekend Interview with Noah Kagan ​
• 🎧 Listen to: My Interview on The Funded YouTuber Podcast​
• 🎬 Watch: How to Find Your Audience on YouTube in 2024​
• 👀 Read: YouTube CEO Neal Mohan's 2024 Letter ​
• 👀 Read: YouTube Going All in On AI Tools​
• 👀 Read: X/Twitter Ad Revenue Surprises Creators​
• 🎬 Watch: Why 97% of YouTubers Fail and How to Succeed​
• 🎧 Listen to: Interview with Nathan Barry from ConvertKit​
• 🎧 Music to Help You Feel Less Stressed​

Have A Question and Need a Quick Answer? ➡️ HMU on Twitter​

[Some of the links mentioned are affiliate links and if you purchase with them I receive a small commission at no additional cost to you.]

SUPPORT FOR CREATORS

If you have more questions, I will respond the fastest on Twitter. I frequently check Tweets using #AskRoberto, and I host Twitter Spaces each week where you can ask questions on different topics.

Ask Me Anything @robertoblake​

Stay Awesome! -R