Hi, this is Amanda Perelli and welcome back to Insider Influencers, our weekly rundown on the business of influencers, creators, and social-media platforms. Sign up for the newsletter here.
In this week's edition:
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Some talent from the YouTubers vs TikTokers boxing event say they haven't been paid in full
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TikTok is quietly testing a Cameo-like feature called Shoutouts
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How much a YouTuber makes from ads, sponsors, and affiliate links
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An esports team is finding new ways to engage with fans
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And more including how much money TikTokers make and a creator economy startup's 17-page pitch deck.
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Talent from the YouTubers vs TikTokers boxing event say they haven't been paid in full
YouTube and TikTok stars entered the ring during the "Social Gloves: Battle of the Platforms" boxing match last month.
Many did so with the expectation that they'd receive a big paycheck.
But Dan Whateley wrote that while talent were offered hefty paychecks for participating, some say they haven't been paid.
Here are a few takeaways:
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TikTok creator Vinnie Hacker told Barstool Sports' Dave Portnoy and Josh Richards that he hadn't been paid for the fight.
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Jonathan Coachman, one of the show's commentators, told Insider that he had not been compensated.
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The president of LiveXLive, which produced the event, said that the owner of Social Gloves Entertainment (the event organizer) owed money to talent.
According to two sources who worked with the company during the "Social Gloves" event, the company that organized the event is run by YouTube creator Austin McBroom and his family.
Social Gloves said it hoped to "pay every fighter and every talent" in a "reasonable timeframe."
Check out the full story where influencers say they have yet to be paid what they're owed, here.
TikTok is testing a feature similar to the celebrity shout-out app Cameo
TikTok is testing a new feature that allows fans to buy custom videos from creators.
I wrote about the new feature, called Shoutouts, which could be a direct competitor to the celebrity shout-out app Cameo.
Here are some takeaways:
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It is still in early stages and "only available to limited regions," according to an FAQ page on the app viewed by Insider.
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Insider found the feature through search by typing in #TikTokShoutout, and found one creator who was selling a Shoutouts for 250 coins (estimated $3.75, according to the app).
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The FAQ page also says: "TikTok Shoutouts is a new functionality which enables TikTok creators to monetize by creating personalized videos to their fans."
"I think that this can be an interesting extra revenue stream for creators," said Alessandro Bogliarim, cofounder and CEO of The Influencer Marketing Factory. "It's an integration that makes sense."
Read more about the new feature and how it works, here.
One of the oldest esports teams built a platform to boost fan engagement
Team Liquid launched its fan engagement platform Liquid+ in January.
Fans earn free points by interacting with Team Liquid online and redeem them for rewards.
Michael Espinosa wrote about how the team is finding new ways to engage with fans, and is now looking to license the tech to other streamers.
Here are some key takeaways:
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Team Liquid said that more than 40,000 fans are on the platform, where they watch livestreams of Team Liquid players, or post and comment on Team Liquid's social media to earn points.
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Team Liquid also has plans to reward its most dedicated fans by putting some of their names directly on its players' jerseys in the near future.
"What we're seeing is quite a lot of fans of Team Liquid aren't necessarily fans of the team in general but fans of a player," said Boudewijn "Bo" Kryne, Team Liquid's director of fan management. "And what Liquid+ is looking to do is transform fans from being a player fan into being a team fan."
Check out more about how team Liquid+ boosts esports fan engagement, here.
How much a YouTuber makes from ads, sponsors, and affiliate links
Charli Prangley is a YouTube creator who films videos about design and her daily life.
Prangley started her YouTube channel in 2013. Now, she has 198,000 subscribers.
I spoke with Prangley about how much she makes on YouTube from sponsors, ads, and affiliate links.
Here's a preview of how much she earned in 2021 from sponsorships:
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April: $3,870
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May: $1,869
Prangley decided to stop monetizing her YouTube videos through the Partner Program in 2016 after seeing ads for companies that went against her personal morals, she said.
But her channel does still earn some revenue (around $500 a month) from her older videos
Read more on exactly how much she earns a month as a creator, here.
More influencer industry news:
YouTube
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A talent manager launched a program for creators who want to self manage and learn the business side of the influencer world. Check out the Creator Management Matrix here.
- Chloe Tan is a college YouTuber with 80,000 subscribers. She shared how much she earns a month from YouTube ads.
TikTok
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Some TikTok stars have built massive audiences on the app. We spoke with creators who shared how much they earn from brand deals, song promotions, and its Creator Fund.
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A TikTok creator's deepfake Tom Cruise account went viral earlier this year. He cofounded a startup to sell his deepfake tech to brands and creators.
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Spore lets creators build a website that centralizes functions like private chats and newsletters. Check out the startup's 17-page investor pitch deck.
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Some "nano" influencers have turned social-media into part-time jobs. We spoke with several creators who shared how they earn money as nano influencers on Instagram.
Chart of the week:
Kyra Media published its annual study on the state of Gen-Z beauty. The media company surveyed 1,000 participants this year between the ages of 13 and 25 about beauty consumption and culture.
Check out the full study here.
TikTok hashtag of the week:
Every week, we highlight a top trending hashtag on TikTok, according to data provided by Kyra IQ.
This week's hashtag: PastaChips
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The percentage uptick for the last 7 days: 8,005%
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This uptick is centered around a new viral food trend taking over TikTok: Pasta chips
Here's what else we're reading:
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How restaurants and TikTok food bloggers leaned on each other during the pandemic (Natachi Onwuamaegbu, from The Washington Post)
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Tana Mongeau breaks down her future business ventures and the YouTube boxing scene (Frederick Daso, from Forbes)
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YouTube star Bretman Rock talks about his rise to fame online (Eunica Escalante, from Teen Vogue)
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Farmers are earning millions from livestreaming (Selina Xu, from Bloomberg)