Podcast Summary
Three Creative Individuals Share Their Success Stories on Snapchat: Snapchat offers a unique platform for individuals to showcase their talents, build a following, and connect with their audience in an authentic way.
Snapchat has become a powerful platform for creative individuals to showcase their talents and build a following. In this episode of the AskGaryVee Show, Gary Vaynerchuk interviews three such individuals - Cyrene Qionco, an artist who uses Snapchat for drawing and storytelling, Mike Plattko, an artist who gained fame for his intricate Harry Potter drawings, and Taylor Nikolai, a content creator who was unable to claim her desired Snapchat handle and instead built a following under her name. All three guests share how they stumbled upon Snapchat and how it has become a significant part of their lives and careers. Cyrene started by discovering other artists on a blogger site and grew her community on Snapchat. Mike gained attention with his Harry Potter drawings and now works full-time as a Snapchat artist. Taylor, despite facing initial setbacks, was able to build a following under her name. Snapchat has provided these individuals with a unique opportunity to connect with their audience in a raw and authentic way. It's a reminder that with dedication and creativity, anyone can make a mark on this ever-evolving digital landscape.
Personal connections lead to unique opportunities: Personal connections and creativity can lead to exclusive experiences and partnerships, such as attending a Vikings game or working with Snapchat influencers.
Passion and connections can lead to unique opportunities. The speaker, a Vikings fan and CEO of Del Mondo, shared his personal connection to the owners of the Vikings and how it led to obtaining tickets for the show. He also discussed his work with Snapchat influencers and how he brought them to the event. Additionally, the speaker, Alex Isro, shared his experience of discovering a Snapchat artist, India, and how her talent was showcased on the show. The conversation also touched on the importance of marketing causes to younger generations and using creative strategies to reach wider audiences. Overall, the discussion emphasized the power of personal connections and creativity in achieving goals.
Focus on authenticity and personal goals on Snapchat and YouTube: To succeed on Snapchat and YouTube, focus on authenticity and identify personal goals beyond just gaining followers.
For individuals looking to grow their online presence, particularly on platforms like Snapchat and YouTube, it's important to focus on authenticity and identifying personal goals. The number of followers should not be the primary focus, but rather what one hopes to achieve through their content. Influencers in the 2020s will not become famous through traditional media channels, but rather by dominating new platforms like Snapchat and YouTube. To succeed, individuals need to decide what they want to accomplish, whether it be sharing their art, making money, or seeking fame, and then go where the attention is. Additionally, the speaker mentioned the potential of Instagram for creativity with its 1-minute video feature.
Building influence vs accumulating subscribers or followers: Focus on refining skills & experimenting, transferring influence is key, results > metrics
Focusing on building influence rather than just accumulating subscribers or followers is key to success in social media platforms. The speaker emphasizes that the ability to transfer influence to other platforms is what truly matters in the long run. He also suggests that creators should focus on refining their skills in their area of expertise (80% of their efforts) while experimenting with new things (20% of their efforts). The speaker's perspective is that metrics, such as subscribers or followers, are not the ultimate goal and that results, such as sales or attendance to a live event, should be the true measure of success. The speaker's reflections on the evolution of social media platforms, such as Vine and Snapchat, illustrate this point. The speaker also acknowledges that the industry's reliance on metrics is broken and that a focus on results is the way forward.
Identifying goals and building audience on social media: Young creators should focus on creating compelling content, reaching their audiences on social media, and staying consistent with their work for fair compensation.
Young creators, like Ben from Israel, need to identify their goals and project who they are in the balance of vanity, money, happiness, and work-life balance. They should focus on creating compelling content and reaching their audiences on social media platforms, as traditional media is becoming outdated. While it may be challenging to convince mainstream media to change their ways, creators should stay consistent with their work and ask for fair compensation if they're not getting what they deserve. Ultimately, the market will pay for what it thinks is worth. Ben's question about convincing mainstream media to change their ways and give young creators a chance to shine is valid, but the answer is not an easy one. Instead, creators should focus on building their own audience and creating valuable content. The power is shifting from traditional media to social media, and creators need to adapt to this change and embrace it.
Being a Professional Digital Content Creator: Understanding Your Audience and Platforms: To succeed as a digital content creator, focus on understanding your audience, choosing the right platforms, balancing creativity and business, and considering physical manifestations of your work.
Being a professional in the digital content creation space requires dedication and the ability to adapt to different platforms. The speaker emphasized that to be a professional, one must be able to make a living from it. He also criticized the term "influencer," suggesting that it's not a true representation of someone who is professional and dedicated to their craft. He encouraged creators to understand their audience and choose the right platforms for their content. The speaker also acknowledged that the creative and business worlds can be at odds and that partnerships and collaboration can be valuable. Lastly, he recommended that creators consider making physical manifestations of their products at scale to expand their reach and opportunities. Overall, the key takeaway is that being a successful digital content creator requires a combination of creativity, business acumen, and adaptability.
Exploring Business Opportunities for Artists on Snapchat: Snapchat offers artists a chance to sell prints or merchandise based on their unique styles and reach a vast audience, but success may not translate to other platforms. Effective use of Snapchat for content creation and absorption can lead to significant outcomes.
Snapchat presents a significant business opportunity for artists, particularly those with unique styles that stand out on the platform. The ability to create and sell prints or merchandise based on drawings or snaps could potentially generate substantial revenue. However, it's essential to understand that success on Snapchat may not naturally translate to other platforms, and artists must consider the unique advantages and limitations of the medium. Additionally, Snapchat is a valuable tool for content creation and absorption, and investing time in learning to use it effectively can lead to satisfying and influential outcomes. The platform's large user base and unique features make it an essential tool for marketers and social media professionals. In summary, Snapchat is not a waste of time but rather an opportunity to engage with a massive audience and showcase unique artistic talents.
Effective discovery needed on Snapchat for creator growth: Snapchat needs to support and promote raw content from creators for wider visibility, while considering potential downsides like oversaturation and teenage dominance. Privacy of views is beneficial for some creators, but not all perspectives apply.
While building a community and creating awesome content are essential for growth on Snapchat, more needs to be done to help creators reach a wider audience. Currently, there is no effective discovery platform on Snapchat, making it difficult for new creators to gain visibility. The solution, according to the speakers, is for Snapchat to start supporting and promoting raw content from creators, not just paid brands or repurposed content from other websites. They also discussed the potential downsides of introducing a discovery option, such as oversaturation and the dominance of teenage creators. Another topic of discussion was the privacy of views on Snapchat. The speakers believed that keeping views private is beneficial for creators who don't want to reveal their metrics to the public, as it can be demotivating for those with low view counts. However, they also acknowledged that this perspective may not apply to everyone, and it's important to consider how different users utilize the platform.
Snapchat's Unique Charm vs. Public Views and Likes: Snapchat's appeal is its private, pressure-free platform, but focusing too much on public views and influencers could change that. The future of stories is uncertain, with some preferring refined content and others raw snaps.
Snapchat's appeal lies in its ability to provide a platform where users can freely post without the pressure of public views and likes, but if the company focuses too much on catering to influencers and making views and screenshots public, it risks losing its unique charm and becoming like other social media platforms. The discussion also touched upon the evolution of Snapchat from a messaging platform to a publishing platform with the introduction of stories, which is a viable option for brands and essential for discoverability. The speakers also shared their thoughts on the future of Snapchat, with no consensus on whether the company would ever remove the stories feature. Lastly, they discussed the different types of content on Snapchat, with some users preferring highly refined content while others enjoy the day-to-day, raw snaps.
Creating Engaging Content on Snapchat: Focus on everyday content and mix it up to keep followers engaged on Snapchat. Discover new Snapchatters to follow through platforms like 11thsecond.com and filmsecond.com.
Creating engaging and varied content is crucial on social media platforms like Snapchat to prevent unfollows. The speaker mentioned that they got bored of following DJ Khaled due to the length of his stories and the auto-play feature, leading them to unfollow him. They suggested focusing on everyday content and mixing it up to keep followers engaged. Another interesting topic that came up was the future of social media in Virtual Reality (VR). The speaker expressed curiosity about which platform would be the first to gain significant traction in this area, but didn't believe it was imminent, suggesting a wait of at least 5 years. When it comes to discovering new Snapchatters to follow, the speaker recommended checking out 11thsecond.com and filmsecond.com. These platforms showcase a range of fantastic Snapchatters and can help expand one's following beyond friends. Lastly, the speaker shared a humorous moment when they drew a picture of Gary Vaynerchuk but mistakenly drew Mitch Albom instead. Despite the mistake, they were impressed by how much the two looked alike.
