I couldn’t help notice Tony Robbins sitting down on Theo Von’s podcast for a two-hour interview.
Tony Robbins used to pay for infomercials. Now he doesn’t have to. Theo Von’s podcast has more viewers that most TV shows—especially paid TV shows. And his viewers aren’t passive watchers who happen upon his show. They seek it out.
YouTube sensation Mr. Beast has had over 2 billion views per month for the past two months. If Budweiser got him to hold up a can, they’d get more eyeballs than a Super Bowl ad.
According to a report from the Interactive Advertising Bureau, 39% of consumers are watching more creator content than a year ago. That’s an eye-popping increase for only one year.
One of the drawbacks of homegrown media is that it produces a lot of low-information media consumers with no criteria to discern whether something’s true. To them, “I saw it on Facebook” is as good as “This is a peer reviewed study.”
On the plus side, old media barriers and gatekeepers are becoming a thing of the past.
Of course it’s daunting to start with nothing and struggle to earn more than single-digit likes. But remember that Theo Von and Mr. Beast stated at the same place.
Social media might seem crass because it’s open to everyone, but it’s whatever you make it, and it’s becoming a more viable path to success in the entertainment business every day.
If you’re not taking advantage of it, you’re missing out.
I’m digging into a more niche audience strategy on platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook and Stage 32 where the engagement is more conversational and meaningful than the more zeitgeisty platforms. For me at least.
I'm trying to master the sorcery of SEO. I recently managed to get a Google Featured Snippet for an article on my site -- about Don Quixote, of all things. Traffic has doubled each of the past 3 months. Granted, it's at 90 visits per month from Google Search right now. We'll see where it's at in 6 months... I'm also exploring Reddit.