Happy Hump Day! If you have nerves of steel and $300,000 to spare, you might want to place your order for the world’s first flying car sooner rather than later.

TEST & COMPARE

YouTube is finally giving creators a way to A/B test video thumbnails

YouTube’s latest test feature will be a big relief for creators hoping to perfect the art of the thumbnail. For the first time since its inception, YouTube is helping video makers A/B test thumbnails directly through its platform (rather than relying on third-party tools). That feature—called “Test & Compare”—is still in the early stages of experimentation. But for now, a Creator Insider video has offered viewers some insight into how the new tool will work:

Here’s the basic process behind Test & Compare:

1. During the posting process, creators will have the option to upload up to three separate thumbnails for one video.

2. Those thumbnails will then (presumably) be shown to a roughly equal number of users across YouTube.

3. Once results are in, creators will be able to see which thumbnail drove the most clicks.

4. Finally, creators will be able to select a winner as the video’s final thumbnail.

So far, YouTube says only a few hundred creators have access to the early version of Test & Compare. That number should expand to include “a few thousand” in the coming months, with a wider rollout planned for 2024.

HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰

• TikTok has announced its plan to establish a Youth Council in order to “provide a more structured and regular opportunity for youth to provide their views.” (Tubefilter)
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• According to a recent study from Healthy Gamer and Stream Hatchet, 69% of surveyed creators say they’re suffering from burnout. (Venture Beat)
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• TikTok’s new “TikTok Creative Challenge” offers creators a chance to earn money by submitting video ads to meet challenges issued by brands. (TechCrunch)
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• Apple TV+ has released the entire first episode of its upcoming series, Silo, in a single video post on Twitter. (Gizmodo)

DATA • U.S. TOP 50 📈

This vocal coach is taking her singing skills on the road

Cheryl Porter might not sing in a majority of her videos, but there’s no denying her status as a vocal master. The creator has earned more than 9 million YouTube subscribers thanks to the amazing results of her vocal coaching sessions—most of which seem to take place in the front seat of her car. Those on-the-go classes star Porter’s talented students, who frequently reach new levels of success after a few well-timed tips from their social media-savvy coach.

Luckily for her millions of fans, Porter’s expertise isn’t only available to pupils who can pop in for private lessons. The creator—whose channel describes her as “the #1 vocal coach in the world”—shares musical advice through both wildly successful YouTube videos and via her online singing course.

Porter’s educational content isn’t her only draw.

In addition to inspiring viewers with fast-paced musical lessons, Porter often entertains fans with uplifting reactions to viral Shorts. Her positive responses to rising musicians and musically-inclined kiddos have clearly tugged on the heartstrings of viewers—because the vocal coach’s channel now ranks at #44 in the U.S. Top 50.

• In fact, over the course of our last seven-day count, Porter’s channel collected 139.3 million views.

• That massive total adds up to an 85% week-over-week increase.

• And overall? The vocal coach claims a lifetime view count of over two billion.

MOUSE IN THE HOUSE

Ironmouse’s latest subathon may have turned her into Twitch’s most-subscribed creator

Twitch’s top VTuber is on a roll. According to Dextero, Ironmouse has peaked at 172,093 active subscriptions—beating her own March 2022 record of 171,818. That impressive total comes courtesy of the creator’s month-long subathon, which will be raising awareness and money for the Immune Deficiency Foundation until June 30.

Ironmouse’s sky-high active sub count isn’t the highest peak of all time—the VTuber’s recent vault puts her in fourth place behind Kai Cenat (who peaked at 306,621 in March 2023), Ludwig (283,066 in April 2021), and Ninja (269,154 in April 2018)—but it does make her one of the most-subscribed creators on Twitch.

In fact, according to TwitchTracker, Ironmouse’s latest surge potentially makes her the most-subscribed creator on Twitch.

That’s an impressive title to add to her list of accolades, but being #1 is nothing new for the streamer. After all, Ironmouse is already Twitch’s most-subscribed female streamer and its most-subscribed VTuber.

Over the past few years, Ironmouse has leveraged that visibility to become a devoted advocate for causes like the Immune Deficiency Foundation. In addition to the creator’s own fundraising subathon, “streaming time with Ironmouse” is listed as an auction item for CDawgVA’s June 29 charity stream.

WATCH THIS 📺

An animated Among Us series is coming to TV

If you spent any time sequestered inside from 2020-2021, then you’ve probably played at least a few rounds of Among Us. The viral party game has sown mistrust among countless friends, families, and colleagues—and now, it’s becoming an animated series helmed by Infinity Train creator Owen Dennis. Check out this video from GameXplain for more details on the big show.

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Today's newsletter is from: Emily Burton, Sam Gutelle, and Josh Cohen. Drew Baldwin helped edit, too. It's a team effort.