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- TikTok has a Pulse 🥇
TOGETHER WITH
It’s May the Fourth and that means it’s the perfect day to devour some Mando Ice Cream Sandos—because like The Mandalorian itself, they’re pretty darn addicting.
PREMIUM REAL ESTATE
TikTok’s latest advertising product offers brands a “premium” experience
TikTok is expanding Pulse in a big way. The platform unveiled Pulse last year as an advertising option that bundles the top 4% of TikTok videos into themed packages. Now, TikTok is introducing Pulse Premiere, which puts advertisers’ branded videos next to “premium publisher content.” The Bytedance-owned company plans to launch packages based around specific tentpoles and events, with branded videos separated into categories like lifestyle, sports, education, and entertainment.
Several major media companies are already on board.
The list of current launch partners for TikTok’s new ad product includes BuzzFeed, Conde Nast, DotDash Meredith, Hearst Magazines, Major League Soccer, NBCUniversal, UFC, Vox Media, and WWE. The president of one of those companies—Conde Nast’s Pam Drucker Mann—offered a glowing review of Pulse Premiere in a recent statement:
“TikTok has become one of our most valuable partners, providing us with a variety of tools to ensure that our brands are driving these conversations on their platform. Our advertisers know that culture is the new KPI, and the Pulse Premiere solution finally enables clients to match media buying with how consumers are consuming our brands, like Vogue, GQ and Vanity Fair, on TikTok.”
There’s a reason TikTok’s latest offering has already inspired so much confidence. Although Pulse is still in its early stages, TikTok is touting strong returns from the product: according to the platform, Pulse ads have proven to increase brand recall by 9.8% and boost awareness by 6.8%.
🔆 SPONSORED 🔆
Iconic moments happen in a flash. That’s why Nikon designed a vlogging camera that can capture it all.
Creators like you can do just about anything—which is why you need a cutting-edge camera that can handle it all . That’s where the Nikon Z fc comes in. According to travel vlogger Alicia Mae Hirtè, the Z fc is “unbelievably light” and “includes everything the vlogging community typically desires.”
The Nikon Z fc fits everything from eye-tracking and wireless sharing to livestreaming and creative filters into one lightweight package—complete with a fun, throwback-inspired design.
Effortless style is part of the deal: the Z fc is available in classic black and seven special edition colors, including coral pink and mint. No matter which color you choose, you’ll gain access to an innovative toolkit of creator-ready features, including….
A flip-out touchscreen designed for first-person videos and selfies 🤳
4K Ultra HD video with full-time eye-detection and autofocus 👀
20 Creative Picture Controls that let you add filters as you film 🔥
Livestreaming and web conferencing capabilities 🎧
Wireless image and video sharing 📲
Those features are only the beginning. Ready to discover everything else the Z fc has to offer?
HEADLINES IN BRIEF 📰
The Sidemen have inked a “multi-million-pound” funding deal with U.K.-based firm Viewture. (Tubefilter)
The stars of family-friendly YouTube channel Kids Diana Show will lead an original series on Hulu. (Tubefilter)
Twitch streamer, TikToker, and Valorant player Joshseki has signed with Loaded for representation in all areas. (Tubefilter)
House of Highlights has announced a gridiron version of its Creator League that will pit influencers against one another in one-on-one football battles. (Tubefilter)
DATA • CREATORS ON THE RISE 📈
For this manga author, storytelling is the ultimate form of power
For years, Tony Weaver Jr. has been motivated by one poignant belief: that “the things that make people different are the things that make them powerful.” That idea is the driving force behind Weaver’s social impact organization, Weird Enough, which produces a flagship webcomic and includes a nonprofit branch focused on outreach to Black youth.
When the pandemic started, the need for that outreach increased tenfold—so Weaver turned his attention to TikTok, where he hoped “stories could be helpful to bring some positivity and help bridge that gap.”
“As my account began to grow, what I noticed is that in the nerd space, specifically, there are a lot of people of color, a lot of people of marginalized identities that don’t feel comfortable in these spaces sometimes. My ethos expanded to, I need to make room for people to be able to be themselves in these spaces.”
One aspect of Weaver’s TikTok outreach was his “Pop Courage” videos, which centered on the stories of courageous pop culture characters. Those videos have proven to be both inspiring and incredibly popular with young viewers.
Two years after starting his account, Weaver now has over 700,000 followers.
Plus, he’s accumulated a whopping 21.5 million likes.
The creator’s success isn’t limited to TikTok, either. In 2018, Weaver became the first “manga/comic author” to be named on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list.
Most importantly, Weaver’s social media presence has become a core part of his company’s most main goal: to show kids that there’s something special in the way they see the world.
MORE OR LESS
Two major updates are coming to Facebook Reels
As Meta moves away from Facebook Watch originals, the tech giant is betting big on Reels.
Meta announced in a recent blog post that it will include Reels on the main Facebook Watch navigation bar—meaning users will now be able to access a TikTok-esque stream of short-form videos. That isn’t the only TikTok-like feature Meta hopes to implement; the company has already indicated that it plans to build “a world-class recommendations system” for both Facebook and Instagram.
Meta’s pivot to short-form video comes during a crucial transitionary period for the company.
The departure of Head of Development and Programming Mina Lefevre signals a decisive pivot from spending on scripted and unscripted Watch shows to prioritizing the development of VR content and short-form videos. The first step of that pivot includes a renewed emphasis on user feedback. As viewers watch Reels, they can now prompt the Facebook algorithm to “show more” or “show less” of a particular type of content.
More of those updates are sure to come to light following Meta’s presentation at today’s NewFronts.
WATCH THIS 📺
Tony Hawk is still an icon (and don’t you forget it)
Out in the world, Tony Hawk sometimes gets mistaken for an average Joe who looks a lot like a certain skateboarding celebrity—but there’s no denying the athletic icon’s visibility online. Hawk shredded TikTok’s ‘Wes Anderson’ trend in a recent skateboarding video, proving to fans everywhere that his skill (and his social media savvy) is still unmatched.
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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.