Welcome to the reboot of Media Signals, our weekly newsletter!
I’m switching things up with more link volume, trends, and analysis.
I’m fascinated by the intersection of business and media, and that’s the kind of content I’ll share.
I’ll post the full editions as blog posts (for now) but you should definitely subscribe to get this right to your inbox.
Interesting Finds
Why it’s nearly impossible to buy a Bob Ross painting
Bob Ross churned out an estimated 30,000 paintings in his lifetime, yet it’s nearly impossible to purchase one. An interesting dive into what happened to all the paintings and the economics of his IP.
How TikTok Chooses Which Songs Go Viral
Fascinating look at how TikTok has literal (digital) levers to pull to make songs go viral and advise record labels on which songs to push. We’re basically living in the plot from Josie and the Pussycats.
How To Do A Virtual Conference Right
Few unique tips that are actually useful and interesting, like not only insisting that participants use a headset but charging them a fee if they don’t. Same for keeping the video on.
Trung is a Twitter thread savant. This breakdown of Masterclass’s SEO strategy blends two of my media interests – online learning and content marketing.
Cheat Sheet: Shoppable video and cookieless targeting steal the show on the second day of NewFronts
Shoppable video was one of the main trends. I’ve been tracking this for a while and it’s only going to get bigger, especially with the tectonic shift to online shopping after COVID.
Creator Economy
How MeganPlays Built a Multimillion-Dollar Roblox Gaming Empire
Profile of MeganPlays, who went from posting YouTube videos about Roblox to developing a game in Roblox and is on track to bring in $8 million this year. An entire content studio operation built on a virtual world. We’ll probably see more trends like this as VR worlds keep expanding.
TrovaPage Seeks To Make Yoga Teachers, Musicians, Math Tutors Ecommerce Entrepreneurs
A way for teachers to paywall virtual classes. There are already a bunch of ways to do this, the virtual class space is super crowded, and I don’t think the demand will last as people get vaccinated and go back to in-person experiences. But maybe there’s a niche they can fill, like skill-based instruction instead of fitness.
Trend of new platforms popping up for creators to have a more direct relationship with their audience. Notify is one of those – fans can get notified when you have new content on any connected platform.
Instagram to Add New Ways For Creators to Make Money
Few updates extended the way creators can make money through Instagram.
YouTube Insights
20 Confirmed Facts About YouTube’s Algorithm
Nothing mind-blowing but good indicators of what YouTube is looking for – viewer satisfaction. Average view duration, average percentage viewed, likes/dislikes, the ‘not interested’ button, and occasional surveys.
YouTube is making its ads on TVs more interactive
It’s a far cry from shoppable video but now you can learn more about a product from a YouTube ad without stopping the video.
New Apps, Tools & Updates
Twitter Purchases ‘Scroll’ As It Builds Subscription Product That Includes Ad-Free Articles
I think the vision is giving creators access to paywalled articles that they can they quote and talk about. This is basically betting on curation as a growing trend, which I also think will keep expanding.
RØDE Connect is a Simple, Powerful, and Free Software for Podcasting and Streaming
Free audio tools from Rode, whether you have their mics or not.
Changing the future of video production with Crystal LED
Fun look at an entire movie scene shot on a small virtual set.
Twitter is ruining the open for surprise meme with better image crops
Twitter is adding more options to the way it displays images.
Streaming & Virtual Events
Why The Home Depot quietly brought live streaming to its consumers
Good profile on how Home Depot transitioned its in-store workshops to online. But they’re still behind the shoppable video game. If someone asks about an item they’ll post a link in the chat. Long way to go.
New company providing virtual experiences with a focus on team building. While some virtual events will go back to person, I believe virtual team-building events will continue to grow with more companies being remote.
Zoom launches Immersive View to unify participants in the same virtual room
Microsoft Teams has had a similar feature from the start (remember the NBA bubble audience?). But nice touch for putting a virtual audience on screen.
CEO Of VaynerSpeakers Gives Us A Glimpse Into The Future Of Events
Few interesting takeaways, like different audience types for hybrid events, speakers owning talks via NFTs, and turning annual events into smaller quarterly events.
More thoughts on the future of events. “Going forward, every virtual conference is going to be an online, offline and on-demand component.”
Advertising & eCommerce
Zappos Is Tapping Influencers to Host Shopping Livestreams
Zappos knows what’s up. They’re experimenting with live eCommerce.
Creator by Zmags Launches the New Standard for Shoppable Email
While I’m bullish on live eCommerce, email is still king. This platform creates shoppable, personalized emails.
Streaming TV Commercials Are Bewildering, Repetitive, and Growing Like Crazy
Why you might see the same commercial on a streaming platform over and over and over again.
