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TL;DR

• YouTube releases ‘Top Fans’ tool for creators to publish exclusive content to its top 1% fans

• YouTube updates ‘Unique Reach’ calculation and allows users to add music to image posts.

• Meta releases subscription tiers for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp

• Reddit enables Shopify integration to make shopping easier and provide greater insights

• Kickstarter rolls back its ‘mature content’ policy after backlash

• Spotify launches ‘Memberships’ feature for podcasts

YouTube testing ‘Top Fans’ tool for 1% of viewers

YouTube is testing a new ‘Top Fans’ tool where creators can make some of their content only available to their top 1% of fans and the remaining 99% of fans won’t be able to view the content, even via a direct link.

While this feature is intended as a reward for the most loyal of fans, it can also be used as a way to experiment with different formats or leverage the direct audience access in brand deals. The better the offering, the more incentivised your audience will be to watch more of your content to gain exclusive access.

YouTube updates ‘Unique Reach’ calculation and adds music for image posts

YouTube have updated its ‘Unique Reach’ metric to estimate how many people are watching the same video on one TV, so if you are watching a YouTube video on one TV but with two friends, the analytics will count that as three co-views. The number of viewers is “based on factors like demographics, video genre, even time of day”. The intention isn’t to give the user more accurate analytics but to align the measurements more closely with TV predictions.

In addition, YouTube recently enabled image posts within the Shorts feed and they are now enabling users to add music to them. Creators can add up to 10 images in a single post and add music from YouTube’s music library or using Dream Track, the in-platform AI-music generating tool.

Meta rolls out subscription tiers for Instagram, Facebook and WhatsApp

Meta have released subscription-based tiers with exclusive features for Instagram, Facebook, and WhatsApp. These features include the ability to view detailed stats on Instagram and Facebook stories, extend vanishing posts for longer than 24 hours, and access to custom themes and reactions.

Instagram Plus and Facebook Plus cost $3.99 per month, and WhatsApp plus is $2.99 per month. They will soon be adding other subscriptions such as Meta One, which will include more features for AI, business, and creator accounts.

Reddit expands Shopify integration access globally

Reddit have announced that all Shopify merchants can now access its Shopify integration. This enables creators to connect a Reddit Ads account to their Shopify storefront, ensuring automatic catalogue syncing so product listings remain updated on Reddit. It also makes it easier for Shopify users to create Reddit campaigns and to identify which products are popular on Reddit. With Reddit’s user numbers growing and the platform being increasingly referenced in AI chatbot answers, it is becoming an important tool for content creators and eCommerce brands.

Kickstarter rolls back its mature content policy after outcry

Last week, Kickstarter announced it would be clamping down on mature content due to Stripe, the platform’s payment processor, suspending or rejecting Kickstarter campaigns based on its own rules.

The consequent backlash from Kickstarter users has resulted in the platform publicly admitting they made a mistake and reversing the rule change. While pornography and illegal content are still prohibited on the platform, the rules have been loosened for now, with Kickstarter promising to continue advocating for its creators when Stripe pushes back.

Spotify launches Memberships for podcasts on 20th birthday

Spotify’s ‘Investor Day’, celebrating the platform’s 20th birthday, saw the platform reposition itself as an AI-powered ecosystem. It is shifting from recommendation to generation, empowering users to create their own content in-app using AI tools. One of the big announcements of the day came in the form of Spotify’s new ‘Memberships’ subscription tool for podcasts, allowing creators to monetise their content.

Instagram engagement rates provide insight into reach

Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, has shared some useful tips on how creators can best utilise Instagram’s content performance insights, providing insight into how the algorithm works and Instagram’s internal logic.

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This newsletter is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.

Written and produced by a human. All opinions are my own.