To receive The Leap’s weekly newsletter in your inbox, click here.
Your 5-minute smorg of creator insights to get you in the mood (to quit your job).
By the time you get this email, IG will have released yet another update, TikTok will have changed something about their algorithm, gas prices will have gone up, and tampons and baby formula will still be in short supply. Yes, the world is a crazy place right now, full of flux and unknowns. But one thing hasn’t changed: your dream to quit that job and be your own boss. Yeehaw! The influencer and content creation market is only getting more lucrative, and if you want to cash in, why wait? Things are changing at a torrential speed, but you’re ready to move with the current and roll in the deep (of entrepreneurial success). Look, if everyone else can do it, so can you.
Giddy up!
– The Leap
Lissette Calveiro on Failure, Finding Support, and Other Firsts
Sit down, listen, and learn, fam. We sat down with legendary marketing consultant and business coach Lissette Calveiro for a chat on her #FirstYear as a Creator, and you really don’t want to miss it. Jumping from the Head of Influencer Marketing at Ogilvy to her own business, Lissette teaches content creators how to build and monetize their presence through her Influence with Impact platform. Leaving a cushy job like that would understandably be tough, but her experience at a globally recognized agency set her up perfectly to take the leap into her own thing. But it wasn’t all fame and fortune. Here are some of the “firsts” that taught her how to find the right support and learn from her failures.
“I always say that failure or rejection is a redirection. I don’t know where I heard it but it’s always stuck with me because, even at times where I feel like I’ve messed up, I’m not stressed.”
Read More
Little Extras
TikTok wanted their own Bitmoji, as a treat. “Avatars” is their newest addition to the feature board and no, it won’t turn you into a blue nature-loving humanoid. Just a cuter version of yourself (not that you needed it though) when you want to have a playful video or need a playful disguise.
Influencer culture is mutating. A cultural shift in internet fame has saturated the market, which is making it harder for creators who could stand out before. But on the other hand, it’s great for micro-influencers and people who just want to post about normal stuff, like deep-fried milk.
TikTok isn’t trying to make you feel guilty about how much time you spend on the app, but they do want to make it easier to track your behavior on it. Their new dashboard helps you set limits and reminds you to take a break. Maybe for like, water and food, at least?
Not Instagram with another update. Unlike some that seem irrelevant (9:16, anyone?), this one is all about grid pins, for everyone! You can now pin 3 of your top posts, such as: the outfit everyone asks about, the podcast you were on, or that product you dropped.
This brand just raised 26 million to help creators through Web 3.0. So instead of getting paid through Patreon or Cameo, you could create your own cryptocurrency that your audience buys to access content. You have our attention, Calaxy.
Happy one-year anniversary, Creator Mode! LinkedIn is celebrating the features that make it easier for creators to get discovered and share their content. I guess that means LinkedIn isn’t just a place to spy on your old coworkers from that toxic job you quit.
If you were looking for a sign to charge more, this is it. Influencers are hiking up their prices – a whole 45% in the last year! – because life is expensive and those trips to LA won’t pay for themselves? Actually, pay transparency is playing a big part in it, and when you realize someone else is charging more for the same thing, it’s only natural.
Think finance courses are sus at best? I love creatives thought so, too. So they created Finance Friends Forever. Be besties with your bank account with the help of a course designed for freelancers, or just people who need a little help (aka all of us, let’s be real).
Hold up – are you a Black Youtube creator? Then you need to apply for the Black Voices Fund, which just opened for 2023 applicants. This grant initiative puts a spotlight on and elevates video creators, plus pairs them with a strategic partner to help them to optimize their channel. Could you love YouTube any more??
Thank You, Creator Next.
Making videos for TikTok like it’s a full-time job? Then you should get paid like it’s one. Turning content creation into a real money stream is the goal (that’s why you’re here, isn’t it?) but easier said than done. TikTok wants to make it easier for you with Creator Next. This feature helps you to more easily generate income from the platform without any extra side projects — or selling out to the first brand that comes calling.
Who can use it and how does it work? Here’s what you need to know so you can say “thank you, (creator) next.”
