🤯 What TikTok Isn’t Telling You

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Happy Thursday! I hope you’re having a great week, it was wonderful to meet so many of you at the inaugural CreatorFest last Thursday. It was an incredible event that allowed so many members of our community to connect and talk about the important issues in the creator economy and influencer marketing.

This week we’ve got a lot of TikTok stories to get into, the good and the bad.

Reports suggest that TikTok is helping connect creators to manufacturers to help them sell unique products on TikTok Shop, which could be great for creators wanting to diversify their income stream. However, one of the biggest recent stories concerns leaked documents suggesting TikTok is aware of the platform’s potential harm, especially to young users. You can read about this in more detail below.

Instagram creators may want to note that the platform might be reducing video quality on its platform, so be sure to find out more below.

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In today's newsletter:

Pick of the day: TikTok is connecting creators with manufacturers, as they find more ways to support creators on the platform.
Trending: Leaked documents show TikTok understands how the features on the platform can harm users; Instagram is purposely lowering the quality of videos.
Join the Conversation: REFY shows the importance of community once again.

Pick of the day

TikTok's Next Chapter: Helping Creators Build Brands and Sell Products

Reports from Business Insider have suggested that TikTok is beginning a new chapter on TikTok Shop, specifically by connecting creators on the platform with manufacturers. We’re seeing creators increasingly look to new avenues for diversifying their revenue streams and building a more sustainable income, so this strategic move by TikTok seems to align perfectly with the current environment of the creator economy. Read more at the link above!

What's hot on Hello Partner right now

Leaked TikTok Docs Reveal Dark Side of Engagement: Addiction, Algorithm Bias, and Exploitation
If you couldn’t already tell, TikTok has dominated the industry news cycle this week, but not for all the right reasons. A lawsuit against the platform has led to a leak of internal documents, showing the potential harm the platform can cause towards young users. Read more about the findings at the link above.

The Video Quality Trap: Why Smaller Creators Struggle on Instagram
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri revealed during an AMA that only the most popular videos receive high-quality processing, often meaning smaller creators get trapped in a cycle of low-quality, poor-performing videos. Unsurprisingly, creators weren’t happy with the news. Read more about Instagram’s approach to videos above.

Creator of the Week

Our Creator of the Week is Lucy Edwards!

Lucy is an award-winning presenter, creator, journalist, speaker and disability activist. Since losing her sight at 17 she committed to sharing her experience and raising awareness about disability. Her work has led to her building a social media following of over 2.8 million, with her content being viewed over one billion times.

Last week, Lucy spoke at CreatorFest on ‘The Future of Influence’, sharing how emerging technologies and new social trends are shaping the future of influence and what brands across industries can learn from beauty’s forward-thinking approach in order to stay ahead in today’s social-first world.

It was an incredible session full of so many insights from Lucy and the other speakers on stage. Be sure to check out Lucy’s content to stay up to date with her work!

Join the Conversation on LinkedIn - REFY have done it again

I’ve mentioned REFY in this newsletter before because the beauty brand is constantly setting the standard of how brands should treat their communities like influencers.

Last week the company celebrated their 4th anniversary at a dinner party in NYC, and who got invited? Their Instagram broadcast channel.

Of course, the whole channel didn’t get to attend, but they asked members of their community who wanted to come to sign up their interest via a link. Additionally, REFY sent goody bags to those who couldn't attend but engaged with their post on social media.

It’s another example of how giving back to your community can have great benefits, and that sometimes, influencer trips and gifting aren’t always the way to go.

Join the Conversation