Are creators the new journalists? What does it mean to break free of the algorithm? How do you win on social media? On the sidelines of CreatorFest, we caught up with Annabel Harris, Account Director at The Goat Agency, to find out.
In conversation with Hello Partner, Harris emphasised the importance of escaping the pull of the algorithm and moving beyond convention.
Here, brands should avoid jumping in on poorly-timed, short-lived trends and make better use of strategic moments, like the London Marathon.
Indeed, here, research from Sprout Social shows that this kind of content doesn't resonate with everyone. In a study of consumers, one-third said they find brands jumping on trends “embarrassing.”
Alongside this, Harris advised that brands should move beyond “bread and butter” platforms and explore emerging player, such as Reddit — now the fourth most-visited social media service in Britain.
She also echoed the words of Alex Hick, Creator Program Lead at LADbible, regarding the power of repurposing content.
“So essentially, taking content or social content that we know works and putting it in new places. Whether it's a digital out of home, whether it's a blog or someone's website, for example, taking that content and putting it into unexpected partnerships or unexpected places that one might not typically see,” said Harris.
Looking ahead into 2027, Harris said that she sees creators continuing to capitalise on opportunity, whether that be radio or reality shows. But in addition to this, Harris forecast a rise in subscription-based creators.
“The rise of Substack is a really good example,” said Harris, adding that people are now looking at creators as the new journalists.
“...one might follow a fashion journalist for their own taste, their own personal curation of what they think is going to work this season, for example. Now people are really looking at creators to be that taste maker…”
Watch the full interview below.
