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Howdy,

Here is your weekly dose of The Creator Stream, a list of what I’m enjoying and working on in the Creator Economy. Please feel free to forward this along to fellow creators.

I often get asked, “I want to work for a creator, but how do I approach them, and what do I say?

Fortunately for them, I’ve worked (and hired) for some of the world’s biggest creators.

Here are 10 things I’ve learned about the DO’s and DON’Ts of creator outreach: 👇

DO:

- Research: Your initial outreach is your first impression, so make sure you prepare.

Understanding who the creator is, what they’re trying to achieve, and what their pain points are could be the difference between being hired or ignored and helps lay the foundation for a meaningful conversation.

- Respect their time: Creators are busy people, don’t send them an essay, be clear and concise with your message, and understand that by reading your message, they’re using up some of their most valuable resource - time.

- Get genuine: Connecting on a personal level builds trust and authenticity.

Ask yourself: Why are you messaging this specific creator? What makes you want to work with them, and what does it mean to you? Just remember to keep it snappy!

- Provide value: While this option may not suit everyone, I’ve personally found that sending your service upfront during your initial outreach reduces the likelihood of being ignored.

For example if you're a thumbnail designer, don't ask 'Can I make a thumbnail for you, for free?', instead just make a killer thumbnail and send it to them in your outreach message.

This makes it easier for them to say yes on the spot as they can already see what you're capable of.

- Follow up: As previously mentioned, creators are busy people. There is a strong possibility that your message will get lost in the noise.

Following up with a polite message after 4-7 days is more than appropriate, and shows your level of determination and persistence.

DON’T:

- Pester: While it’s great to follow up, it’s not great to keep doing it. Pestering creators with multiple messages within a small time frame is one of the quickest ways to alienate the very person you want to work with.

Be mindful and be self-aware!

- Be generic: There’s no doubt that you’re passionate, talented and hard-working at what you do.

But so is everyone else. How are you going to stand out from the crowd? Don’t tell them how good you are, show them.

- Expect anything: Assuming that everyone will share the same enthusiasm about your skills or services is a dangerous path to tread, by managing expectations it will help you handle potential disappointments more gracefully.

- Put them on a pedestal: Creators are people, just like you. The online persona of a creator can be different to that of the individual behind the camera.

By treating them as individuals with their own complexities and not idealising them is crucial to building an authentic relationship.

- Be disheartened: You could’ve done everything right, sent the perfect message with unquestionable value, but still haven’t had a reply.

But that’s okay, it’s an inevitable part of the process.

The journey is long and unpredictable, the work is out there, just remember that persistence is the fuel you need to succeed.

If you thought this was useful, our podcast episode:

'If I Wanted to Work for a YouTuber in 2024, I’d Do This...'

Delves into the secrets George, Gwilym, and I all used to get work in the creator economy, and how you can too.

My Favourite Things This Week

🎥 Video I’m Watching

The Downfall Of Modern Podcasts - The video from James Smith discusses the problems in the podcast industry, particularly how modern podcasts are beginning to sensationalize information. This is done by inviting controversial guests (usually in health and fitness) to spur arguments in the comments (which often contradict other guests they’ve had on the same podcast), thereby creating more engagement and views.

James Smith is a 'no-BS' kind of guy, and I admire his direct takes on subjects like this, where he calls things out and says it as it is. I highly recommend watching this if you're interested in how these podcasts make millions each year and the sneaky strategies they use to manipulate viewers.

Want To Sponsor The Creator Stream?

The Creator Stream has a following of over 1,500 creators who work in the Creator Economy. If you're interested in sponsoring the newsletter, you can find out more here.

🎙️ Podcast I’m Listening To

Become A Better Writer In 60 Minutes (Masterclass) - This podcast episode from My First Million dives into effective communication and writing skills. It starts with the significance of understanding 'why' over 'how' in persuasive communication and highlights the need for clear thinking for clear writing and setting goals from the start.

I found this episode really interesting as I aim to get better at writing for Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube Scripts, and more. There are so many other things that they cover in this episode but I’ll leave it for you to explore!

🎨 I Want To Design YOUR Thumbnails

Thanks to everyone who submitted their thumbnails last week! I’m still looking for more submissions. If you missed it, I've created thumbnails for numerous well-known YouTube creators, including Bryan Johnson, Rian Doris, and Ali Abdaal. Now, I want to redesign YOUR thumbnails!

In a soon-to-be YouTube series, I'll be demonstrating to you how I approach thumbnail strategy and design improvement on my YouTube channel.

My First Million Podcast's Shaan has already DM'd me, requesting that I redo their thumbnails, so that will be the first episode I produce. However, I would really like to see more thumbnails from smaller channels who are trying to increase clickthrough rates but don't know how to make their thumbnails better.

So, if you want to get some feedback, please fill out this form.

🎨 Thumbnail of the Week

The Thumbnail Vault is a collection of over 1,000 of the greatest YouTube thumbnails for inspiration to help you create clickable thumbnails.

This week, I added 7 new thumbnails to the library including the above thumbnail where I analysed exactly why they got clicks. If you want to check it out you can sign up here.

🎙️ Podcast I Released

How We’re Using AI to Make YouTube Videos - In the latest episode of ‘Making It’, George, Gwilym, and I talk about all things AI and the threat it poses to YouTube Content Creation.

You can watch on YouTube or listen on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Forwarded this message? Sign up here.

Whenever you're ready, there are 3 ways I can help you:

1. I create videos on how I’m helping my clients get more views and make money on YouTube. Check out my channel.

2. Book a free 15-minute consulting call with me where I can give you some pointers on how to improve your YouTube Channel.

3. If you want to improve your thumbnails, I recommend you sign up for free at The Thumbnail Vault. It's a database of over 1,000 of the best thumbnails on YouTube for inspiration with breakdowns on why they got views.

4. Sponsor the newsletter - Get your message in front of 1,500 people!

Thanks for reading, if you want to reach out to me, just send a tweet to @WhiffenYT. Have a wonderful weekend!

Jamie