andyfoundlight
New member
Yooo good luck to everyone that applied! In the meantime are there any fellow founders targeting the creator ecosystem?
I worked at an A16Z funded startup that targeted this space and handled their entire creator partnerships funnel. Got to learn from some really awesome peeps, including the founders of WhatNot. Now, I’m tackling the hardest thing I encountered while I was there: How to find creators with real fans, not just viewers.
If this is a problem for you — I’d love to connect. I realized that for the most part working with creators is kinda 50/50. Engagement metrics aren’t always the best predictors of ROI, and it’s hard finding the hidden gems with a solid fanbase but won’t charge you $10k/video sponsor.
Here are some things I’ve learned though:
1) Golden Niches: If your product is geared towards monetizing creator communities, make sure they’re in “golden” or expensive niches. You probably want to work with folks doing Warhammer 40k vs DIY decorations.
2) Community is in the comments: Not all comments sections are created equal. Look for comments that are talking to the creator and not talking at the content. Easy way to tell is to compare them vs tiktok or insta reels, the comment sections for shorts are filled with viewers talking to each other or at the content.
3) Content is a full time job: Creators barely have time to manage their channel, much less their community. That’s a real pain point, they are also very careful with what they promote to their community as well.
4) Shorts for awareness, Long form for action: Probably learned this a little late, but if you want conversion, go for long form creators on YouTube or streamers on Twitch.
I worked at an A16Z funded startup that targeted this space and handled their entire creator partnerships funnel. Got to learn from some really awesome peeps, including the founders of WhatNot. Now, I’m tackling the hardest thing I encountered while I was there: How to find creators with real fans, not just viewers.
If this is a problem for you — I’d love to connect. I realized that for the most part working with creators is kinda 50/50. Engagement metrics aren’t always the best predictors of ROI, and it’s hard finding the hidden gems with a solid fanbase but won’t charge you $10k/video sponsor.
Here are some things I’ve learned though:
1) Golden Niches: If your product is geared towards monetizing creator communities, make sure they’re in “golden” or expensive niches. You probably want to work with folks doing Warhammer 40k vs DIY decorations.
2) Community is in the comments: Not all comments sections are created equal. Look for comments that are talking to the creator and not talking at the content. Easy way to tell is to compare them vs tiktok or insta reels, the comment sections for shorts are filled with viewers talking to each other or at the content.
3) Content is a full time job: Creators barely have time to manage their channel, much less their community. That’s a real pain point, they are also very careful with what they promote to their community as well.
4) Shorts for awareness, Long form for action: Probably learned this a little late, but if you want conversion, go for long form creators on YouTube or streamers on Twitch.