🎶 “This sound isn’t available?”

Plus a full breakdown of Russell Brunson's "Linchpin" model and how you can implement it into your business in 2024

Read Time: 3.0 minutes

Welcome back, Creator!

“This sound isn’t available.”

If you use TikTok as a place for content creation, then there is almost a 100% chance that you used “trending” music in the background of your videos.

This past week, TikTok and Universal Music Group couldn’t agree on licensing for the music used on its platform, and subsequently, TikTok had to silence tens of thousands of tracks that creators have used in their videos.

But what will we do if we can’t follow music trends to capture more views for our video? The answer is a lot simpler than you think!

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Trivia Question: Who is recognized as the top influencer on Instagram in 2024, known for their comedy and lifestyle content? (Answer at the end of the Newsletter).

TODAY’S MENU

  • Universal Music Group Pulls Songs From TikTok: TikTok confirmed last week that it would be pulling all music connected to Universal. Ouch!

  • TikTok Continues To Experiment With Generative AI: ByteDance has developed a new AI model that can replicate any person’s voice.

  • Why You Should Use “The Linchpin” In Your Social Business Strategy: Russell Brunson’s strategy broken down and how he built Clickfunnels into a $200M/mo software company.

CURRENT NEWS

TikTok Silences Thousands Of Songs From Its Platform

Here’s everything you need to know:

  • Failed Negotiations: TikTok and Universal Music Group couldn't agree on new usage rights, leading Universal to withdraw its music from TikTok starting February 1.

  • Major Artists Affected: Universal's roster includes stars like Taylor Swift, Adele, Drake, and Billie Eilish.

  • Dispute Over Compensation: TikTok's offer was deemed insufficient by Universal, falling short in artist compensation and safeguards against generative AI misuse.

  • Contract Termination: The existing agreement, signed in 2021, ended on January 31, with all Universal content to be removed thereafter.

  • Accusations of Bullying: Universal accused TikTok of using intimidation tactics in negotiations, allegedly underpaying and selectively removing music to leverage a better deal.

  • TikTok's Response: Despite Universal's departure, TikTok stands by its platform as a significant promotional tool for artists.

  • Impact on TikTok: The withdrawal could heavily impact TikTok, emphasizing its value as a music discovery platform but risking losing popular music and artist exposure.

  • Potential for Resolution: There's speculation that negotiations might resume to find a compromise, but as of now, many popular songs are set to disappear from TikTok, leading to user frustration.

How to move forward:

For content creators looking to succeed in 2024, the best approach involves a mix of innovation, audience understanding, and strategic planning.

  1. Classify Content: Understand different types of content and their purposes to effectively address your audience's need​s.

  2. Focus on Quality: Prioritize high-quality content to stand out and maintain audience engagement over tim​e.

  3. Innovate and Experiment: Don't be afraid to try new formats, platforms, and storytelling methods to captivate your audience​.

  4. Leverage Creativity and Storytelling: Use your unique voice and creative ideas to tell stories that connect with people on a personal leve​l.

These strategies highlight the importance of adaptability, creativity, and user-centric content creation to thrive in the evolving digital landscape. Yes, even the talking head videos can perform if they keep the attention of your followers and overdeliver on value. Yes, music is a part of content creation but don’t let it be the focal point.

CREATOR AI STRATEGIES

TikTok Experiements With Generative AI

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is making significant advancements in generative AI, potentially giving TikTok an edge in AI application and influencing new user behaviors. Despite the challenge of finding immediate, valuable uses for generative AI in social apps, TikTok is taking a strategic approach by integrating features that genuinely enhance user engagement.

Among its initiatives, ByteDance has developed "StreamVoice," a system capable of replicating any individual's voice with high accuracy from minimal input, raising concerns about potential misuse for fraud and deception.

This technology aligns with Meta's efforts in similar domains, aiming to lower the barriers to audio content creation and offering diverse applications, from enhancing video soundscapes to creating custom sound effects.

Beyond voice replication, TikTok's evolving AI toolkit includes generative AI profile images, enhanced search capabilities, AI-generated music, text-to-video creation tools, and AI chatbots. Moreover, TikTok is exploring an automated shopping feature that identifies objects in videos to offer shopping recommendations, leveraging AI to refine and personalize product displays.

This move towards a more integrated AI application reflects TikTok's ambition to augment its core functionalities and user experience, setting it apart from other platforms struggling to utilize AI effectively.

SOCIAL BUSINESS SCALING

The Linchpin Broken Down

Here’s the lowdown on "The Linchpin" framework, your golden ticket to building a compounding monthly recurring revenue stream that can transform any business. This isn't just about being creative; it's about delivering outrageous value every step of the way.

Let us break it down for you, and no, it's not going to take 21 steps (although that would be quite the journey, wouldn't it?). Here's the essence:

  • One foundational block to start building on.

  • Three critical blocks of activities to stack on top.

Last year, while in Orlando for Funnel Hacking Live 2023, Russel dove deep into "The Linchpin" framework, teasing out the components and showing us how to put this beast into action.

Here's the breakdown:

The Foundation Block: Your audience is everything. Where you gather them and how you connect is your bedrock. Paying for traffic works, but owning and nurturing your crowd through your newsletter, leveraging three types of media, is where the real magic happens. This sets the stage for everything that follows in your Linchpin system.

The Three Blocks of Activities:

  1. Continuity and MIFGE (Most Incredible Free Gift Ever): First up, you need a killer offer that makes subscribing to your membership a no-brainer. Get this combo right, and you can guide your tribe straight into your continuity program. Aim to develop three tiers over time, starting with tier one.

  2. Your First Dramatic Demonstration: Next, craft a webinar or a multi-day challenge that spotlights a key benefit of your continuity offer. Bundle a bulk-duration membership at a discount, adding in an irresistible bonus. This elevates the perceived value, driving your foundational traffic towards this offer instead of just your MIFGE.

  3. Your Second Dramatic Demonstration: This could be a live event, a paid challenge, or even a strategic phone sale, paired with a compelling offer to elevate members to your tier 3 continuity level. It's all about ascending your audience through your value ladder.

Though we only skimmed the surface of these last parts, mastering just the foundation and the first two blocks can set you on a path to a seven-figure ARR business.

Remember, it's not just about what you're selling; it's about the journey you take your customers on. Build that audience, deliver value, and use these steps to create a business that not only lasts but thrives!

CURRENT TRENDS FOR CREATORS

Leverage These TikTok Trends in February

@adalin_helton

Is there a glitch or something tho cause that’s wild?! #fyp #april21birthday #april #relatable #birthday

Trend: Rare Birthday

Example: Posting a two photo carousel post with the first slide being you and a text overlay talking about the rare birthday trend e.g. “Oh you think your birthday is rare?” with the next slide showing your birthday and also how many hashtags are under your birthday (e.g. #january29birthday), with the lower the number being ‘rarer’ and better.

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CONTENT CREATION TIPS

We compiled our BEST 100 ChatGPT prompts you will need as a creator in 2024!

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Trivia Answer: Khaby Lame is recognized as the top influencer on Instagram in 2024, known for his comedy and lifestyle content.

Thanks for reading!

Catch you on the next edition of THE CREATOR REPORT!

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Disclosure: Some things in this Newsletter may be sponsored posts. Digital Marketing Misfits LLC may be getting a small commission if you sign up / fill out their form, or Digital Marketing Misfits might own a percent of the business. In particular, but not always, those sponsored, commissioned, or owned posts might have an * in the subject headline.