How YouTube's new feature is giving small creators a big chance

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Welcome to Marketing in the Age of Machines. Each week, we bring you the following:

👉 An innovative marketing strategy that has worked for others.

👉 The 3 most relevant contents in marketing, AI, and business that will help you understand the ever-changing landscape.

👉 3 tools for the Marketer of the Future.

👉 The quote of the week. A simple take on everyday marketing concepts.

Problem:
As social media platforms have matured, the discovery of new creators has become increasingly difficult, especially for those who don't have massive followings. Large accounts dominate feeds, while smaller creators struggle to break through, leaving social media feeling stagnant. The issue is that new and niche creators often go unnoticed, and the content landscape becomes repetitive, with little opportunity for fresh, unique voices to emerge and thrive.

Solution:
YouTube's new feature, Hype, addresses this problem by giving users a limited number of "Hypes" each week to boost content from small creators (those with under 500K subscribers). These Hypes act as supercharged upvotes that help new videos climb a special leaderboard, increasing visibility. The feature is only available for videos less than a week old, which encourages timely engagement, while YouTube gains more user interaction without disrupting its algorithm.

Lesson:
Hype shows that innovation in social media doesn't always need to focus on the big creators to drive engagement. By supporting smaller creators and encouraging viewers to take an active role in promoting them, platforms can keep content fresh and diverse. This feature highlights how giving underdogs a chance to be seen can reignite creativity, promote niche communities, and restore a sense of excitement and unpredictability that made early internet content so appealing.

How do you think giving more power to users could change the way we discover content on social media?

1/. The "No Differentiation" Illusion
This post explores how to approach product positioning when faced with the perception that a product has no differentiation from competitors. The author discusses two scenarios: a truly undifferentiated product that requires innovation or strategic adjustments, and a product that is actually differentiated but misunderstood by the internal team. It highlights the importance of deeply understanding customer perspectives, emphasizing that great positioning stems from recognizing the unique value the product provides.

Insights for B2B Marketing Directors

  • Encourage teams to spend more time with customers to understand their perception of value. This will help align marketing and product positioning efforts.

  • Prioritize analyzing why deals are won over why they are lost, as this will reveal the strengths of your product and help refine your messaging.

Read the full post here:

Thinking about hiring a content agency?

Take our 12-question quiz to gain insights into whether your brand is prepared to benefit from a content marketing strategy.

2/. How to become a 10x marketer by 'Reverse Engineering'
Reverse engineering successful marketing campaigns is a critical skill for top marketers. It involves analyzing and deconstructing the elements that make a campaign effective, then creatively applying those insights to one's own brand. This process isn't just about copying but remixing and innovating. The post outlines a step-by-step guide to building a system for consistently identifying and adapting successful marketing strategies.

Read the full post here:

3/. A Complete Guide to Using Original Research to Elevate B2B Content Marketing
This post highlights the value of publishing original B2B research to strengthen brand authority and trust. It explains how research reports can serve as powerful lead-generation tools and foster credibility with potential buyers by offering data-backed insights. The post covers different types of research reports—like yearly benchmarks, trend reports, and customer insights—along with best practices for conducting and repurposing them. The message is clear: original research positions your brand as an industry leader, while also providing long-lasting content that can be used across multiple formats.

Read the full post here:

👉 Tools in the Age of Machines:

Dzine: AI image generator that allows you to create and edit images

The Hive Index: A website that allows users to find online communities

NotebookLM: New Audio Overview feature can turn documents, slides, charts and more into engaging discussions with one click.

The right content pulls leads in by answering the questions they’re already asking

Luisa Fernanda Echeverry - Director @Castleberry

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