Audience building
creatorshubCommunity beats follower counts. How to build a direct relationship with an audience that survives an algorithm change.
Brands pay for the audience that buys a ticket
Dom Murray ran talent at The Diary of a CEO podcast, which now has 19.5 million YouTube subscribers. Yet he says follower count is the least interesting number. What counts is a clear point of view and an audience that will buy a ticket.
Substack gives Titlbach his subscriber list, LinkedIn only lends it
Filip Titlbach and Miloš Čermák send their texts straight to readers' inboxes. On Substack the author takes the subscriber list with them, while on LinkedIn they see only names and job titles. Ownership of audience, data and rights separates a company from a channel.
Top creators do not invent formats, they copy proven ones
The most successful creators do not invent formats. They take proven ones and stand out through their content. YouTube took Shorts from TikTok, which itself grew out of a purchased app. A hook can be borrowed, reputation cannot.
LinkedIn advises creators to start newsletters
Investors are backing email as owned distribution. Substack is valued at $1.1 billion, and beehiiv publishers sent more than 28 billion emails in a year. The difference between a feed and a list is who holds the subscriber’s address, and on LinkedIn that is not the creator.
Beast Games flopped. YouTuber films are filling cinemas
The most-subscribed creator on YouTube has an expensive series flop behind him. Markiplier’s film grossed over $50 million on a $3 million budget. Other creators’ films follow the same path, where success depends on how engaged fans are and how willing they are to mobilise.
Over half of Google searches end without a click. Creators must own their audience
Seth Godin says Google has spent a decade squeezing independent websites. We checked the numbers. Over half of searches now end without a click, and small sites lost 60% of their visits in two years. Creators must own a direct relationship with their audience.
A direct relationship with your audience is worth more than followers
Not long ago, growing faster than the algorithm was enough. Creators who want stable income are now moving away from social networks, focusing on control, relationships and assets that no one can take away overnight.
Strategy? Build a community
Algorithms change overnight, reach drops without warning and advertising keeps getting more expensive. The answer that keeps coming from many directions is the same: community.
The future of media at WNC 2025
The World News Media Congress 2025 in Krakow discussed AI, audience trust and brand resilience. We picked out the most interesting talks, from Gannett's Key Points feature to Mediapart's community model.