Ones to Watch: Creators who are leaning into depth over reach & building impactful communities
Curated by Megan Collins, Cultural Anthropologist, Generational Expert and contributor to the MTD blog
In early 2022 we highlighted the growing importance of community to social media and therefore digital brand strategy; 9 months into 2023 community has become the buzzword du jour on the metaphorical Madison Avenue. Everyone wants to get in on the ground floor of the next Eras tour which mobilized and flexed Taylor Swift’s massive fan community. Mattel is looking to replicate the success of the Barbie movie with a slate of toy based offerings. After all, it's easy to see the power of community when Alex Cooper is getting a $60M deal with Spotify thanks to the “Daddy Gang.” But what’s less talked about is the years of community building, creative experimentation, and digital brand exploration that goes into these seemingly unforeseen successes. Taylor Swift has been doing some of the most dedicated fan service the industry has ever seen since 2006; 17 years and 10 albums later she’s poised to become a billionaire from it. Barbie worked because, among other things, Greta is a master at her craft who has gained trust with female filmgoers over a decade. Sometimes slow & steady really is the way to win the race. We’re taking a look at creators who are at the beginning of their community-building journey who are leaning into depth over reach to slowly build their loyal communities.
Opulent Tips leans into exclusivity to create community
Rachel is a fashion journalist at the Washington Post and the curator of the Invite only newsletter, Opulent Tips. Taking a cue from the fashion houses she covers, the newsletter is not pay-gated like your average Substack. Rather it’s completely invite-only, like Raya or buying a Birkin, and therefore incredibly coveted. According to Isabel Sloane at the Financial Times, “Opulent Tips has managed to capture a devoted following of downtown New York media power players and fashion glitterati. Lorde is a subscriber. So is actor Tavi Gevinson. Employees at indie film studio A24 have formed a group chat dedicated to deliberating each week’s offerings.” Sometimes a small strategic community is just as mighty in influence as a massive one.
Celebrity Memoir Book Club is like a book club with your besties
Comedians and best friends Claire Parker & Ashley Hamilton have amassed a devoted TikTok community reading celebrity memoirs and offering insightful recaps. Built around a book club ethos, the pair has developed an authentic and well structured digital strategy across platforms. They cast a wide net on TikTok creating bite sized, topical content and tying it to the memorist of the week. On the podcast, they do a deep dive into the book & their opinions. For even deeper analysis and more from the women themselves, their most devoted listeners (whom they call “worms”) they have additional bonus content behind a paywall on Patreon. In addition to all of these touchpoints they also actively engage with their community on both Instagram and Geneva. The latter is an up and coming app for community where creators can connect with their listeners and their listeners can also connect with one another. People come for the books, stay for the friendship whether that’s Claire & Ashley’s or the ones they make along the way.
She’s your incredibly in-the-know industry friend with a cool vague job
Another TikTok creator that has amassed a following for her educated hot-takes and incisive delivery style is the woman known as ‘Culture Work.’ Purposely or accidentally, Culture Work has created a deuxmoi-like persona for herself as someone who is enigmatic and industry adjacent with intimate knowledge of the mechanisms behind the pop culture PR machine. After gaining followers for her nuanced takes on the latest pop culture and interesting perspective, she launched a Substack called The Weekly Work. There she blends her personal, professional, and creator POV into incredible insights about the latest pop culture and current events. In addition to the substance of her content, her audience is drawn to her lifestyle. While mysterious, what she does share is filling a niche that’s growing in demand: a happily single woman over 30 who travels, takes care of herself, and has a full life but still loves to gab about celebs over a margarita on Friday evening (as she often does on her lives).