Lets face it: When you're barely starting out, there's no way in hell you're going to accumulate a budget for Paid Media unless daddy bought it for you, you've secured funding from angel investors, or if it fits your business and brand objectives, received crowd funding. So fasten your seat belt, and begin planting the seeds with your content because you're going to need to play the long game here.

So you've already figured out what it takes to create great content: You either inform or entertain. If you already dabble content marketing for a company or business, you most likely don't need a refresher. For this brief little segment, I'm going to be showcasing the newest weapons on the Earned Media market for those who've hit the ground running and are a mile in.

In my previous post I discussed the Blue Cow Model and how stimulating curiosity like Doja Cat and Elon, and creating exclusivity like Supreme can generate your audience base of Evangelists that swear by your content and product. But the real shining bullet here was the earned media that resulted from it. So, without further adieu, here are my top 3 new outlets for Earned Media that you need to obtain as soon as possible.

"College Kids React to XXXTENTACION"

1. Reaction Videos

Spawned from the dark swampy abyss of Youtube has emerged a new type of earned media called Reaction Videos. Yeah, I know what you're thinking, it was the same exact thought I had when my coworkers first began watching these back in 2016: "Why would I spend a few minutes of my life watching other people react to videos that I could be watching myself?" Well, setting aside how blatantly ridiculous it sounds, its grown to such a phenomenal cult following that the videos usually range from 10,000 views and peak into the millions depending on how controversial the topic is. 

In this video, it showcases how college kids react to a very controversial artist named XXXTENTACION, who is known for his outrageous musical sound, as well as his tarnished reputation and background. But that's a topic for another blogger to take on. This is Content Caliber. 

Basically, you have a particular product, brand, or sort of content that is so "Far Out," that you've stimulated conversation about it. People are sharing it, the news is talking about, the buzz is growing! 

Well, you might want to get your hands on some reaction footage of that. Because quite simply put, reaction videos allow your audience to virtually share in the hype together, creating a sense of unity and community that they might otherwise not enjoy by themselves. That's right, its better to drink the kool-aid together, and in this particular video, about 7.7 million others would agree.

These videos are extremely useful for Video Content and Audio Content. 



2. Memes

Memes have emerged from an equally polluted cesspool of the internet as the new form of quick share entertainment. Usually when someone catches something so awkward, ridiculous and funny, they can't help but take a screenshot of it. But it's more than just a screenshot, yes, its a blank canvas in which others can place another caption or quote that eludes to a shared emotion or the usual meta of ironic, amusing, and blown out of proportion action. 

Here we have a Turkish Chef named Nusret, who's finishing touches to everything he seasons was this particular stance. It wasn't before long that he became a viral hit, in which people began placing Photoshop edits and equally nonrelated content that, honestly, hit the mark so well they also went viral. 


The take away from this is that people are sharing your content, brand, or product, and it's not costing you a cent. They are in inexpensive way to have people sharing your brand or content.

"Unboxing Of The New Apple Watch"

3. Unboxing Videos

The Hype is real. It is so real in fact that other drooling individuals flock to these unboxing videos to see what these products look like, and what they include. Its a quick and cost effective way to satisfy an audience's curiosity, as well as to get a large amount of eyes on your products. 

You've got a great service that charges a flat fee every month to give random clothing, grooming supplies and other niche specific items? You might want to consider getting an influencer or someone with a large cult following to do an unboxing. Now I know I said you most likely wouldn't have the budget to do so unless you're somehow well funded, but realistically if you create a product, become the content leader of said product or niche, and people are already talking about you, the chances are that there are a few of these videos circulating the internet about it already. If you find one, don't be afraid to feature it on your blog, social media platform, or another outlet that you have a large presence are. When you show that you embrace your audience and love that others are talking about it, people will value your product and brand more highly among your competitors. 

So here's my two shells for the week: Create something so amazing, ground breaking, or controversial that people what to share in their reactions, create memes from them, or show off to everyone else about. Build your arsenal now, or get left behind in the archaic ammunition of the past. 

We'll make a sharpshooter out of you yet!


Interested in finding out more about the topics listed? Check out the links below:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salt_Bae
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMdI5JwoI2I
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMRarQ-huL4


Or you can go out and do your own investigating on the multi-platforms. Search for the hashtags before to see first hand how others are capitalizing off this knowledge: 

#SaltBae
#Memesdaily
#Memes
#XXXTENTACION
#ReactionVideos
#UnboxingVideos