Read Time: 1 min 15 sec
Hey — Ryan To here.
A controversial take I have is that trends are most creators and marketers biggest distraction
I’ve seen more brands dilute their marketing strategy by looking for ‘inspiration’
than by going off of a few raw principles
If you’re a first time read or you’re one of 20k subscribers reading every week
Here’s a quick reintroduction:
You probably commented on one of my videos that got you on this email list
Refresher on who I am and what I do (bear with me here I’ve been writing to you peeps for 2 years)
2022: I started a creator merchandising business, Colere
2024: I started a creator marketing agency, Creatorverse, working with both macro-creators and brands (looking to market like creators)
- Worked with Fortune 500s & startups
- Creators in finance, fitness, health, AI x tech
2025: I got the itch to do something bigger (that made me uncomfortable)
→ Moved to San Francisco
→ Did a startup incubator, Founders Inc.
2026: Since then, I’ve gone all-in on understanding the ins and outs of the e-commerce advertising industry.
Working and directly learning from cool brands like Immi Ramen, SuperBonsai, Auri Nutrition, and many more.
If you’re an e-commerce brands, would love to hear from you on what topics you’d need more support in.
A controversial take I have is that ‘trends’ are a big distraction
for most creators and marketers
I’ve seen more brands dilute their marketing strategy by looking for ‘inspiration’
I think every breakout social media story has an advantage (and more marketers need to search for those instead)
Otherwise you copy a trend weeks later
Get a viral hit on organic and ads that gets your boss happy
but will not withstand the authenticity it takes to keep that format evolving
The internet’s getting niche, we’re seeing niches of niches of niches breakthrough
Deep niche internet artist
Health influencers only covering one specific health disorder
Intellectual influencers
My creator friends who are borderline obsessive about a topic will out lap you (and me) in their respective topic
It’s not a skills issue though
It’s an introspection issue
A pattern I’ve seen amongst me becoming a stronger creative strategist for external brands and creators
is turning into a whole therapist
I’m not strategizing their ‘counterposition’
I’m just genuinely invested in them as human
Figuring out where they shine and how that translates to internet-native formats
Example: Creator I trained with 200k followers for a brand
Just ‘hit a wall’. Copying his niche. Copying format.
4-Visual Screen Hooks, iykyk this is toxically infesting my feed.
It was getting (truthfully) boring.
He makes ads for e-commerce brands but also maintains an organic presence to attract brand discovery
so I did what I did best and started unpacking his problems (personal and professional)
before talking, I couldn’t tell you a single video he made in the past 6 months
I zoned out of his content and would scroll right past it
But when I actually got to know him he was easily one of the most interesting guys I’ve chatted with for a while.
Before he fell into chest workout tutorials and protein packed meals niche, he really loved music.
He traveled the world going to music festivals and was a full-time DJ and music producer.
I hit a ‘what the f*ck’ I didn’t know you did that moment.
You know those moments you’re chatting with a friend and you feel like you’re meeting a new person for the time after hearing about a unique experience, fun fact, or part of them they’ve ‘hidden’ from most people.
It felt like a guilt he had about a past identity. I was so shocked! Why do you not share this.
Well, he faced a major health issue that basically killed his music career. It took him 2 years of jumping between jobs to then stumble upon content creation.
Boy if he made videos sharing how important health & longevity was as an artist. I’d be 10x more interested.
It’s about identifying an ancillary niche that is untapped.
You see where I’m getting at here?
Look I GET IT some of you weren’t traveling the world performing to thousands of people.
But there’s a lot more to unpack about yourself than you realize.
Your quirky interests, hobbies, skills. The internet craves novelty and niches of niches right now.
If I was a marketer at any brand right now, I’d seriously start thinking from a personal level who it is I’m serving and what kind of content (going down layers of why?) would my team (the employees, the creators, the human beings of my creative team) have that would be worthwhile sharing!
You’d ingrain yourself in your customers brain, create affinity, and build community a whole lot faster this way
which can be directly translated to the level of narrative you bring to your paid ads.
Have a great day ❤️
Ryan
|
Ryan To
Creator (120K+)
@itsryanto
|
|
P.S. if you’re a consumer brand + creator + early-stage business