You might be wondering why we've highlighted social influence & audience building as a trend for 2020. Social influencers have been around for years-so what's new? The new trend we see developing is the focus on how creators and influencers build their audiences. In order to grow, content needs to be produced frequently and consistently-more content than ever before. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are now saturated with creators big and small. It takes a lot to stand out and be seen.
Upward Mobility in Social Media Searches
Demand for social media-related searches have skyrocketed over the past year with 139% growth in the overall category. At first, it seemed as if general social media content demand was growing, but the intent has become clear. On Storyblocks Video, searches for subscribe are up a whopping 467%, download are up 235%, Instagram are up 213% and YouTube are up 66%.
The Cost of Building Engagement
Digging into the research behind the State of YouTube report we released earlier this year, a common theme identified among creators is that they feel immense pressure to post content daily in order to be surfaced by YouTube's algorithm-23% of creators stated time is their greatest challenge. As creators spend more time producing, it's likely many will be turning to stock media to aid their workflow (think templated graphics and royalty-free music.)
For those unfamiliar with the video creator universe, the self-inflicted pressure to grow a channel audience might seem strange or even vain. However, there is a real reason to build a popular channel-monetization. There are many YouTube creators who have evolved their channels from hobby to side hustle to full-time career. To qualify for monetization, a creator needs to have at least 4,000 hours of watch time within the last year and at least 1,000 subscribers. And if a creator builds a large enough following of loyal fans, an even greater monetization opportunity can follow-paid sponsorships. Influencer marketing has reportedly become an $8 billion industry and most brands dedicate a portion of their advertising spend to it. Creators are clued into that.
Tapping into Cross-Promotion
Platforms like IGTV and Facebook Watch are gaining steam and are a great opportunity for creators to not only diversify their audience, but to scale their reach. A creator might not be easily discovered on Instagram, but they can promote their Instagram account on their successful YouTube channel and drive their loyal audience to follow them in a new place. Graphics templates are easy to use and quickly allow you to add other channels' handles into videos in order to drive traffic, creating a simple way to cross-promote.
The Future of Audience Building
With all the opportunity available, we think we'll see creators working hard to build their audiences and influence in 2020. The more they can use tools and resources to reduce time-intensive production tasks, the more they can focus on telling their story.
See all the creative trends for the coming year in our 2020 Trends Guide
Tell Your Story
North America Stories
06/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
06/04/2026
From high school sports all the way up to the major leagues, building high-quali...
06/04/2026
Quickplay, an AI company for the media and entertainment industry, has been accepted into the Advanced tier of the TwelveLabs Ecosystem Partner Program. Quickpl...
06/04/2026
Grass Valley has announced the Future Playmakers Program, a global initiative to...
06/04/2026
El l der de operaciones impulsa la producci n en estudio mientras encuentra insp...
06/04/2026
The ops leader helps lead the charge in studio for the Spanish-language broadcas...
06/04/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
06/04/2026
The National Hockey League (NHL), in partnership with Verizon and the New Jersey Devils, today announced the opening of the NHL Innovation Lab powered by Verizo...
06/04/2026
Rock League, a new professional curling league, has announced that ESPN+ will stream its inaugural 2026 season for fans in the United States. The first Rock Lea...
06/04/2026
Advanced Systems Group has announced the appointment of Andrea (Andy) Cummis as Vice President of Systems Design and Engineering. In this role, she will lead de...
06/04/2026
Backed by Bolt Ventures, the venture brings Bryson DeChambeau, Grant Horvat, and...
06/04/2026
With this environment we can start that collaboration even earlier because we ca...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
06/04/2026
Dalet Showcases Dalia Agentic AI and End-to-End Media Workflows at NAB Show 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Dalet, a leading technology and...
06/04/2026
OpenDrives Shows Off Sports Expertise in Sports Business Hub located in NAB Show...
06/04/2026
Proton to Demonstrate 3D Application at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Yet further creative potential unleashed through innovation in ...
06/04/2026
Autoscript Highlights Voice-Driven Prompting and PTZ Solutions at NAB 2026
Brie Clayton April 6, 2026
0 Comments
Experience Autoscript Voice, PTZ prom...
06/04/2026
Mediaproxy Highlights Significant Enhancements to its LogServer suite at NAB Sho...
06/04/2026
April 6th, 2026
TRIBECA STUDIOS AND LILLY ANNOUNCE WINNERS OF INAUGURAL VITAL...
06/04/2026
Back to All News
Netflix Expands Kids Entertainment Lineup With Playground App ...
04/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
04/04/2026
1080p HDR arrives, a new generation of storytelling tools takes center stage, an...
04/04/2026
Michigan legends bring a new voice to the broadcast as TNT Sports and CBS Sports...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
04/04/2026
DHD Introduces AI-Based Audio Noise Reduction to XD3 IP Core
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
The accompanying image shows the rear panel of the ...
04/04/2026
Macnica Redefines ST 2110 Flexibility with Two Speeds on One Card
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
New for NAB Show 2026, MEP100 SmartNIC now sup...
04/04/2026
Unified Media Workflows for Story-Centric Production
Brie Clayton April 3, 2026
0 Comments
Framelight X unifies field capture, editing and publishing ...
03/04/2026
Michigan's Fab Five will reunite for an alternate presentation of the Mich...
03/04/2026
Avid will exhibit at NAB Show 2026 (April 18-22, Booth N2226, Las Vegas Convention Center), demonstrating its Content Core platform and new AI-driven workflow c...
03/04/2026
Mark Roberts Motion Control (MRMC) has announced the appointment of Nick Barthee as Chief Operating Officer.
The announcement follows MRMC's transition fro...
03/04/2026
Interra Systems has announced that Elite Media Technologies has selected its BATON file-based QC solution for media workflows. Elite Media Technologies speciali...
03/04/2026
Ateme has announced that Moldtelecom has deployed Ateme technologies across its streaming workflow, covering encoding, delivery, operations, and analytics.
Mol...
03/04/2026
Grass Valley will demonstrate Framelight X, its content management platform, at NAB Show 2026. The platform connects capture, ingest, editing, and publishing in...
03/04/2026
Encompass Digital Media and Techex have announced a cloud-native Master Control ...
03/04/2026
Live Vertical Video automatically track the action on the court via AI technology and delivers a fully optimized, 9 16 live feed for viewers...
03/04/2026
As the Illini make their first trip to college basketball's biggest stage si...
03/04/2026
After last summer's Softball National Championship victory and last week'...
03/04/2026
The University of Arizona's Men's Basketball team has only loss twice th...
03/04/2026
Eight games across four tournaments will be played in three venues; accommodatio...
03/04/2026
The Ottawa Senators and Bell Media have announced a long-term rights extension for regional Ottawa Senators games on TSN and RDS. TSN Radio 1200 remains the exc...
03/04/2026
Massive production in Phoenix is run out of Game Creek Video Flagship mobile uni...
03/04/2026
New York April 2, 2026 TelevisaUnivision, the world's leading Spanish-la...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
03/04/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
You might be wondering why we've highlighted social influence & audience building as a trend for 2020. Social influencers have been around for years-so what's new? The new trend we see developing is the focus on how creators and influencers build their audiences. In order to grow, content needs to be produced frequently and consistently-more content than ever before. Platforms like YouTube, Instagram and Facebook are now saturated with creators big and small. It takes a lot to stand out and be seen.
