Welcome, 2025!

I hope you had an amazing holiday season, rang in the new year in style, and are ready to crush it in 2025.

One of my big goals this year is to stay consistent with this newsletter. If you’ve ever heard me speak or had a proper chat with me, you probably know one universal truth: Jacob likes to talk. And yes, I absolutely do, but at least I’m self-aware so that counts for something, right?

But here’s the thing, I need to be more efficient (and, let’s face it, concise) with my writing. So, to make sure this newsletter is valuable for everyone, here’s the plan:

Each week, I’ll bring you updates about upcoming events and some exclusive perks for our community. I’ll also spotlight a creator who’s caught my eye and a creative concept that I think brands could build with them. I hope that it might spark some ideas for your content!

Also, I’m excited to share an exclusive opportunity for our community at the end of this edition.

Our Next Event:

Thursday, January 9th, 7 PM - 10 PM: The Intersection of Sports and Social Media

An exclusive event exploring the future of sports marketing, athlete-led media ventures, and the powerful connection between creators and sports. Discover how athletes build personal brands, create media businesses, and form long-term brand partnerships to expand their influence beyond the field.

Panelists:

• Sagnik Basu – Head of Social & Senior Editor, FOX Media

• Adam Kester – Social Media Strategist & Content Creator, Team Whistle & DAZN

• Arden Franklyn – Co-Founder of Dunkyard & Head of Marketing, Twenty-Four New York. Our Partner for the event!

We’re hosting this event in an incredibly unique space at the iconic Oculus. With over 90 RSVPs already, this is shaping up to be an amazing night of insights and networking. If this conversation aligns with your background or interests, we’d love to see you there!

Creator Spotlight: Vexbolts

Why This Creator?

His recent “mass unfollowing” has catapulted his relevance and recognition on social media. If you haven’t seen this creator can you really say that you’re on TikTok? Vexbolts gained prominence on TikTok by being the voice of the "Let him Cook" meme in 2023 (The origin of “Let Him Cook”). Most of his content is split into two specific niches, gaming, in particular Fortnite, and memes. And he’s part of a content house called Yesquad.

• 📈 Impact and Reach:

  • 🚀 Follower Growth: In December 2024, Vexbolts launched his “mass unfollowing” campaign. Ironically, it gained him 3M+ new followers.

    • Timeline: He skyrocketed from 1.6M to 8M followers in one week.

    • Despite losing 5.1M followers on New Year’s Eve and Day, he quickly regained 1.6M, doubling his original following since starting the challenge, most likely due to the Mass Reviving of Vexbolts on January 5th

  • 🎥 Viral Video: His biggest video, posted just before New Year’s, reached:

• The top comment had 208K likes.

• This ranks it among TikTok’s top 20 videos of all time.

• 📊 Campaign Data Highlights: Over 7 Days

• 🤝 Collaborations: The campaign drew attention from:

  • A high-profile collaboration with Mr. Beast, further solidified his status, with multiple videos with Lunchly.

  • Collaboration with a brand Pudgy Penguin

  • Major sports teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Over 185K posts with the #vexbolts

  

• 🌟 Personal Interest: It’s rare to see someone become, in my opinion, one of the most recognizable creators on a platform essentially overnight. He blew up on TikTok, but I don’t think a significant portion of his following carried over to other platforms.

  • YouTube: 35.9K

  • Instagram: 227K

  • Twitch: 51.1K

If Vexbolts can turn this into something more substantial past his revival I think he has a real shot to retain some relevance. His videos even before the “mass unfollowing” averaged about 1M views, but it all goes back to what does this get him. If he’s making money on TikTok great. If he’s making money on brand deals even better. But finding something outside of that where he can build a real business around himself I think will be a more substantial opportunity. I’m not quite sure what that looks like yet.

The Brand: Fornite

• 🛠 About the Brand: Does Fortnite even need an explanation? It’s a first-person shooter game that has become a cultural phenomenon, which I’m personally terrible at (I’ll stick to Smash bros.)

• 🤝 Why This Match Works:

  • Vexbolts is deeply tied to Fortnite; his content consistently revolves around the game, making him one of its most consistently performing unofficial ambassadors.

  • His "let him cook" sound all started with a Fortnite clip, proving his ability to blend the game’s moments with viral internet culture.

  • This partnership feels organic because Fortnite is already a core part of Vexbolts' identity as a creator.

The Concept:

• 💡 Core Idea: The Vexbolts Fortnite Revival

  • Launch an exclusive Vexbolts Fortnite Skin with a unique event titled "The Vexbolts Revival."

  • While the event could parody a specific religious revival, if it did I think it would be interesting to hold it in one of those Texas mega-church setting. But ultimately his “revival” could be a digital revival, where Vexbolts literally gets reborn in the game.

• 🎥 Execution:

  • Fortnite Skin Launch: A limited-edition in-game skin with a custom emote that nods to his "let him cook" meme.

  • The Revival Event:

    • A hybrid live-streamed and in-person event at a warehouse styled as a mega-church, complete with Fortnite branding.

    • Features live Fortnite matches with Vexbolts and YeSquad, audience challenges, and comedic "sermons" celebrating gaming culture.

  • Interactive Features:

    • In-Game Perks: Players attending (virtually or IRL) unlock an exclusive Vexbolts-themed emote or cosmetic item.

    • TikTok Challenge: Fans join the #VexboltsRevival challenge by sharing their funniest "revival" moments or Fortnite clips.

• 🌟 Outcomes and Impact:

  • For Fortnite: Reinforces Fortnite’s relevance in gaming and meme culture while driving engagement through an innovative collaboration.

  • For Vexbolts: Elevates his status as a gaming and meme culture leader while creating a path to expand his audience and brand beyond this viral moment.

Challenges or Risks

• ⏳ Timing: Fortnite needs to move quickly to capitalize on Vexbolts' recent momentum

• 🙅 Vexbolts’ Potential Shift in Focus: With his recent explosion in popularity, Vexbolts may want to distance himself from being labeled "the Fortnite guy" or "the meme creator."

  • If he perceives a Fortnite partnership as limiting or reinforcing an image he’s trying to move beyond, he may resist deeper collaboration.

• 🎭 The Risk of This Being “The Biggest Meme”: While the mass unfollowing and his recent TikTok viral success are monumental, there’s a risk that this becomes his defining moment.

Takeaway

Vexbolts' meteoric rise on TikTok highlights the power of blending gaming culture and internet memes, but it also underscores the fleeting nature of virality. His ability to capitalize on a viral moment like the "mass unfollowing" and turn it into an opportunity for growth demonstrates his potential as a creator, but the question remains: what comes next?

For Vexbolts to sustain his relevance, he needs to go beyond the meme and Fortnite association. Partnering with Fortnite for a campaign like "The Vexbolts Revival" could solidify his gaming and meme culture identity while giving him a launchpad for more substantial opportunities. However, his recent collaboration with Mr.Beast and Pudgy Penguin might suggest that he’s exploring new directions, aiming to diversify his content and brand.

The key takeaway for creators and brands alike: viral moments are powerful, but they’re only the beginning. To turn fleeting fame into lasting impact, creators must leverage those moments to build something sustainable, whether through strategic brand partnerships, expanding to other platforms, or establishing a unique, long-term identity. For Vexbolts, this means deciding if he wants to remain the "Fortnite Let Him Cook Guy" or evolve into something more versatile.

Call to Action (CTA)

• I never followed or unfollowed Vexbolts - but now I have to keep my eyes peeled for January 8th. I assume they’ll do another livestream of the revival.

• Here’s his Tiktok account.

• What creator-brand pairings would you love to see featured? Reply and let us know!

Exclusive Social4TheWin Community Opportunity

Would you like to do an interview with the press?

A reporter from a major media outlet is working on a story about how TikTok creators are preparing for the potential platform ban next month. They’re especially looking to hear from creators who are guiding their followers to other apps. This outlet normally reaches 300M people monthly and is a great chance to share your insights and strategies.

If this sounds like you, please reply to this email with why you think you’re a good fit. If you can showcase why it makes sense to introduce you specifically, I’ll be happy to facilitate an introduction.

Supporting creators and fostering opportunities like this is something I deeply value. Last year, I was quoted in Fortune, DigiDay, The Information, The Washington Post, and The New York Post through relationships I’ve built with reporters. My goal is to bring similar opportunities to our community, and I’ll continue to champion creators by connecting them with the right people, offering insights, and creating access to exclusive events and initiatives later this year.

Active participation in our community is always noticed and appreciated. Engaging with events and discussions not only helps you grow but also ensures you’re top of mind for me and I’m aware of your work when opportunities arise. Let’s keep building and growing together!

If you’ve made it this far thanks so much for taking the time to read my thoughts. Hopefully, we’ll see you at our event on Thursday! If you have any thoughts or insight on how I can make this newsletter better I always appreciate an insightful recommendation.

Best,

Jacob