Before asking for a full-time creator headcount, de-risk the investment. Hire a talented creator on a freelance basis with a small budget. Use their initial viral hits and performance data to build a strong business case for a full-time role and a larger budget.
When pitching new marketing initiatives, supplement ROI projections with research demonstrating a clear audience need for the content. Framing the project as a valuable service to the customer, rather than just another marketing tactic, is a more powerful way to gain internal support.
To convince leadership to adopt low-production content, go beyond performance metrics. Frame the argument around business efficiency: highlight the drastically lower budget and the ability to be more timely by reducing production time from months to days. This combination is more compelling than engagement data alone.
To get C-suite buy-in for long-term brand investment, marketers should run small, ring-fenced test campaigns. By isolating a market segment and layering brand tactics on top of demand generation, you can demonstrably prove superior growth compared to a control group, de-risking a larger investment.
Big Cabal Media intentionally cultivates on-air talent from within, identifying junior employees who resonate with the audience and investing in their growth. They find it more effective than trying to hire established creators, who often prefer to remain independent. This approach turns the media company into a talent incubator, building loyalty and brand-specific stars.
To kickstart a content program without a large budget, identify micro-creators (under 25k followers) who have already produced 1-2 viral videos. They've proven they understand the algorithm but are still affordable. Offer a small monthly retainer for high-volume video production to test what resonates.
Don't just hire one creator; hire five to ten. With ten creators posting daily, you get ten 'at-bats' for a viral hit each day. When one video succeeds, that format becomes a template for the other nine creators, creating a rapid, compounding learning effect that systematically improves content performance across the board.
Don't bet on a single creator. Contact 100+, test the 10 most underpriced, and identify the 2-3 "winners" who drive 80% of revenue. Move these winners to a monthly retainer and repeat the process, systematically building an army of ROI-positive promoters.
Don't waste money testing ad creative from scratch. First, post content organically across platforms. When a piece performs exceptionally well, use that as a clear signal to put paid advertising spend behind it. The algorithm and audience have already validated its appeal, de-risking your ad budget.
Before hiring a full-time specialist (e.g., for events or SEO), the existing team should first test and prove the channel's effectiveness. Hiring a dedicated owner for an unproven function is a high-risk bet. Validating the strategy first ensures the new hire is set up for success and the investment is justified.
By enforcing a strict budget cap on any single commercial, Liquid Death operates a 'small bets' strategy. This minimizes the financial risk of any one piece of content flopping and allows for a higher volume of creative outputs, ensuring the ROI is massive when a video succeeds.