“If you’re launching anything digital, you’ve got to be in it for the long game”
Cowshed Collective’s Danny Lorimer Offers Insights on Navigating Digital Content Creation in 2024
Amid the rapidly evolving landscape of digital content, industry leaders at the Edinburgh TV Festival have asserted that “the era of launching a YouTube channel from your bedroom is finished.” The panel, featuring prominent figures from across the digital and production sectors, shared strategic advice for producers eager to enter the digital space, emphasising the importance of an “audience-first” approach over traditional creator-led content.
The panel included Ben Powell-Jones from Strong Watch Studios, Danny Lorimer of Cowshed, Coolr’s head of video Mez Beni, Spirit Studios founder Matt Campion, MonRae Management co-founder Elspeth Rae, and Matt Ford, co-founder and CEO of CoLab X.
The Shift in Digital Content Creation
Challenging the common belief that digital success hinges solely on creators, Matt Campion urged producers to prioritise audience engagement from the outset. “If you’re looking at creators, you can get them to star in shows and promote the shows, but you have to build the audience first rather than rely on them. If the format is in the way of building the audience, you have to focus on that,” Campion explained.
Elspeth Rae echoed this sentiment, warning that relying exclusively on creators is short-sighted. Drawing on her experience at Endemol Beyond, Rae noted that while creators played a crucial role, many channels built on creator-driven content faced challenges when those creators moved on, taking their audiences with them.
Challenges of the Digital Market in 2024
The panel highlighted the significant challenges production companies face when launching digital content in today’s saturated market. Rae pointed out the difficulty of establishing a presence on platforms like YouTube, where the algorithm currently favors short-form content. “It’s a real struggle to launch on YouTube,” Rae remarked, noting that YouTube’s focus on shorts makes it tough for new channels to gain traction.
Danny Lorimer added, “It takes a lot of time to get started. There’s a moat around having a successful channel, and you have to accept that you’ll have to wade through it for about a year before you start turning a profit. The era of KSI types launching a successful channel from their bedroom is dead.”
Strategic Approaches for Success
For those determined to succeed in digital, the panel recommended starting with a solid initial investment and a clear strategy. Ben Powell-Jones, co-founder of Strong Watch Studios, shared his experience launching their new YouTube channel, Deep, from scratch. He described the process as “terrifying” but necessary in an environment where the algorithm no longer favours taking over existing channels.
Matt Ford advised production companies to focus on their rights position and leverage nostalgia, which he noted is a powerful tool on platforms like YouTube. “Figure out how many hours you have, nostalgia is really strong on YouTube, and single IP channels do better, so I’d recommend focusing on one show,” Ford suggested.
Other platforms, such as Instagram and TikTok, were identified as potentially more conducive to rapidly building audiences. However, Matt Campion stressed that digital success requires a long-term commitment. Reflecting on the launch of Spirit Studios’ debut podcast, Campion noted that it took a year and a change of producer before the show gained traction, eventually becoming a seven-figure business.
“The long-term strategy should be to build a piece of IP, and then create multiple channels and outlets for it. You haven’t got a pre-made audience like you do with TV channels; you have to find that audience and get your brand out there,” Campion concluded.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, the panel’s insights underscore the need for producers to adapt and innovate, focusing on audience engagement and long-term strategy to carve out a space in the crowded digital arena.
