Is it OK to “authenticate” my accounts?
*this article is from the Creator Intel Newsletter.
Oftentimes brands or monetization platforms (one example, app.later.com) will ask you to log into your social media accounts on third party platforms to “validate” the authenticity of your accounts or review your analytics. I recommend negotiating against this requirement entirely, because it’s frankly not necessary for most brand deals. But if you do end up having to authenticate, be very careful with what platforms you do this on!
It’s a very common scammer tactic to trick creators into giving them their login credentials and then hijacking control of the account, so you need to make sure that the platform you are using for authentication is legit. If you aren’t sure whether you can trust the platform asking for authentication, send it to me first and I’ll get back to you.
Additionally, never authenticate your platforms when doing so requires giving away management powers to your pages, see the language below:
Later is requesting access to:
• Create and manage content on your Page
• Edit access
Anytime you see language like “create and manage content” – run the other way. Do NOT agree to those terms, ever. You should never give management access to your pages to anyone other than members of your team. Theoretically, if you agree to this then the company could start taking down posts, making posts on their own, deleting comments, leaving comments, etc., all on your account.
Password Protection
Never give your login credentials to your social media accounts to anyone besides your team. Lately, scammers posing as a notable Podcast have been circulating “brand deal opportunities” to creators and, over a Zoom call, instructing them on handing over login credentials because doing so was apparently necessary for the brand to produce the content. I’ve been targeted by this myself.
After getting credentials the scammers would hijack the account and trick followers into dictating money. Do not ever trust people asking for your login credentials! If you aren’t sure, reach out to me and we can discuss. An easy way to spot scammers is to look at the email address. If it comes from “@gmail.com” but the party is claiming to be part of a well known brand, then it’s likely that it’s a scam.
For example:
Real: marketing@apple.com
Scam: applemarketing@gmail.com
FYI – getting hacked could mean the end of your social media account. Meta is notoriously horrible at responding to creator’s pleas for account reinstatement. They routinely ignore demand letters. Tiktok isn’t much better. Avoid getting hacked at all costs!
OTHER NOTES:
A recent report found that creators are reporting significantly less income from social media activities directly. From Business Wire, “Creators are now seeing a significant decrease in platform payouts (-33%), affiliate marketing revenue (-36%) and brand deals (-52%).”
In this vein, brands are becoming pickier with influencer partners as the market becomes more saturated. One thing you can do as a creator to keep brands interested: feature brands organically in your videos at no cost to them, then mention that video feature to them when you discuss (read: sell) a future partnership with them.
Domain squatters are getting sophisticated and stealing domains as soon as they see new trademarks filed (e.g. if you file “Best Creator” as a trademark, a squatter could immediately purchase “bestcreator.com”). If you plan on filing a trademark, consider getting your preferred web domain address before you file (and please, work with us to get your trademark filed so it’s done correctly!)
If you’re a creator founder struggling to raise capital, a client of ours helps with fundraising strategy for free (think decks and financials to discuss with investors). You can reach him at cspanolitavideo@gmail.com
The ice bucket challenge has returned to social media!
Can We Help?
As a quick reminder, we help with much more than just brand deals. We can draft employment agreements, handle entity formation, file trademarks, draft demand letters, send cease and desists, negotiate startup financings, and facilitate settlements.
