For years, clipping has been a popular way for podcasters and long-form video creators to promote their content on social media. For some, it has become a highly successful—but expensive—strategy.
A streamer who goes by N3on made headlines last week for spending more than $1 million per month on an army of clippers to make sure his content is seen online. Others like Clavicular, who popularized the term “looksmaxxing,” have also relied on paying clippers to help propel them to social media fame.
“If you think Clavicular’s ubiquity is organic, you’re wrong; it’s manufactured,” wrote venture capitalist Rex Woodbury, calling clipping “the engine behind Clavicular’s rise.”
But the industry is split on how much is too much when it comes to clipping. To us, spending a ton of money paying clippers feels like the 2026 version of buying social media followers.
Take podcasts. Short clips on social media are one of the easiest ways for podcasters to get in front of audiences. But the risk is that people may never watch the full episodes. That can make it hard to build loyal audiences outside of their social media accounts and earn money, as creators can’t always monetize those clips.
“One must clip,” declared Tefi Pessoa, host of the pop culture podcast “Tefi Talks,” during a panel moderated by Kaya at SXSW in March. Ray Chao, senior vice president and general manager of audio and video at Vox Media, agreed. The takeaway: It’s better to get more awareness of your content out in the world.
Others suggest a more measured approach to clipping. “Less is more,” Matt Starker, CEO of Audiochuck, the media company founded by top true crime podcast Ashley Flowers, told us. During a recent episode of Scalable, he said that creators should be “methodical” about their clips to make sure “too much value isn’t leaking out.”
Check out our full conversation with Starker on YouTube or below.
Most research paints a largely positive picture about the power of clipping. For example, 86% percent of podcast listeners consume clips on at least one platform, according to upcoming data from Sounds Profitable publishing in June. Of them, 81% say that clips lead them to listen to a specific episode at least “some of the time.”
But it’s unclear whether those people listened to the full episode—or returned to the show later on. Plus, not everyone who watches videos on social media also listens to podcasts regularly.
Then there’s the people who may have unknowingly watched a clip of a longer-form podcast on social media, especially as shows like “Subway Takes” blur the lines between short-form video and podcasts.
Either way, one thing is for sure: Clipping isn’t going anywhere. Instead, it’s only getting bigger, especially as more companies have emerged to help creators scale their clipping strategies.
Whop, a startup recently valued at $1.6 billion, is one example. These services let creators outsource the work to so-called “clippers” who are paid based on views and engagement. That encourages them to flood feeds with content designed to generate tons of engagement.
And it’s not just creators. Some brands are now also working with clipping companies to splice up and remix content, such as marketing campaigns, which are then posted all over social media.
Since these clips are posted on third-party accounts, they often feel more organic than clips posted by creators or brands themselves. But it can also lead to awkward cuts and bloated engagement figures, which can distort perceptions of popularity.
To be clear, many of the podcasts with tons of views on their clips are popular. But they probably aren’t as popular as their social media engagement figures may make it seem.
That’s why we think spending a ton of money on an army of clippers isn’t all that different from buying followers, which used to be the primary way to measure popularity. Views are the new follower count, after all.
What to Expect at the Scalable Summit
It’s hard to believe that our inaugural Scalable Summit is tomorrow! We can’t wait to see so many of you at The Lighthouse in Los Angeles.
This event isn’t just a celebration of the creator economy. While the industry has come a long way, there is still work to do. More money is flowing in, but it isn’t always distributed evenly or wisely. At the same time, the creator economy is getting more crowded, making it harder to break through. And of course, AI is already reshaping how the industry operates, bringing both challenges and opportunities.
We’ll be digging into all of this and more on stage.
With Twitch CEO Dan Clancy, we’ll dive into livestreaming’s resurgence, while David Duxin, vice president of partnerships at OpenAI, will unpack the company’s creator strategy following Sora’s shutdown. We’ll also discuss TikTok’s role in the creator economy as more creators and brands focus on long-form, premium video with Marisa Hammonds, the company’s global head of creator marketing and community.
We will explore what the future of entertainment looks like with Amanda McCants, a social media creator who recently appeared in the latest season of Apple TV’s “Palm Royale,” alongside executives from Tubi and Issa Rae’s branded entertainment studio Ensemble. Our other speakers include Visa CMO Frank Cooper and senior executives from Instagram, YouTube, the NFL, Vox Media, Spotify and more.
In the afternoon, we’ll host a series of tactical sessions focused on building sustainable creator businesses, including developing a successful YouTube strategy, best practices for investing in creators and scaling social commerce.
There will also be plenty of time for networking throughout the day, giving a chance for people to chat and learn from each other—and maybe even strike some deals! Our attendees include founders, creators, marketers, investors, talent agents and other industry leaders.
For those of you who can’t attend, look out for our takeaways in Thursday’s newsletter. We’ll also share other highlights in future editions and on our podcast.
We’re so grateful to our partners who made this event possible, including our title sponsor Agentio, and our premier partners Motion Society, CAA, Greenberg Glusker, Core Advisors, ElevenLabs, Whalar Group and Fathers Brewing.
Check out the full speaker lineup and agenda here.
The Round Up
ElevenLabs, the voice AI startup, announced it surpassed $500 million in annual recurring revenue during the first four months of the year, and brought on new investors including BlackRock, NVIDIA’s NVentures, Santander and celebrities including Jamie Foxx and Eva Longoria.
Spotify is introducing a new verified badge on artists’ profiles as a way to distinguish human artists from AI.
The Oscars said only acting and writing performed by humans is eligible to win awards. Filmmakers can still use AI tools in other parts of their work, according to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which controls the Oscars. The new guidelines apply to submissions for the next ceremony in March 2027.
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit launched a profile on creator shopping app LTK to make it easier for people to shop for its swim styles online.
Creator Moves
MrBeast is shopping the film rights to his upcoming book “Most Dangerous Game” with best-selling author James Patterson, according to Bloomberg. The book, which is expected to come out this year, is a thriller themed around a competition series that sounds similar to his reality TV show “Beast Games.”
The podcast reckoning continues: streamers Pokimane and LilyPichu announced they’re ending their “Sweet n Sour” podcast after two years. The duo said they couldn’t give the podcast their full attention due to other projects. Last fall, the show also had production drama over uploading an episode with a controversial guest streamer.
Soundbite
Tarte’s CEO and founder Maureen Kelly recently issued an apology to social media users for starting brand trips. In an Instagram Reel, she calls herself the “mother of brand trips,” pointing to the makeup and beauty company’s first one to Turks & Caicos about 15 years ago.
We didn’t do it to be flashy. We did it because I couldn’t afford a Super Bowl ad or anything else like that. Brand trips were a really scrappy version of doing like a $10 million dollar ad.
In the video, Kelly also explains how that first trip generated roughly $7 million in media value for Tarte, without spending any money on ads. Since then, she said companies from water brands to dental floss makers have copied her strategy by taking influencers on trips.
That’s why her message to the marketing industry wasn’t an apology, but rather: You’re welcome.
Read more about how brand trips have gotten out of control and why some brands are opting for IRL events instead here.
Talent Tracker
Lital Spitzer joined Underscore Talent as the talent management firm also formally launches a theatrical division. Spitzer will manage actors and identify new talent in scripted entertainment. Most recently, she was a talent manager at 3 Arts and her roster includes emerging and established actors working across TV and film.
Josh Abrams joined influencer marketing firm Influential as vice president of brand partnerships. Previously, he was director of national omni-channel partnerships at Sinclair Broadcast Group.
Nicole Mandell is now Shutterstock’s director of strategic content partnerships, which includes working with creators and media companies. Mandell spent the last decade at Warner Bros. Discovery, most recently as director of multi-platform strategy and marketing.
Lorry Destainville is leaving TikTok, where he was global head of product partnerships, after more than six years. He didn’t yet announce next steps.
