Just An FYI: WWE Comes Onto TikTok With Ability To Create Shareable Stories Using Entrance Themes

In “young people” news, WWE (World Wide Entertainment) has started a channel on TikTok. They will begin with making “entrance themes” available for users to create and share expressive content in their own TikToks, as reported in Variety.

Hold Up - What Is TikTok and What Is An “Entrance Theme”?

TikTok is a video-sharing app that kids use. According to TikTok, about 60% of TikTok’s 26.5 million monthly active users in the U.S. are between ages 16 and 24. TikTok started as a video sharing app created by ByteDance, which is largely described by U.S. media as a “Chinese Internet company” (though the website’s home page shows primarily white people and one brown person at a conference table working on laptops).

TikTok then bought a social music video creating/sharing app called Musical.ly, which according to Slate was equally as popular and was all the rage with musicians and regular people who would use the music to make videos. TikTok also favored comedy and lifestyle content, so the name Musical.ly got dropped, and music got heavily absorbed into TikTok. You can read all about it here at this Guide To TikTok at Slate.

According to the Variety article who attributes TikTok, “Amoung U.S. users in 2019, the most popular music artists on the platform were Lil Nas X, Mariah Carey, Lizzo, Stunna Girl, Blanco Brown, Y2k & Bbno$, Kyle, Luh Kel, Billie Eilish and Ashnikko. The top celebrities on TikTok were Will Smith, Miley Cyrus, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Howie Mandel, Terry Crews and Selena Gomez.”

Back to “entrance themes.” That’s a WWE thing, where the wrestling characters have videos that illustrate the base and depths of their characters. Vice did a roundup of the 25 Best Entrance Songs Of All Time in 2018, which gives you an idea of what content will now be easily accessed by kids to create their own expressions.

What Does This All Mean?

For businesses and brands, this simply means that TikTok is getting ever more solid as a social media platform that is in your regular deck of social media apps to create content for and/or be aware of what other brands are creating there.

Advertising is definitely available on the platform and is reaching people with well-crafted content. If you are a musician, it seems like TikTok is solidly a place you want to be and have your music on. TikTok is not limited to music, however, and can include humor, challenges, experiments, how-to’s (the weirder the better), and other oddities. The content is at best imperfect, and extremely raw - meaning you don’t need to make slick, high-polished/produced videos to upload here. The end-game is all about what kind of emotion you create for the person who just scrolled through the dozens of videos and absorbed yours.

At the end of the day, creating content for TikTok would be connected to brand loyalty for you, and falls into the category of “what kind of emotional output are you putting out there?” The answer to that question would determine if you want to start investing your time and energy into making and publishing TikTok videos. And if you wanted to pursue/pitch influencers to incorporate your brand into their videos.

Want to talk more about this strategy? You can in Tin Shingle’s members-only forum or in PR Challenges, where we talk shop about things like this. Learn about it in our Media Kit Membership program.

On The Hunt For Los Angeles Local And Niche Publications

When I was first tasked with the assignment of researching print publications in the Los Angeles area, I thought to myself, “Hell yea, I’m an LA native. I got this, boom snickety all done 2 days whoop whoop!”

How cute of me, right?

What Does “Being From LA” Really Mean?

I grew up in the suburbs 20 minutes from Downtown LA (depending on traffic…it all depends on traffic, ha) and I went to school in Orange County, about 45 minutes away, depending on…well you get it.

Thing is, the Los Angeles area is comprised of over 470 regions, cities and neighborhoods. Of those 470, there are 88 official cities within the County of Los Angeles. Also included are CDPs (census-designated places) and unincorporated communities. ALL of these places are covered by a regional or local publication in one way or another. Add to that the different industries and niche topics and yeaahhh this ain’t getting done in 2 days haha! Especially when you realize that being “from LA” can sometimes mean as far south as Orange County and as far north as Ventura County, depending on who you talk to. It’s just easier to say you’re “from LA” than explaining what the exact proximity of your hometown is from downtown.

Media Researching Tips From Yvonne

I started with a broad search on Google with the keywords “Los Angeles print publications.” The usual suspects popped up: The LA Times, LA Weekly, Time Out Los Angeles, etc. Then I decided to expand my search to the suburbs to get an idea of how narrow of a niche we could go. I found a list of cities within 30 miles of Los Angeles and started searching for their local publications and newspapers (ie “Commerce, CA newspapers) and found that a LOT of the smaller cities are linked through the Los Angeles WAVE Newspapers in addition to having their own dedicated paper.

Then, I decided to look for niche publications, starting with “Los Angeles music scene magazines” and  expanded towards art with great results. I haven’t even begun to list the Spanish language and other foreign language publications. With a population of 3.9 million, the majority of Los Angelenos speak a language other than English at home.

If you are looking for an easy way to find a specific niche publication in the Los Angeles area, just begin broad and narrow down. For example, you could do a search on “Los Angeles Spanish Food Magazines” and see what comes up! While you might not find a publication dedicated towards JUST Spanish food, you will find publications in Los Angeles who regularly feature Spanish or Mexican food.

My goal for you, is to start with the big name publications, then whittle down to the different cities/regions and niches within. I haven’t been back to LA for a long time, so this project is allowing me to reconnect with where I grew up. Did you know Elysian Valley is now called Frogtown?! I sure didn’t!

Meanwhile, you can do this searching, or you can find it via your Tin Shingle Media Kit Membership when you tap into the Media Contact Idea Center!

Stay tuned!

Yvonne de Salle

How To Download The 2020 Edition Of Tin Shingle's Editorial Content Planner

Lifetime Access To Template:
How To Get Next Year's 2020 Edition

If you have purchased Tin Shingle's Editorial Content Planner in the past, you have Lifetime Access to it for the future. If you are a current Media Kit Member of Tin Shingle, downloading the template for free is easy.

Here's how to download next year’s template. Let’s get you set up for a successful year:

1. Log into your Tin Shingle account.

2. Visit the Editorial Content Planner page on our website. Click here for direct access.

3. The file link on that page has the most current version. Click it, and the template will download to your computer.

4. Contact Us with any questions. We are happy to help.

How The Editorial Content Planner Template Works

The template is organized by weeks in the month, with a line for every single day, coupled with national themes for that month to help you stay relevant. We found a few new fun themes.
Sample of National Celebration Themes In This Collection:

• National Bald Is Beautiful Day

• Keep Kids Creative Week

• World Space Week

• America Recycles Day

• Parks and Recreation Month

• Go Skateboarding Day

• Take Back The Lunch Break Day

• Take Your Dog To Work Day

• Make Up Your Own Holiday Day

Knowing The Themes Is Great For:
1. Random ideas for content.
2. TV pitches, because broadcast media loves random excuses to feature things on TV, like National Doughnut Day or National Puppy Day (excuse to bring puppies on TV!).

But Really, We Love The Dated Calendar Feature
Anyone can find National Days Of Anything by doing simple Google searches. This content planner makes assigning when you're going to publish what easy. It also makes planning months in advance easy, because you have the National Days of Anything in an at-a-glance view. Sharing the planner with your team is also easy when you upload it to your Google Drive. The planner is a color-coded Excel document.

How To Use Tin Shingle’s Editorial Content Planner

Download this template. It is a color-coded Excel file with Worksheets devoted to each month of the year. Upload it to your Google Drive and Share it with your team, for updating on the go and whenever an idea hits you.

FREE: This template is Free for Tin Shingle's Media Kit Members.
ONE-TIME PURCHASE: If you're not a Media Kit Member, you can purchase it here and have lifetime access to updates.
FREE UPDATES: If you have purchased this in the past, you get this new 2020 edition for free.

Tin Shingle’s Co-Workers Can Spread Out On The Common Table!

We’ve kept the long table of GildedTwig (our landlord and building owner who previously had her art studio in this room) in Tin Shingle’s Co-Work Space so that members can leave their desks and spread out at the table if they need to.

Today we used the table to rip fabric off a wood frame and pinned the fabric in place on our cutting mat for future stitching. Because if you have some fabric you need to tend to quick while you’re doing computer work, you could!

Start a work membership today. You’ll get your very own key 🔑 key so that you can work on your own time and do self check-in.

Tin Shingle’s Co-Work Space is at 291 Main Street, in the Telephone Building. Below A Little Beacon Blog and Beahive.

www.tinshingle.com/cowork

Tamron Hall's TV Talk Show Renewed For Second Season

Tamron Hall’s national syndicated show has been picked up for a 2nd season with ABC-owned stations and Hearst Television stations. Tamron Hall’s show is produced by Disney.

Said Tamron about the accomplishment: “I’m honored to host and executive produce a daytime talk show that explores conversation topics that really matter to our viewers, who we affectionately refer to as our “TamFam.” From inspiring interviews with guests like Tyler Perry and Kelly Rowland to in-depth discussions on issues like the opioid epidemic and domestic violence, nothing is off limits - we’re here to talk about it.

About Tamron Hall’s Show

From the Tamron Hall website: “From the deeply moving to the purely fun, ‘Tamron Hall’ is a daily destination for all things topical and a platform for viewers to connect with the people who are shaping our world through meaningful, engaging, and entertaining conversations. As a new mom, a newlywed, and a survivor who is proving you can accomplish anything at any age, Tamron Hall brings a refreshing, relatable, unpredictable, and unstoppable voice to television.

Tamron Hall is broadcast from New York City.

Condé Nast Hires Top Consumer Marketers As CFO and CMO

Condé Nast has hired lead consumer marketers in two top positions for the publishing company: Deirdre Findlay, the former chief marketing officer at Stitch Fix, will be the Chief Marketing Officer (CMO). Her responsibility according this New York Post article, will be getting consumers to pay for products. Mike Goss will be the Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He was formerly the Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of auction house Sotheby’s. He succeeds David Geithner.

This is a signal that Condé Nast is digging deeper into trying to increase revenues from readers/consumers.

Media Moves: Vice News, NBC, Out, The Advocate, GQ

A few media moves to tell you about, that have been updated in Tin Shingle’s Media Contact Idea Center. We have updated their positions at different media outlets, and tagged them with different interests in order to help you find them in our members-only database. Thanks to the Morning Media Newsfeed from AdWeek:

Susie Banikarim, Moves to Vice News
Executive Vice President and Global Head of Newsgathering
Areas of Interests: Breaking News, News, Business, Global News, Politics, Women's interest
https://members.tinshingle.com/content/media-contact/susie-banikarim

Sally Shin Moves From CNBC to NBC
News Executive Editor of Business, Tech, Media
Areas of Interest: Business, Tech, Digital Media, Media, Technology, Silcon Valley, Finance, Wall Street
https://members.tinshingle.com/content/media-contact/sally-shin

Phillip Picardi Resigns at Out, Goes Back To His Roots As “Grooming Guy” for GQ
Formerly Editor in Chief (EIC) of Out, and the Founder of Them
Now the Grooming Guy for GQ Magazine
Areas of Interest: Gay, LGBTQ, Transgender, Skincare, Grooming, Beauty & Grooming
https://members.tinshingle.com/content/media-contact/phillip-picardi

Zach Stafford Resigns From The Advocate
Currently Co-Host of AM2DM, a morning show on Twitter from BuzzFeed News.
Areas of Interest: News, Social Media, Politics, Youth, Gay, LGBTQ, Social Justice, Climate, Mental Health, Celebrity Interviews, Celebrity, Authors
https://members.tinshingle.com/content/media-contact/zach-stafford

High Times Magazine At High Times Holding May Burn Out

According to an article at the New York Post, High Times Holdings, the publishers of High Times Magazine, is facing financial burden from debts it holds from investments. High Times also owns rival magazines Dope, Culture and Green Rush Daily.

According to the article: “Its crowdsourced IPO has stalled. It recently hired Toronto-based Lazer & Lazer to search for a new backer as it tries to dig out of $105.2 million in debts. In its most recent earnings report, Hightimes Holding incurred a net loss of $11.9 million for the 6 months ended June 30, 2019, on revenue of $10.7.”

in its latest SEC filing to shareholders, the company said: “Because of recurring operating losses, net operating cash flow deficits, and an accumulated deficit, there is substantial doubt about the company’s ability to continue as a going concern for one year from the issuance of the financial statements.”

High Times Holding is controlled by Adam Levin’s Oreva Capital, according to this New York Post article.

Tin Shingle wrote about High Times earlier this year.

Private Office Space In Tin Shingle's Co-Work Space Complete!

Ladies and Gents and Everyone! The new Private Office of the Tin Shingle Work-Space! Furniture from @pier1. Fabric art from @beetleandfred. Floral arrangement by Beacon’s @floragoodtimes .

We are now in dried flowers stage. But can open probably after @katiejamesinc finishes writing the @alittlebeacon blog weekend newsletter. Because the next step is explaining how it works and how you can use it. Eee! Meanwhile, Katie is working from here today for the first time - legit - because she is office-less while a business retreat occupies her normal office at A Little Beacon Space for the next two days. Yay all around!

Dried Flower Arrangements For Tin Shingle's Co-Work Space

Adding in a few final touches to make Tin Shingle’s Co-Work Space so comfy cozy that you will never want to leave! Today, we got to go through the big back door of @floragoodtimes and got the perfect dried flower arrangement. Now we need a big arrangement to cover a white blank wall in the private office of our new Co-Work Space…

More to come!