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Your success depends on how well you can be yourself.
Jessica Smalley
February 24, 2025
Hey Creator,
We spend heaps of time trying to crack the code of success, studying what works, tweaking strategies, and following best practices.
But the longer I’m in this industry, one thing always seems to ring true.
The ones who do well aren’t just the best at what they do…they’re the best at being themselves.
If it was easy, we’d all be doing it.
This brings me to MrBeast’s appearance on Diary Of A CEO this week.
Jimmy Donaldson is divisive (of course, I mean the guy is 26 years old with the power of the world in his pocket). I also can’t say I particularly enjoy his video style, but I respect it.
But after listening to this chat, I respect MrBeast more than I thought I would. Because despite everything, he is his only competition, and no one can tell him otherwise.
I wanted to break down the chat so you can also implement it into your work.
Here’s what you can expect in today’s newsletter:
Keep up to date with what’s happening in Quick Fire!
Insights from MrBeast's creator strategy
Social media Updates for this week
Check out my READ, LISTEN + WATCH recommendations for this week
🫒by Jess Smalley
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"Don’t be the next [insert name]. Be the first you." — Casey Neistat
CREATOR NEWS
🧨QUICK FIRE
Meta announces ‘Project Waterworth,’ a worldwide subsea cable initiative covering 50,000 kilometres and projected to exceed $10 billion in cost.
Aussie kids have found a way to circumvent social media age limits. (C’mon, we saw this one coming.)
Amazon has shut down ‘Inspire,’ its product discovery feed resembling TikTok.
YouTube shut down a “true crime” channel that was full of AI lies.
Lidl’s launch as the first UK supermarket on TikTok Shop sold out in 18 minutes.
What you can learn from the MrBeast approach to being a creator
MrBeast is rewriting the entire creator economy in real time.
His interview with Steven Bartlett, host of The Diary of a CEO, was packed with insights about scale, reinvestment, and the future of creator-led entertainment.
Most people are talking about his mental health struggles and the fact that Beast Games lost money, but if you actually listen to what he’s saying, this interview is basically a masterclass in how to play the long game as a creator.
1. He’s shaping the creator economy's future…instead of just going along with it.
Most creators think about content in terms of platforms. MrBeast is thinking about it in terms of entire industries.
Beast Games was a US$100M experiment. Amazon took a bet on a creator-driven format because they know where media is going. Even if the show wasn’t profitable, it proved that big-budget creator content is where the attention is at.
He reinvests EVERYTHING. Most creators start pulling money out once they get a taste of success. MrBeast just keeps putting it back in, which means he’s always raising the bar higher than anyone else can afford to match.
He’s moving beyond ads and sponsorships.
2. His work ethic is at a next level
Jimmy does not care about work-life balance. Obviously, this is not for everyone, which plays a big part in his outlier success. However, it tells you this kind of success isn’t a given, it’s earned.
He works every single day, no breaks, no vacations.
He doesn’t even own a house because he reinvests everything into content.
He’s fully aware his mental health takes a hit but sees it as a necessary trade-off for his overall mission, which is basically to bring joy to the world.
3. No matter what you do, people will always have something to say
One of the wildest things about MrBeast is that even when he’s out here literally curing blindness, people still find a way to criticise him.
He funded 1,000 eye surgeries, yet people accused him of making “poverty porn.”
He built wells in Africa yet some people said it wasn’t his place.
He’s constantly accused of being “too calculated” with his philanthropy.
And his response? “No matter what I do, people assume I have an ulterior motive.”
All I can say is to deeply understand your morals and values. This will help you feel less vulnerable to the inevitable criticism we all face when we express ourselves publicly.
He’s Playing a Different Game
What this interview really confirmed is that MrBeast is not thinking like a YouTuber. The guy is thinking like a media mogul.
He’s making bigger bets.
He’s thinking long-term.
He’s moving beyond platforms and into industries.
If there’s one thing you should all take from this interview, it’s that creators who play by the standard rules will always be capped.
MrBeast didn’t get to where he is by tweaking what already existed. He got there by basically redefining the game itself.
The future of the creator economy belongs to the people who do the same.
SOCIAL MEDIA UPDATES
Meta
Credit: MetaNewsroom
Meta has shared how Community Notes will work on Facebook, Instagram and Threads.
will now only store live videos for up to 30 days. This means broadcasts older than 30 days will be deleted.
is testing a private 'dislike' button for comments.
has added a testimonials feature to partnership ads to give creators new monetisation options.
will rollout themed chat bubbles and 30 new customisable wallpapers and colour options.
YouTube
added a “Promote” button on Shorts to allow creators to boost their videos so that they are shown to viewers who are more likely to engage with the promoted channel.
has finally added email analytics for Newsletters published on the platform.
TikTok
TikTok Shop is expected to launch in Italy, Germany, France, Japan, and Brazil this year.
X
Credit: X
Woah…X Adds ‘Moment of Death’ Form To Violent Content Policy.
Premium+ plan prices have doubled since xAI released Grok 3.
READ: Gen Z trusts influencers over experts because credibility now comes from storytelling, not credentials. Social media algorithms reinforce their beliefs, making misinformation harder to challenge. Influencers feel like friends, post constantly, and prioritize engagement over accuracy. Teens buy into viral trends, which are sometimes harmful, and although their knowledge remains critical, discussion declines. Fortune chats with Gen Z on why they trust influencers more than the experts.
LISTEN: I’m always reluctant to double up my recommendations from the same podcast, but this week’s episode of Diary Of A CEO with Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, was quite frankly fascinating. Donaldson speaks to his recent backlash, his relentless drive to be the biggest YouTube in the world, and what it feels like to be that guy. While his lifestyle isn’t for me, this episode has made me reassess the limits I put on myself and challenged my business focus.
WATCH: Would you believe Timothée Chalamet is yet to meet Bob Dylan? Timothée is another person whose dedication to craft is something to be inspired by. Will he share his secrets, though?
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please consider sharing it with someone else who might also enjoy it.
Have a great week 🙂
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