\t\t\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.hollywoodreporter.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/pmc-hollywoodreporter-2021\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.gif\")
<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tClavicular<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tScreenshots\/YouTube<\/p>\n
\n\tOther creators, including influencer-wrestler Logan Paul and YouTuber Mark Rober, have used OpusClip, another AI-powered tool. That service allows users to upload longform videos, instantly produce shortform clips and post them automatically.<\/p>\n
\n\tNot everyone wants to trim human clippers from budgets. Zach\u00a0Justice, a popular podcaster, says clippers\u2019 gut instincts are often helpful for virality. \u201cThey\u2019re digital hunters. They\u2019re good at their skill set.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tWhen Justice co-hosted his podcast, Dropouts, he often used Whop, the $1.6 billion online marketplace, to recruit clippers. Beyond flooding TikTok and other social media services with his videos, the clippers\u2019 posts allowed him to see what type of content succeeded with audiences. He used those insights to determine which clips he posted on his personal page, knowing those videos would likely have higher engagement.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe war for attention has led to a boom in clipping, with some creators vying for a Netflix-billboards-on-Sunset-level land grab. Justice once spent about $50,000 in one month for clippers to boost Dropouts. \u201cSince it\u2019s all algorithm-based, people aren\u2019t really seeking out these things anymore,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s very hard for people to take a chance on an hour of someone they don\u2019t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tLike any gold rush, the clipping boom has meant decent paychecks for little lift. Stanfield says some of his teenaged clippers have made thousands of dollars, while Whop CEO Steven Schwartz estimated his service has paid out tens of millions to these virality specialists. February marked clipping\u2019s highest-grossing month on Whop, according to a company spokesperson.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\tBobbi Althoff<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tScreenshots\/YouTube<\/p>\n
\n\tStanfield and clipping agencies often post guidelines on the types of videos clippers should post in exchange for a price per thousand views. Most campaigns only pay clippers if they meet a minimum view count. Some of the creator-led projects clippers have amplified include ones led by podcaster Bobbi Althoff, former FBI director Dan Bongino, comedian Druski and radio host Bobby Bones. MrBeast \u2014 YouTube\u2019s biggest star \u2014 launched his own clipping platform last year.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe strategy has helped turn lesser-known creators into household names. Take Clavicular, the 20-year-old chiseled livestreamer who shot to fame this year. Kick, the livestreaming platform, boosted his visibility by dishing out more than six figures per month to clippers on Clavicular\u2019s behalf. \u201cOne day he wasn\u2019t on our For You Page, and then the next day he was \u2014 because of clips,\u201d says Stanfield.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhat makes clipping a valuable marketing tool is that paid campaigns are often indistinguishable from fan uploads. It also points to social media\u2019s changing role in users\u2019 lives. Gone are the days of being friend-first platforms. \u201cFacebook used to be about talking to your friends and looking at what your friends are up to. But now people open Instagram and they don\u2019t even see their friends,\u201d says Schwartz. \u201cThe only way to win relevance is to flood the algorithm.\u201d<\/p>\n