For countless content creators across every social media platform, it’s all about the “like.”
Likes, comments, and engagement metrics rule the social media influencing world – those numbers can mean the difference between a viral video and a flop, and between brand sponsorships and the lost chance to make a living off of creating content for a passionate audience.
“Any company or sponsorship program could tell a creator that they need a certain number of followers or likes to be eligible to earn money through a partnership,” said Momento founder Julian Rodriguez. “But they could move that goal post at any minute, which takes the power to earn money doing what they love away from the creator.”
For Rodriguez, that’s unacceptable, and it is why he founded Momento’s direct-to-fan platform: to put the power to earn money and engage with fans back in creators’ hands.
“We sit at the intersection of TikTok and Patreon by having a mobile social platform that connects content creators to fans in a way that allows fans to financially support creators directly,” he said. “Content is an asset class, but most social platforms make it so if you don’t get millions of views and likes, you don’t get paid for content. We’re getting away from that to make sure creators get all the value they deserve from their content.”
Buying is the New “Like”
Through Momento, fans across nearly every niche imaginable will be able to purchase non-fungible tokens (NFTs) of a creator’s content – whether that’s a video, graphic, piece of digital art, or music.
“That’s where the name comes from,” said Rodriguez. “A momento is something that captures a moment and allows someone who wants to remember that moment to hang onto it. We want fans to own their favorite moments in time, and to be able to do that in a way that directly benefits the creator.”
An NFT is a unit of data stored on a digital ledger – called a blockchain – that certifies a digital asset to be unique and not interchangeable. NFTs can be used to represent items such as photos, videos, audio, and other types of digital files.
“For creators, the era of NFTs is a gold mine in terms of content creation and profit,” said Rodriguez. “You know you have an active group of people supporting you, so this is your chance to monetize your content.”
Building Relationships
Not only does the Momento platform equip creators to fund their ongoing work, but it also empowers them to interact more closely with fans and create moments they can share.
“One of the other things we wanted to do was make Momento a safe space for creators to communicate on their own terms,” Rodriguez said. “There’s no paparazzi or TMZ nonsense. Creators just get to engage with their fan base directly.”
Momento will also soon be launching a creator fund to support creators as they make moments to deepen the creator-fan relationship.
“Lots of creators are very grateful for their fans, but because they have to spend so much time worrying about analytics and partnerships, they don’t get to have that relationship they want,” said Rodriguez. “By funding creators to make these moments, and by taking away that need for partnerships on other social media platforms, creators can devote more time to the people who make their work possible: the fans.”
As a result, Momento will encourage creators on the platform to offer physical and digital perks for those holding NFTs of creator moments. Viral creators will also have the ability to offer tickets and meet-and-greet access through the platform.
“We Know How to Get It Right”
Rodriguez has been in the crypto industry from the very beginning, and knows exactly how to play the game to get creators the level of exposure and engagement they need. In 2013 Rodriguez worked directly with Vitalik Buterin on the Ethereum cryptocurrency where he was one of its first advisors.
“When the crypto wave rose up during COVID, it became obvious NFTs were the best bet for powering this kind of platform,” he said. “There are a lot of people who have tried and failed to build a platform like Momento, we know why they failed, and we know how to get it right.”
The secret isn’t just having NFT know-how, Rodriquez added. It’s about understanding what creators need and what their fans want.
“I don’t know a single TikTok creator or Instagram influencer who enjoys chasing after brand deals and specific follower metrics,” he said. “So being able to build Momento in a decentralized way to take all that stress away, while still giving creators the fanbase they’ve worked so hard to build, is our number-one mission.”
About Momento: Momento is a direct-to-fan NFT social network that lets fans and collectors own the best moments of content creators. They have just announced their new partnership with Dapper Labs, the official NFT of the NBA and creators of NBA TopShot & CryptoKittes. Be among the first to create or own your own NFT moment here: https://www.momentonft.com/