How TikTok Saved Them


Welcome to Created, the newsletter that will never become AI generated. Here's what we got today:

  • YouTube launches new AI tool...and how creators actually feel about it

  • How TikTok fueled the All-American Rejects' comeback

  • Best YouTube thumbnails of this week


Top YouTubers React to YouTube's New "Idea Generator"

YouTube’s new Inspiration Tab promises to help creators generate new video ideas using AI.

The tool analyzes your channel and with the click of a button, gives you titles, thumbnails, and a video outline.

So, Corridor Crew — known for their VFX reactions & shorts — decided to put it to the test.


And what they found was…rough.

Let’s break it down.

Most Creators Say: AI Slop

In a video about the tool, Corridor Crew asked a group of top creators to try the Inspiration Tab live.

The result? Confusion. Laughter. Mild existential dread.

  • Joel Haver got ideas like "24 Hours In Real-Life Dinglemire", an animated character he invented and plays in his videos

  • Comedy channel Almost Friday TV got a video idea called "The Secret to a Long and Happy Life" — which YouTube itself labeled as "low interest."

  • Jacksfilms, whose channel does not focus on fashion, got "The Real Cost of Fast Fashion: An In-Depth Look"

The thumbnails looked like AI-generated nonsense. The topics were generic, repetitive, or off-brand.

One Exception: Linus Tech Tips

Linus said the tool shocked him — in a good way.

“'Can You 3D Print a CPU Cooler' is literally [a video] that we will be doing.”

"'Building a $10 Computer for Retro Gaming' — that's actually a really outstanding title."

Turns out, after 7,000+ tech related uploads, his channel might be the perfect training set for YouTube’s algorithm. He even said his team could use the tool to flesh out early-stage ideas.

Still, he made one thing clear: “Like any AI tool, the expectation is that you’re filtering what it's feeding you. Not just blindly taking it.”

Tool or Shortcut?

That’s the question Corridor kept coming back to.

Most creators weren’t just unimpressed — they were uneasy. Because to them, inspiration is the most human part of making anything.

“How are you supposed to really care about what you're making if you didn't ever have the inspiration to make it?" Sam Gorski said, one of founders of Corridor Crew.

"And then why would anyone ever care about watching it if there's no passion or inspiration put into it?”

His verdict? The Inspiration Tab feels less like a spark of creativity and more like a shortcut that misses the point.

What’s Next

After the video went live, Corridor Crew said YouTube reached out to schedule a meeting about the feature.

So, it looks like the company’s listening. But for now, most creators aren’t ditching their whiteboards just yet.

Our Take

Haver summed it up best: "The beauty of having an idea is going, ‘This is my idea.’”

Tools can help you refine it, execute it, even enhance it.

But when they start telling you what to create — you stop being an artist and start becoming an employee of the algorithm. And no one logs into YouTube for that.


How TikTok Fueled The All-American Rejects' Comeback

When The All-American Rejects dropped their debut album in 2002, TikTok didn’t exist. Neither did YouTube.

Now, 20 years later, they’re using both better than almost any band out there.

They’re livestreaming surprise house parties. Posting viral clips. Letting fans pick the next location. Even texting addresses hours before showtime.

They’re pulling off one of the best comebacks we’ve seen — using tools they didn’t have the first time around.

Backstory

The All-American Rejects haven’t released a full album in 13 years.

So when they released Sandbox last month, they launched with a different type of tour: the "Sandbox Era" — a series of free pop-up shows at fan-suggested locations across the U.S.

It kicked off April 30 at USC. Since then:

  • 5,000 people showed up to a farm gig in Ames, Iowa

  • Their graduation party gig in Columbia was nearly shut down by cops, who turned out to be fans and let them play one more song

  • A leaked address led to 16,000 RSVPs for their Nashville concert. Fans who couldn’t get in climbed fences or bought ladders for a view

Clips from the shows have racked up hundreds of thousands of views, not just from the band but from fans filming it.

Now, people are posting daily TikToks begging the band to come to their yard. Others are tagging exact addresses.

And it’s working. The band is picking cities based on comment sections and DMs.

Want to attend a show? Just drop your info on their Linktree. If you’re picked, you’ll get a text with the address day-of. No ticket fees. No setlists.

“We’re not trying to sell you finance tickets to Coachella, Ticketmaster penalty fees, or $25 parking, ” Tyson Ritter told Mashable. “We’re just trying to sell you some songs you might have grown up with.”

Our Take

This is a masterclass in how to build real-time hype in a short-form era.

The Rejects aren’t buying ads or chasing virality. They’re creating moments so raw and real that fans do the marketing for them.

And it’s working: thousands are showing up — many who weren’t even born when Move Along dropped.

In a music world where most comebacks feel like PR plays, The All-American Rejects found a better way.

Make it spontaneous. Make it personal. Make it the best party your city’s seen in years — and post the proof.


🎯 Weekly Roundup: YouTube Thumbnails

Why we love these YT thumbnails:

  1. Peanut-shaped RV in front of Netflix logo makes you wonder: is this a real movie? (Isaac Carlton)
  2. -71°C sign + frost-covered face instantly signal extreme cold (Tayo Aina)
  3. 5-star TikTok Shop rating + skeptical face makes you wonder if the Cheese Destroyer is legit (Joshua Weissman)
  4. Man clawing up a massive dune with runners behind shows the brutality of the race (Kara and Nate)


🚀 Weekly Outlier

This video by What's Another Hobby has 4.3M views, which is 61 times higher than the channel’s average. Here's why it took off:

  • Strangely Satisfying Concept: Polishing dirt into a shiny sphere is unexpectedly satisfying and visually striking.

  • Relatable Journey: Trial and error make the journey feel authentic and rewarding.

  • Hidden Craft: A simple childhood hobby turns into a surprising, meditative art form.



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