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One story. Four creators. Twelve videos. Seven million views. (And counting)!
We’re starting to tell stories in new ways here at Salt Water Sportsman. Case in point, our first Salt Water Sportsman Expedition, a collaborative storytelling project shot in partnership with four YouTube creators. We’re building out a team of these creators, a group of men and women who love our brand and whom we can send out on assignments to cover hot bites. This trip was the first of these, a quick-and-dirty prototype that documents a 24-hour shark fishing expedition from the beach. Each creator shot three videos, one for YouTube and two for Instagram and Facebook.
The team we used for this shoot has more than 430,000 followers across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. These videos ran on Salt Water Sportsman’s channels, but they were also published to theirs. We gave them guidelines to follow, but we wanted this content to be in their voice, to resonate with their own audiences, and to take advantage of the increased reach available by distributing this story across more than one channel at once. It’s a model that works; as of this writing the videos from this shoot have been viewed more than 7 million times!
Phil Hollandsworth (SaltSquatch)
Phil Hollandsworth is the Salt Water Sportsman content creator team leader. He grew up in Pennsylvania and began bass fishing in local ponds in high school. It wasn’t until he moved to Pensacola, Florida, after graduating college that he began to fall in love with saltwater fishing. Now Phil takes every opportunity to chase fish from land, kayak, pier, and boat.
Sean Lawless (The Lawless Tide)
Sean Lawless, known better for his YouTube Channel “The Lawless Tide”, was born and raised in landlocked Tulsa, Oklahoma, and started fishing in Florida in 2017. From catching pompano on the beach to blackfin tuna in his kayak and bonita off the jetties, Sean shows his viewers everything Florida’s fishery has to offer.
Jack Moran (Yakin With Jack)
Jack Moran, known across social media as “Yakin with Jack”, grew up in Pensacola, Florida, and began to develop a passion for fishing at a young age. His grandfather worked at a local catfish farm, so Jack could often be found with a cane pole in his hands catching bream and catfish. Jack’s love for saltwater fishing began on the piers and bridges of Pensacola, but quickly launched into the Gulf of Mexico when he discovered the adrenaline rush of going for a sleigh ride in a kayak.
John McLean (Big John Shark Fishing)
John McLean, known to most people as “Big John” because of his tall stature, is a former professional hockey player. At 6’9”, he was the tallest professional hockey goalie to ever play the position. He played his last year of professional hockey in Florida in 2017, when he was forced to retire due to injuries. After retirement he founded a guide service, Big John Shark Fishing Adventures. He is very active in shark conservation and tagging sharks through NOAA’s Apex Predator Program.
In addition to video content, we’re also producing written content that complements these assignments. Here’s one example, a search optimized gear guide that highlights key equipment you need to whip sharks quickly to ensure a healthy release. Such stories take advantage of Salt Water Sportsman’s network of top notch writers. They also leverage our brand’s strong domain authority and will rank consistently well in search, adding an evergreen content piece to this package that will continue delivering qualified audiences (and attributable leads!) for years to come.
We’re planning more of these! If you’re a creator who is interested in joining our team, please contact Executive Producer Phil Hollandsworth. If you’re a sponsor interested in integrating products or services into these shoots, please contact our publisher, Scott Salyers.
