PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
People Turn To Influencers For Weather Forecasts
It’s raining engagement // Image by Kait Cunniff with DALL-E
People are increasingly turning to social media personalities for weather reports rather than traditional news sources.
Blue Sky: Just like with traditional news, people want to get information from personalities they trust (read: like) rather than from institutional organizations. A Pew Research study found that 20% of Americans already get their information from social media. That influencer ecosystem creates plenty of room for misinformation or hyperbole for clicks (people literally saying “the sky is falling!”), but it also enables unprecedented boots-on-the-ground coverage.
Behind The Reports: Fast Company reports that weather has become so extreme (just look at last week’s monster winter storm) that it’s no wonder people are rushing to cover it from their smartphones… and audiences are tuning in. Some of the most popular include:
Ryan Hall livestreams to his 3 million subscribers and is known for his proprietary “Weather Intensity Score,” which measures weather events across the US.
Max Velocity posts traditional, network-style forecasts to his more than 1.5 million followers.
Reed Timmer, a self-described “storm chaser,” livestreams to his 1.4 million followers from the heart of extreme weather like tornadoes and blizzards (major Glen Powell in Twisters vibes).
Final Report: Interestingly, Hall, Velocity, and Timmer are all accredited meteorologists. They have the bona fides to work at a network, but have decided the creator economy is better suited to their skill sets… or at least offers more freedom and the potential to earn more than working in a newsroom. It’s also possible that they didn’t fit the traditional look of a weather reporter, so doing the work on social media freed them from those standards.
Instead of fighting the trend, the American Meteorological Society is leaning in to support it — the organization now offers a certification program for digital meteorologists. The main criteria are “scientific competence and effective communication skills in their weather presentations.” No suit and tie required.
Next Forecast: With people wanting weather updates as fast as the internet, it’s only a matter of time before traditional news networks contract meteorology influencers to get on the ground as quickly as possible during extreme weather events.
Together with Organixx
The Best Sleep of Your Life — Guaranteed
You’re exhausted… but as soon as your head hits the pillow, your brain won’t turn off. Or maybe you finally fall asleep… only to wake up at 2 a.m., staring at the ceiling.
For millions of people over 35, the problem isn’t just stress, blue light, or bad luck — it’s a simple mineral deficiency.
Organixx Magnesium 7 is a complete magnesium solution, with seven highly absorbable forms that target every pathway your body uses for relaxation and recovery.
The result?
Fall asleep in minutes
Stay asleep for hours
Wake up feeling like you’re 20 again
Flash Sale — Buy 2, Get 1 Free
PARTNERSHIPS | COMMUNITY | PODCAST | FRIENDS
Today’s email was written by David Vendrell.
Edited by Nick Comney. Polled and Copy-edited by Kait Cunniff.
Published by Darline Salazar.