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João Pedro Resende, Hotmart’s co-founder and CEO. Photo: Hotmart
Creator Economy

The New Influencer Gig: Teaching People to Use AI

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 20, 2024 2:00pm PDT · 1 comment
As new artificial intelligence tools from companies such as OpenAI and Midjourney have exploded, a cottage industry of creators has developed to teach others how to use them. They’re offering paid classes on how to craft a better prompt for ChatGPT or use AI for filmmaking. AI-related courses and products are a “rapidly growing” category... As new artificial intelligence tools from companies such as OpenAI and Midjourney have exploded,...
Shou Zi Chew, CEO of TikTok, leaves a meeting in Sen. John Fetterman’s office in the Russell Senate Office building on Thursday. Photo by Getty Images.
Creator Economy

The Slow-Motion TikTok Bill

By Erin Woo · Mar 19, 2024 2:51pm PDT
The bill that could ban TikTok is in for a slog. After sailing through the House of Representatives last week, the bill’s momentum is slowing in the Senate. It’s too soon to tell whether Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Senate majority leader, will bring the bill to the floor for a vote. Even before that, Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell,... The bill that could ban TikTok is in for a slog. After sailing through the House of...
Camila Cabello for Olipop. Photos via TikTok/YouTube Shorts.
Creator Economy

The Influencers Behind Olipop’s Rise; a Potential Bidder for TikTok

By Ann Gehan · Mar 14, 2024 3:27pm PDT
If you’ve started seeing more trendy drink brands popping up on your social media feeds recently, that’s by design. Upstart beverage makers like Olipop, which says its carbonated drinks can help improve digestion and gut health, have been increasing their reach through influencers on TikTok and other apps. In early 2022, the brand... If you’ve started seeing more trendy drink brands popping up on your social media feeds recently,...
Photo via Adobe Stock.
How Instagram Reels Could Benefit From a TikTok Ban
By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Mar 13, 2024 3:00pm PDT
Photo via Adobe Stock.
Creator Economy

How Instagram Reels Could Benefit From a TikTok Ban

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Mar 13, 2024 3:00pm PDT
Is TikTok’s pain Instagram’s gain? In the past, employees at the Meta Platforms app certainly thought so. Instagram’s short-video feature, Reels, has come a long way since its bumpy start in 2020. But it’s hard to imagine any Instagram exec isn’t intrigued by the reprise of Washington’s efforts to ban the ByteDance-owned app. After all,... Is TikTok’s pain Instagram’s gain? In the past, employees at the Meta Platforms app certainly...
Alex Cooper attends The Unwell House at SXSW. Photo by Rick Kern via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

What Five Hours With Alex Cooper’s Fans Say About Podcasting

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 12, 2024 2:49pm PDT
I’ve spent the past few days at South by Southwest, the annual tech and arts festival in Austin. The most memorable part of my experience was embedding myself with the screaming fans of “Call Her Daddy” podcast host Alex Cooper, who threw multi-day events to celebrate the launch of the Unwell Network, an arm of her production company where she’s... I’ve spent the past few days at South by Southwest, the annual tech and arts festival in Austin....
Photo by Brendon Thorne/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

TikTok Engages Its 170 Million Fans to Fight Potential Ban

By Sahil Patel and Kaya Yurieff · Mar 7, 2024 2:22pm PST · 3 comments
Here we go again! TikTok is back in the crosshairs of the U.S. government and it’s already using the most valuable marketing real estate at its disposal—its own app—to rally U.S. users to its defense. Over the last day, some people with the TikTok smartphone app received push notifications stating that it “is at risk of being shut down in... Here we go again! TikTok is back in the crosshairs of the U.S. government and it’s already using...
Linktree co-founders, from left to right: Nick Humphreys, Alex Zaccaria, Anthony Zaccaria
Creator Economy

Linktree Jumps Into Social Commerce With Sephora

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 6, 2024 2:33pm PST
Linktree, the largest and best known among the dozens of startups offering link-in-bio tools—the landing pages that link creators’ social media accounts to product pages, podcasts and videos—is expanding into social commerce. The seven-year-old startup is testing an affiliate marketing program with Sephora, Revolve and Urban Outfitters.... Linktree, the largest and best known among the dozens of startups offering link-in-bio tools—the...
Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images.
What to Expect at SXSW; ByteDance’s Soaring Revenue
By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 5, 2024 2:25pm PST
Photo by Amy E. Price/Getty Images.
Creator Economy

What to Expect at SXSW; ByteDance’s Soaring Revenue

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 5, 2024 2:25pm PST
Later this week, I’m heading to South by Southwest, the annual tech and arts festival in Austin. If you’ll be in town, let’s get coffee or some BBQ! I’d also love to see you at The Information’s cocktail party on Friday night here, and our Saturday brunch and panel here. (Be sure to RSVP today, space is limited!)Creators have increasingly become... Later this week, I’m heading to South by Southwest, the annual tech and arts festival in Austin....
Art by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

Why TikTok Can Outstare UMG in its Music Standoff

By Erin Woo · Feb 29, 2024 3:31pm PST · 1 comment
TikTok’s standoff with Universal Music Group is the latest example of how the app has changed from its roots as a lip-syncing platform toward one more focused on shopping.To recap: Late last month, TikTok and Universal Music Group, one of the biggest record labels in the world, failed to reach an agreement to let TikTok license UMG songs for use... TikTok’s standoff with Universal Music Group is the latest example of how the app has changed...
Acquired podcast hosts Ben Gilbert (left) and David Rosenthal. Photo: Acquired
Creator Economy

The Super Long-Form Podcasters Selling Sponsorships for $750,000

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 28, 2024 2:27pm PST
TikTok’s rise has put the spotlight on short, snackable content, but I’m hearing more and more buzz about how long-form is making a comeback. For some, it never left. Ben Gilbert and David Rosenthal, friends and former colleagues at venture capital firm Madrona, started their podcast “Acquired” in 2015, before it was common for investors to... TikTok’s rise has put the spotlight on short, snackable content, but I’m hearing more and more...
Visa chief marketing officer Frank Cooper III. Photo: Visa
Creator Economy

Visa’s Marketing Chief on the Creator Economy ‘Gold Rush’

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 27, 2024 2:18pm PST
Visa is stepping up its efforts to become more synonymous with the creator economy, from utilizing creators heavily in marketing to servicing their payments needs.“It’s been the gold rush for creators. Everyone’s like, ‘Hey, up in those hills are a bunch of creators who have a lot of reach and big audiences,’” said Frank Cooper III, chief... Visa is stepping up its efforts to become more synonymous with the creator economy, from...
California State Senator Steve Padilla.
How a California Lawmaker Is Trying to Protect Child Creators
By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Feb 22, 2024 3:37pm PST
California State Senator Steve Padilla.
Creator Economy

How a California Lawmaker Is Trying to Protect Child Creators

By Sylvia Varnham O'Regan · Feb 22, 2024 3:37pm PST
Former parenting vlogger Ruby Franke was sentenced this week and could face decades behind bars after pleading guilty to aggravated child abuse. Before her arrest, Franke posted videos on YouTube promoting a severe style of parenting her six children, including depriving them of food and banning her son from his room so he was forced to sleep on... Former parenting vlogger Ruby Franke was sentenced this week and could face decades behind bars...
Image by Mike Sullivan.
Creator Economy

Eight More Creator Startups Closed as VC Money Evaporated

By Abubakar Idris · Feb 21, 2024 3:30pm PST
Last week, we published a list of creator economy startups that could be on the market for a new owner because they haven’t raised more than a seed round of venture capital in two years and may be running low on cash. Some founders have already pulled the plug on their startups, we discovered.At least eight early-stage startups in The... Last week, we published a list of creator economy startups that could be on the market for a new...
Art by Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

ByteDance’s CapCut Could Cause New D.C. Headaches

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 20, 2024 2:56pm PST
Over the past few months, I've been hearing a lot more about ByteDance-owned CapCut, with many creators telling me they use the app as their main editing tool, which provides trendy templates and filters to spruce up videos. Some of this growth comes from its sister app TikTok, where users see videos made with CapCut and then get the app, making... Over the past few months, I've been hearing a lot more about ByteDance-owned CapCut, with many...
Creator Alix Earle (right) and her partner, Miami Dolphins wide receiver Braxton Barrios (left) at the 2024 Super Bowl. Photo by Getty Images.
Creator Economy

MrBeast's Audience Is Big. The Super Bowl Is Bigger

By Sahil Patel · Feb 15, 2024 2:06pm PST
Earlier this week Nielsen, the TV measurement firm, reported that 123.7 million people in the U.S. watched this year’s Super Bowl. The TV broadcast, which aired on CBS, averaged 120.3 million viewers, which made it the largest audience for a single telecast in U.S. TV history. (An additional 2.3 million viewers watched the Spanish-language... Earlier this week Nielsen, the TV measurement firm, reported that 123.7 million people in the...
Photo via Getty Images.
What We Learned From Our Creator Takeover List
By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 14, 2024 2:02pm PST
Photo via Getty Images.
Creator Economy

What We Learned From Our Creator Takeover List

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 14, 2024 2:02pm PST
We just released a new list for subscribers to The Information Pro that identifies the most likely targets for takeovers in the creator economy this year. We focused on companies that haven’t raised much if any money since inking seed or earlier rounds more than two years ago. These companies are most likely to face a cash crunch and be open to... We just released a new list for subscribers to The Information Pro that identifies the most...
YouTuber MrBeast. Photo via Getty Images
Creator Economy

MrBeast Gives New Life to X’s Creator Plans

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 13, 2024 2:41pm PST
Much ink lately has been spilled about MrBeast’s videos getting extra visibility on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter. Jimmy Donaldson, the real name of MrBeast, has expressed confusion himself about why his video of cars got more than 156 million impressions in a week, boosting his earnings from advertising revenue on the video to... Much ink lately has been spilled about MrBeast’s videos getting extra visibility on X, the social...
Photo via Adobe Stock
Creator Economy

Pinterest Gets the Snap Treatment; Priceline’s Swift Super Bowl Play

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 8, 2024 4:03pm PST
Add Pinterest to the same boat as Snap: a social media company that’s showing growth in digital ads, but far from the strength that wowed investors after Meta Platforms results. Pinterest stock fell 9% in extended trading Thursday afternoon after revenue rose 12% to $981 million during the fourth quarter compared to a year earlier. That was... Add Pinterest to the same boat as Snap: a social media company that’s showing growth in digital...
Eli Mack is one of the NFL's "Creator of the Week" picks. Photo courtesy of NFL
Creator Economy

Inside The NFL’s Creator Strategy

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 7, 2024 2:54pm PST
When you’re not scanning Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast for a Taylor Swift sighting, look out for some high profile creators like MrBeast, Mark Rober and Deestroying. The National Football League, as part of a strategy to turn more Gen Z viewers into football fans, is working with a record number of creators around the big game this year—in... When you’re not scanning Sunday’s Super Bowl broadcast for a Taylor Swift sighting, look out for...
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel
Evan Spiegel’s Snap Game Plan; YouTube’s Top Priorities
By Erin Woo · Feb 6, 2024 4:44pm PST
Snap CEO Evan Spiegel
Creator Economy

Evan Spiegel’s Snap Game Plan; YouTube’s Top Priorities

By Erin Woo · Feb 6, 2024 4:44pm PST
Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, is having a rough week. Snap’s stock plunged 30% in after-hours trading on Tuesday, after the company reported revenue that fell within its own guidance but below stock pickers’ expectations. That followed Snap’s decision to lay off 10% of staff, a move that targeted senior (and thus expensive)... Snap, the parent company of Snapchat, is having a rough week. Snap’s stock plunged 30% in...