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Bryan Reisberg (left) and Cliff Brush with their famous dogs. Photos courtesy of subjects
Creator Economy

Two Social Media Famous Dog Dads Join Forces

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 31, 2023 2:04pm PDT
More creators are joining forces to promote their work. The latest example: Bryan Reisberg and Cliff Brush, the owners of two social-media famous dogs, are collaborating on a deal to develop and promote a super-sized dog backpack. Reisberg two years ago launched Little Chonk, a line of dog backpacks, after he couldn’t find a suitable... More creators are joining forces to promote their work. The latest example: Bryan Reisberg and ...
Credit: Shutterstock
Creator Economy

Efforts to Protect Child Influencers Are Just Getting Started

By Alex Perry · Aug 30, 2023 3:50pm PDT
It looks like efforts to ensure young influencers get a share of earnings from their social media work could become more widespread. Earlier this month, the Illinois state legislature passed an amendment to a state law that mandates guardians of children under 16 who appear in monetized social media posts must set aside portions of the... It looks like efforts to ensure young influencers get a share of earnings from their social media...
Kat Callaghan. Photo courtesy of the subject.
Creator Economy

TikTok’s ‘Jessie’ Voice Heads to Calm

By Alex Perry · Aug 29, 2023 3:19pm PDT
Canadian radio show host Kat Callaghan has become known to tens of millions of TikTok users as Jessie, one of the voices that narrate captions users write into the short-form video app. Now, after becoming something of a TikTok celebrity after revealing her identity in October, she’s bringing the Jessie voice to meditation app Calm. ... Canadian radio show host Kat Callaghan has become known to tens of millions of TikTok users as ...
From left to right: Creators Katerina and Yinon Horowitz, Jack Settleman, Komal Nambiar, Ross Pomerantz and Raven Ross. Art by Clark Miller
What’s Overlooked When Startup Funding Tailspins
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 28, 2023 1:59pm PDT
From left to right: Creators Katerina and Yinon Horowitz, Jack Settleman, Komal Nambiar, Ross Pomerantz and Raven Ross. Art by Clark Miller
Creator Economy

What’s Overlooked When Startup Funding Tailspins

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 28, 2023 1:59pm PDT
How are creator economy startups doing during the downturn? Not so hot. How are the creators themselves faring? Much better, as I reported in a story earlier today. Two charts published in the piece sum up the divergence: While VC funding for startups hoping to attract creators as customers has plummeted, spending on influencer marketing—a... How are creator economy startups doing during the downturn? Not so hot. How are the creators...
Daniel Abas, the founder of Creators Guild of America. Photo: CGA
Creator Economy

A New Creator Labor Group Launches

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 24, 2023 2:00pm PDT
The Hollywood strike has highlighted the lack of a similar labor movement within the creator economy, but new efforts to change that are emerging. The latest: the Creators Guild of America, a new group that aims to protect the rights and promote the interests of digital creators, launches Thursday. The nonprofit advocacy organization backed... The Hollywood strike has highlighted the lack of a similar labor movement within the creator...
Paulina Hoong. Photo: Faith Cao.
Creator Economy

What TikTok’s $200 Billion Shopping Plans Mean for Creators

By Erin Woo · Aug 23, 2023 3:37pm PDT
This morning, my colleague Jing and I published reporting on how far TikTok is willing to go to make shopping a big business on the app. Leaders are aiming for TikTok Shop, its name for its fledgling shopping service, to generate about $200 billion in annual customer orders in the U.S. by 2028—or roughly what TikTok’s Chinese sister app Douyin... This morning, my colleague Jing and I published reporting on how far TikTok is willing to go to...
Photo: Threads
Creator Economy

The Features Threads Could Roll Out Next

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 22, 2023 2:29pm PDT
Meta Platforms’ launch of a web version of Threads could help boost adoption after usage has plunged. But it still has some major features missing. Here’s a look at what it could roll out next, especially if it wants to compete with what made Twitter, now called X, a success: • Direct messages: DMs are a core way that creators interact with... Meta Platforms’ launch of a web version of Threads could help boost adoption after usage has...
Photo via Shutterstock.
Apple Beefs Up Tools for Paid Podcasters
By Alex Perry · Aug 21, 2023 4:02pm PDT
Photo via Shutterstock.
Creator Economy

Apple Beefs Up Tools for Paid Podcasters

By Alex Perry · Aug 21, 2023 4:02pm PDT
We don’t hear much about Apple and the creator economy except when creators—or the platforms that host them—complain about the Apple App Store fees that cut into their earnings. That makes Apple’s launch Monday of multiple features aimed at helping creators all the more remarkable, even if the individual products are fairly standard. The... We don’t hear much about Apple and the creator economy except when creators—or the platforms that...
Image by Shane Burke.
Creator Economy

How to Get Creators Excited About Threads Again

By Alex Perry · Aug 17, 2023 4:10pm PDT · 2 comments
By now, it’s no news that Threads has lost much of its initial buzz. Daily active users on the Android version of the Meta Platforms-owned app fell 79% to 10.3 million as of August 7 from a peak in early July, according to data analytics firm SimilarWeb. One problem: even creators, who tend to put in the time and effort to figure out new social... By now, it’s no news that Threads has lost much of its initial buzz. Daily active users on the...
Chart by Shane Burke
Creator Economy

Company Plans YouTuber Trip to Ukraine as Social Media Awareness Drops

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 16, 2023 3:52pm PDT
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the war took over social media as people outside the country posted videos and photos pledging support for the residents. Ordinary people as well as professional creators also published updates from Ukraine, including a livestream of the invasion on Twitch. But 18 months later, it’s no longer a... When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the war took over social media as people outside...
How X’s Subscription Offers Compare
Creator Economy

How X’s Subscription Offers Compare

By Alex Perry · Aug 15, 2023 4:01pm PDT · 2 comments
In early August, Elon Musk said X would only take a cut of its creators’ subscription revenue on the platform if their payouts topped $100,000 in lifetime earnings, a more generous offer than Musk’s prior deal, which delayed taking its 10% cut for the first 12 months of a creator’s subscription revenue. The move looked designed to attract more... In early August, Elon Musk said X would only take a cut of its creators’ subscription revenue on...
Creator Cassey Ho. Photo courtesy of subject
How the ‘Blogilates’ YouTube Channel Spawned Two Merchandise Brands—and a Target Deal
By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 14, 2023 2:20pm PDT
Creator Cassey Ho. Photo courtesy of subject
Creator Economy

How the ‘Blogilates’ YouTube Channel Spawned Two Merchandise Brands—and a Target Deal

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 14, 2023 2:20pm PDT
Creators’ success on social media often has a limited shelf life. They need to generate a constant stream of new content, keep up with frequent changes on social platforms and deal with inconsistent income. So many are starting offline brands to expand their businesses and find new ways to connect with their fans. Take Cassey Ho, 36, who... Creators’ success on social media often has a limited shelf life. They need to generate a...
Braid founders Chris Piro and Matthew Cahill. Credit: Mike Sullivan
Creator Economy

The Startup That Lets Fans Shoot a Quick Text to Their Favorite Creator

By Alex Perry · Aug 10, 2023 4:25pm PDT · 8 comments
While creators can quickly build audiences on YouTube and TikTok, they often find it hard to keep up communication with their fans. That’s encouraged some to embrace email publishing services such as Substack and Beehiiv. The founders of startup Braid want to make those direct connections to fans through text messaging.Braid, founded by ex-... While creators can quickly build audiences on YouTube and TikTok, they often find it hard to keep...
Photo via Shutterstock
Creator Economy

More Creators Have Trouble With Facebook Payments; TikTok’s New Trust & Safety Leader

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 9, 2023 2:21pm PDT
You have to wonder what’s going on with the systems Meta Platforms uses to pay creators. Some this week have seen an alert that their accounts are restricted from making money due to “unusual activity.” That follows a glitch we covered last week that vastly inflated Facebook creators’ estimated earnings from posting Reels with licensed music.... You have to wonder what’s going on with the systems Meta Platforms uses to pay creators. Some...
Tara Walpert Levy, YouTube vice president of Americas. Photo: YouTube
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Walpert Levy on the AI ‘Tsunami’

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 8, 2023 2:28pm PDT
YouTube is getting ready to release generative AI tools for creators. But unlike rivals such as Facebook-parent Meta Platforms, it’s less interested in chatbots—the conversational software that can take on a persona such as Tony Soprano. Instead, it’s focusing on tools that will power video editing or help creators generate ideas, said Tara... YouTube is getting ready to release generative AI tools for creators. But unlike rivals such as ...
Alix Earle at her graduation from the University of Miami on May 11. Photo by Getty.
TikTokers Are Becoming Philanthropists
By Alex Perry · Aug 7, 2023 3:22pm PDT · 1 comment
Alix Earle at her graduation from the University of Miami on May 11. Photo by Getty.
Creator Economy

TikTokers Are Becoming Philanthropists

By Alex Perry · Aug 7, 2023 3:22pm PDT · 1 comment
Creators are lending their online influence to social causes. Alix Earle, a creator with 5.6 million followers on TikTok, is one of the most recent. This June she started a scholarship at the University of Miami for juniors and seniors pursuing a business degree at the University of Miami’s Herbert Business School. The 22-year-old, who recently... Creators are lending their online influence to social causes. Alix Earle, a creator with 5.6...
Photo by Shutterstock. Graphic: Shane Burke
Creator Economy

Snafus on Patreon, Facebook Stymie Creator Payouts

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 3, 2023 3:27pm PDT
What is going on this week? In two separate instances, creators on membership site Patreon and Facebook-owner Meta Platforms report they’ve had issues with payments. These snafus highlight the precarious nature of creators’ income, particularly when multiple companies are involved in payouts.Let’s start with Patreon. The San Francisco startup on... What is going on this week? In two separate instances, creators on membership site Patreon and ...
At Pinterest, Talk of Creators Fades as AI Rises (Chart)
Creator Economy

At Pinterest, Talk of Creators Fades as AI Rises (Chart)

By Alex Perry · Aug 2, 2023 3:58pm PDT
The buzzwords that executives drop during their companies’ quarterly conference calls provide a window into management’s interest at the moment, or at least what they want investors to hear. At Pinterest, executives led by CEO Bill Ready have been effusive about artificial intelligence lately—and as the chart above shows, they’ve spent much less... The buzzwords that executives drop during their companies’ quarterly conference calls provide a...
Forefront founder and CEO Jordyn Weaver. Photo courtesy of subject
Creator Economy

A New Startup Connects Creators with Black-Owned Businesses

By Kaya Yurieff · Aug 1, 2023 3:20pm PDT
Sales at Black-owned businesses fell 51% in January 2022 vs. a year earlier, undoing some gains made by Black entrepreneurs after George Floyd’s murder in 2020 sparked national discussions about institutional racism. Jordyn Weaver sees an opportunity to boost Black-owned businesses again with the launch of her new Atlanta-based startup Forefront... Sales at Black-owned businesses fell 51% in January 2022 vs. a year earlier, undoing some gains...
Photo via Shutterstock
Twitch’s Top Streamers Dominate Watch Time
By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 31, 2023 3:02pm PDT · 1 comment
Photo via Shutterstock
Creator Economy

Twitch’s Top Streamers Dominate Watch Time

By Kaya Yurieff · Jul 31, 2023 3:02pm PDT · 1 comment
New data shows just how important Twitch’s top streamers are to the livestreaming service. Last month, 10,000 Twitch streamers made up 76% of the hours users watched on the platform, according to Rainmaker.gg, the analytics partner of StreamElements, a creator tools and sponsorships startup. These creators represent just 0.5% of the 2... New data shows just how important Twitch’s top streamers are to the livestreaming service. ...