Y Combinator’s Garry Tan Goes to the Mat
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Creator Economy
What TikTok’s $200 Billion Shopping Plans Mean for Creators
By
Erin Woo
· Aug. 23, 2023 3:37 PM 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...
Creator Economy
facebook
The Features Threads Could Roll Out Next
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 22, 2023 2:29 PM 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...
Creator Economy
startups
apple
Apple Beefs Up Tools for Paid Podcasters
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 21, 2023 4:02 PM 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...
How to Get Creators Excited About Threads Again
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 17, 2023 4:10 PM PDT ·
2 comments
Creator Economy
facebook
How to Get Creators Excited About Threads Again
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 17, 2023 4:10 PM 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...
Creator Economy
startups
Company Plans YouTuber Trip to Ukraine as Social Media Awareness Drops
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 16, 2023 3:52 PM 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...
Creator Economy
Twitter
How X’s Subscription Offers Compare
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 15, 2023 4:01 PM 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 Economy
e-commerce
startups
How the ‘Blogilates’ YouTube Channel Spawned Two Merchandise Brands—and a Target Deal
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 14, 2023 2:20 PM 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...
The Startup That Lets Fans Shoot a Quick Text to Their Favorite Creator
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 10, 2023 4:25 PM PDT ·
8 comments
Creator Economy
startups
venture capital
The Startup That Lets Fans Shoot a Quick Text to Their Favorite Creator
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 10, 2023 4:25 PM 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...
Creator Economy
facebook
More Creators Have Trouble With Facebook Payments; TikTok’s New Trust & Safety Leader
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 9, 2023 2:21 PM 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...
Creator Economy
google
ai
YouTube’s Walpert Levy on the AI ‘Tsunami’
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 8, 2023 2:28 PM 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 ...
Creator Economy
startups
entertainment
TikTokers Are Becoming Philanthropists
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 7, 2023 3:22 PM 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...
Snafus on Patreon, Facebook Stymie Creator Payouts
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 3, 2023 3:27 PM PDT
Creator Economy
facebook
startups
Snafus on Patreon, Facebook Stymie Creator Payouts
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 3, 2023 3:27 PM 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 ...
Creator Economy
e-commerce
At Pinterest, Talk of Creators Fades as AI Rises (Chart)
By
Alex Perry
· Aug. 2, 2023 3:58 PM 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...
Creator Economy
startups
A New Startup Connects Creators with Black-Owned Businesses
By
Kaya Yurieff
· Aug. 1, 2023 3:20 PM 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...
Creator Economy
amazon
Twitch’s Top Streamers Dominate Watch Time
By
Kaya Yurieff
· July 31, 2023 3:02 PM 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. ...
A Creator Creates a Digital Twin
By
Alex Perry
· July 27, 2023 1:25 PM PDT
Creator Economy
startups
ai
A Creator Creates a Digital Twin
By
Alex Perry
· July 27, 2023 1:25 PM PDT
Social media creators have been exploring how they can use generative artificial intelligence to promote their personal brands, find inspiration and offload work. Giselle Ugarte, an online performance coach who has nearly 300,000 followers on TikTok, is testing whether the technology can help her with a particularly time-consuming task:...
Social media creators have been exploring how they can use generative artificial intelligence to...
Creator Economy
facebook
Meta Eyes AI Tools for Connecting Creators and Fans
By
Kaya Yurieff
· July 26, 2023 3:45 PM PDT
Meta Platforms is considering artificial intelligence products that help creators connect with their fans, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on an earnings call on Wednesday. Zuckerberg sees a variety of uses for AI agents, or chatbots, including for creators and businesses. “There are going to be a handful of experiences around helping people...
Meta Platforms is considering artificial intelligence products that help creators connect with...
Creator Economy
google
YouTube Pops, Snap Fizzles
By
Kaya Yurieff
· July 25, 2023 3:00 PM PDT
YouTube broke a streak of three straight revenue declines, which spells good news for creators who earn a portion of revenue from ads running on their videos, and indicates the broader digital advertising market is starting to recover—at least for some tech giants. Snap, on the other hand, reported that its revenue fell from last year. YouTube’s...
YouTube broke a streak of three straight revenue declines, which spells good news for creators...
Creator Economy
facebook
google
What to Expect From Tech Earnings; Musk Rebrands Twitter
By
Kaya Yurieff
· July 24, 2023 2:00 PM PDT ·
1 comment
It’s already shaping up to be a busy week, with a parade of quarterly tech earnings and Elon Musk’s surprise announcement that he’s rebranding Twitter to X (more on that in a moment).Second-quarter results from Snap and Alphabet on Tuesday and Meta Platforms on Wednesday will give insight into the state of digital advertising. YouTube, owned by...
It’s already shaping up to be a busy week, with a parade of quarterly tech earnings and Elon Musk...
How Eight Social Networks Have Treated Disappearing Stories
By
Alex Perry
· July 20, 2023 3:00 PM PDT ·
1 comment
Creator Economy
startups
How Eight Social Networks Have Treated Disappearing Stories
By
Alex Perry
· July 20, 2023 3:00 PM PDT ·
1 comment
As the chart above shows, most social networks have dabbled with a feature, often dubbed disappearing stories, that lets users post photos or videos that are set to disappear off the app after a set amount of time, typically 24 hours. Twitch earlier this month announced it was jumping into the fray. The offering from Amazon-owned Twitch...
As the chart above shows, most social networks have dabbled with a feature, often dubbed...
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