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Photo: Shutterstock/Shane Burke
Creator Economy

TikTok Asks Creators to Help Win Over Lawmakers

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 7, 2023 3:04pm PST
TikTok sent a message to some creators this week inviting them to join top company executives in Washington D.C. in late March as the ByteDance-owned company continues to fight calls for a ban of the app in the U.S.The trip would include “standing side by side with creators and the TikTok team at the U.S. Capital” to show TikTok’s positive... TikTok sent a message to some creators this week inviting them to join top company executives in...
Travel creator Tanyka Renee Henry. Photo by Yanic Barrett
Creator Economy

The Travel Creator Using Jasper AI as a Muse

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 6, 2023 2:00pm PST
When travel creator Tanyka Renee Henry is stuck on an idea, she sometimes turns to a virtual source of help: Jasper AI, an artificial intelligence-powered copywriter. Henry, who has 320,000 Instagram followers, says she uses Jasper to help her come up with written material for social media captions, business pitches, or the newsletter she... When travel creator Tanyka Renee Henry is stuck on an idea, she sometimes turns to a virtual...
Photo by Shane Burke/Shutterstock
Creator Economy

At Clubhouse, Many Notable Hires Have Departed

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 2, 2023 3:58pm PST
Roughly 20 leaders have departed Clubhouse over the past year or so, including many of the notable hires the social audio app recruited from major companies such as Meta Platforms, Google, TikTok, Spotify and Netflix. All these ex-staffers had vice president, head or lead in their titles or job descriptions (most were heads of something).The... Roughly 20 leaders have departed Clubhouse over the past year or so, including many of the...
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew via Getty
Apple Could Trip Up TikTok If Politicians Do Not
By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 1, 2023 2:41pm PST
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew via Getty
Creator Economy

Apple Could Trip Up TikTok If Politicians Do Not

By Kaya Yurieff · Mar 1, 2023 2:41pm PST
Could Apple and Google trip up TikTok even if saber-rattling politicians do not? It’s an intriguing idea sparked by a story we published today, especially as it resurfaces a perennial gripe of many startup founders: the iron grip the two tech giants have on smartphone apps. According to new reporting from my colleague Juro on Wednesday, the... Could Apple and Google trip up TikTok even if saber-rattling politicians do not? It’s an...
Alex French started posting on TikTok in 2019. Photo: Sara Bouwman
Creator Economy

The Early TikTok Creator Who Doesn’t Need a Niche

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 28, 2023 2:00pm PST
As the creator economy gets more crowded and competitive, it’s become common for people to hone in on a narrow niche as a way to stand out. We’ve profiled creators who review family-friendly cars or make elaborate cheese boards as their main content focus.Then there’s Alex French, 19, who has built her social media career without carving out a... As the creator economy gets more crowded and competitive, it’s become common for people to hone...
Esther Crawford. Photo: Robert Cowherd
Creator Economy

Twitter Needs a Focused Creator Strategy More Than Ever

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 27, 2023 2:38pm PST · 1 comment
Esther Crawford’s exit from Twitter throws the company’s ambitions to attract more creators into disarray. The former director of product management, who was laid off over the weekend, was heavily involved in money-making features for creators and other bets, including subscription service Twitter Blue. Even with Crawford championing those... Esther Crawford’s exit from Twitter throws the company’s ambitions to attract more creators into...
YouTube launched an audio feature for creators to dub their videos. Photo: Shutterstock
Creator Economy

YouTube to Set Off an Audio Dubbing Spree

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 23, 2023 3:33pm PST · 2 comments
YouTube is giving creators a new handy way to expand their audiences. On Thursday, the video streaming giant said it will roll out tools for creators to add their own audio dubbing to new and existing long-form videos, a way to increase the reach of the same video to viewers who want to choose different languages. The free feature could... YouTube is giving creators a new handy way to expand their audiences. On Thursday, the video...
Singer and TikTok creator Adanna Duru. Photo: Dove Shore Photography
Creator Startups Prep Generative AI Features; Q&A With TikTok Singer Adanna Duru
By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 22, 2023 3:26pm PST
Singer and TikTok creator Adanna Duru. Photo: Dove Shore Photography
Creator Economy

Creator Startups Prep Generative AI Features; Q&A With TikTok Singer Adanna Duru

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 22, 2023 3:26pm PST
The excitement around generative AI is hitting creator economy startups, which are looking for ways to use the technology to make workloads lighter for creators, spurred by the immense success of OpenAI’s ChatGPT chatbot. Podcastle, a startup that provides audio recording and editing tools for podcasting, announced a new feature last month... The excitement around generative AI is hitting creator economy startups, which are looking for...
Art: Shane Burke
Creator Economy

The Creator Gamble in Meta’s New Subscription Offering

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 21, 2023 3:15pm PST
For the last three years, social networks like Meta Platforms have pledged more tools for creators to help them reach fans and make money, services that aim to attract online influencers and their followers to the apps. Meta’s latest tool comes with a twist—and by twist, I mean a fee of between $11.99 and $14.99 a month. It’s an interesting... For the last three years, social networks like Meta Platforms have pledged more tools for...
Susan Wojcicki announced she would step down as YouTube CEO. Photo via Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Susan Wojcicki’s YouTube Legacy

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 16, 2023 3:22pm PST · 1 comment
It’s the end of an era at YouTube. In a surprise announcement Thursday, CEO Susan Wojcicki said she’s stepping down after nearly 25 years at Google and nine years helming the popular video-sharing site. Neal Mohan, YouTube’s chief product officer, will be the new head of the company. Wojcicki said she would focus on family, health and personal... It’s the end of an era at YouTube. In a surprise announcement Thursday, CEO Susan Wojcicki said...
Photo: Jellysmack
Creator Economy

Jellysmack Aims to Cut 200 French Workers

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 15, 2023 3:16pm PST · 1 comment
Jellysmack, a startup providing video services for creators whose headcount swelled to more than 1,000 last year, is aiming to cut up to 208 employees based in France, a spokesperson confirmed. The company was started by three French entrepreneurs in 2016 and has kept a large operation in the country even as it’s hired more people in New... Jellysmack, a startup providing video services for creators whose headcount swelled to more than...
Creator Thomas Frank. Photo: Frank
The YouTuber Making $1 Million Selling Notion ‘Templates’
By Mahira Dayal · Feb 14, 2023 2:59pm PST
Creator Thomas Frank. Photo: Frank
Creator Economy

The YouTuber Making $1 Million Selling Notion ‘Templates’

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 14, 2023 2:59pm PST
Influencers who dish out tips on improving daily routines—from early morning pilates to swilling trendy health drink Athletic Greens—are increasing in popularity. Among these, Denver-based Thomas Frank has carved out a lucrative niche: selling customized set-ups for people using Notion, the note-taking and list-making app. Frank, 31, said... Influencers who dish out tips on improving daily routines—from early morning pilates to swilling...
Photo by Getty
Creator Economy

TikTok’s Growth Hacking Includes Paywalled Video

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 13, 2023 2:00pm PST
At the end of last year, it felt like creator funds were a thing of the past, as companies such as YouTube shifted to other initiatives, such as ad-revenue sharing, and shut down funds that made payouts for viral videos. But that’s not the case at TikTok. As I reported in a story on Monday, the short-form video app is working on a new version,... At the end of last year, it felt like creator funds were a thing of the past, as companies such...
Spillt co-founders Maddy and Ann Baum (left to right). Photo courtesy of subjects
Creator Economy

An Ex-Instagram Engineer Launches a Social Cooking App

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 9, 2023 2:30pm PST · 2 comments
Short cooking videos have exploded on TikTok and other social media networks, but the food bloggers who make them still largely depend on their personal websites to bring in income from ads. For people looking for online recipes created by these bloggers, it can be hard to keep track of them or save favorites in one place. Spillt, an app... Short cooking videos have exploded on TikTok and other social media networks, but the food...
Photo by Getty
Creator Economy

Reddit’s Ad Gains Could Mean More Cash for Creators

By Isabelle Sarraf · Feb 8, 2023 3:34pm PST · 1 comment
This morning, I published a story about Reddit, the online news aggregator and discussion forum, which benefited from a jump in year-over-year advertising spending at the end of 2022, a contrast with drops for competitors including Meta Platforms, Snap and Pinterest. Reddit may still only draw a sliver of spending from large advertisers, but a... This morning, I published a story about Reddit, the online news aggregator and discussion forum,...
Ben Schwerin. Photo: Getty
The Questions Around Snap’s TikTok Clone After Top Exec Resigns
By Mahira Dayal · Feb 7, 2023 3:22pm PST
Ben Schwerin. Photo: Getty
Creator Economy

The Questions Around Snap’s TikTok Clone After Top Exec Resigns

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 7, 2023 3:22pm PST
After eight years at the company, Snap’s senior vice president of content and partnerships, Ben Schwerin, is departing to join Coatue Management as a general partner, my colleague Kate reported. Schwerin helped lead Snap’s Spotlight, the app’s TikTok clone launched at the end of 2020. His replacement will face the task of maintaining Spotlight’s... After eight years at the company, Snap’s senior vice president of content and partnerships, Ben...
Photo: Shutterstock
Creator Economy

Bill Ready’s Pinterest Turnaround Plan Is Expensive

By Mahira Dayal · Feb 6, 2023 4:36pm PST
Pinterest on Monday gave us an updated view into its new CEO Bill Ready’s strategy to revitalize the company. It’s an expensive plan, leading to such a spike in spending that profit fell a whopping 90%. And Pinterest, similar to Meta Platforms, is forecasting revenue that’s barely growing, thanks to a downturn in digital ad demand. But Ready can... Pinterest on Monday gave us an updated view into its new CEO Bill Ready’s strategy to revitalize...
YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki. Photo by Bloomberg
Creator Economy

YouTube’s Ad Revenue Falls Again; More U.S. Pressure on TikTok

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 2, 2023 3:30pm PST
A continued decline in YouTube ad revenue spells bad news for creators who earn money from the video-sharing site. On Thursday, Alphabet said YouTube’s ad revenue fell nearly 8% to $7.96 billion during the fourth quarter compared with the same period a year earlier. That’s the second straight quarter of decline. A continued decline in YouTube ad revenue spells bad news for creators who earn money from the...
Cameo co-founders Steven Galanis, Devon Townsend, Martin Blencowe, from left to right. Photo by Michael Kovac/Getty Images
Creator Economy

Cameo and Rally Shutter NFT Products, #Paid Conducts Layoffs

By Kaya Yurieff · Feb 1, 2023 4:30pm PST
I’m kicking off today’s newsletter with some news: Creator services from Rally to Cameo are ditching crypto features that generated lots of buzz during the pandemic. And another creator economy startup, #Paid, is cutting workers, I’m first to report, adding to layoffs hitting the sector. Let’s start with Cameo, the startup that connects... I’m kicking off today’s newsletter with some news: Creator services from Rally to Cameo are...
Photo: Bloomberg
Meta’s Resistance to Sharing Ad Sales Starts to Crumble
By Mahira Dayal · Jan 31, 2023 5:15pm PST
Photo: Bloomberg
Creator Economy

Meta’s Resistance to Sharing Ad Sales Starts to Crumble

By Mahira Dayal · Jan 31, 2023 5:15pm PST
For at least a year, one question has hung over Meta Platforms-owned Facebook and Instagram: whether the apps will introduce a way to share a cut of ad revenues with more creators, similar to how YouTube pays video-makers. Our story today by Sylvia and Kaya goes deep into the debate at Meta over introducing ad-revenue sharing, which some staff... For at least a year, one question has hung over Meta Platforms-owned Facebook and Instagram:...