Brand Deals
B2B Influencer Marketing Works: The Case Studies That Prove It
Adobe, SAP, GE, Okta, and Cisco show how B2B influencer marketing drives real pipeline — the campaigns, the numbers, and the lessons.
8 min read
NEWS
Browse our complete archive of creator economy coverage, analysis, and industry insights.
AllAIBrand DealsCreator DealsCreator EarningsCreator ToolsCreator WellnessEventsIndustry AnalysisMarketingMarketplaceMarkets & InvestingMarkets / InvestingMonetizationNewslettersPlatform UpdatesPlatformsRegulationinfluencer-marketing
Brand Deals
How to Choose the Right Influencers: Micro vs. Macro, the Blended Approach, and the Mistakes That Waste Budget
A practical framework for selecting influencers that convert: tier strategy, vetting hacks, the blended model, and the common mistakes that burn budget.
7 min read
AI
AI Influencers vs. Human Creators: The Real Trade-Offs Brands Are Making in 2026
A clear-eyed comparison of AI influencers and human creators — the economics, the real brand campaigns, and the new disclosure laws reshaping both.
8 min read
Brand Deals
The Prediction-Market Category Just Made Its First Real Creator-Economy Play. SafeBets at IMCX 2026 Is What Distribution Looks Like at $63.5B.
SafeBets paid presenting-sponsor money for IMCX 2026 to put itself in front of creator-economy decision-makers. The platform is pitching itself as the ethical alternative inside a category regulators increasingly treat as disguised gambling.
8 min read
Regulation
New York Just Became the First State to Require AI-Generated People Disclosure in Ads. Effective Date: June 9.
New York's S.8420-A becomes the first US law to require advertisers to disclose AI-generated humans in ads. It takes effect June 9, 2026 — six days from now — and brands running paid media don't have months to prepare. They have days.
7 min read
Brand Deals
Gordon Ramsay's Krude Bets That a Chef-Named Olive Oil Can Take the Premium EVOO Category Out of Bottle-Cap Branding
The Hell's Kitchen host's first packaged-goods launch is a seven-SKU premium olive oil line built with the Soho House wine team — and a case study in why the smartest celebrity brands no longer carry the celebrity's name.
7 min read
Brand Deals
Khloud Raises $15M as Protein Snacks Become the CPG Category Every Celebrity Founder Wants In On
Khloé Kardashian's protein snack brand pulled a $15M round led by K5 Global with Serena Ventures, WME, Shrug Capital, and Springdale Ventures — and walked into Target, Walmart, and Starbucks in roughly a year.
7 min read
Brand Deals
Imaraïs Beauty Sells to Healthy Extracts at ~$20M as Ingestible Beauty Becomes a Real Acquisition Lane
The Sommer Ray-co-founded ingestible beauty brand has been acquired by Healthy Extracts in a deal that values the brand around $20M — with a 4,400-location CVS rollout already on the calendar.
7 min read
Regulation
Watch: The FTC's Western Region Director Came to IMCX to Explain Influencer Disclosure. Six Years Later, Most Creators Still Get It Wrong.
When the FTC sent its Western Region Director, Maricela Segura, to walk creators and brands through influencer disclosure rules at IMCX in Los Angeles, the room got quiet. The rules haven't moved much since. The enforcement has.
8 min read
Regulation
Creators Are About to Get Reclassified as Employees. The First Class Actions Are Already Filed.
Misclassification arguments are migrating from rideshare to platforms — and the legal answer determines whether the creator economy is a labor market or a marketplace.
8 min read
Markets & Investing
Wall Street Is About to Securitize Creator Revenue. The First ABS Deal Will Set the Comp Set.
After three years of Spotter, Jellysmack, and Creative Juice buying creator catalogs, the next step is asset-backed securitization — and that changes how every creator gets valued.
8 min read
Brand Deals
Brands Are Splitting Creator Budgets Between Humans and AI Personas. The Pricing Floor Just Cracked.
Procurement teams at major advertisers are now running parallel line items for virtual influencers — and the AI persona quote is becoming the negotiating floor against human creator rates.
7 min read
Platforms
Meta Is Testing Stablecoins for Creator Payroll. The Implications Are Bigger Than Crypto.
Meta is reportedly exploring stablecoin-based payouts for Instagram and Facebook creators. The story isn't about crypto — it's about how the global creator economy's payment infrastructure is about to be rebuilt.
7 min read
Industry Analysis
Syracuse Is the First Elite University to Build a Creator Economy Minor. It Won't Be the Last.
Syracuse University announced a Creator Economy minor for fall 2026, jointly led by the Newhouse and Whitman schools. It's the first elite-university credentialing signal — and once one elite university makes the call, the rest follow within 24 months.
7 min read
Industry Analysis
The Creator Economy Just Crossed $314 Billion — And the Number Hides a Bigger Story
The latest valuation marker for the creator economy is impressive on its own, but the more important shift is what's beneath the headline. The category is professionalizing, consolidating, and earning institutional respect for the first time.
8 min read
Markets & Investing
Stan’s Record Creator-Led Round Just Reset What ‘Creator-Led Investing’ Means in Venture
The creator-tooling platform's largest-ever creator-backed round, anchored by Steven Bartlett and Gary Vaynerchuk, signals a maturation in how creator capital is being deployed. The category is no longer a sideshow.
7 min read
Brand Deals
The 2-3x ROI Premium: Creators Who Can Prove Performance Are Pricing Out Flat-Fee Deals
The most significant pricing shift in influencer marketing right now is happening quietly, between brand-side measurement teams and the creators who can answer their questions. Here's what's driving it and what it means for both sides.
7 min read
Events
IMCX Returns to Los Angeles: Super Early Registration Is Now Live for the Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo Relaunch
After several years of virtual editions, the Influencer Marketing Conference & Expo is coming back to Los Angeles this October. With more than 8,000 attendees across previous live and virtual editions, IMCX is one of the longest-running gatherings in the creator economy — and the 2026 edition marks a deliberate return to in-person programming.
5 min read
Industry Analysis
OpenAI Bought TBPN. HubSpot Bought Starter Story. Plaid Bought a Creator Fintech. The Consolidation Wave Is Real.
Three high-profile creator-economy acquisitions in early 2026 mark a phase change. The independent creator-economy startup era is closing. The strategic absorption phase is starting.
7 min read
Markets & Investing
Nas.com's $27M Round Just Validated 'Solo Economy' as a Standalone Investment Category
The Khosla-led Series A for Nuseir Yassin's AI platform isn't just about one creator's company. It's a thesis bet that AI-enabled solo entrepreneurs are the next wave — and the creator economy has arrived at a structural inflection.
7 min read
Platforms
Patreon Just Launched a Twitter Clone — and the Strategic Read Is That Membership Platforms Are Done Being Membership Platforms
The new Quips feature drops Patreon directly into the social-platform wars. The economics behind the move signal a broader consolidation: every creator platform is becoming every other creator platform.
7 min read
influencer-marketing
Elevator Studio Launches Million-Dollar Marketing Program for AI Brands — What It Means for the Creator Economy
Elevator Studio's million-dollar marketing program signals a fundamental shift in how AI brands approach visibility and creator-led growth. Here's what it means for the industry.
7 min read
Industry Analysis
The State of the Creator Economy (2026)
The definitive reference on creator monetization, platform economics, AI disruption, influencer fraud, regulation, and the infrastructure reshaping digital media. A data-driven analysis for creators, brands, platforms, regulators, and investors.
45 min read
Regulation
A New Industry Credential Wants To Clean Up Creator Marketing Before Regulators Do It First
The U.S. Creator Certification Program is betting that voluntary compliance training can outrun the FTC. Whether creators actually sign up will determine if self-regulation has a future in influencer marketing.
10 min read
Creator Earnings
MrBeast Tops $85 Million: The 10 Highest-Earning YouTubers of 2025
From viral stunts to snack empires and Amazon deals, here's who made the most money on YouTube this year—and what their earnings reveal about where the creator economy is headed.
10 min read
Monetization
Creator Education Gold Rush: How Top Influencers Are Making $2M+ Selling Courses
Digital courses have become the highest-margin revenue stream in the creator economy. Here's why education products are exploding—and how creators are building million-dollar course businesses.
12 min read
Monetization
Multi-Platform Mastery: How Top Creators Are Building $500K+ Businesses Across 3-5 Channels
The single-platform creator is dying. Here's how successful creators are building resilient, diversified businesses across multiple channels—and why it's become non-negotiable.
11 min read
Industry Analysis
The Creator Burnout Epidemic: Why 62% of Full-Time Creators Say They're Exhausted
New research reveals a mental health crisis among content creators. Here's what's driving the burnout—and what platforms, brands, and creators themselves can do about it.
9 min read
Brand Deals
When a $1 Million Deal Goes Sideways: The Khaby Lame-Skechers Contract That Every Creator Should Read
How a leaked influencer agreement reveals the hidden risks of big-money brand partnerships—and what you need to know before signing your next deal.
21 min read
Platforms
TikTok's US Takeover Is Complete. Here's What It Actually Means for Creators.
After years of uncertainty, executive orders, and threatened bans, TikTok's US future is finally settled. Here's what the new ownership structure means for the creator economy.
8 min read
Monetization
The Rise of Faceless Channels: How Anonymous Creators Are Building Six-Figure Empires
Faceless YouTube channels and TikTok accounts now make up 38% of new creator monetization ventures. What was once considered a quirky alternative has evolved into a mainstream, scalable business opportunity.
9 min read
Platforms
UpScrolled Just Hit #1 in the App Store. Here's Why Creators Are Paying Attention.
In less than a week, a social media app most people had never heard of shot from 150,000 users to over 1 million. For creators, the implications are significant.
6 min read
Creator Deals
Khaby Lame Just Sold His Rights for $975 Million—Is This the Future of Creator Exits?
The creator economy just witnessed its most significant transaction to date. An analysis of what Khaby Lame's unprecedented deal means for the future of digital creators everywhere.
7 min read
Monetization
Podcast Monetization Surges 34% as Revenue Diversifies Beyond Ads
Podcast creators report record earnings through balanced revenue mix: 42% advertising, 28% subscriptions, 18% live events, and 12% merchandise as multi-platform distribution drives growth.
5 min read
Brand Deals
Why Influencer Marketing Now Commands 25-30% of Brand Budgets
Brands shift major marketing spend to creator partnerships as traditional media and paid social deliver diminishing returns, while improved attribution and always-on relationships drive measurable ROI.
5 min read
Markets / Investing
How the Creator Economy Became an Investable Asset Class
Institutional capital floods creator economy infrastructure as investors shift focus from individual talent to platforms, analytics tools, and commerce enablement that deliver systematic monetization and defensible enterprise value.
5 min read
Regulation
FTC Disclosure Guidelines 2026: Material Connections, Platform Best Practices, and Common Mistakes
Updated requirements mandate clear disclosure of all material connections including payments, free products, affiliate links, ambassadorships, gifts, and investments across all platforms and content formats.
6 min read
Platform Updates
X Launches $1 Million Creator Rewards Program to Compete for Top Talent
X unveils revamped creator monetization with up to $1 million in monthly rewards for top content, new article monetization features, and enhanced revenue sharing as platform competition intensifies.
8 min read
Marketing
Influencer Marketing Is Quietly Taking a Larger Share of Brand Budgets
Influencer marketing is moving from experimental spend to a core budget line—and the shift is permanent.
6 min read
AI
Will AI Replace Influencers or Make the Best Ones More Valuable?
The real question behind AI influencers is not replacement—it is whether automation substitutes for influence or amplifies it.
6 min read
Monetization
Creator-Owned Brands Are Becoming the Most Valuable Outcome of Influence
Why ownership—not sponsorships—represents the dominant value capture mechanism in the modern creator economy.
7 min read
Monetization
Podcast Monetization Hits Record Highs as Audio Creators Diversify Revenue
New data shows podcast creators earning more than ever through advertising, subscriptions, live events, and merchandise as the medium matures.
7 min read
Creator Wellness
Creator Burnout Crisis: Industry Leaders Launch Mental Health Initiative
Coalition of platforms, agencies, and advocacy groups announces comprehensive support program addressing the psychological toll of content creation.
6 min read
Platform Updates
Instagram Rolls Out Enhanced Creator Subscriptions with Tiered Pricing
Meta expands monetization options with customizable subscription tiers, exclusive content tools, and improved creator-subscriber analytics.
5 min read
Marketplace
Creator Marketplace Spotlight: Tools Powering the Economy
From analytics platforms to collaboration networks, discover the infrastructure enabling creator success.
6 min read
Brand Deals
Brand Deal Alert: How to Negotiate Fair Rates in 2026
Updated rate cards and negotiation tactics as brands increase creator marketing budgets by 40% year-over-year.
7 min read
Monetization
TikTok Shop Drives $20B in US Sales: The Commerce Revolution
Social commerce reaches inflection point as creators become the new QVC hosts for Gen Z shoppers.
4 min read
Regulation
Creator Unions Gain Momentum as Labor Rights Take Center Stage
Growing movement seeks platform accountability, fair pay structures, and collective bargaining power for digital creators.
5 min read
Newsletters
Newsletter Renaissance: Why Creators Are Doubling Down on Email
As algorithm changes roil social platforms, creators find stability and stronger audience relationships through owned channels.
6 min read
Platform Updates
YouTube Announces Major Revenue Share Update for Shorts Creators
Platform increases creator payouts as short-form video competition intensifies across social media landscape.
5 min read
Creator Tools
AI Tools Reshape Content Creation: What Creators Need to Know
From script generation to video editing, artificial intelligence is transforming how creators produce and distribute content.
4 min read
Markets / Investing
Why Institutional Capital Is Moving Into the Creator Economy
The creator economy has matured from experimental subculture into an investable asset class. Here is what is driving the capital shift.
6 min read
Creator Tools
Gen Z Creators Drive Surge in Vertical Video Production Studios
New generation of production facilities designed specifically for short-form content opens across major cities.
4 min read
Platform Updates
LinkedIn Launches Creator Accelerator Program with $25M Fund
Professional network invests heavily in B2B creators, offering funding, mentorship, and enhanced monetization tools.
5 min read
Platform Updates
Snapchat Launches Comprehensive Creator Accelerator at Dubai's 1 Billion Followers Summit
Snap Inc. unveils ambitious creator development program featuring expert-led training, monetization workshops, and brand partnership strategies at the world's largest creator economy gathering.
5 min read
Regulation
FTC Disclosure Requirements 2026: The Complete Guide for Creator Compliance
Updated regulations, enforcement actions, and best practices for sponsored content disclosure as regulators intensify scrutiny of influencer marketing.
13 min read
Creator Tools
AI-Generated Influencers: Competition or Complement to Human Creators?
Virtual influencers powered by artificial intelligence are securing major brand deals and amassing millions of followers. What does this mean for human creators?
11 min read
Monetization
The Evolution of Creator Monetization: Beyond Brand Deals and Ad Revenue
As the creator economy matures, diversified revenue streams and direct-to-consumer models are replacing dependence on traditional sponsorships and platform payouts.
12 min read