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- Influence Weekly #394 - Pinterest Partners With LTK To Bring Influencer Content To User Feeds
Influence Weekly #394 - Pinterest Partners With LTK To Bring Influencer Content To User Feeds
YouTube Is Looking To Connect More Shorts Creators With Brands
Nii Ahene
June 20, 2025
Spotlight Stories
YouTube Is Looking To Connect More Shorts Creators With Brands
Forbes Top 50 Creator Earnings Exceeds $850 Million
Pinterest Partners With LTK To Bring Influencer Content To User Feeds
Bluesky’s Decentralized Dream And How It’s Reshaping The Social Media Ecosystem
Great Reads
YouTube is expanding its partnerships with third-party creator monetization platforms like Agentio and StreamElements to connect more Shorts creators with brand sponsorship opportunities. This move aims to address creators' concerns about lower advertising revenue from Shorts compared to long-form content.
While YouTube's internal brand partnership tool BrandConnect is still in beta, integrating external platforms allows smaller creators to access branded content deals more easily. As advertiser interest in Shorts grows, YouTube hopes facilitating more creator monetization will incentivize high-quality short-form content production on the platform.
Whatnot, a rapidly growing live-streaming shopping app, has quietly risen to become one of the top 15 most popular free iPhone apps in the U.S. The app allows merchants to sell merchandise, particularly collectibles like trading cards and sports cards, through live video auctions and sales events. Whatnot's entertainment factor, coupled with its ability to foster a sense of community among buyers and sellers, has been a key driver of its success.
The startup facilitated $3 billion in gross merchandise volume in 2024 and is forecasting over $6 billion in 2025. Despite its impressive growth, questions remain about Whatnot's ability to maintain profitability and sustain its momentum, especially in the face of potential economic downturns and competition from established players like eBay. However, with a nearly $5 billion valuation and over $700 million in venture capital funding, Whatnot is poised to be a significant player in the evolving live-stream commerce landscape.
Forbes reports the top 50 social media creators earned a combined $853 million between April 2024 and April 2025, an 18% increase from the previous year. This highlights continued growth in the creator economy despite rising competition. MrBeast remains the highest earner at $85 million, while creators are increasingly diversifying revenue streams beyond platform monetization through business ventures, live shows, and content deals.
AI tools are impacting creator workflows, enabling faster content creation. The report notes crossover between traditional media and creators, with examples like Charli D'Amelio's Broadway debut. With 3.4 billion total followers, a 24% yearly increase, the global creator population is projected to reach 107 million by 2030 according to Goldman Sachs estimates. The ranking provides insights into the evolving business models driving the expansion of the creator economy.
Campaign Insights
Pinterest partners with shopping platform LTK to bring influencer content to its user feeds. The collaboration automatically cross-posts high-performing images from LTK creators to Pinterest, exposing them to Pinterest's millions of users. This move addresses concerns about AI-generated content flooding the platform while enhancing Pinterest's shopping capabilities.
Agency executives report increasing advertiser investment on Pinterest, though budgets remain modest compared to larger platforms. Pinterest's Q1 2025 revenue reached $855 million, a 16% year-over-year increase, with the CEO noting top marketers spending 5-10% of ad budgets on the platform. The partnership reflects Pinterest's evolution as a discovery platform and shopping destination, connecting users with influencer content bridging inspiration and purchasing.
Omnicom Group announced new partnerships at the Cannes Lions Festival aimed at expanding its live shopping and sports advertising capabilities. The first partnership with Disney and The Trade Desk allows advertisers to programmatically capitalize on high-attention moments during live sports broadcasts using Disney's "Magic Words" technology.
The second partnership integrates Walmart's customer purchase data with Omnicom's influencer marketing division Creo, enabling the identification of influencers proven to drive purchases effectively. These strategic moves position Omnicom to leverage real-time data and insights for more personalized, relevant advertising across live events, influencer marketing, and e-commerce.
Publicis Groupe, a $14 billion global marketing agency, is aggressively pushing creator-led marketing at the Cannes Lions festival. After acquiring influencer firms Influential for $500 million and Captiv8, Publicis is running a campaign claiming creators can generate Super Bowl-level reach of 127 million viewers for a fraction of the $8 million cost.
The campaign video featuring creator @shandorlarenty aims to match the Super Bowl's audience within 48 hours, demonstrating brands could spend $450,000 to $2 million on creators instead of $8 million on a Super Bowl ad. While not abandoning traditional advertising, Publicis views creators as an "always-on" marketing channel complementing big campaigns. As one of the largest traditional ad firms investing heavily in influencer marketing, Publicis' Cannes push signals the growing prominence of the creator economy.
Model and social media influencer Coco Rocha is partnering with Xcel Brands to launch a new fashion collection aimed at modern women. Scheduled for Fall 2026, the casual, denim-driven line will feature apparel, accessories, and skincare reflecting Rocha's personal style and experiences.
With 5 million social media followers, Rocha brings both credibility and reach to the partnership. Xcel, which specializes in influencer brands and social commerce, expects the collaboration to help expand its digital presence and customer base. The collection promises confident, structured designs balanced with comfort and ease for today's busy lifestyles.
TikTok Shop, the e-commerce platform within TikTok, reported a 120% increase in U.S. sales compared to the same period last year. With over 70 million products across 750 categories, TikTok Shop's "discovery e-commerce" approach through shoppable videos and livestreams has driven significant growth. Live shopping sessions reached over 8 million hours in the U.S. in 2024, with 76% of engaged consumers making purchases.
Small businesses account for a substantial portion of TikTok Shop's seller base, with sales growing 70% year-over-year. Top-performing categories include womenswear, beauty, health, sports, and electronics. As TikTok Shop expands globally, it introduced new initiatives like tailored seller guidance and an upcoming summer sales event. Safety measures, with nearly $1 billion invested, aim to protect against counterfeit activities and fraud.
The Body Shop has appointed independent media agency Media33 as its media agency partner in Australia. Starting July 1, Media33 will manage The Body Shop's media strategy, planning, buying across all paid channels including digital, social, influencer marketing, and traditional media.
The partnership aims to revitalize The Body Shop's brand positioning as a pioneer in ethical beauty and reconnect with diverse audiences to reclaim its iconic status in the market. Media33's multi-channel approach will bring back the brand's distinctive voice through targeted content and influencer collaborations.
Australian streaming service Binge is partnering with TikTok to premiere the first episode of its new reality series "Billion Dollar Playground" through a 24-hour TikTok Live event. This marks the first time an Australian streamer has utilized TikTok for a full episode debut. The livestream, running on June 18th, allows TikTok users to access the content without a Binge subscription. It represents a shift in how platforms approach content discovery and audience development by meeting viewers on TikTok where they consume pop culture content.
This TikTok Live premiere is part of Binge's broader strategy to innovate discovery through sampling, social-first distribution, and creator amplification - aligning with emerging consumer behavior trends where platforms like TikTok function as primary discovery channels. The initiative will be supported by a multi-platform campaign driving viewers to continue watching the luxury service workplace reality series on Binge.
Snapchat has introduced new creator tools designed to enhance content creation and provide deeper performance insights. The platform now offers a "Create a Video" template for compiling content with music, Auto-Save Stories to permanently save public Stories beyond 24 hours, and a Timeline Editor for rearranging video segments.
Enhanced analytics provide metrics like Returning Viewers, Top Content tracking, and content completion rates. These updates aim to bolster Snapchat's creator ecosystem, following recent integrations with third-party tools and expanded augmented reality capabilities. With over 460 million daily active users sharing over 1 billion public Snaps monthly, Snapchat continues investing in its creator community.
Gaming influencer marketing is evolving, with platforms playing distinct roles and marketers focusing more on performance metrics over follower counts. Gamesight, a Seattle-based company, aims to help game publishers make data-driven marketing decisions, particularly for creator partnerships. They process over 1.1 billion data points daily across game data, marketing data, and creator data streams.
Gamesight has developed a game ontology system to identify patterns based on game characteristics, allowing them to predict creator performance for similar titles. Their approach helps avoid costly mistakes by identifying the right partnerships. For major launches, Gamesight coordinates large-scale, multi-platform campaigns involving hundreds or thousands of creators across multiple countries. As the company grows, it continues to enhance measurement capabilities like incrementality and geographic audience breakdowns, providing valuable insights to game marketers.
The Big 3 Podcast - May Recap Podcast Now Out!
Join us for The Big 3 by Influence Weekly, where hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene deliver expert commentary on the creator economy's most impactful business developments. Each month, they offer insider perspectives on industry-shifting stories, unpacking what these changes mean for brands and marketing professionals in the creator economy
Interesting People
VidCon 2025 showcased the growing influence of tech and science creators who are explaining and shaping our future. From AI activists like Jack Clark and Molly White, to medical influencers like Dr. Amalina Bakri and outer space explainer Astro Alexandra, to gadgeteers like Mark Rober, these personalities are captivating audiences by demystifying complex topics.
With millions of followers across platforms, they are the voices guiding the creator economy into realms like AI ethics, cutting-edge research, and mind-bending experiments. As VidCon aims to reflect online communities, this cohort represents the public's hunger to understand the innovations transforming our world.
Meredith Jacobson is a creator economy strategist who has spent a decade building the professional infrastructure to support successful creators. As the founder of Offscreen Resources, she connects qualified talent with roles in influencer marketing, creator economy, entertainment, and media while also managing brand partnerships for viral creators.
Her experience spans agency work and consulting with major brands. Jacobson highlights the crucial role of behind-the-scenes professionals like talent representatives, content strategists, and production teams in enabling creator success. She illustrates this through her long-standing work managing the business for Dad Advice From Bo, securing brand collaborations and prioritizing revenue streams. Recognizing the knowledge gap about career paths in this industry, Jacobson launched the "What Happens Offscreen" podcast to showcase diverse professional journeys.
She emphasizes the value of human connection, curating in-person networking events and highlighting VidCon's reunion aspect. At VidCon 2025, Jacobson will moderate a panel on building niche creator audiences, underscoring both content strategies and the professional support needed.
YouTube creators Colin and Samir are hosting a one-day summit called Press Publish NYC on September 4th in Brooklyn, focused on the creator economy. The curated event aims to gather 400 creators, teams, and industry leaders for expert speakers, workshops, and networking opportunities.
Employing an application-based $400 ticket process, organizers intend to facilitate valuable connections among attendees who are "puzzle pieces that fit together." The summit expands Smooth Media's community-building initiatives like newsletters and local meetups, providing an immersive experience for creators and professionals in the booming creator economy space.
Aidan Weiss shares his journey from launching a YouTube channel at age 15 to building a multi-faceted creator business spanning 10 million subscribers across multiple content channels. Despite having no initial business plan, Weiss has developed pragmatic entrepreneurial skills over eight years, learning on the job while scaling operations.
He prioritizes long-term content sustainability over short-term viral success, focusing on strategic formats like Minecraft listicles. Weiss also highlights adapting content to prevent burnout, leveraging platforms like VidCon for networking and professional development opportunities that inform his evolving business approach. The feature offers insights into the operational realities of converting youthful content creation into an intentional multi-team enterprise while maintaining creative authenticity.
REFY Beauty, a rapidly growing beauty brand created by model and influencer Jess Hunt, has appointed Manchester-based agency Vagabond to manage its performance marketing as it focuses on international expansion. Vagabond, founded in 2020, has built expertise in scaling brands globally and impressed REFY with its sector knowledge.
The appointment follows a competitive pitch and will see Vagabond become REFY's PPC partner across all markets as the brand targets new territories beyond the UK. Both companies have experienced rapid growth since launching just three years ago.
Ryan Hashemi, founder of Snowball, is transforming how major brands approach marketing on YouTube. Recognizing most corporate YouTube channels struggle with viewership, Snowball takes an intelligence-first, creator-centric approach. Over 12-18 months, they build internal YouTube capabilities for brands, hiring exceptional storytellers and developing tailored content roadmaps.
The focus is on creating audience-captivating content before incorporating business objectives. Hashemi's vision is for brands to function as content studios, building direct audience relationships through storytelling rather than interruptive ads. With YouTube's rising dominance, he believes brands must urgently adapt to this creator-led future of marketing.
Emma Chamberlain, the 24-year-old influencer and founder of Chamberlain Coffee, spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about her new limited-edition Sea Salt Toffee coffee flavor launched in partnership with Pinterest. This marks Pinterest's first-ever co-branded product in its 15-year history.
Chamberlain revealed she has been on her "sober journey" for a long time and would love to see late-night coffee shops open past 11 pm as an alternative hangout spot. The new flavor is inspired by the "Fisherman Aesthetic" trend and Chamberlain's nostalgic summers in a small fishing town. She discussed finding balance in her creative endeavors and nurturing her passion for coffee, which originated from visiting coffee shops with her parents as a child.
Joe Pulizzi, founder of The Tilt and Content Entrepreneur Expo (CEX), aims to help content creators transition into sustainable content entrepreneurship. He acknowledges many creators struggle with unrealistic timelines, lack of focus, and failure to develop a unique positioning. The Tilt provides strategies through its newsletter and events like CEX to address these challenges.
Pulizzi emphasizes not relying solely on social platforms ("don't build your content house on rented land") and prioritizing direct audience relationships. The Tilt Publishing service helps creators publish books while retaining customer data. Success stories like Justin Moore showcase the potential to leverage books into broader business ecosystems.
Looking ahead, Pulizzi is writing a book on the mental aspects of content entrepreneurship. He hopes by 2028, The Tilt will have helped numerous creators achieve financial freedom through trusted audience connections, especially as AI creates new dynamics. His core advice: "You're never going to be ready...don't let it hold you back."
Industry News
Bluesky, a decentralized social network, is reshaping the creator economy by promising digital ownership and control to users. As COO Rose Wang explains, Bluesky operates on a different paradigm where creators own their content and audience, not beholden to algorithms or platform whims.
With over 36 million users and 100,000 user-created "feeds," Bluesky facilitates value creation for creators while taking a small transaction fee. By prioritizing ownership, monetization without exploitation, and built-in safety features, Bluesky offers a radical alternative for creators frustrated by the limitations of traditional social media platforms. Its growing ecosystem, where users can seamlessly move between apps, represents a new era of the social internet built on openness and creator empowerment.
CapCut, a popular video editing app, updated its Terms of Service giving the platform broad rights to use creators' content, including voice, likeness, and branded videos, for its own purposes without consent or compensation. Creators are rightly concerned about losing control over their work.
The update highlights how platforms are increasingly monetizing user-generated content, blurring the line between tool and media company. To protect themselves, creators should use tools with more transparent policies, educate clients about potential risks, and push for industry reform that prioritizes creator rights over exploitative practices. This serves as a wake-up call for the creator economy to be vigilant about where content ends up.
Gen.video, a video-powered commerce and influencer marketing platform, has acquired Lionize, an AI-driven influencer recruitment platform. The acquisition combines gen.video's commerce analytics capabilities with Lionize's AI system that has analyzed over 30 million creator profiles across Instagram and TikTok for intelligent influencer matching.
The combined offering provides an end-to-end solution for brands seeking measurable influencer marketing results, with AI-powered creator discovery, commerce intelligence, content collaboration tools, and influencer marketing measurement. By uniting advanced technologies for identifying effective influencers and tracking campaign performance, the acquisition aims to deliver a data-driven approach where creators can thrive and content delivers quantifiable outcomes throughout the consumer journey.
VidCon, the annual convention for internet creators and their fans, will induct its first-ever Hall of Fame class at the event's opening ceremony on June 19th. The inaugural inductees include YouTube pioneers like Hank Green, Rhett & Link, Grace Helbig, Tyler Oakley, Joey Graceffa, Rosanna Pansino, and Smosh co-founders Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox.
These creators paved the way for future generations in the creator economy. VidCon, established in 2010, was an early epicenter for creators connecting with fans in-person and has grown to over 55,000 attendees. By honoring these iconic creators, VidCon recognizes their instrumental impact on digital culture, pop culture, and fandom. The induction celebrates the 20th anniversary of YouTube and the continued evolution of content creation and the creator economy.
Button launched Creator Media at Cannes Lions, a platform connecting retail media budgets directly to creator content. The solution prompts creators with relevant sponsored campaigns while shopping experiences feature creator content through widgets and landing pages.
The platform targets the intersection of the creator economy, valued over $250 billion, and retail media, expected to reach $180 billion this year. Button processes over $1 billion in monthly commerce and received strategic investment from growth equity firm PSG. Launch partners include Later, Mavely, and Linktree, with Linktree reporting increased conversion rates after integration. The program launches in closed beta through partnerships with Underscore, The Shelf, Mavely, and Linktree.
Button's technology addresses mobile commerce attribution challenges that cost creators revenue through broken user experiences. CEO Michael Jaconi says the company's "Dynamic Decisioning" system deploys thousands of link variations to maximize value rather than using standard approaches. The platform positions itself as infrastructure for the creator economy, enabling brands and manufacturers to link performance budgets to creator-driven sales.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
Substack recently launched a $20 million creator fund, positioning itself as a stable, creator-first platform where writers can own their mailing lists and charge subscribers directly. This move underscores a broader trend of creators seeking independence and control over their content, income, and online presence amid frequent platform shifts and algorithm changes that disrupt their businesses.
Substack's fund appeals to creators tired of platform volatility and eager to reclaim their audiences. As social platforms become less predictable, owning a personalized domain offers creators a permanent digital home immune to third-party policies. The creator economy is evolving towards models centered on ownership and sustainability over reliance on external platforms.
Changer, a creator education platform founded in 2015, is empowering creators to build sustainable long-term businesses beyond fleeting viral moments. Co-founders Ant McCormack and Farhad Meher-Homji have spent a decade addressing the value gap in the creator economy through workshops, accelerators, and strategic partnerships.
With over 500 educational programs across 44 countries, Changer is transforming creators' mindsets to view themselves as businesses. At VidCon 2025, Changer is curating sessions like "The Hour of Power" to deliver concentrated business insights. By fostering education, community, and professional development, Changer aims to help creators capture more value and turn creative passions into viable careers, ultimately reshaping the creator economy.
A new social media app called 'Own' has launched its public beta, aiming to revolutionize creator monetization through blockchain technology. The app introduces the $OWN Token, awarded to creators based on engagement metrics regardless of follower count or location.
Operating on blockchain, Own promises creators up to 50% higher earnings compared to competitors through multiple monetization channels like tipping, sponsorships, product sales, and content licensing. With nearly 40,000 waitlisted users and over $5 million raised from investors, Own is positioning itself as a creator-centric platform amidst the looming TikTok U.S. operations sale deadline.
The Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity opened with a record 26,900 submissions from 96 markets, highlighting growth in creator-focused and impact-driven categories. The newly rebranded "Social & Creator Lions" category saw 18% of entries in new creator subcategories, reflecting creators' growing influence in advertising. The "Glass: The Lion for Change" category experienced a 53% increase, underscoring the industry's shift toward work addressing systemic issues.
Over 100 sessions across multiple venues will explore the creator economy's expanding role, with major brands presenting case studies and CMO spotlights addressing strategic marketing challenges. The festival program demonstrates advertising's evolving priorities around innovation, insights, creative excellence, talent, and measurable impact.
Creator-led fashion event "Creators in Fashion" is expanding at the VidSummit 2025 creator conference. Organized by companies Theorist and Lunar X, it will be the largest cross-media creator fashion show of the year. The October 9th main stage event in Dallas will feature runway shows, performances, shopping integrations and the launch of Theorist's new TheoryVerse merchandise brand. Popular creators like The Try Guys, Cassey Ho, Sydney Morgan and others are participating. Theorist co-founder MatPat aims to make it an annual "Fashion Week" style event for online creators.
At the Tribeca X summit, entertainment and brand leaders gathered to discuss the future of storytelling. Paris Hilton previewed her upcoming music documentary, while actor Bryan Cranston reflected on building an authentic brand. Mastercard announced a Lionel Messi partnership, highlighting contextual relevance. The NFL discussed its creator strategy to engage Gen Z.
Mattel's CEO shared insights on evolving legacy brands. Awards recognized excellence across categories like shorts, commercials, and creators. Tribeca's expanded focus includes a new "UP NEXT Creators" program treating digital storytellers as equals to filmmakers, representing the festival's investment in the creator economy. The multi-day event explored the intersections of business, entertainment and culture through panels, premieres and conversations with industry pioneers.
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OnlyFans faces a potential sale at $8 billion, representing a 75% discount to its theoretical valuation despite strong financials. The platform generated $649 million in operating income in 2023 with 50% profit margins, paying owner Leonid Radvinsky over $1 billion in dividends between 2021 and 2023. Applying Netflix's 47x operating income multiple would value OnlyFans at $30 billion, while Spotify's 72x multiple suggests $45 billion.
Even using Snap's modest 2.8x sales multiple yields an $18 billion valuation. The discount stems from institutional investors avoiding adult content due to vice clauses in their mandates. Vice Ventures founder Catharine Dockery, who has assessed 400 AI startups targeting OnlyFans, believes AI will strengthen the platform's position through superior user data and connection insights. However, OnlyFans faces regulatory scrutiny over age verification and content moderation, with UK regulators fining the company $1.4 million.
Personalities like Heart Evangelista, Bini, Belle Rodolfo, and Kelsey Merritt are gaining prominence, attending major fashion events and collaborating with top brands. Their appeal stems from the unique intersectionality of Filipino culture, blending Asian and Latino aspects, as well as a deep-rooted glamour tradition and strong queer representation.
The tropical climate has also nurtured expertise in long-lasting, sweat-proof makeup. As global warming increases demand for such products, Filipina influencers are well-positioned to drive trends and represent an underserved market for emerging Filipino beauty brands. Overall, their resonance highlights the growing power of diverse voices in shaping the multi-billion dollar beauty industry.