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- Influence Weekly #398 - What Does Instagram’s Google Indexing Update Mean For Creators And Brands? - 25 Experts Share Their Takes
Influence Weekly #398 - What Does Instagram’s Google Indexing Update Mean For Creators And Brands? - 25 Experts Share Their Takes
How Notion Works With Influencers Like Snoop Dogg To Bring The Fun To B2B Marketing
Nii Ahene
July 18, 2025
Spotlight Stories
How Notion works with influencers like Snoop Dogg to bring the fun to B2B marketing
YouTube Expands Creator Data Sharing Options To Boost Brand Partnerships
IShowSpeed tops Twitch and YouTube at the same time with viral Turkey Livestream
What Does Instagram’s Google Indexing Update Mean For Creators And Brands? – 25 Experts Share Their Takes
Great Reads
Notion has transformed B2B marketing by partnering with influencers like Snoop Dogg on LinkedIn, treating the platform as a key growth channel. The workspace tool's "Notion Faces" campaign launched sixty creators simultaneously across LinkedIn in January, creating viral momentum and user-generated content.
Influencer Marketing Lead Danielle Ito emphasized storytelling over product features, advising B2B marketers to focus on conversations rather than direct sales pitches. Notion's influencer program evolved organically from existing user content, particularly TikTok creators showcasing "Notion aesthetics." The company measures success through engagement metrics, template downloads, and holistic growth indicators including organic search increases.
Ito promotes diverse use cases beyond productivity, working with creators planning bachelorette parties and Dungeons & Dragons campaigns to broaden Notion's appeal. LinkedIn's budget has increased year-over-year as Notion capitalizes on the platform's growing creator economy.
YouTube is expanding options for creators to share more comprehensive data on their channels and audiences with potential brand partners. The optional setting in YouTube Studio aims to help creators get discovered by advertisers for more promotional opportunities. When creators opt in, brands can access statistics like views, watch time, audience demographics etc. to evaluate suitable creators for partnerships.
YouTube is also developing an API for agencies and platforms to directly integrate this creator data, streamlining the influencer discovery process. These moves build on YouTube's Creator Partnerships Hub and 'Open Call' feature to facilitate more seamless brand-creator collaborations within YouTube's expanding creative ecosystem.
The creator economy mergers and acquisitions (M&A) market is booming in the first half of 2025, with deal volume surging 73% year-over-year, according to a new report. Software companies are the top acquisition targets, followed by media properties, agencies, and talent management firms. North America dominates with 78.8% of targets based in the U.S., a major shift from 2024's 40% international share.
Notable deals include Later's $250 million acquisition of Mavely, PSG's $150 million Uscreen majority stake, and Publicis' $175 million Captiv8 purchase. Private equity is increasingly active, while non-endemic buyers like food delivery and apparel companies are entering the space. Agency and talent management consolidation continues. Over 100 total deals are projected for 2025, with a potential new record amid accelerating activity in Q3 and Q4.
Industry Rountable
Instagram has begun allowing search engines to index public content from professional accounts as of July 10. The update applies exclusively to professional accounts belonging to users 18 and older with public profiles, while content posted before 2020 remains excluded.
As Instagram Head Adam Mosseri recently noted, the platform is “investing more in search” to showcase “amazing content” to wider audiences.
With that being said, the question here is, what does Instagram’s Google indexing update mean for creators and brands?
To gain a deeper understanding, we have gathered insights from several industry experts on maximizing visibility, measuring performance, and addressing potential challenges that this update may present.
Campaign Insights
AI-generated influencer Mia Zelu gained attention posting fashion content from Wimbledon, despite being entirely computer-generated. The digital creator, who launched her Instagram account in March, has accumulated over one hundred sixty thousand followers while posting lifestyle and tennis content from the tournament.
Zelu's bio clearly identifies her as an AI influencer, though her creator remains unknown. She joins a growing roster of virtual influencers including Lil Miquela, who has over two million followers, and Spanish AI model Aitana Lopez, who earns up to eleven thousand dollars monthly. Lopez's creator explained they developed her to avoid working with real influencers who have "egos" or reliability issues.
Virtual influencers have existed since two thousand sixteen, representing a lucrative alternative for brands seeking consistent, controllable partnerships without human complications. The trend highlights how AI technology increasingly blurs lines between authentic and artificial content in social media marketing.
State Farm is expanding its creator-driven gaming show Gamerhood with top talent Kai Cenat and plans for major streaming platform distribution. The reality TV-style competition, which features gaming creators in physical and virtual contests inspired by insurance mishaps, enters its fourth and most ambitious season premiering August 1. State Farm partnered with production company SMUGGLER and reduced episode lengths from two hours to one hour for traditional streaming audiences.
VP of Marketing Alyson Griffin said the show helps reach Gen Z consumers, eighty-seven percent of whom play video games according to Deloitte, as part of a strategy to build brand awareness before purchase decisions. The program achieved viral success when creator Ludwig's behind-the-scenes TikTok garnered over three million views and sparked fan speculation about Gamerhood connections. Griffin emphasized the show's lean budget approach while comparing its long-term strategy to State Farm's twenty-year investment in women's sports, positioning gaming content as essential for cultural integration without expensive paid media buys.
Shanghai has unveiled a new initiative called "Various Supports for Digital Content Industry Programs" aimed at transforming China into a global hub for digital content creation and boosting tourism. The policy provides financial incentives up to $1.4 million for qualified platforms, studios and creators in designated pilot zones of Huangpu and Yangpu districts.
It offers streamlined visa processes for international talent, low-interest loans, affordable housing, and access to cultural landmarks for filming. Shanghai aims to foster a vibrant creative ecosystem by hosting events, linking education with industry, and showcasing the city's assets to global audiences through digital content. The move comes amid growing cultural exchange between Chinese and international creators on social media platforms.
Campus Creators is an agency that flips traditional influencer marketing by recruiting real-life students instead of internet celebrities. Founded in 2021, the company leverages students' authentic social circles and activities to promote brands through high-impact campaigns.
With over 600 active ambassadors across Canada, Campus Creators has delivered successful promotions for companies like Carlsberg, HelloFresh, and NXNE. The agency prioritizes personal connections with ambassadors to maintain trust and authenticity. As it continues growing, Campus Creators aims to provide opportunities for students while supporting small businesses' marketing efforts.
Brands are embracing partnerships with popular social media accounts like SubwayTakes and GirlsCarryingShit to promote their products in a more organic, relatable way as they move away from traditional influencer marketing. Companies like Ghia, Little Spoon, and Smalls are striking deals with these viral talk shows and meme pages for paid amplification that feels less like an advertisement.
The goal is to tap into highly engaged communities and leverage the accounts' tone and integration for stronger brand recall and affinity, especially among digitally-native audiences. While costlier than standard influencer posts, these partnerships offer potential for earned media and millions of views with minimal ad spend. As consumers grow savvier to sponsored content, brands see partnering with these trendy, culture-shaping accounts as a more authentic way to raise awareness through free-flowing, relatable moments.
American Eagle has partnered with Snapchat to showcase over 800 of its retail stores across the U.S. as Promoted Places on Snap Map. This initiative aims to drive foot traffic and connect digital discovery with online shopping for the back-to-school season. Key highlights: American Eagle becomes the first specialty fashion retailer to utilize Promoted Places on Snap Map, reaching 400 million monthly users.
The feature allows Snapchatters to view American Eagle store locations, access brand content, shop online, and try on virtual outfits through AR lenses. The partnership aligns with research showing over 80% of Snapchat users rely on social platforms for tracking fashion trends and influencing purchase decisions.
Togethxr, a sports media and commerce company, has partnered with Snapchat on a program called "Snap the Gap" to develop the personal brands and audiences of nine female athletes across various sports leagues. The content accelerator aims to help these athletes monetize their efforts through brand deals and other opportunities in the creator economy.
Paula Hughes, Togethxr's chief digital officer, says the initiative recognizes that women athletes deserve more visibility and a chance to establish themselves as creators who can get paid for their content. The nine "Snap Stars" include players from the NWSL, PWHL, WNBA, Athletes Unlimited volleyball league, and NCAA. As they grow their followings on Snapchat, the partnership positions them to earn revenue through the platform.
Tresemmé, a legacy haircare brand owned by Unilever, has successfully transformed into a Gen Z favorite through an influencer-first strategy. By partnering with diverse creators and leveraging user-generated content, the brand has cultivated a youthful, authentic image resonating with younger consumers. This approach has allowed Tresemmé to stay relevant, connect with its target audience, and drive substantial growth in a competitive market.
The case study demonstrates how legacy brands can reinvent themselves by embracing influencer marketing and tapping into the power of relatable content creators to reach new demographics effectively. Brands looking to appeal to Gen Z should consider prioritizing influencer collaborations and user-generated content as part of their marketing mix.
Starbucks is pioneering a new approach to creator partnerships by offering full-time "global coffee creator" positions with six-figure salaries, benefits, and international travel opportunities. The coffee giant seeks creators to document coffee culture worldwide, from Costa Rican farms to Milan roasteries, moving beyond traditional sponsorship deals toward strategic brand collaboration.
Ad Age columnist Reid Litman argues this signals a fundamental shift where brands must treat creators as teammates rather than talent, recognizing their cultural fluency and community-building capabilities. The strategy addresses Gen Z's preference for creator authenticity over corporate messaging, with over twenty-five percent feeling friendship connections to online influencers they've never met.
Litman recommends brands allocate over fifty percent of social spending to experiential content, build participatory stories, and recognize consumers as creators themselves. This evolution reflects how successful brands must blur lines between marketing, entertainment, and community engagement to capture younger audiences who trust creators more than companies.
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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
YouTube star MrBeast, known for his lavish creator collaborations, is organizing what he calls the "biggest creator collab in history" scheduled for August 1st. He has been reaching out to thousands of creators across platforms to participate. This follows MrBeast's previous large events like the $1 million YouTube creator battle.
Despite controversies, MrBeast continues making waves with his ambitious creator-focused projects, having recently become the first individual YouTuber to hit 400 million subscribers. The upcoming August 1st event aims to set a new benchmark for cross-creator collaborations and cement MrBeast's reputation for organizing innovative, large-scale events within the influencer space.
The turbulent economy is impacting the multibillion-dollar influencer industry, a potential new recession indicator. As consumer confidence declines amidst financial anxiety, brands are cutting influencer marketing budgets, causing a decline in lucrative sponsorships for online creators. Influencers face backlash for excessive displays of wealth and are pivoting content towards underconsumption.
While some "one-hit wonders" may fade, creators with staying power are diversifying income streams, fostering community connections, and adapting strategies from past recessions. Veteran influencers view openness to change as key, adjusting content mix and partnerships to weather the economic storm by aligning with audiences' shifting financial realities.
TikTok and Instagram creator Eric Sedeno has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA) for representation across all areas. The New York-based creator has amassed over 1.2 million TikTok followers and nearly 540,000 Instagram followers with his comedic social media presence. UTA plans to help Sedeno secure new opportunities across digital media, TV, and other platforms.
Sedeno has established brand partnerships with major companies like Amazon, Spotify, and Meta. Beyond social media, he co-founded the GLAAD Award-nominated "Gay & Afraid" podcast and launched a lifestyle company called Groove Gives that donates to charities. UTA is actively expanding its digital creator roster globally, recently adding beauty influencer Jackie Aina, top Roblox streamer KreekCraft, and prominent UK creators.
A new trend is emerging in U.S. politics - social media influencers running for Congress. Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old TikTok star with nearly 400,000 followers, is favored to win Tuesday's Democratic primary for an open House seat in Arizona. While influencers lack traditional political experience, their ability to build online followings and tap into public sentiment could translate to success in campaigns.
Foxx's viability signals a shift, as the pipeline from media to elected office evolves from traditional channels like TV news to digital creators. However, challenges remain, as influencers lack local ties and must prove they have the fundraising, messaging, and mobilization skills required for office beyond just their online presence. Nonetheless, as media consumption habits change, particularly among younger voters, parties may increasingly recruit influencers as viable candidates.
Spotter, a creator financing platform, has appointed Jodie Stocker Kennedy as its new Chief Revenue Officer. Kennedy, previously at Walmart Connect, joins Spotter as the company reports 63% year-over-year growth in ad sales. Under her leadership, Spotter aims to expand its creator-first model focused on monetization and brand collaborations.
The appointment comes amid Spotter's growth, including an Amazon minority investment, $7.4 million in additional funding, and the launch of Spotter Studio AI tools for creators. Spotter has deployed over $940 million to prominent YouTube creators and its content generates 88 billion monthly watch-time minutes, with 72% occurring on connected TVs.
IShowSpeed, the renowned online entertainer, achieved a remarkable feat by simultaneously topping the viewership charts on both Twitch and YouTube during a recent livestream from Turkey. His amusement park antics, including passing out on a roller coaster, captivated audiences, with over 437,000 viewers on YouTube and 48,000 on Twitch.
This viral moment highlights IShowSpeed's ability to generate engaging content and attract massive audiences across platforms, reflecting the growing trend of multi-streaming among creators. His dominance underscores his status as one of the most influential streamers globally, adept at leveraging viral moments and reaching broad audiences through multi-platform strategies.
Industry News
TikTok faces another legal setback as a New Hampshire judge rejects the platform's attempt to dismiss a lawsuit alleging its design features are intentionally addictive and harmful to young users. The ruling allows the state's case targeting TikTok's engagement-driving elements like endless scrolling to proceed, reflecting a shift in regulatory focus from content moderation to manipulative product design.
Compounding TikTok's woes are new lawsuits from over a dozen states, federal charges of illegally collecting children's data, and internal documents showing awareness of child exploitation on livestreams. As a potential U.S. ownership transition looms with an investor consortium pursuing a majority stake, TikTok appeals to Canadian officials to avoid a ban, while implementing teen protections like blocking facial filters. The embattled app confronts escalating legal challenges and national security concerns regarding data privacy.
Creative agency Mādin has acquired Great Work Media, founded by creator-turned-entrepreneur Dimitar Gougov. As Mādin's new Chief Influencer Officer, Gougov will scale his "creator-first" approach through the agency's larger infrastructure. Rejecting one-size-fits-all influencer campaigns, Gougov prioritizes genuine collaborations that align with creators' authentic voices.
His philosophy stems from personal experiences being restricted by prescriptive brand directives earlier in his career. By deeply integrating influencer strategies from campaign inception, Mādin Influence aims to capture culturally relevant moments that drive real impact beyond transactional partnerships. The deal signals a shift towards more authentic, creator-driven influencer marketing for transformative brand impact.
YouTube may reign supreme, but Meta, TikTok, and Spotify are making strategic moves to challenge its dominance. Meta and TikTok are developing TV apps to bring short-form video to the living room, aiming to capitalize on their massive user bases.
However, their lack of long-form content could hinder their success. Spotify, on the other hand, is expanding its video podcast tools to all creators, including YouTubers, positioning itself as an additional income source and fan engagement platform.
While it's unlikely these platforms will outright topple YouTube, they could fill niches left by YouTube's pursuit of high-production content, catering to smaller creators seeking alternatives. The creator economy landscape is evolving, and these tech giants are jockeying for position in the race for viewers' attention across screens.
Creator management platform GRIN has introduced an AI assistant called Gia, designed to automate labor-intensive aspects of influencer marketing campaigns. Gia can discover creators, vet profiles, manage communication, and ultimately develop and execute full campaign strategies aligned with brand goals.
By leveraging recent advancements in large language models, Gia understands context and can work independently. GRIN CEO Ryan Debenham believes this unlocks influencer marketing's true potential as a performance channel by reducing operational complexity.
The technology aims to make influencer marketing more accessible to brands of all sizes by minimizing manual effort. As Debenham states, "If you can take what is necessary for a brand to treat influencer marketing more like a performance channel...the actual work in trying to achieve that goal is not the day-to-day operational tasks."
FanBasis, a platform enabling digital entrepreneurs to scale online businesses, secured $20 million in Series A funding. The company has experienced rapid 1,800% year-over-year growth, projected to process over $1 billion in transaction volume in the next year. Founded in 2020, FanBasis initially helped influencers monetize audiences through virtual experiences before shifting focus to "Internet entrepreneurs" building personal brand businesses.
With the new funding, FanBasis aims to expand its infrastructure for creators monetizing expertise, including payment solutions, analytics, and flexible options. The company plans investments in engineering, sales, product development, geographic expansion, and strategic acquisitions to become the "Amazon for digital products and services."
Live shopping platform Whatnot has emerged as a key player in the creator economy, earning recognition as one of Ad Age's Hottest Brands 2025. The marketplace, where vendors showcase unique items through live video streams, targets collectors and enthusiasts rather than mass consumers, positioning itself more like eBay than Amazon. Whatnot achieved four hundred percent year-over-year growth in new user signups and climbed to second place on the App Store's shopping chart behind Shein.
VP Armand Wilson reports increasing brand interest, with companies like Callaway golf equipment, jeweler Freida Rothman, and retailer Dolls Kill testing live auctions to reach high-intent buyers. The platform's success reflects growing appetite for authentic, interactive shopping experiences that blend entertainment with commerce. As live shopping gains momentum beyond TikTok, Whatnot's specialized approach to collectibles and unique products demonstrates how niche platforms can capture significant market share by serving passionate communities.
Creator economy expert Lindsey Gamble identifies six major trends shaping the industry's first half of 2025. YouTube has become the dominant television platform, with connected TV viewership surpassing mobile and audiences watching over one billion hours daily on televisions.
Older viewers aged fifty and up now represent thirty-six percent of YouTube's TV audience, outpacing Gen Z viewers. News creators are gaining prominence as social media overtakes traditional TV as Americans' primary news source, with fifty-four percent now consuming news through platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The White House has begun including digital creators in press briefings, while platforms like Meta and LinkedIn prioritize news content.
Spotify aggressively expanded video podcast capabilities, paying out one hundred million dollars to creators in Q1 while video uploads increased twenty-eight percent. The streaming giant aims to compete directly with YouTube through enhanced discovery features and broader video format support, signaling major platform shifts toward video-first content strategies.
YouTube has launched a new 'Hype' feature in India aimed at boosting discoverability for emerging creators with 500 to 500,000 subscribers. The feature allows viewers to allocate points to videos within 7 days of publication, with top-scoring videos appearing on a dedicated leaderboard and potentially being promoted on the home feed.
YouTube developed Hype after research showed strong viewer interest in supporting smaller creators. The launch comes as India's creator economy is projected to exceed $100 billion by 2030, with YouTube's CEO highlighting India's significance as the platform's largest user base. Hype represents one part of YouTube's evolving discovery strategy amid changing viewer habits.
Insomnia Labs, a blockchain technology firm, secured $12 million in funding to launch CreatorFi, a platform designed to provide financing solutions for digital content creators. The creator economy faces challenges in securing capital, with banks hesitant to finance digital rights and industry players demanding high ownership stakes. CreatorFi aims to fill this gap by offering creators access to financing without sacrificing ownership or accepting unfavorable terms.
The platform is built on Avalanche blockchain technology, integrating with Coinbase Developer Platform for stablecoin liquidity management. Key features include AI-powered underwriting, embedded payment systems, global access via stablecoins and fiat lending, and blockchain-backed transparency. Early adopters include Yoola, a YouTube Multi-Channel Network, and Record, a royalty infrastructure platform. Insomnia Labs positions CreatorFi as its first initiative in building a broader on-chain credit ecosystem, with plans to expand into other intellectual property industries facing similar financing challenges.
Instagram is expanding its indexing to allow public content from professional accounts to appear in Google and other web search results, marking a shift towards greater content discovery beyond the app's ecosystem.
This change opens new visibility and reach opportunities for eligible creators and brands looking to connect with broader audiences searching for related topics, products or services online. The update aligns with evolving consumer behavior, with social media platforms increasingly becoming the primary source for information discovery, particularly among younger generations.
By optimizing their content and captions with relevant keywords, professional accounts can potentially boost their ranking in search results. This move represents Instagram's strategy to enhance its discoverability capabilities while providing expanded marketing opportunities to creators and brands seeking to capitalize on social media's growing influence over purchasing decisions.
LinkedIn has launched a new Member Post Analytics API that allows creators to access their performance metrics directly through third-party tools like scheduling apps and influencer marketing platforms. This API integration with 11 platforms enables creators to view key metrics like follower growth, impressions, and video views without having to log into LinkedIn.
The move aims to provide a more comprehensive view of creators' reach across multiple social networks from the tools they already use. While some see it as bringing LinkedIn's metrics in line with other platforms, others remain skeptical about its impact on securing brand partnerships, as clients often trust creator-shared data more. The API launch coincides with LinkedIn's crackdown on unauthorized third-party apps scraping user data to protect member privacy.
South Korean tax authorities intensified efforts to collect unpaid taxes from high-earning YouTubers and online content creators last year. 21 creators were investigated in 2024, with an average back tax bill of around $304,600 imposed. This marks a significant increase from previous years, as only 22 creators faced audits between 2019-2022.
The total amount of unpaid taxes collected from 2019-2024 was $171 million. Stricter monitoring targets not just YouTubers but platforms like provocative "Excel broadcasts" and channels exploiting deepfakes or tragedy for profit. As the creator economy booms, tax authorities aim to enforce compliance and close loopholes around unreported income from viewer donations and subscriptions.
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Sammy Nussdorf, a 28-year-old entrepreneur, is opening a gourmet grocery store called Meadow Lane in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood. With 111,000 TikTok followers, Nussdorf uses the platform to promote the store and crowdsource feedback on menu items. By sharing behind-the-scenes content, he aims to build authenticity and let customers help curate offerings.
TikTok comments have helped refine products like a collard green tuna wrap. While targeting affluent Tribeca residents, Nussdorf wants an inclusive environment with affordable options alongside premium ingredients. Despite lengthy permitting delays, he hopes Meadow Lane provides diverse, high-end prepared foods beyond typical grocers' selections. The business leverages Nussdorf's experience in venture capital and understanding consumer spending trends..
Unilever plans to expand its influencer marketing network by ten to twenty times over the next year, leveraging artificial intelligence to create viral campaigns for everyday products like Dove soap. The consumer goods giant currently works with tens of thousands of influencers and aims to generate exponentially more visual assets using AI technology.
Chief Enterprise and Technology Officer Steve McCrystal said the company now deploys thousands of assets weekly, compared to single digits over months previously. Unilever's AI Content Studios platform creates personalized brand assets for influencers while repurposing their content across platforms.
The strategy proved successful with Dove's Crumbl cookie-scented collection, which generated over three billion social impressions and attracted fifty-two percent new customers. The company uses Nvidia's Omniverse platform to create digital product twins, feeding them into AI systems that produce imagery faster and cheaper than traditional methods.
TikTok aggressively recruited employees from Amazon to launch its US e-commerce business, TikTok Shop. Dozens of former Amazon staffers were hired, implementing Amazon's strategies like narrative memos and single-person project ownership. TikTok copied Amazon's playbook, studying product pages and checkout processes to replicate the customer experience.
Initially showing progress, TikTok missed 2024 sales goals set by Chinese leadership. In response, ByteDance restructured by reducing autonomy of the US team and installing executives with expertise on Douyin, TikTok's Chinese sister app. This shift prioritizes replicating Douyin's successful livestream selling over adopting localized US strategies. As TikTok faces political obstacles and tariff impacts, it's pivoting to lean on the expertise that made Douyin an e-commerce leader in China, distancing from its earlier Amazon-inspired approach for the US market.
Social Media Creator Eric Sedeno Joins UTA As Agency Expands Digital Roster