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- Influence Weekly #436 - Instagram Now Lets Creators Tag Affiliate Links Directly In Reels
Influence Weekly #436 - Instagram Now Lets Creators Tag Affiliate Links Directly In Reels
YouTube Pulls Out All The Stops For Coachella '26 Livestream Hub
Nii Ahene
April 10, 2026
Spotlight Stories
Instagram Now Lets Creators Tag Affiliate Links Directly In Reels
YouTube Pulls Out All The Stops For Coachella '26 Livestream Hub
IShowSpeed Anime Series To Be Written By One Piece's Matt Owens
TikTok, HubSpot Launch New Marketing Integration
Great Reads
Instagram launched a new feature that allows creators to tag affiliate products directly in Reels and earn commissions without redirecting to third-party tools. Creators can add up to 30 products per Reel by pasting URLs, including affiliate links, or searching brand catalogs on Meta's platform.
Adam Mosseri, Instagram's head, announced the rollout over the coming weeks on April 7, 2026. Tagged products appear as floating bubbles that viewers can tap to purchase through the brand's app or mobile website. All tagged items must exist in a business's Meta commerce catalog to maintain current pricing and availability.
The feature extends a parallel Facebook update where creators can tag affiliate products in Reels and photos. Facebook's program launched with Amazon in the United States, with Temu and eBay following. Instagram's version allows creators to paste their own affiliate URLs directly.
OpenAI acquired "TBPN," a daily tech talk show hosted by entrepreneurs John Coogan and Jordi Hays, marking the company's first media acquisition. Financial terms were not disclosed. TBPN, which stands for "Technology Business Programming Network," launched in 2025 and airs three hours weekdays across YouTube, X, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, LinkedIn, Substack, and Instagram.
The show generated approximately $5 million in advertising revenue in 2025 and is projected to exceed $30 million in 2026. TBPN secured sponsorships from Ramp, Plaid, and Google's Gemini, plus a New York Stock Exchange partnership. The show has 58,000 YouTube subscribers and has interviewed tech leaders including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
TBPN will operate within OpenAI's strategy organization under Chief Political and Policy Officer Chris Lehane while maintaining full editorial independence. OpenAI plans to leverage the team's communications expertise beyond programming to help explain AI technology's impact to broader audiences.
Industry professionals moved away from follower-based creator pricing as metrics proved unreliable for predicting performance. A study from Association of National Advertisers found 61% of marketers lacked visibility into creator budget allocation, with over half planning compensation changes.
Fifty industry operators shared alternative approaches. ThoughtLeaders built a proprietary algorithm projecting 30-day views instead of subscriber counts. Shake Content and other agencies anchored pricing to average engagement across creators' last 10-20 posts rather than audience size.
Performance-based models gained adoption. Collabstr reported brands implementing hybrid structures with flat fees plus revenue sharing through affiliate links. Stan emphasized creators' ability to convert attention into owned distribution like newsletters and products.
Leading indicators shifted toward engagement consistency and audience trust. Clicks Talent highlighted comment quality as the strongest predictor, while Lunar X identified "relationship density" through repeat viewership patterns. Multiple agencies noted creators who maintained authentic voice during brand integrations outperformed those with larger but passive audiences.
New Podcast Interview
Ceci chats with Scott Sutton, CEO at Later, to hear his perspective on three critical issues: why B2B companies stayed on the sidelines of creator marketing for so long and what changed to make it relevant now, how attribution technology finally enables SaaS companies to track creator content from click to install to subscription revenue, and what separates experimental creator tactics from programs that CMOs can defend as legitimate growth channels. Tune in for concrete guidance on building creator strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes in B2B contexts.
Campaign Insights
Mazda launched a multi-platform campaign called "5 Sides of the CX-5" to support its new SUV launch across YouTube, TikTok, and Hulu. The campaign features five short films directed by Paul Hunter, each representing different film genres including romance, action, sci-fi, musical, and horror, starring actress Jessamie Waldon-Day.
CMO Brad Audet said Mazda used the Academy Awards broadcast to launch the campaign before extending distribution to digital platforms. The company is evaluating theatrical placement during summer 2026, potentially matching films to similar-genre movie previews.
Audet cited competitive pressure in the SUV segment as driving the non-traditional format decision. He noted the CX-5 competes in a category where new models launch every few months, requiring content that breaks through standard automotive advertising. The campaign targets female demographics and includes shorter trailer versions alongside the full-length films.
Food critic Keith Lee became an investor in Brooklyn Dumpling Shop through a multi-year partnership, marking a shift from traditional sponsored content to equity-based creator relationships. Lee, who has 17.4 million followers on TikTok, joined other creators like Alix Earle and Kat Stickler in taking investment positions with brands they promote.
Brooklyn Dumpling Shop CEO Jeff Galletly said the partnership helps the restaurant chain compete with larger brands and expands their TikTok presence. The company plans to work with Lee to enter TikTok Shop, leveraging his platform expertise for social commerce strategy.
EMARKETER forecasted TikTok Shop will reach $23.41 billion in US ecommerce sales in 2026, a 48% year-over-year increase. More than half of social buyers will shop on TikTok this year. A July CreatorIQ survey found platform algorithm changes are the top barrier to business growth among creators at 18%, driving demand for more stable revenue streams through investment partnerships.
Motorsports media platform RACER will host its inaugural Creator Summit on April 16, 2026, in Long Beach, California. The invitation-only event follows RACER's November 2024 Creator Awards, which drew 250 attendees and generated millions of social media impressions.
Taro Koki, who joined RACER as President of its Creator Network in August 2024, designed the summit to connect automotive creators with brand executives and media leaders. Koki previously co-founded GTChannel, an automotive creator network that reached two billion YouTube views before being acquired by London Stock Exchange-listed SEEEN.
The summit programming includes panels featuring Honda Racing's SVP and Jim Liaw from the Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach. Net Influencer founder Nii A. Ahene will deliver a keynote on creator economy trends. RACER became part of holding company F=ma in 2026, which also includes ID Agency and GRIDLIFE events.
Disney+ launched Verts in the United States last month, a vertical video feature on its mobile app where users swipe through clips from shows and movies. Netflix began testing vertical video features on its mobile app earlier this year, with co-CEO Greg Peters describing it as part of a new interface to serve business expansion.
Microdrama apps doubled global downloads from 2024 to 2025, according to Sensor Tower. Platforms like DramaBox and ReelShort specialize in mini-episodes lasting a couple of minutes each. Asia accounted for over half the time spent on these apps, while North America contributed around 5 percent.
Several brands produced sponsored microdramas, including Procter & Gamble, JCPenney, and Crocs. Crocs' short drama generated nearly 8 million views on ReelShorts in three weeks. The apps monetize through virtual currency models, where viewers unlock episodes by watching ads or purchasing coins.
Gap launched its curator affiliate program in October 2024, expanding beyond traditional fashion influencers to include doctors, nurses, teachers, and other professionals. The retailer integrated creator content across product detail pages and launched on TikTok Shop in mid-2024, followed by Old Navy in fall 2024.
Stanley 1913 collaborated with K-pop star Jennie on TikTok Shop for an all-day live shopping event that generated over 600,000 views. The brand became the number two performer on TikTok Shop that day, trailing only Labubu. Stanley focused on featuring creator content on product pages to drive conversion rates for affiliate traffic.
Both companies emphasized authenticity over polish in creator partnerships. Gap's head of influence Cory Weaver noted that "raw and unfiltered" creators who share personal struggles alongside product recommendations generated more trust. Stanley's director of digital merchandising Alexis Call said content that naturally integrates products into creators' daily lives performed best, moving from transactional to relational approaches.
The Washington Post launched its first creator-led video series through a new creator network that allows creators to retain intellectual property ownership rather than signing rights to the publisher. Sara Kehaulani Goo, network president, said this model reduces upfront costs compared to traditional publishing arrangements that require high fixed salaries and production investments.
The Post plans to release series with approximately six creators every few weeks across different verticals, with each series containing 6 to 10 videos. The first series, "Let's Talk Numbers," debuted in late March featuring personal finance creator JC Rodriguez. Samsung serves as the network's first sponsor.
The Post generates revenue through brand sponsorships and shares proceeds with creators, though financial specifics were not disclosed. Content appears on both creator channels and Post platforms. The company uses AI tools to analyze creator content for brand safety and fact-checks all content before publication.
Walmart expanded its creator commerce strategy as the retailer works to capture consumers who spend 2.5 hours daily on social media, with Gen Z users averaging over 5 hours per day. Sarah Henry, Walmart's head of content, influencer and commerce, outlined the company's approach during the Association of National Advertisers' Media Conference on March 25.
The Walmart Creator program, which launched in beta in 2022, has grown substantially since its introduction. The affiliate-based platform allows creators to earn revenue shares from product sales and recently added collaboration tools that connect marketplace sellers with creators. Creators can set their own advertising and commission rates through the automated system.
Walmart integrated creator content into its "Walmart. Who Knew?" campaign that launched in 2025 to reshape consumer perceptions. The retailer deployed AI-enabled tools including Trend Corner, which analyzes cultural trends and consumer conversations to help creators identify relevant products. Henry said the company works with hundreds of thousands of influencers across its social commerce operations, which span advertising, shoppable experiences and platform capabilities.
YouTube expanded its Coachella 2026 livestreaming partnership, increasing coverage from six stages in 2025 to seven stages this year. The platform added 4K streaming capabilities to three venues: the Coachella Stage, Outdoor Theatre, and Sahara. The electronic-focused Quasar stage received both horizontal and vertical streaming formats.
YouTube launched a standalone Coachella Streaming app featuring time-zone-adjusted performance notifications and Gemini-powered recommendations. The company also introduced "Coachella TV," described as a 24/7 interactive stream combining archival performances with 2026 festival content.
YouTube Shopping partnered with eight artists including Bini, Ethel Cain, Foster the People, Katseye, Laufey, The XX, Turnstile, and Young Thug for exclusive merchandise drops. The platform maintained its Multiview feature allowing users to watch up to four stages simultaneously on one screen.
YouTube cited television viewing as a priority after over half of Coachella's 2025 livestream watchtime occurred "from the living room." The enhanced coverage comes as Coachella 2026 reported strong ticket sales following previous attendance challenges.
EMARKETER forecasted U.S. social media creator revenue will reach $21.10 billion in 2026, more than doubling since 2022, according to data from the research firm's February 2026 Creator Trends Summit. The growth coincided with budget allocation shifts, as nano and micro-influencers now account for 49.9% of U.S. creator spend, up from less than 20% previously.
Brands expanded creator content usage beyond original platforms, with CreatorIQ data showing 58% of enterprise brands reuse creator content on websites, 55% repurpose it for paid social advertising, and 53% use it for organic social. Gap launched a cross-brand creator affiliate program in October 2025 spanning Gap, Old Navy, Athleta, and Banana Republic stores.
TikTok Shop was forecast to reach $23.41 billion in U.S. ecommerce sales in 2026, a 48% year-over-year increase. Linquia data from July 2025 found 74% of marketers use AI for influencer marketing, primarily for creative ideation.
A Shark cordless vacuum topped TikTok Shop's March 2026 product rankings, generating $6.12 million in revenue and selling 16,480 units at $371.53 each. The Shark PowerPro Flex Reveal Plus posted a 184.1% growth rate, nearly doubling the revenue of every other product on the list. Two additional Shark appliances entered the top ten, with an air purifier at seventh place and an EcoFlow battery system at sixth.
February's leading skincare products experienced declines in March. The medicube Glass Glow Skincare Set dropped from first to fifth place, falling from $3.03 million to $2.74 million. DRDENT Purple Teeth Whitening Strips fell from second to ninth place with a 66% revenue decline.
Makeup products gained ground with two new entries: the buffer brush at third place with $3.40 million and Tarte BB Blur tinted moisturizer at fourth with $3.32 million. High-ticket appliances claimed three of the top ten spots, marking a shift from February's skincare-dominated rankings. Data was provided by Kalodata.
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Interesting People
YouTube creator IShowSpeed, who has 52 million subscribers, entered development on an anime series at Brian Robbins' Big Shot Pictures. Matt Owens, former co-showrunner of Netflix's "One Piece," wrote and will produce the project that features an animated version of the 21-year-old gaming and sports content creator.
Robbins, former Paramount Global co-CEO who launched Big Shot Pictures in 2026, attached filmmaker Harmony Korine as producer. The company secured a first-look theatrical distribution deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment and backing from Greycroft, Sony Pictures Entertainment, MarcyPen Capital Partners, ValueAct Capital and CAA.
IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., won Streamer of the Year awards in 2024 and 2025. Owens left "One Piece" in 2025 citing mental health reasons after co-running the first two seasons. Big Shot Pictures previously acquired rights to children's book series "Eloise at the Plaza" for multi-platform adaptation across film, TV and consumer products.
The child influencer industry generated millions in revenue for family content creators, with top earners making up to $8 million annually, according to journalist Fortesa Latifi's new book "Like, Follow, Subscribe." The Bee Family, known as Mama Bee and Papa Bee, earned $1 million in their best year from their YouTube channel with 10.4 million subscribers and Instagram account with 1.9 million followers.
Industry expert Brendan Gahan of Creator Authority estimated that Family Fun Pack, with 10.4 million YouTube subscribers and 15 billion lifetime views, generates approximately $200,000 monthly from YouTube AdSense alone. Influencer marketing manager Clarissa Laskey projected that creators like Maia Knight, who has 7.7 million TikTok followers, could earn between $3 million and $5 million annually.
However, removing children from content significantly reduced earnings. Grant Khanbalinov of @lifeofbreaandgrant saw his sponsored content income drop from $100,000 annually to nearly zero after stopping child appearances. Several creators reported turning down five-figure brand deals to protect their children's privacy, illustrating the financial tension between monetization and child welfare in the creator economy.
Net Influencer released data showing actress Megan Fox gained 2.8 million Instagram followers in March 2026, leading the month's fastest-growing U.S. accounts. Fox returned from a year-long social media hiatus with a March 3 photoshoot post that received over 7 million likes.
Jason Derulo gained 2 million followers during his "The Last Dance World Tour" launch, while Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu added 1.1 million followers carrying momentum from the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics. The Tonight Show gained 1.1 million followers from celebrity episodes including Kerry Washington's March appearance.
Other top gainers included French Montana and Michael B. Jordan with 1.1 million and 1 million new followers respectively. Comedian Druski gained 651,000 followers after his "How Conservative Women Act" skit reached 22 million views. NASA added 653,000 followers following the late-March Artemis II rocket rollout ahead of April launch preparations. Data was compiled by HypeAuditor for March 2026.
Delphi, a San Francisco-based AI platform backed by Sequoia, Founders Fund, and Lux Capital, launched an AI-powered tool that creates digital versions of creators' expertise. The company, founded by CEO Dara Ladjevardian, launched in November 2022 and allows creators to train AI models on their content to answer audience questions around the clock.
The platform integrates with YouTube channels, podcasts, social accounts, and documents to create what the company calls "mind models." Creators monetize through three methods: direct revenue generation, bundling with existing courses or communities, and free distribution for lead capture. Some users achieved million-dollar outcomes according to Ladjevardian.
Current users include dating coach Matthew Hussey, author Eckhart Tolle, and entrepreneur Lewis Howes, who integrate their AI versions into subscription services and SMS marketing campaigns. The company plans API integrations, improved analytics tools, and brand partnership features. Delphi positions itself as a new distribution channel for human expertise rather than an AI product, retaining creator data ownership and offering content guardrails.
Bent Pixels acquired Amsterdam-based Sunny State Agency for more than $23 million on March 31, combining two creator media companies with complementary expertise. Bent Pixels operates a YouTube-focused creator network with enterprise brand sales infrastructure, while SSA became one of the top five Snapchat publishers globally through short-form distribution services.
The combined entity now reaches more than 850 creators and generates 6 billion monthly views. SSA founder Shady Dnaf joined the Bent Pixels board as President of Bent Pixels Europe to lead European expansion and global growth initiatives. SSA had grown to $10 million in annual revenue and 65 employees before the acquisition.
The deal addresses platform fragmentation in creator media by offering both distribution syndication and brand partnership services under one roof. SSA manages more than 80 Discover Shows on Snapchat for creators including Steve-O, Andrew Huberman, and NikkieTutorials. The companies plan to expand onto Microsoft's MSN platform and capitalize on Facebook's renewed creator investment following its shift away from Metaverse initiatives.
Dallas-based Link Management launched publicly in June 2025, combining investment banking rigor with creator talent management. Co-founder Alex Dochter brought eight years of experience from Houlihan Lokey and PGIM Private Capital, while Brooke Meister came from talent firms including Shine Talent Group and The Sociable Society.
The firm addresses what founders identified as systemic flaws in creator management, where agencies prioritize deal volume over long-term career development. Link provides creators with real-time financial transparency, performance analytics, and strategic positioning rather than transactional campaign management.
The company demonstrated its approach with a creator who joined in October 2025 during her worst-earning year. By March 2026, she had surpassed her entire 2025 earnings within three months through Link's channel audit and revenue diversification strategy. The firm measures success by creator career trajectory rather than deal count, positioning itself against traditional agencies that optimize for throughput over outcomes.
Industry News
Video hosting startup Livid raised $10 million from StreamYard co-founders Geige Vandentop and Dan Briggs, positioning itself as an alternative to Vimeo following recent industry consolidation. The investment comes after Italian tech company Bending Spoons acquired both StreamYard and Vimeo, implementing layoffs across both platforms.
Vandentop and Briggs sold StreamYard to Hopin for $250 million in 2021 after building it to over 100,000 paying customers and $30 million in annual recurring revenue. Bending Spoons later acquired StreamYard through its Hopin purchase and laid off the entire team in April 2024.
Bending Spoons acquired Vimeo for $1.38 billion in late 2025, subsequently cutting jobs across multiple teams including the video division. The company previously reduced staff by approximately 75% at WeTransfer and eliminated entire teams at other acquisitions.
Livid launched L.O.V.E., a tool allowing users to export entire Vimeo libraries with metadata and folder structures. The platform offers ad-free hosting with up to 2TB storage and custom branding options.
Gaming and entertainment network Bent Pixels acquired Snapchat publisher Sunny State Agency in a transaction valued at more than $23 million. The combined company will manage more than 850 creators globally, generating 6 billion monthly views across YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, and Instagram.
Bent Pixels, founded in 2009, currently manages more than 800 creator channels, including Topper Guild, Vanoss Gaming, Ninja, Matthew Beem, and Law&Crime Network. Sunny State Agency operates more than 80 Snapchat Shows and supports creators including Steve-O, Andrew Huberman, NikkieTutorials, and WhistlinDiesel.
All SSA employees will join Bent Pixels. SSA founder and CEO Shady Dnaf will join the Bent Pixels Board of Directors and serve as President of Bent Pixels Europe, leading growth across Europe and global expansion initiatives. The acquisition expands Bent Pixels' footprint across Europe, North America, and Asia, positioning the network to sell creator media directly across platforms where enterprise demand on Snapchat is growing.
TikTok and HubSpot launched a native integration in April 2026 that connects TikTok advertising and content management within HubSpot's Marketing Hub. The integration links TikTok campaign data with HubSpot's customer relationship management system, allowing marketers to use customer lifecycle stage, purchase history, and deal data to inform targeting decisions.
The partnership enables unified management of both paid and organic TikTok content through HubSpot's platform. Marketers can schedule posts, manage comments, and track performance alongside other social channels within HubSpot's existing social tools.
HubSpot, a marketing automation and CRM platform, integrated TikTok Pixel deployment and tracking capabilities. This setup connects TikTok performance metrics to contacts, deals, and revenue data within HubSpot's reporting framework, reducing manual data transfers between platforms.
The integration is available to HubSpot customers through Marketing Hub. Both companies positioned the partnership as addressing the need to connect social media engagement with business outcomes and customer data for B2B and B2C marketers managing multi-platform campaigns.
Newsletter platform beehiiv launched native podcast hosting in April 2026, allowing creators to host, distribute, and monetize podcasts with zero fees. The service uploads episodes directly to Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms while providing IAB-standard analytics and SEO-optimized webpages for each episode.
Beehiiv supports MP3, M4A, and WAV files with automatic audio normalization and full transcripts. Creators can bundle podcasts with existing subscriptions to offer paying subscribers private feeds and exclusive content. The platform eliminated download-based pricing, per-episode fees, and storage caps across all plan tiers.
CEO Tyler Denk told TechCrunch the company plans to expand its advertising network to serve dynamic podcast ads and is hiring a head of Podcasts. The move positions beehiiv against Patreon and Substack, both of which take revenue percentages from creators.
Beehiiv reported adding $4.5 million in ARR during Q1 2026, sending over 10 billion emails, and surpassing 50,000 active users.
Red Seat Ventures, a division of Fox Corporation's Tubi Media Group, launched Speakeasy on April 3, 2026. The platform combines hosting, distribution, and monetization tools for creators in a single product.
Speakeasy integrates with Supercast, a premium subscription platform that Red Seat Ventures acquired earlier. Both platforms will continue operating independently. The new platform runs on Fox's enterprise-grade technology stack and targets top creators and enterprises whose needs differ from traditional podcasters.
CEO Chris Balfe said the launch responds to market fragmentation in creator media. Access is currently by invitation only, with applications available at SpeakeasyStudio.AI. The company identified trends driving the launch including convergence of audio and video formats, expansion of premium subscription revenue, and growth of new distribution platforms adding creator content.
Red Seat Ventures describes itself as a partner offering investment capital, growth strategy, monetization, and management services to creators, brands, and media companies.
Open Influence, a Los Angeles-based creator marketing agency founded in 2013, appointed Julie Levitas Greenhouse as Vice President of Partnerships in its New York office. The company announced the hire on April 6, 2026.
Greenhouse brings over 25 years of digital advertising and sales experience to the role. She joined from Everyday Health Group, where she spent eight years as Director of Strategic Sales for BabyCenter and What to Expect brands.
Her previous roles included senior positions at adMarketplace, Wayin, ShareThis, AOL, and Yahoo. At ShareThis, she managed a 22-person sales team, while at AOL she led a 35-person staff across multiple advertising product lines including behavioral targeting and mobile.
The appointment follows Open Influence's February promotion of Maggie Reznikoff to Chief Client Officer. Reznikoff, an eight-year company veteran, now oversees client experience and go-to-market strategy. Open Influence has worked with clients including AT&T, Uber, Mercedes-Benz, and Amazon.
Levanta acquired Perch+, an Amazon affiliate network, to expand its e-commerce creator marketplace. The acquisition brings Perch+'s seller and publisher network into Levanta's platform of more than 60,000 vetted partners.
Levanta reported 60% growth over the past year and expanded support for affiliate and creator programs across Amazon, Shopify, and Walmart in 2026. The company also introduced Paid Placements, which enables brands to secure flat-rate creator deals with affiliate-level performance tracking.
Perch+ brands moving to Levanta gain access to creator recruitment tools, Amazon Attribution, Creator Connections, automated product sampling, and Paid Placement campaigns. Creators and publishers receive improved tracking, faster payouts, and access to a broader roster of brand partners.
Infinite Commerce served as Perch+'s parent company before the acquisition. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Source Media Group launched "Source Golf," a YouTube-based network that aggregates advertising across content from golf creators and athletes. The network includes Bryson DeChambeau with 2.6 million YouTube subscribers, Grant Horvat with 1.6 million subscribers, and the Bryan Bros with 800,000 subscribers.
The network does not require creators to produce new content. Source Media Group holds rights to sell advertising against existing YouTube content from participating channels. Bolt Ventures, David Blitzer's investment arm, backed the venture.
The launch coincides with broader golf creator initiatives. In March, Horvat and the Bryan Bros announced "Your Golf Tour," a competitive circuit for 16 YouTube golfers featuring a $1 million season-ending championship at Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas. Both creators remain part of Source Golf's network as that circuit prepares for its opening event.
Golf participation in the U.S. reached over 48 million participants in 2025, with growth concentrated among players under 35.
Natalie Marshall, known as Corporate Natalie, launched creator-led influencer marketing agency Expand Co-Lab in April 2026. Marshall built her content creation business over six years by creating office culture parodies, accumulating 1.4 million Instagram followers, 827,000 TikTok followers, and 276,000 LinkedIn followers.
The agency operates differently from traditional influencer marketing firms by bringing creators into the brand briefing process earlier and facilitating direct conversations between brands and creators. Expand Co-Lab does not represent talent or take commissions from creators, instead working with a collective that includes Brandon Smithwrick, Varun Rana, Sara Uy, and others.
Marshall cited communication gaps in the existing system, where brands often never speak directly to creators despite paying substantial amounts for content. The global influencer marketing industry was estimated to reach $32.55 billion by 2025, with increasing brand investment in B2B channels.
Meta launched its Facebook Creator Fast Track program, offering guaranteed monthly payments to attract content creators from other platforms. Creators with at least 100,000 followers on Instagram, TikTok, or YouTube receive $1,000 monthly, while those with over 1 million followers get $3,000 monthly. The guaranteed payments last three months, with creators receiving reach boosts permanently.
The program launched shortly before Meta and YouTube faced court rulings finding them liable for harming teenage users through misleading practices and addictive tactics. Industry executives told Digiday the legal issues were unlikely to deter creators from joining Facebook.
Creator marketing agencies viewed the move as part of a broader push toward platform agnosticism, where creators diversify across multiple platforms for additional revenue streams. Facebook remains the most popular social media platform globally and third-highest for ticket sales at comedy platform Punchup.live. However, retention after the three-month payment period remains the primary challenge for Facebook's creator expansion efforts.
Creative Artists Agency hired Rebecca Rusheen as an agent in its Creators division in April 2026. Rusheen brings experience representing digital creators across brand partnerships and entertainment projects since beginning her career at Abrams in 2019.
Rusheen previously worked at A3 Artists Agency and moved to Gersh Agency in 2024 after Gersh acquired A3's digital and non-scripted divisions. Her client roster included TikTok creator Reece Feldman, who produced content for major films including "Barbie" and "Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny," and whose short film premiered at Cannes.
She also represented creator Yesly Dimate, who secured brand deals with Calvin Klein, Dior, Gucci, and Miu Miu while transitioning into acting roles. CAA's Creators division represents digital creators including Amelia Dimoldenberg, iShowSpeed, and Liza Koshy across film, television, and brand partnerships.
The hiring follows CAA's December 2025 appointments of Greg Goodfried and Jamie Guggenheim as the agency continues expanding its creator-focused representation team.
CreatorIQ and Sprinklr announced a partnership that connects creator marketing data with enterprise social media management systems. The integration feeds CreatorIQ's Creator Graph, which processes 123 million creator posts daily across 15 million creators, directly into Sprinklr's reporting environment.
The partnership allows brands to view creator campaign performance alongside organic and paid social metrics in a single dashboard. Brands can also activate high-performing creator content within Sprinklr's paid media suite and reduce manual data exports between platforms.
CreatorIQ research showed enterprise investment in creator marketing increased 171% year-over-year in 2025, with more than half of marketers now using creator content across paid and organic channels. Sprinklr serves more than 1,600 enterprise clients while CreatorIQ works with over 1,300 organizations including Delta Air Lines, Google, LVMH, and Sephora.
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Food influencing is shifting away from pay-for-play reviews and scripted voiceovers toward authentic, mission-driven content. Ertan Bek, a New York cabdriver known as @NewYorkTurk, has built two million followers across Instagram and TikTok in under two years by spotlighting family-owned restaurants and disclosing prices.
He refuses comped meals and spends over 3,000 dollars monthly producing videos, earning roughly 4,000 dollars from TikTok last month on 10 million views. Restaurant owners are pushing back on influencer fees reaching 5,000 to 8,000 dollars per post.
Creators like Kent Burris, who has 500,000 followers as @DineWithKent, are pivoting to brand partnerships, recently collaborating with TripAdvisor. Brian Lindo of @BrianCantStopEating says brand deals now generate 90 percent of his revenue.
TikTok star Alix Earle launched Reale Actives, a skin care line targeting acne-prone skin, with products selling out online shortly after Tuesday's debut. Earle, who has 8.3 million TikTok followers and built her following partly through candid posts about her acne struggles at the University of Miami, priced the line at 118 dollars and developed it alongside her dermatologist.
Critics on social media questioned her credibility, citing her past use of prescription treatments including three rounds of Accutane, and flagged ingredients like shea butter as potentially irritating. Earle responded directly on TikTok, walking followers through her skin journey. Industry observers note the launch tests whether influencer authenticity and personal vulnerability can override consumer skepticism about celebrity beauty brands in a crowded category.
YouTube creator MrBeast revealed he worked more than 15 hours daily during production of his Amazon show "Beast Games." Jimmy Donaldson told creator Jon Youshaei that his schedule was "literally planned down to the minute" and acknowledged he does "not have a healthy work life balance."
Beast Industries, Donaldson's company, hired former Shutterfly CEO Jeffrey Housenbold as CEO in 2024. The company built an executive team with hires from TikTok, Snapchat, and NBCUniversal. Housenbold announced on LinkedIn that Beast Industries plans to expand its workforce by 50% this year across offices in New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and Greenville, North Carolina.
The company's VP of talent said Beast Industries was hiring for creative, engineering, marketing, product, and production teams. Donaldson employs a body double who works standard business hours creating thumbnail concepts, allowing Donaldson to execute shoots quickly when ready.
Dentsu X has launched The Creator Catalyst, a marketing playbook that restructures influencer activity into a measurable growth system for brands. The framework rests on three pillars: Casting, Culture, and Commerce. Casting uses dentsu's Creator and Trends Studio, built with Meta and Google, to select creators through AI-led discovery rather than follower counts.
Commerce links creator work to sales outcomes through dentsu's ICON framework and Merkury identity tools, connecting audiences to actual conversion paths. The playbook integrates with Dentsu Influence and the broader Media++ strategy, creating an end-to-end stack from selection to measurement. Dentsu X is rolling out localized versions in markets including Africa, where it connects with the Dentsu School of Influence to pair creator training with standardized brand measurement.
H&R Block launched a "Creator Suite" tax filing service and hosted a creator summit this year to target the creator economy, which is valued at over $250 billion. The tax preparation company's survey found that 25 percent of creators cited taxes as their top business stressor, with nearly the same percentage reporting tax mistakes that cost them money.
Salary Transparent Street founder Hannah Williams reported her company generated approximately $1.4 million in gross revenue last year, paying herself a $150,000 salary before her company's acquisition by NowThis in 2026. Williams described tax compliance challenges including monthly state tax filings required due to high revenue volume.
Creator Rachel in a Real Way highlighted timing issues where content produced in late 2025 won't generate payments until 2026, complicating tax planning. She noted that free clothing and products from brands count as taxable income even without paid promotion requirements. The article emphasized that creators face structural challenges as unintended small business owners managing non-traditional income streams and complex deductions.