Gen Z, AI, and the Power of Creator Marketing As AI reshapes marketing, the next generation of decision-makers is placing more trust in creators than in brands. Here’s how to use creator marketing strategies to keep your business relevant. Marketing strategies evolve with the technological shifts of each era, continuously redefining how businesses connect with consumers. In the early days of the internet, outbound marketing tactics like billboards and direct mail were the go-to approach. Then came Google and social media, giving rise to inbound marketing platforms like HubSpot. Now, we’re entering a new and highly disruptive cycle, this time driven by AI. This early ‘discovery’ phase — which Kieran and I anticipate will last 5-7 years before stabilizing — is marked by rapid innovation and an overwhelming influx of fragmented AI tools. But the real challenge isn’t just about keeping pace with AI; it’s about understanding how to connect with a new generation of decision-makers — particularly Gen X and Gen Z — while everything else is changing. But how? As discussed in a recent episode of Marketing Against the Grain, we believe that the answer lies in creator-led marketing. Here’s why — and how you can get started today. Why the New Generation of Decision Makers Trust Creators over Brands As new generations step into key decision-making roles within companies, their approach to purchasing decisions is significantly different from that of their predecessors. “Data shows that the new, younger generations rely primarily on social media and...

2024 and Beyond: 7 Insights for Thriving as a Creator, Straight from the Experts Remember when being a “creator” was a laughable teen pastime? Now, consumers are largely trusting influencers over brands, creators are taking over brand marketing teams, and the industry is only growing bigger. In 2023, we’ve seen the so-called Creator Economy grow to 50 million creators globally, with a market size of $250 billion. By 2027, this number is expected to reach $480 billion. Perhaps most telling, there are now kids’ summer camps dedicated to content creation. But with great opportunity also comes drawbacks: The market is saturated, and AI makes it easier than ever for anyone to become a creator — which means it truly takes a special case to be sustainable and profitable. “Successful creators will be those who generate unique insight, can talk about unique experiences, and are able to truly build trust,” says Jay Clouse, founder of Creator Science. We got the insider scoop from Jay and several other successful creators, and narrowed their advice down to seven key tips. Read on to make 2024 the year you make it big. Creators' Tips for Surviving the Creator Economy in 2024  1. Know your way around platforms. Jay Clouse says that the best content strategy leverages both discovery and relationship platforms. Here’s a breakdown of what he means: Discovery platform: Generally refers to social media, but also includes search-based platforms like...

The Creator Economy Market Size is Growing: How Brands Can Leverage It The creator economy has seen exceptional growth over the last few years and will only grow more in the future. So, what does that mean for brands, and how can marketers leverage this booming economy? To answer this question, I spoke to a couple of HubSpot's marketing experts and researched the creator economy's size, growth, and the changes we can expect down the line. Here's everything marketers need to know, starting with how the creator economy has grown over time. How the Creator Economy Has Grown Over the Years The exact size of the creator economy can vary, depending on who you ask. While statistics show 50 million people are contributing to the creator economy, a recent report by Linktree said there are about 200 million people as of 2022. One reason for the discrepancy could be how the numbers are calculated. For example, there may only be 50 million content creators contributing to the creator economy. Still, the economy also consists of consumers, entrepreneurs, companies, platforms, and advertisers who keep the economy growing. Either way, there is no doubt the creator economy is incredibly profitable. As of 2022, the creator economy market size is estimated at $104.2 billion, more than double its value since 2019. Here are some other interesting facts about the creator economy's size: In 2022, an average of 2.67 million concurrent viewers watched Twitch streams on over 95,000 live channels....

The Business of Creators in 2022: What Marketers Need to Know Content creators and the creator economy are becoming more integral to the success of marketing campaigns. Our 2022 State of Inbound Marketing Trends Report found that 88% of brands have a dedicated budget for working with influencers and creators. We also found community will be a top priority for marketing strategy in 2023. To gain more insight into the world of content creators, HubSpot partnered with Tilt to survey more than 300 marketing and business-specific content creators. Here's a bit of what we found that marketers need to know. To access the full report, check our Business of Creators Report. 5 Things Marketers Should Know About Content Creators Here are five things marketers need to know about content creators and how to leverage them. 1. Most creators want to grow their businesses. Growth is at the forefront for many content creators. In our survey, more than 50% of content creators want to grow their businesses to support a small or large team. Almost 40% say they want to grow as a solopreneur. Only 7% report wanting to keep content creation as a hobby. With growth being the main objective for more content creators, brands should offer mutually beneficial partnerships that help creators meet their goals. "One of the things started to do is invest in independent creators to help them do what they do well," said HubSpot's Director of New Media Kyle Denhoff. "We're investing in...

Benefits of Influencer Marketing The creator economy is built around influencers and their audiences. As audiences put a significant amount of trust in their favorite influencers, it makes sense that marketers would want to pay more attention to influencer marketing than before. This post will go over the data-backed benefits of using influencer marketing, along with insight from a HubSpot social media expert.   7 Benefits of Influencer Marketing 1. Influencer marketing has high ROI. 1 in 4 marketers that currently leverage influencer marketing report that it offers the second highest ROI of any marketing trend, so your investments in influencer marketing won’t go to waste. Image Source 2. Influencers help you save money. We’ve mentioned above that influencer marketing has a high ROI, so your marketing budgets are worth something. You also have the potential to optimize your campaign budgets and see high ROI, especially when partnering with smaller micro-influencers (those with under 100k followers/subscribers). In fact, of marketers that work with both large and small influencers, 44% say that the biggest benefit of working with small influencers is that it is less expensive. 3. Influencers are more trusted than friends and family for Gen Zers. Gen Zers say that influencer recommendations are more important and impactful than those from friends and family. This means that the weight of influencer recommendations is much more powerful than before, as past trends have shown friends, family, or reviews from other consumers being the most impactful when making purchases. Annabelle...

Why the Creator Economy is a Huge Opportunity for Marketers, According to Joe Pulizzi Over the last 18 months, the creator economy has been all the rage — and it's proven to be incredibly lucrative. In fact, as of 2022, the creator economy's market size is estimated at $104.2 billion. The creator economy is made up of bloggers, podcasters, YouTubers, newsletter writers, TikTok and Instagram influencers, and others who are trying to build real businesses by creating and distributing valuable and entertaining content. Think of these content creators as little media companies. Many of these content creators work with bigger brands rather than sell their own products or services. If you're a marketer whose interested in working with content creators to expand your audience reach, keep reading — we'll dive into everything you need to know when working with a content creator, backed by data. (Alternatively, you can also take a look at the complete Business of Creators report we at the Tilt created in partnership with HubSpot by downloading it here.) To start, let's explore what we know about content creators. The Creator Economy: A Content Creator's Interests, Challenges, Revenue Streams, & More Who are content creators? Although many like to focus on the “content creation” part, content creators are individuals who are also entrepreneurs and business owners. I like to refer to them as content entrepreneurs who: Deliver consistent information to a group of people with plans to build a loyal audience and then...

4 Things Content Marketers Can Learn From HubSpot's Creators The creator economy is changing marketing in various ways, and keeping up can be challenging for content marketers unfamiliar with this relatively new landscape. Fortunately, HubSpot invests in creators and keeps a pulse on the latest content creation trends. I spoke to creators in HubSpot's Creator Program and asked for their advice on how marketing professionals can adapt to the creator economy. Lessons Content Marketers Can Learn from HubSpot's Creators Here's what HubSpot's creators say about how marketers can thrive in the creator economy. Create Valuable Content "When creating content, you have to keep your ideal audience in mind," John Lee Dumas of the podcast Entrepreneurs on Fire said. "What challenges, questions, or struggles are they facing right now? Every piece of content you create should aim to help them get a quick win or aid them in overcoming a challenge, question, or struggle." To understand what's valuable to your audience, create buyer personas based on data and research. Buyer personas represent your ideal customers and include information such as their age, habits, problems, occupations, and more. Buyer personas will help you create content that suits the need of your target audience and will help ensure your work aligns with your vision. Another key to creating valuable content is not to get hung up on algorithms. While it's okay to keep social algorithms in mind regarding the visibility of your content — algorithms are not your target audience. "Create...

10 Creator Economy Startups Marketers Should Know As the creator economy continues to expand, so do the needs of content creators. Whether it's crowdfunding, financial guidance, or new ways to connect — there are many moving parts content creators must consider to be successful. Fortunately, new creator economy startups are providing the tools, resources, and platforms needed to make the business side of content creation easier for digital creatives. From marketplaces to website building tools to fresh opportunities to connect with followers — let's explore several of the creator economy startups that are game-changers for content creators. 10 Startups Contributing to the Creator Economy Huddles Ko-fi Fanhouse Beacons Pearpop Buy Me a Coffee Cameo Passionfroot Karat Bildr Top Creator Economy Startups Here are 10 of the top creator economy startups boosting the creator economy: 1. Huddles Originally called "Clash," this video-hosting app was initially released in January 2020 as a successor to Vine. Like Vine, Clash allowed users to upload short-form videos between 2–16 seconds long. Clash rebranded to Huddles in August 2022 when the company decided it wanted to move away from "infinite scroll" feeds and avoid competition with TikTok. Instead, Huddles allows content creators to upload short-form videos directly to their profiles or their Huddles group chats. Creators can also monetize their content on the platform by having fans pay monthly subscriptions to paywalled content or private conversations. The Huddles app is...

How to Monetize Instagram Reels With Reels Play Bonus An Instagram Reel is a video creators make to share creative and unique content with their audiences. These videos can be up to 90 seconds long and are similar to TikTok videos. Since its introduction in 2020, Instagram has added more and more Reels features for creators to take advantage of. Most recently, it has added the Reels Play Bonus, where creators can make money per Reels view. Read on to learn more about it. Table of Contents: What is Instagram Reels Play Bonus? Who is eligible for the Instagram Reels Play Bonus? How does the Reels Play Bonus work? How much money can you make from the Reels Bonus? What is Instagram Reels Play Bonus? Instagram Reels Play Bonus allows creators to earn money based on the number of plays a Reel gets. The feature is part of Instagram’s commitment to investing 1 billion in creators. Who is eligible for the Instagram Reels Play Bonus? According to Instagram, the Play Bonus is currently invite-only and exclusive to the U.S., but it could potentially expand globally throughout 2022. Eligible creators also must:  Have less than 1 million followers, Have a professional Instagram account, Follow Instagram’s Partner Monetization Policies. How does the Reels Play Bonus work? When you’re invited to the program, you need to opt in to begin earning money for plays. The process involves similar requirements to...

Instagram Monetization: 5 Ways to Make Money On the App Are you interested in earning money on Instagram but not sure how to start? We’ve got you covered. Although people first think of influencer marketing, that’s not Instagram’s sole monetization opportunity. In this article, we’ll dive into the current features the social app offers. Although monetization on the platform can involve promoting products and/or services to increase sales, that’s not what it always looks like. With monetization, the focus is on the content whereas selling focuses on the products/services. While YouTube is seen as the OG monetization platform for content creators, Instagram is making its way up there. When we surveyed marketers for our 2022 Social Media Trends Report, 73% say they work with influencers on Instagram compared to only 61% on YouTube. But as we’ll cover later on, that’s only one way to make money on the app. Before we get into those, let’s review monetization requirements. Instagram Monetization Tools Ever since Instagram transitioned to a creator-focused platform, they have tested numerous monetization tools. Some end up staying on the platform while others are sunsetted. For instance, in June 2021, Instagram announced that it would test an affiliate program, in which creators could have their own Shop tab and earn commissions based on sales they influenced. After over a year of testing, the platform announced that it would no longer be available after August 2022. Another monetization tool was Reels ads, a move designed to encourage...