Audience skepticism around product promotion has encouraged creators and brands to consider new business structures. Instead of working with Brooklyn Dumpling Shop on a series of sponsored posts, food critic creator Keith Lee just joined the brand as an investor in a multi-year partnership.

Lee, who has 17.4 million followers on TikTok, is following the trajectory of other mega influencers whose businesses have grown bigger than static brand deals. Alix Earle announced she was a Poppi investor in 2024, and Kat Stickler joined water enhancer brand Stur as an investor and owner in 2023.

Creators position these investment partnerships as a way to show real commitment to a brand while building more durable revenue streams.

• Platform algorithm changes or volatility is the top barrier to business growth among creators (18%), according to a July CreatorIQ survey.

In turn, brands can find more value in creators’ likeness and expertise.

“We’re a young, emerging brand, and we need to go and compete with brands that have much bigger budgets and have been around for longer," said Jeff Galletly, chairman and CEO of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop, who added that this partnership with Lee will help the brand “punch above [their] weight class.”

The case for creator-led investments

As the national restaurant chain wants to expand its presence in TikTok, Brooklyn Dumpling Show found a commonality with Lee.

Over half (52.4%) of creators post content at least daily, according to a January Influencer Marketing Factory survey. This means one-off campaigns can get lost.

“It’s one thing if someone just does a post here and there, but it’s another thing if they actually put up cash to invest in the business and have an equity partnership. That’s a whole other level,” said Jeff Galletly, chairman and CEO of Brooklyn Dumpling Shop.

Maintaining creator content charm

As creator budgets grow, the stakes for compelling content are also on the rise.

“There was a point in time when you had influencers doing things very organically… and now you have all these platforms that will guarantee influencers will go to your restaurant and post about it,” said Galletly. “I think at some point the messaging gets a bit dilutive and less trustworthy.”

Lee’s integrated role with Brooklyn Dumpling Shop parallels the movement of creators across marketing channels and business initiatives. Most brands reuse content across websites, digital ads, and organic social, according to a July CreatorIQ and Sapio Research survey.

“The main reason [creators] are so top of mind for advertisers is because their content is so

extensible and easily transposable,” said our analyst Max Willens during EMARKETER's Creator Summit.

Tapping creators to guide social commerce

When creators become long-term partners and investors, they can shift from creative partners to brand strategists. Brooklyn Dumpling Shop is working with Lee to enter TikTok Shop, tapping his expertise with the platform to build a social commerce strategy, said Galletly.

For brands targeting Gen Z, showing up where they shop is an obvious move.

• TikTok Shop will reach $23.41 billion in US ecommerce sales in 2026, a 48% increase YoY, EMARKETER forecasts. That means the retailer is poised to outperform Target, Costco, Best Buy, and Kroger.
• More than half of social buyers will shop on TikTok this year, EMARKETER forecasts.

As creators aim to build durable businesses and brands seek long-term partnerships, investment deals show how quickly the space is evolving.

“We’ve moved past the days of ‘We have a splashy 360 campaign coming out and here are the four influencers we’re partnering with,’’’ said our analyst Minda Smiley during EMARKETER's Creator Summit. “Creator marketing has just become so dynamic.”

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