Creators now have more ways than ever to make a living online. This report explores how brands should approach and engage creators for partnerships in the new monetization ecosystem.

Creator economy crescendo: Amazon is quickly building out areas of its business that center on influencers, as the walls between social media and ecommerce erode and creators' roles in those spaces start to blend together.

On today's episode, we discuss which “digital habits” are just myths, whether travel has reached pre-pandemic levels, whether conversational commerce can take online shopping by storm, social audio getting some new big partners, which platforms creators want to create for, what it would look like if companies were mini countries, and more. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst Paul Verna, forecasting analyst Peter Vahle, and analyst at Insider Intelligence Blake Droesch.

On today's episode, we discuss Twitter's post-election malaise, Reddit's growth engine, and LinkedIn's and Pinterest's pandemic pivots. We then talk about Nextdoor's ceiling, TikTok being allowed to stay in the US, and the implications of young creator burnout. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Debra Aho Williamson.

BuzzFeed will pay up to $10K to creators: The program will award prizes for top-performing content. Though it will only last through the summer, it's likely a pilot program or a precursor to a more social BuzzFeed Community hub.

On today's episode, we discuss which platforms have the most creator-friendly environments, how influencer marketing is evolving, and what the next stage of the creator economy will look like. We then talk about Pinterest's new livestreaming feature, the popularity of influencer marketing on TikTok, and how companies should navigate social media coming out of the pandemic. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer senior analyst at Insider Intelligence Jasmine Enberg.

Creators have never been hotter: Social platforms want them, and marketers want to work with them. The creator economy is offering up new or improved opportunities for creators to make money outside of brand partnerships. So, where does that leave brands?

Many marketers had long underestimated the value of creators in their marketing mix. That’s no longer the case. Most brands today have incorporated influencer marketing into their media plans, and many intend to allocate even more funds to the tactic this year.

NewFronts recap: Exclusive content on ad-supported platforms, shoppable shows, and creator-driven video content on social media were three major trends we saw at the NewFronts this past week.

On today's episode, we discuss how LinkedIn is evolving, how successful its creator initiative can be, whether its upcoming social audio platform can compete with Clubhouse, and how user growth and ad revenues are performing. We then talk about whether we can expect nearly all events this year to be virtual, making B2B events more appealing, and how robots can make our lives easier in the office. Tune in to the discussion with eMarketer principal analyst at Insider Intelligence Jillian Ryan.

Tipping comes to Clubhouse: The social audio app will now let users tip hosts, likely a play to keep creators on the platform as they’re in danger of being poached by bigger players like Twitter and Twitch.

Black History Month is an important time of year for Martell Cognac. This year, the Pernod Ricard spirits brand took its activism and community involvement work to Clubhouse, hosting a series of conversations with Karen Civil, a creator and digital marketing strategist with more than 1 million followers on Clubhouse. Pernod Ricard’s Stroud shared how the brand developed the idea and what it learned by using Clubhouse.

YouTube Shorts debuts in the US: The feature may just be another TikTok clone for now, but if YouTube can successfully harness its existing base of video content creators, it could set Shorts apart.

Livestreaming is a small but growing part of creator culture. Much like Stories, livestreaming is a way for creators and other influential figures on social media to present content that is often less polished than photos or recorded video. Livestreams also give influencers a way to interact with their audience in real time through live chat.

Snapchat: In May, Snapchat rolled out a new creator marketplace to help influencers partner with businesses for branded content and Lenses, Snapchat’s artificial reality filters. TikTok: In January, TikTok launched a Creator Portal to provide creators with tools and advice on content strategy, including a direct link to its creator marketplace to help them set up partnerships with brands.

How creator monetization efforts are faring: Q2 was also a big quarter for creator economy announcements. In addition to creator shops on Instagram, the company also added new tools to streamline branded content creation on IGTV, Instagram Live, Reels, and Stories and an affiliate tool for creators.

Snapchat’s (finally) paying attention to creators: In its annual developer conference in May, Snap announced a suite of new services aimed at helping creators monetize, including gifting, a studio app to help create and edit content, and a creator marketplace to help match creators and brands for partnerships.

May 2021: Introduced Story Studio for creators, a standalone app for creating and editing videos and other content. Content built with the app can be shared not only to Snapchat, but to other platforms as well. May 2021: Introduced Creator Marketplace, where businesses can find and partner with creators to develop branded content.

Examples include celebrities, public figures, YouTube/Instagram/TikTok creators, and subject matter thought leaders/experts.

Creator Marketing. Marketers can partner with creators for brand collaborations, and Dubsmash provides tools and features to help creators market themselves to brands. Dubsmash is still in the early days of exploring creator monetization offerings, however.

Bring creators into the mix. All of the short-video platforms are popular venues for creators, and when marketers pair up with them, it can help their organic content stand out. Several of the platforms also have matchmaking programs that help brands and creators come together for projects.

As on other social platforms, marketing with creators will be a major activity in social audio. In March, Clubhouse launched its Creator First accelerator program, which will assist and support creative development, marketing, and monetization. Each of the 20 selected creators for the program will get all this support in addition to $5,000 per month of guaranteed income.

Paid events: Facebook is exploring new ways for creators to monetize livestreams through individual events as well as a hybrid-style offering that combines elements of livestreaming and video chat. Last year, the company launched its Paid Events tool, which lets creators charge admission to their livestreams.