If the words “creator economy” were part of a business drinking game this year, I’d be a bit overserved on new business calls. Even so, we’re nearly 100 episodes into the Brand Story, Inc. podcast history and have yet to dedicate an episode to one of the most rapidly growing and increasingly-effective sectors of branded and sponsored content.
The greater creator economy
I’m thrilled to welcome Kaya Yurieff to today’s episode to change that. Kaya is the preeminent expert on the category formerly known as “social influencers” and she launched The Creator Economy Newsletter for The Information in April of 2021 (you can check it out, sample it and subscribe here). Kaya’s daily missives are THE go-to for me on the business of social media creators and influencers, which has become, as the name implies, its very own economy.
The Information, founded by Jessica Lessin, is an award-winning technology and business news service that has become one of the most critical tools for executives, investors and professionals across all industries.
Previously, Kaya covered technology and social media platforms at CNN for four years and wisely realized the creator economy marketplace was lacking a go-to media voice, until now. She started her journalism career writing breaking news at TheStreet.
Here are the highlights of our probing and fascinating conversation:
- Origin Story. How The Information and its Creator Economy newsletter came to be.
- The Business Model Basics. Defining the creator economy, which platforms are working best, the level of $$$ creators are making on each platform, and how the pandemic has revolutionized this sector.
- Case Study Deep Dive. Quick-fix aspirations with brand-hawking are dying and the long-game of well-crafted, integrated product use and endorsement is emerging. Kaya shares her favorite example.
- Success metrics. How creators and brands are better aligning around success metrics on each platform.
- Crystal Ball. What the rest of 2021 and early 2022 look like in this sector.
- Morning Musts. Kaya’s industry curation tips and tactics, including one simple but overlooked gold mine.
- Bedside Bookstand. Kaya fesses up to which book is on the bedstand, just for fun.
We want to hear from you. Share this podcast, give us your feedback and hit me up with topic suggestions and guest ideas. Brand Story, Inc. is for you, so let’s make it great together. You can ping me on LinkedIn or follow me on Twitter @_JaySharman.
If you’d like to connect with Kaya Yurieff, you can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn. Also, you can follow The Information here on Twitter.
Thanks for listening. Enjoy!