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☆ OnlyFans creators make money selling intimacy to their subscribers. But in a lonely and hostile world, the relationships can start to feel real.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

OnlyFans creators who spoke with BI said that losing friends and even family members was something adult-content creators often had to come to terms with. AdvertisementEven beyond adult content, creators face an intrinsic element of loneliness. Like other influencers and freelancers, OnlyFans creators often shoot, edit, and post their content alone at home. AdvertisementLike with other types of sex work, navigating OnlyFans can be difficult in a traditional monogamous relationship. Courtesy of LiensueThe money is what makes OnlyFans 'just so worth it'Many creators said money was the key factor that kept them on OnlyFans despite the stigma.

Persons: —, Rae Richmond, she'd, Richmond, Pani Farvid, Keily Blair, Kaitlyn Siragusa, You'd, she's, Elaina St James, I've, St James, Isla Moon, Cherie DeVille, Elaina, James, Amber, doesn't, Farvid, Sweetheart, Marie Lippmann, Liensue, I'm, Emme Witt, OnlyFans, That's, Witt, Siragusa Organizations: Service, The New School, Workers, BI, OnlyFans, California State University, Chico Locations: Richmond, New York, OnlyFans

☆ Why 7 prominent VCs are investing millions in new social startups like Diem, Lex, and 222
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Mervana Parekh is a principal at Acrew and has invested in social startups like Diem, Afterparty, and Anything World. Best Nights VC. Nichols is a founding managing partner at MaC, which recently invested in social startups like Spill and Swsh. Boyce has backed a slew of new social startups, including Diem, Lex, Koodos Labs, and Swsh, alongside associate Rhian Horton. In 2024, Best Nights is looking to invest in companies that facilitate travel experiences after hearing people say their best nights have happened during trips or vacations, said de Silva.

Persons: —, Connie Chan, Mervana Parekh, Peter Boyce II, Marlon Nichols, Catalyst, Web3, Peter, Diem, Afterparty, Lorrain de Silva, Andrew Kahn, Miley Cyrus, Lorde, Kahn, Aaron Matusow, Dan Kruchkow, Nichols, Elizabeth Weil, Kevin Weil, John Smothers, Boyce, Lex, Rhian Horton, Lorrain, Silva, BestNights, Aaron Leithäuser, Gen Z, Peter Boyce, de Silva, Acrew Organizations: Service, Business, Acrew, Stellation, MaC Venture, VCs, Stanford University, Startup, Pudgy Penguins, Crush Ventures, VC, Crush, MaC Venture Capital, MaC, Catalyst, Koodos Labs, Big Tech Locations: 1kx, San Francisco , New York, Lisbon, Acrew, San Francisco, Berlin, Los Angeles and New York, Los Angeles, New York, Rythm

☆ How 'YouTube's resident librarian' built his business around book content, from hosting an award ceremony to a brand deal with Valentino
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-26 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. As the self-proclaimed "resident librarian" of YouTube, Edwards has amassed 1.3 million subscribers on his main channel and almost half a million on a second one with videos discussing books and reading. But while he's recently built a reputation as a BookTuber, Edwards didn't start his YouTube career with book videos. Between 2015 and 2020, he was more of a college YouTuber, publishing content about university life and studying tips. "The content people were generally making on BookTube was 'Books I want to read in April,' and then 'Books I read in April.'

Persons: —, Booker, Jack Edwards, Edwards, Edwards didn't, BookTok, BookTube, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, that's, he's, I've, Valentino, It's, AdSense, — Edwards, I'm, David Nicholls, livestream, Kate Green, Universal Pictures It's, Edwards hasn't, — he's, There's, it'll Organizations: Service, BBC's, YouTube, Business, Netflix, Universal Pictures Locations: London

☆ I'm a man who created a sexy female AI influencer to make extra money. It's been harder and weirder than I thought.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-21 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A man created a female AI influencer in order to make money after losing his job. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with the male creator behind AI influencer Kimochii. I thought an AI influencer would be the easiest and quickest way. Kimochii is an AI influencer with 43,000 Instagram followers. Even though I'm not making that much money with Kimochii, I'm too invested in her life now.

Persons: influencer, Kimochii, hasn't, haven't, she's, —, I'm

"I'm thinking about marketing myself as a TikTok Shop creator," Jayy told BI in July. Outside its in-house team, TikTok also deputizes official third-party TikTok Shop agency partners to work with creators and merchants on e-commerce strategies. And the company offers advice to all affiliate creators on its website via its TikTok Shop Academy. Someone who is not popular or famous going on TikTok Shop and offering products, or someone who is very popular and famous now getting products?" "I think the shortest path to more volume through TikTok Shop is really that second group."

Persons: D'Amelio, TikTok, Remy Beaumont, it's, Joy Mangano, Beaumont, playbook, Rick Watson, Sharon Jayy, Jayy, Watson Organizations: Business, Shop, Z Media, intel, Training, RMW Commerce Consulting, TikTok Shop, Shop Academy Locations: London, China, Douyin, TikTok's Culver

☆ Fanvue, an OnlyFans competitor, is betting big on AI-generated adult content. But some creators worry about its tactics.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-16 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

These influencers, generated using AI, have amassed thousands, or sometimes hundreds of thousands of followers — like Sika Moon and Aitana. Unlike its competitors, which largely ban adult content generated with AI, Fanvue is bullish on it and is investing heavily in its community of AI influencers. But as Fanvue continues to build its user base and business model on AI-generated explicit content, some of its practices have prompted concerns among creators. For many creators behind these AI influencers, however, the hiccups and doubts about Fanvue don't outweigh the attention the company is giving them, and they continue to nurture their relationship with it. "The way they treat us AI creators is good," a third creator said.

Persons: —, they've, Fanvue, Will Monange, Monange Organizations: Service, Business, BI

☆ Inside the rise of true-crime podcast empire MrBallen, from TikTok and Amazon to live events
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In the four years since he began creating content, MrBallen has become a fixture in the true-crime world and built an empire that spans video content, podcasts, live events, and a talent-management company. "I realized that I had first-mover advantage on TikTok," Allen told Business Insider. "This is a 50-50 partnership through and through, where he has his side of the business, and I have my side of the business," Witters said. "I'll never run out of content," Allen said. Now, Ballen Studios publishes four weekly podcasts, with more shows to be released this year, as well as weekly content across all social platforms.

Persons: Doja Cat, MrBallen, John Allen, Addison Rae, Allen, Nick Witters, Witters, John, Cadence13 Zak Levitt, Joe Rogan's, Nick, we've Organizations: YouTube, Business, Ballen Studios, Amazon Music, Spotify, Ballen

☆ Influencers are landing paid brand partnerships and UGC deals in an unexpected new way: Slack groups
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Marta Biino | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

That Slack group? While many of the other Slack groups creators said they'd used were free, this particular one charges membership fees of $41 per month or $588 a year. Like the existing Slack group, this one will also charge users. AdvertisementCalveiro is excited about this because of the group's potential to create a safe, engaged community where all questions are welcomed. "I haven't yet seen a truly successful Slack channel just for creators, and I think it's so needed," she said.

Persons: —, Ogilvy, Slack, I've, Kristen Bousquet, Bousquet, she's, Patricia Redulla, Redulla, She's, Calveiro, they'd, Jessy Grossman Organizations: Service, Influencer, Business, Messaging, workspaces, UGC, Adolescent

☆ Why influencer-marketing firm Izea is betting big on AI campaigns with a new image-generation tool
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewIf you can't beat them, join them — that's the mantra that influencer-marketing firm Izea has adopted when it comes to AI. AdvertisementAs a first step in bringing its own AI framework to reality, Izea recently launched AI "Mixers" as part of its AI offering (which it calls "FormAI"). The concept behind "Mixers" is to offer creators and brands the ability to train their own AI models. Influencers will create digital representations of themselves, while marketers can train AI models of their products. Around the same time, another survey found that over half of creators had been asked to use AI by brands.

Persons: —, Izea, Ted Murphy, Murphy, I'm Organizations: Service, Business, Dollar

☆ How the creators of AI influencers are making money and building their audiences, from private groups on Discord to adult content
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-02 | by ( Marta Biino | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Aika's creator, for instance, founded an AI community on Discord, "Generative Dreamers," which counts over 100 popular AI content creators. "Currently this is the only viable way to make money from AI images," the creator of Iskira said of adult content. The server members said the mutual support they'd found had been pivotal in continuing to pursue AI content. And while monetization has been off to a slow start, AI creators said they're here to stay — and several of them hope to eventually move away from adult content. "I think 2023 was a big year for people to wrap their heads around what is AI," said the creator of AI influencer Zoe Fox.

Persons: doesn't, She's, Alexis Ivyedge, Kim Ochii, we'll, Aika, there's, influencers, they're, Iskira, it's, they'd, Kim Ochii's, monetization, Zoe Fox Organizations: Business Locations: Instagram

☆ 13 innovative AI tools that are changing content creators' work processes, from ideation to production to editing
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Marta Biino | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Following ChatGPT's launch in late 2022, several new AI tools have emerged for creators to use. Many tools use generative AI to create more dynamic images, transcribe text, and edit videos. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . Since then, hundreds of AI tools have popped up, helping with anything from writing cover letters during job searches to translating text into different languages. "With the increasing number of AI startups, creators have numerous ways to speed up their processes and workflow.

Persons: —, ChatGPT, Nick Chen, Amber Venz, Chen, Lia Haberman, Lindsey Gamble Organizations: Service, UCLA

That's why the company adds suggested search terms above and below TikTok videos to encourage users to find and click on related posts they might enjoy. AdvertisementWhy does the TikTok search bar tend to amplify drama? The suggested search phrases on TikTok are determined algorithmically, not by a human, based on relevance and engagement factors, a spokesperson told Business Insider. The search results reflect what users are saying about the TikTok video. AdvertisementWhen inappropriate or unwanted search phrases slip through its content-moderation system, the company has a feature that lets users report a recommended search that violates its policies.

Persons: —, Christian Vierling, TikTok, who's, influencers, Joel Bervell, we're Organizations: Service, Business, Women's Health

It wasn't just because TikTok users love to gossip — the platform suggested names of popular models as related searches at the bottom of Paré's video. When Business Insider viewed the video, TikTok suggested searching for "devon windsor suitcase" and "Taylor Hill" in different search bars. As TikTok looks to boost search activity , the company is automatically generating suggested queries in the search bars on videos. AdvertisementSince user comments help feed recommended searches, trolls flooding a creator's comments section with rude phrases or false claims can impact what the app recommends their followers view next. AdvertisementLike Bervell, several other TikTokers expressed frustration at their lack of control over the recommended searches, which can end up being "gossipy," he said, or completely unrelated to their content.

Persons: —, TikTok influencer Taylor Paré, Devin Windsor, TikTok, Taylor, Paré, Julia McNamee, she's, Katarina Terentieva, influencers, Joel Bervell, Bervell, we're, Jahleane, It's, it's, Brett Dashevsky, Dashevsky Organizations: Service, Business, Industry, Group, Adobe Express, Google, BI, Economy, YouTube Locations: New York

☆ A leaked email from YouTube to creators outlines the new rules for joining its exclusive short-form community program
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Marta Biino | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewYouTube is introducing stricter rules for joining its exclusive community support program for short-form creators. This month, members of the creator community were notified that the support would get more exclusive, to ensure "the most engaged and interested creators" were being managed, according to an email viewed by Business Insider. The creator asked to remain anonymous to protect their relationship with YouTube, but their identity is known to BI. The decision to make the shorts community more exclusive didn't come as a surprise to many creators, given the increased popularity of the feature. AdvertisementAnd according to data from the creator-marketing platform CreatorIQ, brands increased their influencer-marketing spend on YouTube shorts by 700% in 2023.

Persons: —, Sundar Pichai, we're Organizations: Service, Business, YouTube, Google

Read previewTikTok's owner ByteDance is pushing a new campaign this week to promote its Pinterest-like app, Lemon8, according to three sources familiar with the effort. AdvertisementThe "100 Bucket List Ideas" promotion is the latest in a series of pushes by Lemon8 to pay influencers to plug the app. AdvertisementThe company has been using influencer promotions for Lemon8 since early 2023 when ByteDance sought to jump-start app downloads as it rolled out in the US and UK. While Lemon8 has by no means achieved the usage levels of its sister app TikTok, it has gradually gained an audience in the US and abroad. AdvertisementByteDance is also trying to grow other content-creation apps outside of TikTok and Lemon8, including its widely popular CapCut video-editing tool.

Persons: —, ByteDance, influencers, they've, Lemon8 Organizations: Service, Business, Apple, Lemon8, TikTok Locations: Lemon8, TikTok

☆ When YouTuber Lizzy Capri pivoted away from kids' content, she took a big financial hit. She says it was worth it.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-22 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

In early 2023, YouTuber Lizzy Capri felt trapped in "creator prison." Starting in 2017, Capri became known online as "Lizzy Sharer" (she became "Lizzy Capri" in 2019). In the world of influencers, having a "niche" — specific content geared toward a specific audience — is often praised as an asset. In March 2023, she published a video titled "Goodbye to the old Lizzy..." to announce her content would change. Lizzy CapriThe hard pivot was tough financiallyWhen she pivoted, Capri did it more for herself than for the business.

Persons: Lizzy Capri, she'd, Capri, she's, Lizzy Sharer, OnlyFans, I've, it's, Bryce Adams, Adams Organizations: Business, Mattel, — Locations: Capri, OnlyFans, States

☆ The pioneering influencer firm Gleam Futures is shutting down its talent-management arm
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Marta Biino | Lara O'Reilly | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

It's the end of an era: the pioneering influencer agency Gleam Futures has sunset its talent-management arm, the company confirmed to Business Insider. Ad giant Dentsu Aegis acquired a majority stake in Gleam in 2017 and took over as sole owner in 2020. On the talent side, Gleam Futures had been undergoing changes for some time. In 2023, Gleam Futures managers slowly began an exodus toward other UK talent firms, including InterTalent, Insanity, and HLD, bringing their talent with them. The company's website went from showing a roster of over 60 talent in 2022 to just 20 in late 2023.

Persons: Gleam, Dom Smales, Zoe Sugg, Tanya Burr, Melanie Kentish, Gleam's, Julie Chadwick Organizations: Gleam, Business, Gleam Futures, Studios, Dentsu Locations: Gleam

☆ YouTube shorts won influencer marketers' attention in 2023 with a 700% spending boost as investment in short-form content climbed
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Short-form video dominated . Brands are investing more in short-form content on YouTube, and creators are starting to see returns. A variety of brands have invested in creator partnerships on YouTube shorts, CreatorIQ data showed. Categories like beauty and fashion — brands like Milani, E.l.f., Nyx, Shein, and Aritzia — also spent more on YouTube shorts. "While long-form beauty and fashion tutorials remain a YouTube staple, their popularity is waning as Gen Z prioritizes short-form video content."

Persons: —, Red Bull, Instagram, I've, Jade Beason, Beason, she's, Alasdair Mann, Logan Paul, Aritzia —, Alexander Rawitz, Z, Mann Organizations: Service, YouTube, Business, Unilever, Brands, NFL Locations: Red

☆ Men are turning to OnlyFans for emotional connection amid a loneliness epidemic
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-17 | by ( Marta Biino | Madeline Berg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

"They can go to Pornhub and get naked people and sexual videos," Rae Richmond, another content creator, said. And when he chats with Farrah, an OnlyFans creator, things rarely get sexual. Some think the OnlyFans relationships help, while others think they can make people lonelier. LiensueGenuine connection can be an unintended consequence for creators, tooDespite the transactional nature of OnlyFans relationships, a real sense of companionship can develop on both ends. Sweetheart said she hadn't been on any dates since she began creating OnlyFans content over three years ago.

Persons: Cherie DeVille, Simon, DeVille, he'd, I'd, who's, they'd, Rae Richmond, Walter's, Farrah, Walter, OnlyFans, Robert Weiss, Albert L, Ortega, Amber, Aston Martin, Keily Blair, sexting, she'd, Amber Sweetheart OnlyFans, Jade Nicole, Jade, she's, Jade Nicole Jade Nicole Mark, Liensue, Sue, Elaina St James, Tom, St James, haven't, Weiss, Ronald Levant —, Katherine Frank, Levant, Marie Lippmann, you've, I've, hadn't, She's, Candice Organizations: Google, Business, NFL, Gallup, Pew, Getty, University of Akron, Strip Club, California State University, Chico Locations: Italy, OnlyFans, New York

☆ 7 'reverse culture shocks' from Americans returning to the US after living overseas
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Marta Biino | Charissa Cheong | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

People who've returned to the US after spending time abroad are sharing "reverse culture shocks." America's big cars and portion sizes were among the reverse culture shocks mentioned online. But another hugely popular genre on TikTok and other social-media platforms shows us the flip side: the reverse culture shocks some Americans experience after returning to the US from time overseas. AdvertisementThese "reverse culture shocks," as they have been dubbed online, typically based on anecdotal accounts, might serve to showcase some of the unique aspects of US culture, which users forgot about or didn't experience while abroad. Here are seven things about the US that people say have caused reverse culture shock.

Persons: who've, — Organizations: Service Locations: Europe

He started making money on the app by offering fishing baits through TikTok Shop, selling around 92 strawberry- and sweet-corn-flavored "little bitz," for instance. "TikTok product violations are nearly enough to make me walk away," one merchant who sells children's products on TikTok Shop told BI. TikTok Shop officially launched in the US in September after months of testing and previous rollouts in other countries like the UK and Singapore. But lately, its AI detection system has run amok, Shop sellers told BI. Several TikTok Shop merchants told BI that it felt like submitting a ticket through the creator center felt like a dead end.

Persons: Joel, livestreaming, TikTok, Sellers, Jessica Slone, Anastasia Wesselink Moellering, Etsy Organizations: Business, TikTok Shop, Singapore, Bloomberg, TikTok, Shopify Locations: Chicago

☆ A creator chose OnlyFans over a Ph.D. and made over $4 million in a year
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-10 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

"I wanted to give it a try," Isla, who uses a pseudonym to protect her privacy, told Business Insider. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. At the time, the Canadian creator was in her last year of undergrad studies in psychology and neuroscience, and was working as a lab tech and lab coordinator at her college. In 2023, Isla made almost $5 million across two profiles on the platform, before OnlyFans took its 20% cut. On her main account, direct messages accounted for almost $2 million of the $4.7 million Isla earned in revenue in 2023.

Persons: —, Isla Moon, I'm, Isla, OnlyFans, TikTok, She's, she's Organizations: Service, Business, YouTube Locations: OnlyFans, Canadian

Surprise: Not every YouTuber edits their own videos. Often a behind-the-scenes gig, the lives and career paths of YouTube editors aren't as public as the stories behind the platform's stars. But like freelance work in media more broadly, many YouTube editors are still figuring out how to structure their payment rates and hours. And unlike in Hollywood where unions often dictate labor terms, YouTube editors are often on their own. Business Insider connected with editors, creators, agents, managers, and other digital-media industry professionals to learn more about the work of editors on YouTube.

Persons: Nicholas Stanley Erhart, Brittany, Broski, Tomlinson, YouTubers, Tony Santos, Thomas Frank, Cam Peddle Organizations: Business, YouTube Locations: Hollywood

☆ These were YouTube's 10 top rising stars last year — and the managers, publicists, and more supporting them
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-08 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

The short-form video wave on YouTube helped many creators skyrocket in views and subscribers this year. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Top creators ranking on YouTube's annual US "breakout creators" list this year included several who mainly post short videos, or Shorts, on the platform, and ranged in categories like gaming, skits, and comedy videos. Some creators who achieve this level of success quickly have benefited from hiring teams to help them with their businesses, brand strategy, and PR opportunities. Business Insider mapped out the teams that work with YouTube's breakout creators, from managers to agents to publicists.

Persons: skyrocket, Alexey Gerasimov, Hew Moran Organizations: YouTube, Business, Alpha

☆ How adult-content and OnlyFans star Riley Reid plans to 'immortalize' herself using AI and new chatbot tech
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Marta Biino | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The adult-content and OnlyFans star Riley Reid recently launched an AI platform, Clona, with a chatbot based on herself. I feel so lucky I've had the opportunity to create Riley Reid as a mainstream name. Riley Reid has been in the adult-content industry for over a decade. Reid cofounded Clona based on an idea her team had when they began noticing the success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT. "You can request your AI Riley to give herself a purple mohawk if that's what you're into, because real-life Riley would never do that."

Persons: Riley Reid, Reid, I'm, I've, she'd, Clona, chatbots, Lena, Paris Hilton, Tom Brady, Amber, Brady's, Riley, she's, that's Organizations: Business, Meta, Paris

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