DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

Angel investors in the creator space range from industry experts to creators themselves. From Karat to Canopy, these angel investors are betting on creator-economy startups. Insider is highlighting 11 angel investors funding startups in the creator ecosystem. Typically high-net-worth individuals, angel investors can be crucial business partners for early-stage startups by providing capital, as well as mentorship and access to robust networks. For later-stage startups, big-name angel investors can help act as ambassadors and advisors.

Persons: Ludwig Ahgren, Nuseir Yassin Organizations: Karat, Nas Daily Locations: Nas

☆ Brands want 'fewer, bigger, better' creator relationships as the appeal of micro influencers dips, according to a new marketer survey. Here were 4 other key takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Marta Biino | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

The last time Linqia published this report, in 2021, "micro" influencers (those with fewer than 100,000 followers) were the most in-demand partners for brands. "Brands want fewer, bigger, better — they're really investing in deeper relationships with influencers," he told Insider. In 2021, 90% of marketers said they planned to leverage micro influencers in their campaigns, according to Linqia. But micro influencers haven't lost their appeal completely, and there's still a high demand from brands for their work, he added. According to the survey, 69% of marketers said that engagement rates are the most important KPI.

Persons: Cherie Luo, Linqia, Keith Bendes, Bendes, haven't, there's Organizations: Brands

☆ Patreon's CEO breaks down the company's 'next chapter' and why he's all in on community tools like group chats
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Creators can now chat with their most dedicated fans who subscribe to their Patreon using the platform's in-app group chat tools. Patreon is introducing two new community tools: group chats and profiles. Why launch community tools now? "We are not trying to get 2 billion people on Patreon," Conte said. "It's the five to 15% of your true fans," Conte said.

Persons: Patreon, Jack Conte, Sam Haveson, we've, fandoms, Conte, TikTok, Geoff Weiss, TikTokers, I'm, We're Organizations: Patreon Locations: Patreon

☆ Creator merchandise company Spring has been hit with 7 lawsuits this year
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-08 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Merch company Spring has been hit with numerous lawsuits this year. The creator merchandise company Spring has been hit with a slew of lawsuits this year following the sale of its assets, in late 2022, to the software company Amaze. Spring, as a company, still exists but has been effectively defunct since the asset sale. That hasn't stopped the lawsuits against Spring (formerly known as Teespring) from piling up, however. Since January, Spring has been sued by several vendors and business partners, with global shipping company DHL being the latest to sue the company.

Persons: Amaze, Ty Huls, Huls, Spring, et, Broder Bros, It's, Evan Stites, Clayton, Chris Lamontagne, Annelies Jansen, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Jansen, What's, Michael Curtiss Organizations: DHL, Spring, Washington State Department of Revenue, DHL Ecommerce, Inc, Teespring Inc, Trade Credit Insurance Inc, Al, Former Spring, Amaze, Amaze Holding, Amaze Software Inc, Software Locations: Amaze, Teespring, Spring, WilliamsMarston

☆ How Instagram's expansion of 'Close Friends' to feed posts could signal a new strategy to boost growth
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Instagram is testing a "Close Friends" feature for the feed, the company confirmed. The Meta-owned platform is starting to test a feature that will allow users to post content in their feed to a "Close Friends" audience — similar to the Close Friends feature the app rolled out for stories. "We're testing the ability for people in select countries to share feed posts with their Close Friends," a Meta spokesperson told Insider in an email. Coming to Instagram 🔥 Close Friends feed post. Instagram's push to expand "Close Friends" could signal a bigger change in how the company is thinking about what users want.

Persons: Instagram, Alessandro Paluzzi, Lia Haberman, —, haring Organizations: UCLA

☆ Social Media Is Dead: Instagram, TikTok Replaced by Group Chats, Messaging
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Frustrated with the state of the platform, Breuning launched the "Make Instagram Instagram Again'' crusade in 2022. Influencers, marketers, average users, and even social-media executives agree: Social media, as we once knew it, is dead. Social media to social mediaNo app better defines the changing nature of social media than Instagram. "I'm honestly just tired of social media," said 23-year-old Walid Malb, who works in the creator economy. Amanda Perelli is a senior creator economy reporter covering social media influencers, advertising and marketing trends for Insider.

Persons: Tati, everyone's, Bruening, Breuning, algorithmically, Kylie Jenner, Adam Mosseri, Instagram, Jeffrey Gerson, Sarah Frier, Influencers, Mosseri, Hannah Stowe, Andrea Casanova, Casanova, I'm, Walid Malb, —, Gerson, Nina Haines, Victoria Johnston, Johnston, Lia Haberman, Alpha, they're, Haberman, wouldn't, Amanda Perelli, Bradley Organizations: Bloomberg, Apple, Twitter, UCLA, American Influencer Council, Social, . Locations: Instagram, New York, Similarweb, Castro, Geneva

☆ TikTok is steamrolling past Instagram in user attention time, but is still far behind on ad dollars
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

TikTok has surpassed Instagram in daily minutes spent on the app — by 2025, it could pass Facebook. Here are 3 takeaways from the report, including how ad spend on Instagram still trumps TikTok. In 2023, the company is projected to earn around six times as much as TikTok in ad dollars per adult user for each hour spent on the apps, Insider Intelligence reported. TikTok passed Instagram in total daily minutes in 2022 and will pass Facebook in 2025, according to Insider Intelligence forecasts. Insider Intelligence"Instagram is part of Meta and advertisers are still really wedded to Meta," said Debra Aho Williamson, a principal analyst at Insider Intelligence.

Persons: TikTok, Debra Aho Williamson, Mark Zuckerberg, Williamson Organizations: Facebook, Intelligence, Insider Intelligence, Meta, Instagram, YouTube Locations: Meta

☆ 51% of creators make less than $500 per month, according to a new survey. Here were 4 other key takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Influencer-marketing platform Mavrck surveyed 689 creators to assess their income earned in 2023. Here are 5 takeaways, including how more than 50% earn less than $500 per month. More than half of creators earn less than $500 per month, according to a new survey. But looking beyond brand deals can help some creators increase their incomes. Here are five takeaways from Mavrck's Creator Compensation Report:

Persons: aren't, —, Rachael Cihlar, Mavrck's

☆ A new survey of 689 creators revealed that over half make less than $500 per month. Here were 5 key takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Influencer-marketing platform Mavrck surveyed 689 creators to assess their income earned in 2023. More than half of creators earn less than $500 per month, according to a new survey. Earlier this month, the influencer-marketing platform Mavrck released its 2023 Creator Compensation Report, highlighting how much the 689 creators surveyed make in today's changing economic landscape. But looking beyond brand deals can help some creators increase their incomes. Here are five takeaways from Mavrck's Creator Compensation Report:

Persons: aren't, —, Rachael Cihlar, Mavrck's

From Karat to Spill, venture capitalists are betting on creator-focused companies in 2023.Insider is highlighting 14 VC firms that are backing startups in the space right now. About three years ago, the "creator economy" was a fiery buzzword that emerged out of the bustling influencer-marketing and social-media industries. By 2021, the space had raised approximately $939 million in venture capital, according to Crunchbase data. Insider is highlighting over a dozen VC firms, as well as their partners who specialize in creator-focused startups, that are funding the next wave of creator-economy companies. Here are 14 VC firms funding the creator economy in 2023:Note: Firms are listed in alphabetical order.

Persons: Marlon Nichols, Nichols, Karat Organizations: MaC Venture

☆ 3 ways a private-equity firm is tapping content creators for its portfolio of brands, from co-investment to market research
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Margaret Fleming | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Sponsorships aren't the only way influencers can make money working with brands. The Newcastle Network, a private-equity firm, is tapping creators as investors for DTC brands. And Newcastle Network, a private-equity firm based in Boston, is taking those relationships one step further with the help of Village Marketing's Vickie Segar. Since then, she's been developing strategic partnerships with influencers through the private-equity firm, such as tapping those influencers for market research on behalf of the firm's portfolio companies or bringing on creators themselves as investors. Here are 3 ways that private-equity firm Newcastle Networks is working with influencers:Tapping creators for market research.

Persons: Vickie Segar, —, she's, Segar, Shawn Johnson East, Andrew East, Chris Casgar, Casgar Organizations: Newcastle Network, DTC, YouTube, Newcastle, WPP, Newcastle Networks, influencers, Andrew, Easts Locations: Boston, Newcastle, Instagram

☆ Instagram boss Adam Mosseri reveals behind-the-scenes details on the launch of Threads and 5 other takeaways about Instagram, creators, and more
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-03 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Instagram's new app, Threads, has dominated the discourse around Meta since its July 5 launch. With the launch of Threads, Instagram and its top executive, Adam Mosseri, have been enjoying the limelight. Mark Zuckerberg was "by far the most convicted" about launching Threads as a separate app, Mosseri said on the podcast. "But, the thing is, we're not a messaging app," Mosseri noted. Mosseri has a bias for simplicity and said he recognizes that the Instagram app is overrun with too many features.

Persons: Adam Mosseri, Harry Stebbings, Mosseri, Stebbings, Instagram's Adam Mosseri, Mark Zuckerberg, Meta, Instagram, Instagram hasn't, TikTok, we've, we're, he's, exes Organizations: LinkedIn, VidCon Locations: Pinterest, Instagram

Discord has laid off 4% of its staff, a spokesperson confirmed to Insider. The August layoffs impacted Discord's marketing team heavily, a source familiar with the matter said. The company is undergoing a reorganization of "some business units." Discord laid off around 4% its staff on Thursday, a company spokesperson confirmed to Insider. Several employees who identified as Discord staffers working on graphic design and entertainment partnerships posted about the layoffs on LinkedIn and Twitter.

Organizations: The New York Times

☆ 54% of influencers say they've already posted sponsored content on Threads and 3 other takeaways from a new report about the app
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A new Izea report found 54% of influencers said they'd already posted sponsored content on Threads. In fact, 54% of influencers in the survey said they had already posted sponsored content on Threads. About 61% of influencers surveyed reported that they signed up for Threads within the first 10 days of launching. Influencers and content creators were more likely to join Threads than non-influencer social-media users, according to Izea's data. Izea found that 84% of social-media influencers were open to monetizing their Threads posts, and 54% of influencers reported that they'd already posted paid branded content to the new app.

Persons: influencers, they'd, Instagram, Kristen Bousquet, Izea Organizations: YouTube Locations: influencers, United States

☆ Seeking nominations for the top angel investors funding creator economy startups in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Insider is compiling our 1st annual list of the top angel investors in the creator economy. From Hollywood celebrities to startup founders to influencers, the creator economy has been bootstrapped by many famous angel investors. Typically high-net-worth individuals, angel investors provide startups with funding using their own money, unlike venture capital firms. And Jack Conte, CEO and cofounder of Patreon, has also invested in several up-and-coming creator startups, like financial-management company Stir and online courses startup Creator Now. In order to be considered for this list, angel investors must have written checks to at least two startups between January 2022 and August 2023.

Persons: influencers, Jack Conte Organizations: Morning

From Karat to Spill, venture capitalists are betting on creator-focused companies in 2023.Insider is highlighting 14 VC firms that are backing startups in the space right now. By 2021, the space had raised approximately $939 million in venture capital, according to Crunchbase data. Many startups have raised money in 2023, from pre-seed stages to larger later-stage rounds. Insider is highlighting over a dozen VC firms, as well as their partners who specialize in creator-focused startups, that are funding the next wave of creator-economy companies. Here are 14 VC firms funding the creator economy in 2023:Note: Firms are listed in alphabetical order.

Persons: Marlon Nichols, Nichols, Karat Organizations: MaC Venture

☆ The president of MrBeast's YouTube empire shares lessons from working with the platform's most-successful creator, from globalization to avoiding burnout
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-24 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Marc Hustvedt, president of the YouTube empire MrBeast, likens Jimmy Donaldson's stardom and impact to that of a professional athlete. "To me, creators, particularly YouTube creators, always stood out," Hustvedt said. "A 100-million-view video is exponentially more valuable than 20 5-million-view videos," Hustvedt said. "Get really, really good at making the content," he said. "It sounds so basic, but in practice, it's really, really hard."

Persons: MrBeast, Alberto E, Rodriguez, Marc Hustvedt, Hustvedt, Jimmy Donaldson's, Donaldson, Philip DeFranco, he's, MrBeast doesn't, Anita Elberse, YouTubers Rhett, Link, Smosh, Smosh cofounders Anthony Padilla, Ian Hecox, it's Organizations: Nickelodeon, Microsoft Theater, YouTube, React Media, Hustvedt, Blockbuster, Big Business, Entertainment, Harvard Business, Twitter Locations: Los Angeles , California, Greenville , North Carolina, VidCon, India, Brazil

Insider spoke with influencer marketing experts and creators about sponsored content on Threads. Within two days of Threads' launch on July 5 , certain brands and influencers started posting paid, sponsored content. She's since posted more sponsored content to Threads. Hulu worked with creator Adam Rose on a sponsored Threads post. Some creators, like travel creator Jessica Ufuoma, are turning down sponsored content requests from brands for this reason.

Persons: influencers, Adam Rose, Kristen Bousquet, I've, Bousquet, Hulu, Krishna Subramanian, Amber Venz, Alessandro Bogliari, Ayomi Samaraweera, Meta, Rose, Brittany Mehciz, Hulu's, Thomas Walters, Ajai Guyot, Guyot, it's, Elon Musk, Ryan Detert, Matt Navarra, who's, what's, Elon, Navarra, Meta's, Instagram, Sooraj Saxena, he's, Sydney Bradley, Taryn Hicks, Jessica Ufuoma, collabs Organizations: She's, Brands, Meta, Creators, Hulu, Dollar, Amazon, Twitter, Sydney Locations: Europe

☆ Read the Notion pitch document e-commerce startup Whop used to raise its $17 million Series A
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-21 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Here's an exclusive look at the Notion document used by the startup during its fundraising process. Although fundraising in the creator economy has slowed over the last several quarters, Schwartz sees Whop as a pivot in the space. "Historically, the creator economy, at least up until maybe a year and a half ago, has been pictures and text content," Schwartz said. Instead of creating a fancy pitch deck to send off to investors, Whop's team built a deck using productivity software Notion. Check out the Notion document Whop used to raise its $17 million Series A:Note: The document Whop shared with Insider includes several redactions.

Persons: Steven Schwartz, Cameron Zoub, Schwartz, Whop's, Jack Sharkey, Zoub, Sharkey, Whop, Peter Thiel, Justin Mateen, VCs Josh Richards, Griffin Johnson Organizations: Facebook, Twitter, Insight Partners

Insider spoke with influencer marketing experts and creators about sponsored content on Threads. There may not be hashtags yet on Instagram's new app Threads, but that's not stopping #ads from appearing all over the latest social-media platform. Within two days of Threads' launch on July 5 , certain brands and influencers started posting paid, sponsored content. She's since posted more sponsored content to Threads. Some creators, like travel creator Jessica Ufuoma, are turning down sponsored content requests from brands for this reason.

☆ What to post on Threads: 6 key takeaways for creators from private messages Instagram is sending influencer managers
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Amid preparing to launch new features, Meta is offering tips to creators on what to post. Despite its early success, Threads needs more content, and therefore, creators, to keep up its momentum. Meta also includes its own "Meta" pun in the email, prompting creators to "Get ~Meta~ About Being On Threads," and post about the platform, per the email. Creators love Threads and Meta, according to Meta. "The content ideas like watch parties and live commentaries are a great way for me as a talent manager to build relationships with brands that are on the platform," the talent manager said.

Persons: Meta hasn't, Gabrielle Union, Gordon Ramsey, Matt Steffanina, Meta Organizations: Meta, Netflix, Backstreet Boys

☆ A 23-year-old game developer grew her Instagram audience to nearly 100,000 followers after being laid off from Meta. Here's how she makes money, the 1-page media kit she uses, and what she charges bra
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-18 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Her passion for making gaming content soon became a business. Working at Meta didn't unlock all of the secrets to success on Instagram, Pitcher noted. On top of brand deals, Pitcher said she makes a little bit of cash through TikTok's ad-revenue program on videos. "I've been hearing from a lot of creators that brand deals are drying up, so knowing that, I want to expand." She said she's also still in the process of developing a new video game, but that is years away.

Persons: Emily Pitcher, Pitcher, Emily, —, she's, Kat Liente, isn't, I've Organizations: Meta, Sondering, YouTube Locations: Meta, Instagram

☆ Read a leaked 13-page document Instagram is sending creators about Threads that reveals upcoming features
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-14 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Instagram's new app, Threads, already has more than 100 million users. Insider is sharing the 13-page document Instagram is sending to some creators explaining the app and upcoming features. The 13-page document shared with Insider specifically names three updates coming to trends and topics, search, and messaging. The document shared with content creators and talent managers hints that integration with Mastodon should be coming soon. Here's a look at the exclusive 13-page document:

Persons: Instagram, Lia Haberman, Adam Mosseri, Mosseri, We're, Meta Organizations: Meta, UCLA, ActivityPub

☆ You can already buy fake Threads followers for Instagram's Twitter clone
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-13 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

You can already buy followers for Instagram's Threads. Insider viewed several websites offering to sell followers for Threads accounts. Screengrab/FameSavyAccording to the influencer-marketing platform HypeAuditor, on average, about 13.8% of influencers' Instagram followers are categorized as "suspicious" accounts. To start, followers aren't as prominently showcased on Threads as they are on Instagram (or Twitter, for that matter). Buying an influx of spam followers on Threads could very well do nothing to help an account grow or find success as a creator.

Persons: Instagram, aren't, Adam Mosseri, Meta

Instagram's headcount is looking a bit smaller after layoffs, but it has a hit new app in Threads. Insider is highlighting 14 top executives at Instagram in 2023. Instagram's partnerships org, which handles relationships with public figures, creators, and brands, is also in for a massive overhaul, after cuts in May slashed many roles. Charles Porch will continue to lead Instagram's partnerships team as VP. Insider has compiled a list of 14 top executives at Instagram who lead teams from product marketing to diversity and inclusion.

Persons: Adam Mosseri, It's, Meta, Instagram, Tessa Lyons, Instagram's, Nick Grudin, Justin Osofsky, who's, Charles, Eva Chen, shepherding, he'll Organizations: Instagram, Meta, Dapper Labs Locations: London

Search resuls for: "Sydney Bradley"

25 mentions found