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☆ I went to 'Instagram University,' where Meta employees and content creators shared strategies for growing on the app. Here were my top 5 takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Meta hosted a virtual "Instagram University" event that invited creators and journalists. Instagram employees and content creators spoke about the app's algorithm and tools. I spent part of an afternoon sitting in on "Instagram University," a lecture-styled panel hosted by Meta that invited content creators and journalists to learn about Instagram's latest tools. For instance, Blanding broke down some advice to creators about how to get their content recommended in the app. Here were 5 takeaways from Meta's latest Instagram University session:

☆ Twitter and Apple are cracking down on return-to-office mandates. Other tech companies will likely start too.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-27 | by ( Diamond Naga Siu | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Major tech companies are taking in-person work pretty seriously. They were early return-to-office tech companies. So their crackdowns give a glimmer of how tech companies issuing similar mandates now will enforce them going forward. Amazon, Oracle, Salesforce, and many other tech companies recently announced the end to remote work. Check out our list of major companies with return-to-office mandates — they could eye policy enforcement soon.

☆ An ex-Instagram staffer is teaching brands and creators how to grow an audience on the app. Here are 4 of her top strategies.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Jackie Candelaria, a former Instagram staffer, is now advising creators and brands. Candelaria is now building a business as an Instagram consultant for brands and creators who want to leverage the app to grow their own businesses and audience. "I don't think that's sustainable. Good reels tell storiesA good reel has to tell a story, Candelaria said. "I think it's just allowing the system kind of recorrect itself and show good content."

The YouTube subscriber count has quickly become an outdated relic. YouTube shorts has lowered the barrier to entry, making it easier to gain subscribers. "Especially in the world of short-form content, where your viewers are one swipe away from moving onto someone else." Nearly every social platform, from YouTube to Facebook to TikTok, is still working to crack the code for monetizing short-form video well with advertising. Short-form video ad spending worldwide for 2022 to 2028, via Insider Intelligence.

As the influencer industry continues to grow, so does the demand for talent managers and agents. Managers and agents help creators make money and choose which business opportunities to pursue. Like traditional stars, creators have built up teams with managers and agents to help them expand and run their businesses, and those supporting players have raced to sign the next generation of stars. "I felt that most brands were not seeing the value of diverse creators and the audiences they serve. Some influencers have both a talent manager and an agent.

☆ TikTok went big at SXSW and creators discussed building lasting businesses. Here are 3 takeaways that I left Austin with.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-15 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Creators gathered at Meta's Austin, TX offices for a series of talks hosted by the Asian Creator House. Whether creators were talking about pay transparency, or startups were pitching their products as solutions, creator monetization was an ongoing conversation at SXSW. "More and more creators are being transparent as to how much they're making," said Monica Ravichandran, creator and Collective Voice staffer. At the Asian Creator House, led by Always Be Creating cofounders Justin Nguyen and Jerry Won, creator pay and business building were also top of mind. But on the brand and marketing side of SXSW, AI wasn't a potent topic, according to Influencer's Penchin.

☆ TikTok is using SoundOn to take on the entire music industry as it queues up creator marketing and hires an A&R lead for North America
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-14 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The company is using its editorial influence on TikTok, Resso, and CapCut to promote SoundOn songs. Would it eventually roll out a standalone music streaming service, as a May 2022 trademark filing from its parent company ByteDance suggested? The company is now offering editorial placements to some SoundOn artists across TikTok, ByteDance's music streaming app Resso, and its video-editing app CapCut. These placements, which include being featured in high-traffic playlists, offer SoundOn users a unique path to being discovered. TikTok's parent ByteDance previously sought to hire for a similar A&R role in Jakarta, Music Business Worldwide reported in May.

☆ A TikTok exec says the company overrode its own algorithm to boost views for the World Cup and Taylor Swift, comparing the strategy to Netflix's recommendations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok overrode its algorithm to boost views on the World Cup and Taylor Swift, a company exec said. TikTok's Jeff Louisma compared the practice to how Netflix promotes certain movies on its homepage. Putting guardrails on TikTok's algorithm is a focus for US officials that fear influence campaigns. TikTok has manipulated its own algorithm to promote certain tentpole moments such as the World Cup or when Taylor Swift first joined the platform, a company cybersecurity exec said on Saturday, speaking at the South by Southwest conference in Austin, Texas. TikTok staff also have other mechanisms that can influence the type of content that's surfaced to users on its app.

☆ A TikTok exec says it's gamed its own algorithm to boost views for the World Cup and Taylor Swift, comparing the strategy to Netflix's recommendations
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

☆ SXSW may be in Texas, but Silicon Valley Bank's implosion is casting an uneasy cloud over the tech festival
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-12 | by ( Madeline Renbarger | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

As the South by Southwest tech conference began in Austin on Friday, Silicon Valley Bank failed. The annual festival is known for attracting hundreds of startup founders and tech investors. Sign up for our newsletter for the latest tech news and scoops — delivered daily to your inbox. Later on Friday, Lessin shared an Instagram story post showing her SVB credit card being declined while she traveled to SXSW. "It seems likely that if the government does not step in to stop the contagion kicked off by SVB's bank run, we will see more regional (or even large) banks fail," Haugen told Insider.

☆ Instagram and Facebook will pause their Reels Play bonus programs that paid creators in the US
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Meta will pause its Reels Play bonus programs on Instagram and Facebook in the US. The Reels Play bonus was one of many tools Meta had rolled out to pay creators. Meta will be pausing its US Reels Play bonus, a program that paid creators a monthly sum for accumulating views on their Reels. "We will stop extending new and renewed Reels Play deals for creators on Facebook and for US creators on Instagram at this time." The Reels Play bonus had been one of the main ways creators could monetize their short-form video content on Instagram.

☆ Facebook's top exec Tom Alison breaks down his top priorities for 2023 and his pitch to creators
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Tom Alison, head of Facebook, wants the platform to be a more welcoming home to creators. Insider spoke with Alison about Facebook's priorities as uncertainty around Meta layoffs mounts. "We want Meta to be a great home for creators," Alison said. "You layer in some monetization tools on top of that and they can use Facebook to extend their income," Alison said. "We're going to be integrating and embracing more messaging functionality within Facebook," Alison said.

☆ Suppliers for Spring say the creator merch startup has owed them money for months and they're in the dark on how to get paid
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-08 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Product vendors hired by Spring say the creator merch company owes them money. "There's two types of acquisitions," Michael Curtiss, partner and M&A advisory lead at WilliamsMarston, told Insider. "I think this will send a couple of suppliers broke," the second vendor added. By June 2022, the second vendor said they had noticed their business was not getting paid on time. "I just can't stand what they did," said one person who worked closely with Spring vendors.

Managers are being told to expect demotions, putting them in "direct competition" with reports. A current employee told Insider that, in recent weeks many managers at Facebook have been told they will have their teams taken away. "Folks with years of management experience are being told they have to train on a position they haven't done in years," the person told Insider. Yet the photo-sharing app remained "less bloated" than Facebook, as one former employee told Insider, with roughly 20,000 employees. Facebook currently operates according to a "matrix model," one person familiar with the structure told Insider.

☆ Facebook is becoming more like Instagram as Mark Zuckerberg whittles down manager ranks and further layoffs loom
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-28 | by ( Kali Hays | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Facebook is expected to see layoffs amid Mark Zuckerberg's new mandate to "flatten" the company. Facebook, founded by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg twenty years ago, is in the process of being further streamlined, two people familiar with the company told Insider. The company's goal is to have Facebook's structure more closely resemble that of Instagram, the people said, as Zuckerberg looks to cut costs and declares 2023 to be the "year of efficiency." "It's not surprising," another person familiar with the company said of plans to change the structure at Facebook. The current organizational structure at Facebook is essentially what's known as "a matrix" model, one of the people familiar said.

☆ Instagram's top exec says paid blue-check verification could 'help small creators get a leg up,' as he defends Meta Verified
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Meta is testing a monthly paid subscription called Meta Verified on Facebook and Instagram. Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri answered questions about the test and its impact on creators. Meta Verified, a paid subscription that grants users a blue check and streamlined customer service, is already stirring up controversy among creators. "And so we're just testing to see if it is compelling to small creators because we want to help small creators get a leg up." Here were the 3 main takeaways from Mosseri's answers to users' questions about Meta Verified:

☆ An ex-Instagram employee says Meta's 'impatience' has hurt its shopping efforts
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

But as Instagram axes shopping products, ex-staffer Meghana Dhar points to Meta's "impatience." The moves have left many asking: What's going on with Instagram shopping? While at Instagram, Dhar worked on Instagram's early shopping features, from onboarding brands to getting John Mayer to host a live shopping event with laundry company The Laundress. But it's also had a tendency to launch and then axe shopping products, like Instagram (and Facebook) live shopping and affiliate marketing. Scaling back on shopping, for now, could also be a blessing in disguise for Meta, Dhar added.

☆ YouTubers and creator-economy insiders react to the sudden CEO shake-up, and describe the challenges that will define the future of the platform
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-18 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Marta Biino | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki is stepping down, and being replaced by chief product officer Neal Mohan. YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki's sudden announcement on Thursday that she is stepping down has sent shockwaves through the creator community. Wojcicki has been YouTube's CEO since 2014, and joined parent company Google in 1999 as its first marketing manager. Chief product officer Neal Mohan will be taking over her role, having previously been in charge of key products like the short-video platform YouTube Shorts and launched subscription services YouTube Premium and YouTube TV. "Susan understood from the beginning the importance of content creators on YouTube," said Alessandro Bogliari, CEO and cofounder of The Influencer Marketing Factory.

☆ Pay rates for sponsored TikTok posts have fallen as those on Instagram climb, according to data from 405 influencers. Here are 4 other key takeaways.
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Nhari Djan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Rates for sponsored content on Instagram, overall, exceed those on TikTok, shows a February report published by Hashtag Pay Me. While Instagram rates increased year over year from 2021 to 2022, TikTok pay rates appear to have declined, according to the startup's data. Hashtag Pay Me compared how much money influencers are getting paid on Instagram and TikTok. The average rates for Instagram are about 200% higher than for TikTok, for influencers with similar follower counts. Additionally, brands pay $150 to $900 more on average if they request ownership of the content, according to Hashtag Pay Me.

☆ Read the 27-page deck a creator with 300K TikTok followers uses to pitch himself as a consultant for brands
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Here's the deck he uses to pitch services like content strategy, headhunting, and influencer marketing. Offering brands services beyond traditional influencer marketing can unlock many opportunities for creators, Barnett said. Like many creators and agencies alike, Barnett uses a deck to pitch potential clients and highlight case studies. While he often uses his website as an alternative, Barnett shared the latest version of the pitch deck he uses for BarnettX and CreatorX. Read the 27-page deck content creator and advisor JT Barnett uses to pitch consulting opportunities to brands:

Insider compiled a list of 15 New York-based startups shaping the creator economy. With its top creator agencies, influencer-led businesses, and content studios, the West Coast is often seen as the hub of the creator economy. But when it comes to creator economy startups, New York is giving Los Angeles and Silicon Valley a run for their money. In the past two years, investors have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into New York-based creator economy startups. We considered factors like customer adoption, fundraising success, and a company's contributions to the creator economy.

In our inaugural list, Insider is spotlighting 8 recruiters placing talent in the creator economy. Here are the recruiters to know if you are looking to get hired in the creator economy. As the creator economy becomes a more established industry nestled between media and tech, the space is burgeoning with rising stars and new talent. Insider is highlighting eight recruiters who are actively searching for leaders and emerging talent in the creator economy in 2023. Here are eight recruiters who work with creators, startups in the creator economy, or traditional companies and brands to source talent in the creator space, listed alphabetically by firm:

☆ Reddit employees who lost their jobs are livid that the company is painting them as low performers: 'A cruel and dishonest way to kick a person when they're down'
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-02 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

A Reddit spokesperson declined to share the number of employees the company had let go so far, or planned to in total. In total, 10 former Reddit staffers who lost their jobs in January told Insider they did not consider themselves low performers based on their past feedback from the company. One current staffer told Insider they felt they may have been on the chopping block in January and narrowly avoided a termination. Some moved from business development jobs to work on creator services within its community-management and product teams, the Reddit spokesperson previously told Insider. Reddit also informed employees about a cut to some benefits late last year, eight current and former staffers told Insider.

As they've grown, creators on this platform have created media kits to pitch brands. Nadja Marrero, a skincare and beauty influencer, even landed more brand deals because of these techniques. However, many creators often have to reach out to brands to get these deals, which is where media kits come into play. Influencers typically email this media kit, tailoring it to the brand they're pitching, and then negotiate their rates with the brand. Here are 10 examples of real influencer media kits from TikTokers (arranged by follower count):

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