The creator economy is projected to exceed $200 billion in 2026. In a matter of a couple years, the creator economy has gone from being a side channel to a core media strategy.
And we’re talking about a whole lot more than single platform influencers on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube or TikTok. While there certainly still are single platform, or predominantly one platform influencers out there, increasingly these folks are building out an eco-system of media properties – multiple social media channels combined with their owned website platforms, and direct access email subscribers and online communities. What knits the media properties together is a defined audience, often a niche market, where the influencer holds power through shared content – entertaining and informative, like a trusted friend. Oftentimes there is 1:1 interaction through email replies, DMs on social media, or conversations via a closed community group that the audience has joined. This brings the influencer even closer to their readers.
What makes this new style of influencer so appealing?
In a world filled with fake news and AI content, we trust two sources: (1) Well researched and vetted editorial from a respected news source, and (2) Friends. Influencers are now seen as friends – people we know and respect. And influencers audience trusts them like a close friend.
Decline of traditional media
Media reach through traditional channels, such as print and broadcast, is increasingly harder to come by. News organizations are downsizing, merging, and sometimes folding all together. Local media has been hardest hit. Traditional media was supported primarily by advertising revenue and subscribers. Fortunately some strong holds like the Globe and Mail in Canada, and the New York Times in the US have successfully adapted to the subscriber model, with both long form written content and video news behind paywalls. But what’s been left in many markets, after Meta decimated ad sales with more targeted offerings, is often fragmented or trading sensationalized one-sided coverage for eyeballs.
Into this world, mega-influencers have arrived, building their own media empires. They aren’t just posting their own views or sponsored content. They’re launching product lines, securing equity deals, and developing intellectual property. They’re becoming business owners – as publishers and entrepreneurs.
Mr. Beast is likely the most famous of this lot, but there are many others. Beyond mega-influencers (1 million + followers), there are macro-influencers (100,000+), micro-influencers (10,000+), and nano-influencers (1,000+) Generally as follower counts decrease, 1:1 engagement with their audience increases, meaning that a mico or nano influencer with a suite of media properties, perhaps 1-2 strong social channels, a website and community or email list, is a viable media empire for reaching a niche audience.
I’m friends with many of these influencers in the travel space. Some would consider me amongst them, although I’m still very much growing my www.carryonqueen.com brand. These travel influencer have media one sheets, and detailed media portfolios outlining their platforms, content focus, social media reach, brand partnerships, case studies, writing, photography and film portfolios, awards & recognition, and testimonials. Many of them can deliver a 100K+ audience across platforms, with a breakdown of global audience demographics. They have surpassed the reach of traditional media for some markets.
The game has changed
What’s different with this style of influencer, is that the entire relationship model is changing. Early in the influencer game (think single platform Instagram influencers), brands paid for one or two posts, mostly from mega or macro influencers. It was single transaction, sometimes combined with free stuff. But the dollars were substantial for huge reach. In the new world, brands are offering creators revenue sharing and long-term partnerships. Creators have their own media contracts. Yes, brands are working with both mega and macro influencers, but increasingly micro and nano influencers have appeal, because they’ve realized something crucial: relevance and engagement matter more than reach. Brand are also partnering up on the production and negotiated ownership of video or visual assets produced by the influencer, essentially licensing use by contract. The influencer has become not only a media distribution company with a coveted audience, but also a production house, that knows how to connect with their specific audience.
Influencers are the new media. The numbers back this up: 76% of Gen Z and 65% of millennials seek financial advice online or through social media rather than from traditional institutions. Go search out financial advice on TikTok or Instagram if you don’t believe me. For those a little older who may remember David Chilton, author of the original Wealthy Barber, check out his Wealthy Barber Podcast on Spotify and YouTube, currently ranked #2 business podcast in Canada. Influencers tap media channels and reach to match their audience.
I’m fresh off attending the TMAC conference for Travel Media Association of Canada, where digital creators and traditional media gather to generate earned media and work collaborations with destination marketing organizations (DMOs). And I’ll be heading off to TBEX North America in Richmond Virginia in June, where travel bloggers and social media influencers from the US, Canada and abroad will gather to collaborate on media with even more DMOs.
Where marketing and travel creator content collide
What I’ve learned, observing up close the changing media landscape as a marketer at www.fiveminutemarketing.com , and is seeing how it all plays out amongst my travel media colleagues, as a writer and creator at www.carryonqueen.com , is that these partnerships build credibility that drives business results.
Brands are now measuring creator partnerships the same way they used to measure every other big media channel out there: by acquisition cost, and ROI. That tells me that influencers are now the new media.
