ICYM: 2024 Creator Trends + Influencer Marketing Predictions
Actionable insights, ideas and inspiration!
ICYMI’s got a new tagline: “Written by the number one Google search result for ‘Creator Economy Expert.’” That’s me. Woot! Thank you for being part of this newsletter’s success.
⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY
Instagram plans to prioritize creators who drive teen engagement
HBO is releasing the Sopranos in :25 second recaps on TikTok
Report: 5 actionable trends creators can take advantage of in 2024*
9 out of the box influencer marketing ideas
“Unhinged” and “weird” continue to be the theme of 2024
💻 ROADMAP
📲 Meta Updates
Instagram is testing a new sticker labeled 🔔 Fitness. Speculation about the new sticker has ranged from being able to sync your health data with Apple Watch to calendar reminders for healthy habits and encouraging quotes. When I asked about it, I was told: “This feature is an internal prototype and not testing externally. Nothing more to share at this time.”
A new Instagram feature “Friend's Story” has been spotted in the wild. This allows you to create and DM a Story to a friend. They can decide whether or not to post it themselves. If they post it, viewers can see that you created it.
If this makes it to an official launch, it could be a good way for brands and creators to collab beyond partnership posts.
Meta will automatically place teens into the most restrictive content control setting on Instagram and Facebook in the face of a lawsuit that alleges products and features were released which posed a psychological risk to children and teens.
Threads is testing a feature to view chronological search results.
📲 TikTok Update
You can now cast your TikToks to watch videos on TV. (Step by step details here.) Nearly half (45%) of all YouTube viewership takes place on TVs. So, Chromecast support and TikTok’s Out of Phone program to move beyond the mobile screen are all important if the ByteDance app hopes to compete as a legit source of streaming entertainment versus just another social app.
TikTok is restricting specific hashtag searches in its Creative Center about topics that would be seen as controversial to the Chinese government, U.S. politics and the war in Gaza and Ukraine
📲 YouTube Update
YouTube updated its harassment and cyberbullying policy to prevent content — such as AI-powered deepfakes — that realistically simulates deceased minors or victims of major violent events.
YouTube introduced a new workflow in Remix to more easily transform long-form videos into Shorts.
Streamers and live stream moderators can now access Channel Activity from their live chat feed to see user chat history, public user history and other moderation activity in streams. It’s available on desktop but coming to mobile soon.
Related: YouTube’s Creator Insider breaks down the latest Live Streaming updates
🚀 FEATURED TREND REPORT
2024 Online Learning Trends as predicted by 2,500 Creators
Thinkific just launched their 2024 Online Learning Trends Report with insights and predictions from over 2,500 creators., Based on the survey, Thinkific compiled 5 actionable trends that creators and creator educators can take advantage of in 2024, including:
Why 78% of creators believe that AI-generated content is here to stay and how to use AI as a tool to enhance rather than solely create.
How creators can monetize faster by creating content like Guides, eBooks, and Mini-Courses, which 3 of every 5 people surveyed say they’ve downloaded from people they follow online.
The rise of learning content on TikTok from topics like cover letter writing, to cooking, to pet training, and what it means for creators who want to reach the 18-25 year old demographic.
The report is packed with actionable takeaways and quotes from folks like Creator Monetization Expert Kristen Bousquet, Thinkific Expert Ian Richardson, and former YouTube and Instagram employee turned Creator Jon Youshaei.
“The past few years creators have learned how to truly optimize for the algorithm. Some called it the MrBeast-ification of YouTube. But in the next year, I predict the pendulum will swing back — with viewers yearning for personality based, un-polished content,” says Youshaei.
*sponsored
MORE 2024 PREDICTIONS
I read through a lot of other influencer marketing predictions so you don’t have to. I’ll recap some of the recurring trends that made multiple lists and then call out some of the most interesting ideas to help you cut through the clutter.
First, the consensus predictions. These are recurring themes I saw on 2024 prediction lists that most of the industry seems to agree upon:
LinkedIn will be a key platform for B2B influencer marketing and for creator/celebrity entrepreneurs looking to recruit and share brand building stories. Snoop Dogg’s an amazing example of this.
AI generated influencers will continue to emerge but they aren’t putting real influencers out of business just yet. Being conventionally attractive can’t make up for lack of authenticity. But generative AI is expected to have a major impact on content creation.
Long-form video is making a comeback, creating opportunities for more in-depth storytelling and driving audience loyalty and creator revenue. But having trained audiences to expect and appreciate Shorts, Reels and TikToks, short-form video won’t disappear right away. In fact, HBO is releasing the Sopranos in :25 second recaps on TikTok, hoping to lure you to subscribe for full episodes.
Brands will partner with Gen Z and Alpha creators such as Kian Hiatt, Haven Garza and Katie Fang, to go after the next generation of consumers.
Brands will look in-house at their own employees as part of their B2C marketing and comms strategies. Good examples of this are brands like Nordstrom and Sephora.
Long-term partnerships are expected to be the preferred campaign model as brands seek to collaborate with loyal advocates: influencers and creators that they know are tried and true fans. Brands are looking for ROI, not unpredictable experiments.
Creator-led companies will continue to grow, following in the footsteps of Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network, Emma Chamberlain’s Chamberlain Coffee, MrBeast’s Feastables and KSI and Logan Paul’s Prime. Meanwhile, creator economy startups will shut down or get acquired.
Ideas that stood out:
💡 TikTok will launch its version of Amazon Prime Day, predicts marketer Lindsey Gamble. Working name “TikTok Shop Day,” the event will rely heavily on creators to raise awareness, highlight key deals, and curate products for viewers.
💡 This year is make it or break it for Threads, predicts analyst Jasmine Enberg. “Meta has the resources and the execution power to make Threads stick. But social media moves fast, and the company's priorities could shift… Without a large, engaged-enough user base to start monetizing soon, Meta could fold Threads into Instagram.”
💡 Big name influencers will create private communities to curate a more personal experience, predicts marketer Isabella Muggeo. Look for “private profiles, blogs, and stories as a way to interact with fans,” like Meredith Hayden of Wishbone Kitchen has done with her secondary account and newsletter.
💡 Hyperlocal and niche influencer campaigns will offer better targeting, predicts Sway Group’s Danielle Wiley. Brands will use geo-targeting, niche and nano influencers to connect with specific communities and interest groups.
💡 Creators will be slowing down their editing style, predicts Reed Duchscher. The Night Media CEO points to creators such as Outdoor Boys and Sam Sulek who are gaining traction by just being themselves and not overly editing their videos. “We’re looking for raw authenticity with a low editing barrier, not incredibly quick videos without any breathing room.”
💡 Casting influencers/celebrities/cool people instead of models, writes Link In Bio’s Rachel Karten, pointing to the J.Crew Men’s Instagram as an example of this. “People relate to real people. People share real people.”
💡 FaceTime-type content will resonate, says Michelle Miller, SVP Global Marketing, K18 Hair. This is the best way I’ve heard someone describe the approachable, intimate-feeling content creators will produce to create a closer-knit community and stronger relationships with their audiences.
💡 “The hill I’m willing to die on right now is in this industry we use the terms creator and influencer very interchangeably. I find them to be very different and if you are pitching a brand it’s really important to identify which you are,” says Molly Tracy, founder and CEO of Vrai Digital, speaking to my UCLA Extension influencer marketing class about 2024 trends. “Influencer = someone that can influence you to take action i.e. purchase a product, try a service. Creator = someone who creates engaging/interesting content. You can be an influencer who is also a creator, but creators can rarely be influencers. It's much harder to cross that line. Usually there's a separation of church and state and there are different lanes everyone is falling in now.”
💡 There’s life after creating, writes Jim Louderback. This year, the creator economy expert predicts we’ll all be talking about the “post-creator” experience. We’ve seen it already from ex-influencer Lee Tilghman, former YouTuber Cat Valdes and other creators who’ve retired recently to build adjacent careers in the industry.
🌊 CREATORS AT SEA
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Atria Books is sponsoring TikToker Marc Sebastian’s journey on the controversial 9-month-long Royal Caribbean Ultimate World Cruise. Not only can you follow along for all the deckside drama but kudos to the marketing team for this #MarcReadsaBook partnership. It’s an unexpected stunt but one that actually makes a lot of sense: people read books on trips. Who hasn’t picked up something to read at the airport book shop?! If Marc’s going to be documenting his time at sea, supplying him with a stack of books is a smart way to get their name in front of cruise fans, the BookTok community and drama lovers.
PERSONAL UPDATE
🎙️ New year, new podcast! I’m excited to announce Danielle Wiley asked me to collaborate on a season of The Art of Sway podcast!
Each week, we’re going to chat about the hottest topics I’ve included in my newsletter, ICYMI, pairing my POV with Danielle’s experience as founder and CEO of Sway Group.
We’ll break down all the buzziest influencer marketing and creator economy news to help you make sense of what’s noise and what needs your immediate attention.
Stay tuned: launch date with help from our partner Sprout Social is Feb. 5th 2024!
📖 NEWS WORTH READING
Instagram plans to prioritize creators who are most likely to drive teen engagement on the app -The Information (free article link)
Snapchat+ hit 7M paying subscribers over the holidays -Big Technology
What Gen Z thinks of social, video, AI, and sports -Marketing Brew
DM'ing with close friends and family is “a key source of happiness for young people” -SocialMediaToday
Nearly 94% of influencers surveyed prefer to work for a flat-fee as opposed to a commission-based structure -AdAge
Alex Consani is TikTok’s 2024 It Girl -Bustle
Duolingo’s CMO expects the brand will be even more “unhinged” in 2024 -Marketing Brew
“The thing that works the best right now is the weird stuff” -Jamie Gutfreund, LinkedIn
A comprehensive calendar of 2024 holidays to help with your content plans -Chris Lam
Join me on Tuesday, Jan. 16th, for a free LIVE webinar where I’ll dive deep into Thinkific’s 2024 trend prediction: shifting from social media to supportive private communities. RSVP to the webinar!
This is amazing-- super informative! I just discovered your newsletter and I'm already loving it so so much <3
Extremely informative.❤️