The creator economy: Making dollars and sense out of social partnerships

Remember a few years ago when op-eds used to claim influencer marketing was a fad? Fortunately for influencers, creators and brands, that turned out to be completely wrong. Consumers proved with their loyalty, engagement and purchasing power that influencer marketing is here for the long-haul.

Today, the creator economy is worth $250 billion (yes, that’s billion with a “b”). By 2027, that figure is expected to balloon to $500 billion. Once a small-but-mighty phenomenon, the creator economy has transformed into a full-fledged force—reshaping everything from how we consume content, to the relationships between audiences and brands.

To find out which creator strategies are built to last, we dug into data from our recent research and insights from our time at Creator Economy Live. We answer everything from which platforms and trends have the most potential, to actionable advice brands should follow when scaling a program.

What is the creator economy?

The creator economy refers to the vast ecosystem of content creators, influencers and other digital entrepreneurs who monetize their content creation skills. These estimated 50 million creators worldwide build loyal followings on social media platforms—including both traditional networks (e.g., Instagram and TikTok) and emerging platforms (e.g., Substack). Creators and influencers earn revenue through brand partnerships, ad revenue, subscriptions, affiliate links, direct fan support and merchandise, though new monetization methods are continuously emerging.

Forecast to reach half-a-trillion dollars by 2027, the value of the creator economy has exploded due to cultural shifts—including massive increases in digital content consumption during and following lockdowns, and the subsequent elevation of online culture to the mainstream. Creator marketing is now an essential part of digital marketing playbooks in the increasingly crowded social landscape.

The benefits of the creator economy for brands

According to a Q1 2025 Sprout Pulse Survey, over half of marketers say influencers already play a significant role in boosting audience engagement, fostering credibility and driving revenue growth.

When comparing creator-led content to traditional brand content, 92% of marketers say sponsored content outperforms organic content posted on their own accounts, per the same Pulse Survey. Another 90% say creator content yields stronger engagement and 83% link it to more conversions.

Even 65% of marketers think that their executives see the value of creator marketing—underscoring just how valuable it’s become in the customer journey. As a sign of true company-wide buy-in, 95% of marketing leaders plan to maintain or increase their influencer marketing budgets, per The Sprout Social Index™.

The creator economy is one of the most reliable avenues for reaching engaged audiences, building trust and humanizing your brand, and delivering sustainable financial returns. A creator and influencer marketing strategy is no longer a “nice to have,” it’s an absolute necessity.

Breaking down the top creator economy platforms

Every platform lends itself to different audiences, creators and relationships between the two. As marketers craft their creator marketing strategies, they’re trying to meet their audience where they are, while delivering the content types that resonate most on each distinct platform.

Facebook

With other social networks at the center of creator marketing conversations, you might be wondering if Facebook is still a viable opportunity. The short answer is: It depends on your target audience, industry and marketing goals. As the largest social network in the world, Facebook influencer marketing is most effective for brands targeting a wide, diverse audience. It’s especially useful for businesses in lifestyle, fitness and family-oriented niches​.

One of the best ways to work with creators is through Facebook Groups, where influencers speak directly to engaged niche communities that align with brand interests. Facebook Reels also provide opportunities for engaging storytelling.

Additionally, brands can collaborate with creators through Facebook Live Shopping online events, where they can showcase and sell products in real time. In fact, the Q4 2024 Sprout Pulse Survey found that 39% of consumers who plan to make purchases through social media in 2025 will do so on Facebook Shop.

Instagram

Instagram is quickly becoming the go-to network for influencers and creators, with recent stats finding that 57% of brand partnerships happen on the channel. Instagram’s wide appeal makes it a top choice for brands across sectors targeting a wide range of audiences.

 Short-form video remains a major driver of engagement, making Instagram Reels and Stories key areas for brand collaborations. The Collab Post feature allows brands and creators to co-publish content, appearing on both profiles simultaneously, maximizing visibility.

Brands can also work with creators through affiliate marketing programs, allowing them to tag products in posts and earn commissions on sales. Instagram Shopping enables seamless in-app purchases, with influencers tagging products in Stories, Reels and feed posts. With these tools, Instagram is a prime platform for brands looking to drive engagement and direct product sales.

LinkedIn

As creator marketing continues to evolve, LinkedIn has emerged as an unexpected destination for brand partnerships. The network isn’t just a space for buttoned-up, professional updates—nor is it strictly B2B territory anymore. It’s morphed into a place for genuine connection. With almost a billion members across 200 different countries, brands around the world have tapped into LinkedIn’s potential as an influencer marketing channel.

Creators with loyal LinkedIn audiences have established themselves as subject matter experts; partnering with them adds a level of credibility to your brand. Brands and creators can collaborate on co-authored articles, case studies and newsletters on the platform. Hosting LinkedIn Live sessions with creators is another way to engage your audience through panel discussions, product demos or educational talks.

TikTok

TikTok is a go-to platform for brands looking to partner with creators—especially when they want to tap into Gen Z audiences and leverage short-form video. On TikTok, the name of the game is entertainment (even more than other platforms), so brands have the opportunity to lean into product edutainment with influencers.

Outside of sponsored posts, affiliate marketing is lucrative on TikTok (i.e., #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt). When creators post videos or carousels with products they genuinely use or endorse, sales skyrocket. TikTok Shop and Live Shopping features also let creators sell products directly to their followers—making social commerce even more seamless. According to the Q4 2024 Sprout Pulse Survey, 36% of consumers who plan to make purchases through social in 2025 will do so via TikTok Shop—underscoring just how integrated TikTok has become in the entire customer journey.

Snapchat

Snapchat’s user base has steadily increased in the past few years, and the platform now boasts 453 million daily active users. Snapchat’s fast-paced, immersive and ephemeral content is a strong draw for younger audiences—particularly Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who connect with the unique storytelling style.

One of the biggest opportunities for brands is sponsored AR Lenses and Filters, where creators help develop interactive, branded effects that users can apply to their Snaps. Spotlight, Snapchat’s short-form video feed, also allows brands to collaborate with creators for trending, organic content. Plus, Story Takeovers let influencers take control of a brand’s Snapchat account, offering behind-the-scenes access or exclusive product reveals.

Brands can further amplify creator content through Snap Ads and Commercials, ensuring higher visibility and engagement.

YouTube

With over 2 billion users each year, YouTube offers brands global reach. The platform is key for long-form storytelling, including in-depth product reviews and tutorials. With strong SEO potential fueling the longevity of video content, YouTube is an invaluable platform for brands looking to educate, inform and engage audiences over the long term.

Many brands collaborate with creators through sponsored videos, where influencers weave brand messaging into their content. YouTube’s long-form nature can be even more valuable for your brand when it comes to building trust (and aligns with the growing trend of creators favoring content franchises).

Yet, the introduction of YouTube Shorts has also opened up another avenue for short-form influencer content. Brands can partner with creators on these low-lift, engaging videos that tap into quicker trending formats.

Live streams provide another opportunity for real-time interaction, with features like Super Chats and live Q&A sessions helping brands and creators engage directly with audiences. Many creators also monetize through affiliate marketing and channel memberships, giving brands the opportunity to collaborate on exclusive content and promotions.

Platforms to watch

Up-and-coming community-driven platforms present a new opportunity for brands and creators alike. The Q1 2025 Sprout Pulse Survey found that 36% of marketers say their audience is already spending time on emerging platforms, and we expect that number to increase steadily this year.

Platforms like Substack, Patreon and Beehiiv offer audiences niche, personalized experiences, and the chance to support and engage with their favorite creators one-to-one. For creators, these networks enable monetization, audience loyalty and greater control over their work. While the opportunity for brands is still in its nascent stages, early adopters have found direct access to highly engaged subsets of their target consumers.

• Substack: Brands can sponsor creator-led newsletters, and work with influencers to embed ads and affiliate marketing links into their content.
• Patreon: Brands can collaborate with Patreon creators by sponsoring their content, offering exclusive branded experiences and co-developing premium content that resonates with the creator’s community.
• Beehiiv: Like Substack, Beehiiv offers brands the chance to sponsor creator-led newsletters, while also making it easier to scale their own newsletters that creators can guest author.

Creator economy trends to know

As platforms, algorithms and audience behaviors shift, brands need to stay ahead of creator opportunities. Understanding the current state of the creator economy and where it’s headed allows brands to tap into new talent and niche communities before they become oversaturated. The most successful brands identify rising creators, emerging content formats and new consumer expectations early—helping them stay ahead of competitors.

Creator-driven social commerce

Creators are a driving force behind digital commerce—especially on social. According to The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report, almost half of consumers indicate they make daily, weekly or monthly purchases because of influencer posts. Another 86% say they make a purchase inspired by an influencer at least once a year. The report also found that most people are prone to underestimating the impact creators and influencers have on their buying habits—which means these figures could be much higher.

For younger shoppers, it’s abundantly clear that influencer marketing is a full-funnel activation—not just an awareness play. Consumers who make daily or weekly purchases tend to be Millennials or Gen Z, and these consumers trust creators more than older generations, according to the same report.

When it comes to what motivates them to press “add to cart,” authenticity goes further than volume or even discounts. Most consumers (64%) say genuine reviews are the type of influencer posts that are most likely to compel them to buy, followed by discount codes (55%) and seeing multiple influencers posting about the same product (26%).

The intersection of AI and the creator economy

Though the Influencer Marketing Report found that 37% of consumers would be more interested in brands that work with AI influencers, that is probably a passing fad. What’s more compelling is the way that AI will redefine workflows in the future of creator marketing.

AI makes extremely high quality content easier to produce. AI tools simplify writing posts and captions, and speed up time-consuming video editing. “What AI does very effectively is lower the barrier to content creation so influencers can create better content with less effort. The tools are getting more accessible every year. More and more high quality content is going to continue to shift the landscape because of that,” said journalist Taylor Lorenz at Sprout’s Under the Brand-fluence digital event.

AI is also making it easier for brands to discover creators and manage partnerships. According to the Q1 2025 Sprout Pulse Survey, 39% of brands still rely on manual research to find influencers. In the next few years, leading teams will invest in AI-powered software to streamline influencer management—simplifying the process of identifying the right brand partners and owning those relationships.

Brand partnerships beyond social media

The Influencer Marketing Report found that 80% of consumers say they’d be more likely to buy from brands who partner with influencers beyond social media content—like in-person events, brand trips or multichannel ad campaigns. As what it means to be a spokesperson and celebrity changes, influencers will slide into roles formerly held by actors, athletes and other pop culture icons.

Omnichannel creator marketing builds deeper, long-term consumer trust, and maximizes the impact of campaigns across multiple touchpoints. These cross-channel campaigns help turn creators into true brand advocates rather than just one-off collaborators. By thinking beyond short-term sponsorships, brands can drive deeper customer loyalty and long-term ROI.

The future of co-creation vs. creator-led

In the past decade, many influencers and creators have rolled out their own brands. While these professionals are experts of content creation, community management and building a brand, they aren’t always as well-versed in product development or people management. As a result, we’ve seen notable audience pushback—sometimes even escalating to full-blown PR crises and brand bankruptcy.

Moving forward, more established brands will partner with creators to co-create products. Not only does that prevent creators from becoming the competition, but it allows brands to access the deep understanding creators have of their shared audience and translate them into innovation. When you consider the point above about creators becoming the new celebrities, endorsement deals with creators can help brands ascend to new heights of social relevancy.

4 tips for building and scaling your creator program

Most brands are still in the early days of their creator marketing programs. The Q1 2025 Sprout Pulse Survey found that almost 80% of brands partner with 10 influencers or fewer, while 59% of marketers say they’re planning to expand their creator bench in 2025. To go from a small handful of ad hoc activations to a high-performing creator marketing program, consider these steps.

1. Set the right goals

Creator marketing efforts need to be connected to wider marketing and company goals. For some, understanding the awareness generated from a creator campaign might be highly valuable. If your brand is focused on increasing your share of voice in the market, reach and impressions will help you tell a compelling story.

But many marketers need to go beyond awareness metrics and set KPIs that translate to clearer ROI and revenue impact. Metrics like engagement and conversions show how well the content resonated, whereas leads and revenue influence tie creators directly to the bottom of the funnel. No matter what data you select for your program, you need a plan for how to build your reporting infrastructure and embed creator insights into other marketing reporting rituals.

2. Build criteria to vet creators

There’s a misconception that working with influencers is simply a matter of hiring someone to create content and hitting publish. But all of the same tenets of strong marketing apply—you need to identify partners who represent your ideal customer and align with your brand. Ideal partners should both align with your brand’s values and mission, and be a real user of your product or service.

Use social listening to understand what your audience is saying, what they like and dislike, what questions they have about your product. Reverse engineer the process so that your influencer program is in service of a specific need or gap. Think of how your influencer efforts can provide value for conversations that are already happening.

Not to mention, how will you integrate influencer efforts across your other marketing channels (social and beyond)? It’s essential to think through the big picture before signing a contract or jumping into a partnership.

3. Understand your budget

According to The Influencer Marketing Report, almost half of all influencers charge between $250-$1,000 per post. A majority (71%) offer discounts when partnering with brands on multiple posts, while another 25% would consider it in the future—suggesting that long-term relationships are as valuable to influencers as they are to brands.

Even though there are industry averages, it isn’t really possible to standardize rates because of the many elements that impact influencer compensation. Just as every ad spot won’t cost the same, not every influencer post will cost the same. That’s why it’s important to set clear rates and have budget parameters in mind when approaching creators.

The last thing you want to do is be the person scrambling to figure out how to price influencer partnerships or effectively negotiate on behalf of your brand. Get comfortable with leading negotiations—brands should always be first to name a price. There’s also an art to knowing how much you can negotiate without harming your creator relationships.

4. Craft collaborative creative briefs

An influencer marketing campaign brief can make or break a partnership. It’s more than just a few do’s and don’ts—it’s a valuable resource influencers can return to as they work to bring your brand to new audiences.

Explicitly defining your expectations up front boosts an influencer’s ability to get content right from the beginning of the partnership. It’s a win-win situation, but only if brands proactively set influencers up for success. Marketers should also avoid being overly prescriptive in their briefs, as creators know their audiences best. If content is overly promotional or salesy, it will fall flat. But when influencers get to infuse their creativity and audience knowledge into content, that’s when the magic happens.

Drive value with the creator economy

As the creator economy continues to evolve and expand, brands have an unprecedented opportunity to tap into it. What was once considered an experimental marketing channel is now a proven driver of engagement, trust and revenue.

The data speaks for itself—creator content consistently outperforms brand-owned content, and marketers are increasing their investments to keep up with consumer demand. With platforms continuously innovating and audience behaviors shifting, staying ahead requires brands to be proactive, strategic and deeply attuned to the creator landscape.

The future of the creator economy is bright, and its impact on marketing will only grow stronger. By embracing creator partnerships, brands can build deeper connections with their audiences, drive meaningful engagement and unlock new revenue streams. Whether through platform-specific collaborations, AI-powered influencer discovery or omnichannel brand partnerships, businesses that prioritize creator marketing will be well-positioned for long-term success. Now is the time to refine your approach, experiment with new strategies and solidify your place in this thriving digital ecosystem.

Looking for more resources to help scale your creator marketing strategy? This toolkit will set you up with the resources and templates you need to begin, budget and build a strategy optimized for ROI.