Creator Authority & Adventures In Entrepreneurship

WHAT WE'RE UP TO

We announced Creator Authority in March, after doing a few pilot campaigns. Our focus/positioning is the first dedicated LinkedIn influencer marketing agency. We had a hunch there was a need for these services and so far our thesis seems to be sound.

So... How's It Going So Far?

The timing of our launch seems great.

We've been growing steadily and have some exciting campaigns and partnerships in the works (very cool and Ill be sharing more soon).

As you can see in the pic above I got to meet Mr LinkedIn himself, Reid Hoffman. I was fortunate enough to meet Reid while he was working on his new AI Reid project (which just launched/check it out). Special thanks to Ben Relles for hooking it up. I was/am fortunate enough to have pitched some ideas to Ben as they're working on bringing to life these incredible AI applications and highlighting the incredible tech.

Additionally, three weeks after we did our formal 'launch', LinkedIn put a bit of wind in our sails. They announced the expanded capabilities of thought leader ads so that advertisers "can sponsor content from any member—not just employees". Shortly thereafter LinkedIn announced the beta of their short form vertical video feed. Both great signs of the platform embracing influencer marketing.

Press has been nice (our announcement was in adage and we've gotten pickup in Digiday, Tubefilter, NetInfluencer, Axios, CNBC, The Information, and more). Most recently I did a deep dive on Jason Feiffer's 'Problem Solvers' Podcast.

But, Why LinkedIn Influencer Marketing?

LinkedIn has invested heavily in creators since 2021. They launched Creator Mode, a creator grant program, and hired partner managers to support creators. That is now paying dividends with 24% YOY increase in content posted to platform (Oct 2023), and over 150k newsletters launched on platform.

I personally, have seen the evolution. I posted every day for a year in 2020, and documented the (overwhelmingly positive) experiences in a post I published to Entrepreneur. It seemed like the platform was reaching an inflection point.

Growing creator community + platform supporting creators + nascent influencer marketing.

It seemed like timing was right... early YouTube, Instagram, TikTok vibes (ironic given its the oldest social platform).

HOW WE COULD WORK TOGETHER?

Influencers

Are you active on LinkedIn and interested in getting brand deals? If so, fill out this form.

We've been doing our best to follow up with everyone that has reached out, but it's been tough to keep up with the inbound. Apologies if we missed you.

Brands

If you're a brand looking to explore influencer marketing email us at [email protected]

ALSO... THANK YOU

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive. The names are too long to list but special thanks to my co-founder Mandi, biz partners Avi, Phil, James, as well as Jim for being our first advisor. As well as Monica for joining us. All our early clients and everyone else who's helped (there have been a lot of you!).

We're just getting started. Onwards and upwards :)

SPONSORED BY SPROUT SOCIAL #SPROUTSOCIALPARTNER

What's the Future Of Social?

That's the topic of a conversation hosted by Sprout tomorrow.

Here's my take... in social/digital we're always obsessed with 'the next big thing'. Ironically, I think the future is a reversion to the origins of social media.

LinkedIn, the oldest remaining social platform is experiencing a renaissance, they:

• Reached 1 billion users worldwide
• Saw 24% YOY growth in public content shared

Why? At its core it is the last true social platform.

In recent years platforms have evolved for more of an interest based vs social graph. TikTok was the forcing function behind this. With the FYP, they broke the mold. Your primary content feed comprised of algorithmically recommended content. Engagement on TikTok wasn't contingent upon existing social connections.

LinkedIn is bucking that trend. They've publicly stated their feed prioritizes 'who' you opt in to follow. As a result, LinkedIn is about connection over clout.

Ultimately, LinkedIn isn't just going against the grain—it's tapping into a fundamental human desire for meaningful interaction.

I'm curious - what do you think is the future of social?

Tune in tomorrow (link here) for the LinkedIn live to hear from the experts at SproutSocial, LinkedIn, and MorningBrew where they see the most impactful social-first strategies are headed.

LA MEETUP

For those of you In LA, we're hosting a little LA Creator Economy Meetup! Here are the details:

Hosts: Creator Authority & Favikon

When: Wed, April 24th from 6 - 8 pm

Where: Santa Monica Brew Works: 1920 Colorado Ave, Santa Monica, CA

FYI: Buy your own drinks / food