Episode 11: 5 ways brands can work with creators in 2023

Welcome to Unboxing Creator Culture, a weekly digest to keep you updated on what's going on in the social media industry, what TikTok and YouTube's top creators are talking about this week, and how I help creators scale and monetise their audience. I'm Shan, Founder & CEO @Genflow where I work with creators and help them sell content, build businesses and work with the best brands. Click Subscribe above to be notified of my weekly edition.

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There are 303 million creators in the world right now and the creator economy is worth over $104 billion in 2022. If you’re looking to work with creators, then there is no better time than now.

The entire creator industry is made up of 40% millennials and 14% Gen-Zers. When it comes to working with creators, it requires way more than simply selling a product. Brands who just ask a creator to talk about it on their feed and @ them with a hashtag AD is a thing of the past.?

In fact, 26% of creators in the US are business owners — and this translates to 22 million business owners in the US. They aren’t just creators on social media, they are entrepreneurs of the future who create bold, creative, and value-driven content for their channels.?

If you’re a brand looking to work with creators in 2023, here are 5 tips that may help you drive the most dollar value for your business and collaborate with the best creator.?

1. Establish your clear values and mission: what is it that you’re trying to build and what does your audience care about? With clearly defined values, you’ll be able to differentiate itself from other brands in its industry and attract the right creator to work with. Creators right now want to only collaborate with brands that they feel will add value to their audience and contribute towards their own personal brand.?
2. Be transparent through the entire process: It’s very easy for a creator to look up a brand today on your social platforms and find out if it has upheld the standards that the brand has been communicating. A creator will only work with your brand if they trust your brand messaging, and want to be associated with you. Creators these days have no qualms about doing their research. They’ll do a deep dive into a brand’s website, scroll through their social media accounts, and read comments and reviews.
3. Define your bold voice: The perfectly curated Instagram feed is a thing of the past. Creators want to work with brands that come across authentic, real and bold. As a brand, you need to work on your voice and messaging across the board. If you’re witty, then you’ll attract similar creators to work on your campaigns.?
4. Entertainment is key: Brands need to remember that ultimately what wins on social media is the aspect of entertainment. Anything that goes viral on Linkedin, TikTok, YouTube or Instagram is not because it had the perfect messaging – it’s because the post was entertaining and worth an audiences’ time as they scroll. Grab the attention of your creators with this key point and stand out from the noise.?
5. Work on building your community: Whether you’re a brand or a creator, having an audience is the most powerful asset in the world. So even business owners should be focussing on building their audience and nurturing the community. If you do this, the creators with their bigger audience will follow. Once a partnership does work out, brands can help facilitate authentic connection and conversation.

We help our creators work with the best brands through Genflow Creators Agency, so along the years we have learnt some great ways (hits and misses) from brands. If you can follow some of these tips, you’d be working with the next best TikToker, YouTuber and Instagrammer out there.?

Comment below with your ideas on how brands can work with creators in the new years, I’d love to read.?