Female Founders Shaking Up the Creator Economy: 5 Innovative Startups to Watch - plus Meager Shorts Payout, TikTok’s Paywall, and Much More!

The Creator Feed ??? by Renee Teeley ? & Jim Louderback

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?? FEMALE FOUNDERS SHAKING UP THE CREATOR ECONOMY:?

5 INNOVATIVE STARTUPS TO WATCH ??

To celebrate Women’s History Month, we are featuring five female founders who are creating innovative startups to help creators in the industry. Despite the lack of recognition and representation for women in the creator economy, these female founders are making a difference.

The featured female founders and their startups are:

1. Cynthia Ruff with Hashtag Pay Me : a platform that helps creators determine fair compensation for their sponsored content and connects them with the best brands for sponsorship opportunities. Say goodbye to undervaluing your work and hello to the recognition and financial stability you deserve!
2. Ayomi Samaraweera with Canopy: a community for creators to gain insights, share knowledge, and spill the tea in a safe space. Canopy empowers creators with access to information to make smarter business decisions. Sign up now for early access!
3. Christen Nino De Guzman with Clara For Creators : an online community for finding out what it's really like to work with brands and how much other creators are earning for sponsored content. This is transparency for the creator economy at its finest.?
4. Kelsey Davis with CLLCTVE : a platform that helps creators build portfolios, apply for freelance jobs, and uses a match-making algorithm to find the right opportunities while also tracking payments.
5. Sherry Wong with Roster: a job board that connects top creators with their ideal opportunities, helping them find their dream job or build their dream team.

These five women are not only breaking barriers in the industry but also making a tangible impact on the lives of fellow creators. Let's continue to support and uplift women in the creator economy beyond just this month. Together, we can build a more inclusive and diverse industry where everyone has a chance to thrive.

?? DISAPPOINTING EARLY RETURNS ON SHORTS REV SHARE

In the first round of Shorts rev share, creators have reported earning as little as $0.02 per 1000 views, which is significantly less than what is earned through long-form content. However, it is still early days, and we expect that earnings will improve in the future. Given the low earnings through Short’s rev share, creators should continue to find other ways to monetize their shorts. One idea is to use Shorts as an upsell opportunity for your long-form sponsorship deals. And, of course, this is another good reminder to creators to diversify their revenue streams and platforms.

?? TIKTOK RELEASES PAYWALL SERIES FEATURE

TikTok has introduced a new feature called "Series" that lets creators sell content through a paywall with up to 80 videos, each of which can be up to 20 minutes long. Creators can set their own prices and keep all of the revenue after fees. Currently, the feature is only available through beta testing and invitation. This feature could be an interesting competitor to YouTube’s course feature coming later this year.

?? TROUBLE AT TWITCH WITH TOP CREATORS

Kai Cenat has become Twitch's biggest streamer, with over 300,000 subscribers after his month-long sub-athon. The event has renewed calls for Twitch to properly compensate creators, as Drake suggested Cenat deserves a $50 million payout. Cenat, who recently signed with UTA, appears to agree. There are concerns that this could result in a repeat of the situation with Ninja, who left Twitch for a lucrative deal with Mixer.

?? A NEW EDITION OF EPIC CONTENT MARKETING BOOK - GO BUY IT!

The second edition of the legendary book, Epic Content Marketing, has just launched, and it's written by two icons in the content marketing world - Joe Pulizzi and Brian Piper . This updated version covers the latest trends in the creator economy and shows you how to turn your content into a sustainable income stream. Whether you're a solo creator or part of a company, this book is a must-read. Don't miss out - get your copy now and elevate your content marketing game!

?? LITTLE MONSTER COMPARES YOUTUBE ALGORITHM TO CANDY

To simplify the elusive YouTube algorithm, Tim Jablonski , Little Monster's SVP of Programming and Audience Development, uses candy metaphors. The algorithm keeps viewers engaged by serving them videos they'll enjoy, like a bowl of candy. It removes unwanted options and ranks videos based on what it thinks will keep viewers on the platform. Viewers choose which video to watch, and the algorithm widens the audience as more videos are selected. Understanding the algorithm is crucial for creators to reach their target audience. Matt Gielen , we’re excited to see Little Monster Media Co. back talking about the algorithm ??

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