Just a few big players controlled the information and entertainment business not long ago. The majority of people received content through television, radio, and newspapers. This was the pattern for many years.
However, the evolution of the Internet into Web2 meant that people became not just consumers but creators as well. Users began to create content and share it via their social networks, becoming creators and managers of their own brands.
This ushered in new means of content creation, distribution, and consumption era. All of this resulted in the emergence of the ‘creator economy.’
What is the creator economy?
The creator economy was formed by creative content creators who use various media platforms to connect with their fans and businesses. Creators are individuals who develop, own, and distribute content to their target consumers.
Text, audio, music, movies, ebooks, and games are all examples of content. Content creators make money by sharing their work on ad-supported platforms, partnering with businesses, charging subscription fees, delivering services, and so on.
The creators are the latest group of entrepreneurs who utilize social media platforms to connect with and attract their fans. The fans, in turn, can support the creator financially by engaging with the content, paying for it, or even buying products from shops and brands these producers promote or are affiliated with.
The shape of the creator economy
The way content is created and consumed is changing significantly. The creator economy grows in strength as many tech businesses compete to develop a sustainable business strategy to monetize their platforms.
YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok have all been at the vanguard of changing how content is made, delivered, consumed, and monetized. Brands collaborate with content creators on social media or blockchain platforms to promote their market presence by leveraging their creative power in new business models.
This is due to the sheer power of personalities that can captivate and build an emotional connection with their viewers.
How does the creator economy work?
Creators, consumers, social media platforms, and other parties form an ecosystem in the creator economy. Each in their own right, these players influence and benefit from the process of content creation, distribution, and consumption.
Here are the five pillars of the creator economy:
- Creators
- Consumers
- Platforms
- Brands
- Software providers
Let’s take a look at them in detail.
Creators
Infopreneurs who develop products for their audience are called creators. The product may be educational, entertaining, or motivational. The creators use their creativity and skills to generate content, grow their fan base, and encourage interaction with their audience.
Content creators can commonly be divided into the following four categories:
- Bloggers who are famous for sharing specific information or views on various topics – fashion bloggers, for example, talk about the latest developments in the sector
- Performers who create content using their writing, singing, or any other type of art, i.e. a musician who uploads songs to Soundcloud
- Experts and mentors who share their expertise on goods, services, and other subjects, essentially the human version of online review platforms like Glassdoor
- Existing superstars who monetize their fame by creating content, one of the most followed figures on Instagram is The Rock, who shares snippets of his daily life on the platform
Revenue Streams
Collaboration with brands is one of the most well-known revenue streams among content creators. You’ve no doubt seen influencers reviewing and recommending products countless times on platforms like YouTube and Instagram.
Brand sponsorship is another popular option. Businesses pay you to promote their brand for a fee. In addition, you’ll frequently receive complimentary products or services to promote in your posts. However, creators must have a large audience to benefit from brand sponsorship.
Affiliate programs are one of the easiest options. In this case, creators use their content to promote a specific brand. If their readers click on their links, they get commission. However, the amount that brands pay affiliates varies greatly. Aside from reach, it depends on your niche, among other things. However, a lot of it hinges on the willingness of brands to pay.
Profit-sharing is the most common model for creators using platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and others because it has the lowest entry barrier. Creators can monetize their work by receiving a share of the advertising revenue generated by their channels and posts. One must have a substantial fan base with thousands of people actively engaging with the content to make money, but it also offers significant earning potential. Creators who already have a large audience and want to diversify their revenue streams often prefer this strategy.
Such avenues were wildly popular in the Web2 era, but the arrival of Web3 has solved one of the biggest problems in the creator economy: value exchange. Thanks to secure Web3 links and decentralized apps, users can sell their unique content quickly and directly to consumers via many platforms, including blockchain.
In other words, they have almost complete control over their content, which gives them the chance to profit from their art by receiving payments in crypto or NFTs.
That’s mainly why Web3 businesses are on the rise and why many founders, even novices, consider building Web3 startups.
Consumers
Consumers are the fans, the regular audience, and even the casual viewers who consume the content. They are the target audience for that particular post or channel. Consumers engage with expert-created content, support it financially, and think seriously about the creators’ views on the latest news and developments.
One of the biggest benefits of the creator economy for fans and consumers is receiving the best content. Previously, with Web2, content creators and influencers had to focus on creating a large number of videos because once they released a video or music, they could only expect exclusive profitability for a short period. There was really no royalty deal in place.
Even worse, they could not afford to focus on building deep, meaningful connections with their audience and increasing engagement. But now, thanks to provable ownership of NFTs, a Web3 phenomenon, they can easily focus on creating high-quality content and developing relationships with fans. All they need is a digital wallet like the DEIP wallet to earn crypto and NFTs.
In turn, that allows them to carefully evaluate products and services and make honest recommendations for the benefit of fans. This is a great advantage for consumers because they can trust the review, knowing that it’s not an indirect endorsement for a particular product or service.
On top of that, Web3 allows consumers to gain exclusive and traceable ownership of the things they love to show off. This is a huge selling point for those who like to purchase and display limited edition products. They also get the privilege of joining exclusive clubs and meeting celebrities and famous people at private events.
Platforms
Platforms are third-party services that facilitate content creation, distribution, consumption, and monetization. Both parties use platforms to communicate with each other.
Platforms provide value-added services, generate revenue through advertising or membership fees, and enable creators to monetize their knowledge. YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok are just a few examples of platforms.
The creator economy is the perfect way for blockchain and social media platforms to expand their user base. Social networks are in a fierce battle for consumer attention, and content creators are helping them win that battle. The theory is simple: if you have the content creators, you get the eyeballs, and if you have the viewers, you almost certainly get the advertising and their money.
Since social networks are motivated by advertising revenue, they will go to any length to entice influencers to create content for their platforms. The fact that the major social networks have established creator funds is the best evidence for this.
Facebook and TikTok have led the charge with huge funding, but all platforms, including Twitter and YouTube, pay creators handsome sums. Some may find this hard to believe: offering creators free money to create videos, texts, music, and other forms of entertainment on the platform?
Yet it’s true, and it makes perfect sense. The platforms earn from the profits of the content creators. When it comes to direct on-platform monetization, these platforms always get a cut of the action through revenue share fees. YouTube, for example, collects nearly 50% of ad money and receives 30% of channel memberships.
Facebook said creators can keep all their revenue from many of its services, albeit the terms only last until 2023.
Brands
Companies are always looking for new ways to cooperate with content creators to increase their brand awareness.
They target audiences by working with influencers to develop content that is then shared across the influencer’s networks. Influencers and companies work together to develop effective campaigns to increase brand awareness.
This new business model benefits both sides: the influencers, who can monetize their influence through fees, and the companies that can effectively promote their brand.
Using creative, attractive content encourages customer engagement from the start. Content creators communicate with their fans on a deeper level, boosting user engagement with the content and serving as a link between the business and its consumers.
Companies can also tailor their voices to suit the audience. They can customize the messaging of a brand campaign for their target audience and create an effective content plan.
They can also easily improve conversion rates. Since creators have already built a trusting relationship with their audience, they can convince consumers to convert much better than anyone else.
They can appeal to younger generations who are more willing to engage with the brand. Because younger generations have lower incomes, they are more likely to buy mid-priced products promoted by creators than high-priced products sponsored by celebrities.
Software providers
Have you ever heard the expression ‘selling shovels in a gold rush?’ That’s exactly what software providers do. With the expansion of the creator economy and numerous benefits of Web3 for content creators, they are more motivated than ever to use tools and solutions that help them create and distribute content. They also love using report tools that measure their performance and provide valuable insights.
This is where software providers can help content creators produce great visuals, track their online presence and make money from their efforts. In recent years, the number of influencers and content creators using various graphic and analytical tools has increased significantly.
The future of the creator economy
It’s not possible to talk about the future of the creator economy without mentioning Web3. Decentralization is at the heart of Web3, and it’s clear that the future belongs to Web3 businesses and startups that know how to scale.
Many influencers today rely on third-party networks, such as YouTube or Instagram, to generate their income. However, as more and more people move to decentralized social media networks powered by blockchain technology, we expect influencer marketing to follow suit and the creator economy to flourish.
This is why creators are abandoning such platforms in favor of more complex business models to get paid based on the unique content they produce. Despite some adversity, it’s safe to say that the creator economy has a bright future.
The only thing that can worry this industry is the lack of transparency, as tracking views and participation on these platforms can be difficult. Nonetheless, we predict that the creator economy will grow as more blockchain-based networks emerge in response to these issues.
We’re at a turning point in history, where content creation has become one of the most sought-after career choices. Creators are drawn to the art form because they enjoy it. The burden of managing the daily operations of their company grows as their fan base and revenue channels expand.
While Web3 is definitely the future for the creator economy, it still needs to improve in terms of speed and compatibility. That’s not a problem, as many tech giants are heavily invested in Web3.
That’s great news for content creators, influencers, and anyone currently struggling to monetize information and data. Beyond Web3 itself, entrepreneurs need reliable technology to get through all the steps and tick all four boxes on the above checklist.
Our team of research specialists at DEIP has tested our idea through all these steps and found that it can solve immediate, widespread problems that have long plagued modern users. Don’t hesitate to contact us to get the help you need and receive the latest news on our operation!
