Creator Economy

Discover the best articles, videos, and resources on Creator Economy from around the web. Follow along on Refind to get the most relevant new links picked for you.
9 Best Articles in 2021
The Atlantic
The Best Time-Management Advice Is Depressing But LiberatingThe Atlantic
5 min read · Aug 11th · You can make time for things that matter, or you can make time for more email.
productivity
career
leadership
Most highlighted
Several years ago, the journalist and author Oliver Burkeman asked some of his friends to guess, off the top of their head, how many weeks make up a typical human lifetime.
the more efficient you get, the more inputs you attract. If you get really good at processing email, you’ll get more email because you get a reputation for being responsive on email. The same idea applies elsewhere: If your reputation in the office is that you’re good at getting through work fast, you’re given more things to do.
we will die not having done a tremendous number of things we care about
a16z
The Passion Economy and the Future of Worka16z
7 min read · 2019-10-09 · On new creator platforms, individuality is a feature, not a bug.
creator economy
future of work
a16z
Every
The Blurred Lines of Parasocial RelationshipsEvery
~19 min read · Jul 15th · The disappearing divide between “followers” and “friends”
relationships
digital life
creator economy
Most highlighted
For online creators and internet influencers, sharing intimate details about their lives is now part of the job description.
For some, these information bytes form the basis of a parasocial relationship: instead of discussing a recent video posted by “someone they follow,” a fan might speak about “someone they know,” going so far as to refer to their favorite creator as a friend. 
In time, the devotee – the ‘fan’ – comes to believe that he ‘knows’ the persona more intimately and profoundly than others do; that he ‘understands’ his character and appreciates his values and motives.
Axios
OnlyFans has tons of users, but can't find investorsAxios
2 min read · Aug 19th · Sex sells, but it also scares off venture capitalists.
social media
startups
creator economy
Most highlighted
Sex sells, based on company financials leaked to Axios, but it also scares off venture capitalists.
Any other company with growth like OnlyFans would be able to raise big money in a matter of minutes.
In short, OnlyFans has a porn problem, even though it never once mentions porn in its pitch-deck (something that multiple investors called "disingenuous.").
David Bauer
How to Be(come) a Happy Newsletter WriterDavid Bauer
writing
newsletters
email marketing
Summary, by the author
Newsletters have seen a surge in popularity recently, with platforms like Substack that allow anyone to start a newsletter and turn it into a paid product.
As with every boom, people are looking for advice on how to be successful. This post is explicitly not about that — and argues that being happy with what you do should be your priority. 
Based on ten years of newsletter writing, it gives actionable advice on how to turn writing a newsletter into a rewarding habit, free of stress and anxiety.
Read the full article  (7 min read)
Axios
Tech giants have all become creator companiesAxios
May 11th · Most companies are copying each other in an effort to court creators from different platforms.
creator economy
technology
Most highlighted
Amid the creator economy boom, most platforms have begun to launch features to help creators make money, including tipping features, grants and creator funds or revenue share programs.
Why it matters: Like other social media trends, most companies are copying each other in an effort to court creators from different platforms.
Li Jin
The creator economy is in crisis. Now let’s fix it.Li Jin
~14 min read · Aug 11th · Nearly two years ago, I published “The Passion Economy and the Future of Work,” which laid out a vision for online work that was informed by and a reaction to the challenges of the gig economy. While…
creator economy
passion economy
Most highlighted
The passion economy was envisioned as an evolution and alternative to the gig economy mode of online work, entailing the playbook of building an online audience, cultivating direct user relationships, and monetizing skills/knowledge, content, and other individualized services.
But just as the gig economy mode of work brought about negative consequences, strong parallels are emerging between the gig economy and creator economy, rooted in the commoditization of work and erosion of worker leverage.
the creator economy is marked by the rise of a small number of firms that have accumulated capital and effectively control the means of production and distribution.
Stratechery
PassportStratechery
7 min read · Jun 3rd · Announcing Passport, the new infrastructure supporting Stratechery.
media
creator economy
passport
Most highlighted
Alan Kay famously said, “People who are really serious about software should make their own hardware”; my variation is that creators who are really serious about building a career on the Internet should own their own software.
blog.craftsmancreative.co
Create The Opportunities You Want To Haveblog.craftsmancreative.co
creator economy
Summary, by the author
Whatever it is that you want for your business, for your work, for your art, the way to get those big opportunities is to create them.
Read the full article  (3 min read)
New this week
OnlyFans’ Botched Porn Ban Cost Creators Real Money
VICE
YouTube Launches First Podcast, Exploring How Online Creators Have Found Success
Social Media Today
Overcoming Web3 Bias
Every
OnlyFans no longer plans to ban porn, saying in abrupt U-turn that it wants to be a…
Business Insider
How to get started in the creator economy
ghost.org
What’s the deal with the creator economy?
Molly Wood
Council Post: The Continuous Growth And Future Of The Creator Economy
Forbes
How 'influencers' became 'creators' and what it means for brands
Ad Age
What I learned from a year on Substack
Platformer
Twitter Super Follows has generated only around $6K+ in its first two weeks
TechCrunch
Take a deep dive
Recently popular
blog.craftsmancreative.co
Create The Opportunities You Want To Haveblog.craftsmancreative.co
creator economy
Summary, by the author
Whatever it is that you want for your business, for your work, for your art, the way to get those big opportunities is to create them.
Read the full article  (3 min read)
Platformer
What I learned from a year on SubstackPlatformer
~14 min read · Sep 17th · Your questions about Platformer, answered
creator economy
Most highlighted
A Discord is a superpower that journalists can give themselves.
The only way a Substack grows is through tweets.
The biggest spikes in both free and paid membership over the past year came after I published the best reporting I did this year.
SparkToro
The Incentives to Publish No Longer Reward the Web’s CreatorsSparkToro
4 min read · Sep 7th · It's been almost two months since my last post here. For those of you who pay attention to the digital marketing world, the infrequency of updates may be
creator economy
coronavirus
relationships
TechCrunch
Twitter Super Follows has generated only around $6K+ in its first two weeksTechCrunch
4 min read · Sep 16th · Twitter’s creator platform Super Follows is off to an inauspicious start, having contributed to somewhere around $6,000 in U.S. iOS revenue in the first two weeks the feature has been live, according…
creator economy
simonowens.substack.com
The gritty reality for Substack’s middle classsimonowens.substack.com
9 min read · Sep 2nd · Star journalists generate six figure revenue within weeks after launching on Substack, but that's not the reality for most writers.
creator economy
Ad Age
How 'influencers' became 'creators' and what it means for brandsAd Age
3 min read · Sep 14th · The term ‘influencer’ no longer applies to many of today’s social media stars.
creator economy
marketing
Product Hunt 😸 
Growing a newsletter and a website to 35K subscribers and 100K visitors per month in 2 years.…Product Hunt 😸 
1 min read · Aug 27th · Hi everyone! I'm the founder of Ness Labs, a platform to help knowledge workers achieve more without sacrificing their mental health. We publish evidence-based content around productivity, creativity,…
creator economy
The Verge
How to get great audio for podcast interviewsThe Verge
8 min read · Sep 2nd · Audio tips for participating in a podcast.
creator economy
podcasts
Social Media Today
YouTube Launches First Podcast, Exploring How Online Creators Have Found SuccessSocial Media Today
2 min read · Sep 16th · The podcast will focus on the technical details of how YouTube stars have turned their online popularity into a business.
creator economy
Every
Overcoming Web3 BiasEvery
3 min read · Sep 14th · How to navigate strange new paradigms that could change everything—unless they don’t.
creator economy
Creator Economy

9 Best Articles in 2021

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