Friday, January 30th

Top Creator News, Stories & Tips

Author

Paul Boulet
January 30, 2026

Hey, marketers & entrepreneurs,

It’s Paul from Click Analytic 👋

Welcome to our 33 new subscribers, who are joining a community of 56,000+ marketers & founders building with creators every day.

Let’s talk about something brands have been worried about for months:
Is TikTok still safe to invest in?

Today, we break down what TikTok’s US deal really changes for brands and creators, and what you should do next.

Also this week:
→ from Sydney Sweeney’s viral lingerie stunt, to MrBeast entering the Super Bowl, and Khaby Lame’s $900M company exit 👇👇

🗓️ Quick Recap:

And more…

  Estimated read time: 2 minutes or less

📊 Did you know?

95% of shoppers now research influencer recommendations before buying.

(PYMNTS, 2026)

🚨 New Trend Alert

🔔 Top Creator Stories

📺️ YouTube CEO: creators are the new studios

Neal Mohan says creators now act like production houses and distribution platforms combined.

The creator economy isn’t competing with Hollywood anymore; it’s becoming it.

👙 Sydney Sweeney’s viral stunt to launch her lingerie brand

Her lingerie promo around the Hollywood sign went viral and triggered legal and social backlash.

Once again proving controversy + creators = massive reach.

🏈 MrBeast enters the Super Bowl with Salesforce

Salesforce teamed up with MrBeast for its Super Bowl commercial — bringing creator storytelling into B2B marketing at the biggest media event in the world.

🤑 Khaby Lame sells company in ~$900M deal

The world’s biggest TikToker just sold his company in one of the largest creator economy exits ever.


Creators aren’t just influencers — they’re building real businesses.

🤝 TikTok’s US Deal Is Done. What It Means for Marketers.

After months of uncertainty, TikTok’s US future is now secured. A new US-based structure now operates the platform, removing immediate ban risks and restoring brand confidence.

💡 TikTok US now runs as a separate venture controlled by American investors, while ByteDance keeps a minority stake (~20%).

→ User data and infrastructure are hosted locally via Oracle. Analysts estimate the US operation alone could be worth $10–15B.

📱 How the feed changes

Previously, US feeds relied heavily on global signals. Now, ranking depends more on US engagement data.

In practice:
👉️ Videos performing well with US viewers spread faster in the US
👉️ Global trends may take longer to break locally
👉️ Local humor and creator collabs matter more
👉️ Foreign brands need stronger US-native content

Content still travels globally, but winning US reach now depends more on US audience response.

💥 Impact for brands & creators

Nothing fundamentally changes, but performance may fluctuate.

• TikTok remains fully operational for campaigns
• US audiences may favor local content more
• European creators remain visible but need stronger US angles
• Short-term performance volatility is possible

💡 Brands must rely less on global virality and more on localized creator partnerships.

📉 Immediate transition effects

The rollout wasn’t perfectly smooth ❌ 

• Some creators saw temporary engagement drops
• Rumors of censorship circulated, though TikTok blamed migration issues
• App uninstalls briefly jumped ~130–150%, yet daily usage still grew ~2%
• No confirmed creator exodus so far

🔑 What brands & agencies should do now

Short-term execution matters while systems stabilize.

• Expect ranking volatility for 30–90 days
• Run 5–10 creative variations per concept
• If TikTok drives 50%+ of revenue, build contingencies: creator whitelisting, email/SMS capture, multi-platform retargeting

Bottom line: TikTok remains core in 2026, but expect short-term volatility while infrastructure stabilizes.

📱 Social Snapshot

🤖 Zuckerberg outlines Meta’s AI future

💼 LinkedIn adds generative AI qualifications to profiles

💳 Meta tests premium subscriptions across its apps

📺 Substack launches a TV app for connected screens

🌐 Threads rolls out ads to all users worldwide

🛒 TikTok Shop adds shoppable posts

🛡 Facebook launches Reels protection tools for creators

🆕 Instagram adds “New” labels to highlight recent posts

🤖 TikTok lets users control AI content on For You feeds

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That’s it for this week 👊
More insights, case studies & campaign breakdowns coming next Thursday!

Until then → keep building, keep testing, and create moments worth sharing.

— Paul from Click Analytic

See you next week!