Thursday, January 15th

📊 Did you know?

Creator economy M&A surged +17.4% in 2025, driven by AI, data, and infrastructure needs. Creators aren’t a “channel” anymore — they’re becoming an ecosystem worth acquiring.

(WebProNews 2025)

🚨 5 mistakes killing Influencer ROI

Let’s talk about something every marketer still gets wrong:
→ Working with influencers like it’s 2019.

In 2026, the rules have changed.
And a few small mistakes now quietly kill performance, trust, and ROI.

Let’s review 👇️ 

1️⃣ Treating creators like ads

❌ Mistake: Over-briefing. Forced scripts. Brand copy pasted into captions.

👉 Why? Audiences instantly spot “ad voice.” Platforms reward native storytelling.

Fix: Give a goal + key proof points + 1 rule. Let creators tell the story.

2️⃣ Paying for posts without usage rights

❌ Mistake: Buying a Reel without usage rights, making it risky to reuse across channels.

👉 Why? Usage rights, whitelisting, and amplification are now where ROI lives.

Fix: Define usage, duration, paid amplification, and exclusivity upfront. Contracts protecting ROI are becoming non-negotiable.

3️⃣ Running one-off campaigns

❌ Mistake: One post. One payment. Done.

👉 Why? Creators perform better when audiences see them multiple times.

Fix: Buy multiple contents at once (6 stories + Reels, for ex.) → spread across multiple days to test → iterate → scale with the same creators.

4️⃣ Staying stuck in flat-fee only deals

❌ Mistake: Big fees, no upside alignment.

👉 Why? Incentives change behavior. Behavior drives results.

Fix: Smaller base + affiliate % + performance bonuses (for ex. $300 fix + $500 if you reach your average views in two weeks).

5️⃣ Measuring views instead of impact

❌ Mistake: Reporting impressions, likes, CPMs.

👉 Why? Views don’t pay salaries. Incrementality does.

Fix: Track incrementality, assisted conversions, and paid vs organic performance.

🎯 Need help building your 2026 creator strategy?

I’m opening a few free strategy calls next week where we’ll:

🔎 Find hundreds of creators that match your audience
🕵️ Break down what your competitors are doing
🧩 Build a plug-and-play creator system you can execute immediately

👉 Book a strategy call and let’s build it together

🔔 Top Creator Stories

💬 WhatsApp adds member tags & stickers in group chats.

⚽ FIFA partners with TikTok to expand creator access ahead of the World Cup.

📺 Disney+ is testing vertical video feeds inspired by TikTok-style discovery.

🚫 Grok disables its image generator after backlash over sexualised AI imagery.

📌 Pinterest launches a CTV show to expand into long-form entertainment.

🔎 YouTube updates search filters to improve content discovery.

🎮 Threads experiments with games in DMs.

🎁 TikTok Shop launches digital gift cards to challenge Amazon and eBay.

🏢 TikTok begins splitting US staff entities following the divestment process.

🏆 The Oscars move from ABC to YouTube starting in 2029.