June 18, 2025
There’s been much hype around Creators in recent months.
They’re not a silver bullet to social. But they are a growing force in marketing, one that’s become harder to ignore, and even harder to use well.
Creators are professionalising fast. They’re running businesses, monetising audiences directly, and commanding more attention than many publishers. The platforms are backing them. And your audiences? They’re tuned in, especially when the content feels real, relevant, and useful.
This matters to marketers not because creators are trendy, but because they offer scalable, testable, and often higher-trust routes to influence. If you know how to use them properly.
Let’s dig in…platforms are incentivising creators, not brands Every major social platform now has a stake in the creator economy. And they’re investing in tools, monetisation features, and discovery mechanics that reward creators.
· TikTok: Prioritising creators with live shopping tools, tipping, and performance-based fund payouts (CNBC).
· YouTube: Offering better revenue splits for Shorts and long-form, and matchmaking via BrandConnect (Forbes).
· Instagram: Improving branded content tags, partnerships inbox, and boosting UGC visibility (Hootsuite). So many updates, read this if you want more
Brands are no longer in control of the content pipeline. Creators don’t need you, and they won’t bend to brand rules unless there’s mutual value. You’re not just briefing talent, you’re negotiating with business owners.
· Learn each platform’s creator tools as they shape what’s possible.
· Don’t push your standard content through creators. Adapt formats to platform behaviours and creator strengths.
· Track creator-facing updates the same way you would ad product releases.
TikTok’s Creator Rewards Program now pays based on watch time, retention, and audience engagement — meaning creators are incentivised to post what works for the algorithm, not what aligns to your brief. Meanwhile, Instagram’s new Creator Marketplace lets brands pitch campaign briefs directly, but only after creators opt-in, giving them more control over the type of content they’re willing to make. YouTube Shorts monetisation only kicks in after 1,000 subscribers and 10M Shorts views in 90 days. So creators prioritise content that grows subs fast, not necessarily what drives clicks for your brand.
Creators are professionalising Today’s creators are strategic operators. They know how to drive engagement. They test, iterate, and report performance. And they know their value, particularly those in niche or hard-to-reach communities.
What works now:
· Direct-to-audience monetisation (memberships, online courses, community access).
· Long-form storytelling (YouTube, Substack, podcasts).
· Audience-first content built around problems, not just products.
What’s fading fast:
· Overproduced influencer ads with rigid CTAs.
· One-off paid posts that don’t ladder up to a broader story.
· Follower count as a proxy for relevance.
The performance gap between good and bad creator partnerships is widening. Without structure, you’ll waste budget. Without insight, you’ll miss impact.
· Brief for outcomes, not formats e.g. awareness, clicks, sign-ups (and let creators choose the execution).
· Ask for audience data, not just reach. Who are they speaking to? And why does it matter for your brand?
· Build modular campaigns, test creators in phase one, then scale with the top performers.
Look at creators like Patricia Bright or Ali Abdaal. They run content calendars, hire production teams, and use Notion or Airtable to manage collaborations. They pitch brands, set KPIs, and demand access to results post-campaign. Your junior comms exec emailing them with a vague brief will get ignored. Even nano-influencers now expect dashboards, goals, and data sharing. Creator professionalism is rising faster than brand process is catching up.
Want to know what the difference between a creator and an influencer is? This is worth a read
Creator content now drives real marketing value …but only when integrated The best creator campaigns in 2025 don’t sit on the side. They run through the full funnel. Helping shape the story from awareness through to consideration.
Where creators excel:
· Driving trust in early-stage discovery.
· Creating relatable use cases and social proof.
· Testing messages and formats in a low-risk way.
Brands still treat creators as media buys with a face. But the value is in their interpretation, community understanding, and credibility.
· Define where creator content fits in your media mix.
· Pair creator campaigns with paid social to extend reach and gather data.
· Treat creator feedback as research not.
Take Fenty Beauty’s creator-led campaign model: they co-create content, test formats in small groups, then boost high-performers through Meta ads. This “create and amplify” model gives you real-world insight into what drives engagement, before you spend on scaling. It’s a testbed for creative strategy. Similarly, Duolingo pairs creator TikToks with its owned social team to react in real time, blending creator momentum into the brand’s voice and speeding up campaign cycles.
A proper creator framework According to Hootsuite, over 70% of marketers are increasing investment in creator partnership, but fewer than 30% have a documented strategy.
Common issues:
· No criteria for selecting creators beyond reach.
· Little or no integration with existing content calendars.
· No clear metrics for success beyond impressions.
You can’t prove value if you’re not measuring the right things. And you can’t scale what you haven’t tested properly.
· Create a clear decision framework: why this creator, why now, what outcome.
· Set goals aligned to campaign stages: awareness (shares, saves), engagement (comments, click-through), conversion (sign-ups, sales).
· Track performance at post and campaign level , not just aggregate reach.
A good creator framework looks like:
1. Selection criteria: relevance, tone, audience overlap, historical engagement
2. Test phase: content-first partnership with clear KPIs
3. Amplification or iteration: based on actual results
4. Usage planning: how content is repurposed or scaled
Without this, brands end up picking influencers based on gut feel or worse, follower count, then struggle to justify results. A robust process de-risks investment and gives internal stakeholders (legal, procurement, execs) confidence.
Burnout, regulation and risk, the operational reality Behind the content, creators are under pressure. Many are managing multiple channels, juggling inconsistent income, and dealing with constant platform shifts.
· 66% of creators report burnout, with Instagram and TikTok as top contributors (Decor8).
· Compliance regulations are tightening. Disclosure, copyright, and AI-generated content are under the microscope (FTC).
· Content usage rights are a growing legal issue with disputes around how, where, and for how long brands can repurpose assets (Ramd.am).
Brands can’t afford to treat creators casually. Without structure, you risk broken relationships, legal action, and repetitional damage. · Build clear contracts with usage terms, exclusivity, and approval timelines.
· Develop backup plans. Always have a bench of pre-vetted creators.
· Create feedback loops. Understand what creators need from you to succeed — and what they’ll walk away from.
The ASA and CMA are now cracking down on improper disclosures. In the UK, failing to mark ads can lead to fines and reputational damage. In the US, the FTC has new guidance requiring clearer language around AI-generated content and sponsored endorsements. Beyond legality, there’s the creator drop-off rate, creators who disappear mid-campaign due to mental health or platform burnout. Brands that don’t build resilience into their plans will get left exposed when things fall through.
Creators are a serious lever, if you apply them properly It’s not about ‘using’ creators. It’s about partnering with them. And that means having the right processes, objectives, and platforms in place.
If you’re a CMO:
· Reframe creators as a channel, not a tactic.
· Invest in the right mix: from UGC and micro-creators to larger thought leaders.
· Train your teams on how to brief, select, and measure creator activity.
· Use social listening to identify emerging voices and audience signals.
· And most importantly, get ahead of risk, legally, reputationally, and operationally.
Done right, creator marketing can drive serious commercial impact. Done badly, it’s just another line in the budget with nothing to show for it.
Want help building a creator strategy that makes sense commercially and creatively? That’s what we do. Let’s talk.