In partnership with

🤘 The Webinar Series is HERE

It’s time to share your story.

We’ve teamed up with Maayan at Community Launchpad—we’re starting a series that empowers creators and entrepreneurs in the creator economy by providing actionable strategies, expert insights, and inspiration.

We’re excited to hear about your expertise and how you can bring value to our growing community of creators. Please fill out this short form to share your background, proposed topic, and key takeaways for the webinar.

📰 Creator Economy News

🇺🇸 Trump Asks Justices to Pause the TikTok Ban

Why is President-elect Donald Trump pushing for a pause on the TikTok ban?

According to CBS Evening News, they reported that the Chinese parent company of TikTok is under pressure to sever ties by January 19, just before Inauguration Day. However, Trump is requesting a delay to give his administration more time to pursue a political resolution.

What this means for digital creators:

• Uncertainty lingers: Creators that have relied on TikTok as a platform are now focused on YouTube Shorts, Instagram, and Facebook.

  Potential opportunities: A pause could allow TikTok to propose a solution that benefits creators and improve their current stance.

^{For the full recap from CBS, click here.}

 📦 How AI is Taking Down UGC Creators

What’s UGC? UGC, or User-Generated Content, is content created by everyday users rather than brands or professionals. Digital creators often leverage UGC to build authentic connections, amplify engagement, and even collaborate with brands looking for genuine storytelling.

Luke Thorburg, an expert in the space, shares his thoughts:

AI using the face of a creator has been around…for awhile. The real challenge used to be that creators couldn’t feature a product in their videos without messing up the AI-generated magic. But guess what? Problem solved.

Creators still need to film the video with the product—multiple times, even. But now, according to Luke, “the AI can repurpose the video in pretty much as many ways as you want.” Thanks, Luke. We’ll take 1,000 variations, please.

So how can you do this? Tools like Creatify can be an option, though we’re digging into the fine print (rules, regulations, and all that fun stuff are still a work in progress).

@lukethorburg

^{Give Luke a follow by clicking here.}

🎨 5 Brands That Succeeded on Social Media in 2024

Joel Marlinarson breaks down which brands crushed it on social media last year—and how they did it through storytelling, clever brand placement, and even turning hate comments into wins.

In 2024, brands are winning on TikTok by embracing fun, low-budget, and wildly creative strategies. Streetwear labels nailed it with characters like "Fashion Boy" and "Fashion Girl," using comedic skits to turn hate comments into storytelling gold. Luxury brands like Loewe ditched the snob act and teamed up with creators for quirky, low-key content.

Even tech brands got playful, with employee-generated videos and absurd Gen Z-style skits giving major Mr. Bean vibes. Shoutout to Jacquemus and Courrèges for making boring stuff fun.

And let’s not forget Good Good Snacks, crushing it with founder-led content about their business journey—turns out Forbes 30 Under 30 loves a good struggle story.

The takeaway? This is just the tip of the iceberg. TikTok isn’t about perfection—it’s about being real and having fun. Assuming the app doesn’t go anywhere…

Thanks for the wisdom, Joel!

@coldestjoel

5 brands who WON social media in 2024! 💻#socialmedia #creativemarketing #socialmediamarketing @derschutze @LOEWE @Currys @Jaded London @Go... See more

^{Give Joel a follow by clicking here.}

🔥 Hot Opportunities

🐺 Earn Extra Revenue with Mushy Media's Music Program

Mushy Media is inviting YouTube Shorts creators with over 2.5 million monthly views to join their music monetization program, allowing them to use licensed music tracks as background music while earning a tiered revenue share of up to 75%.

👗 Seeking Kids & Family Creators to Showcase Adorable Fashion

Showcase timeless, playful fashion with Smocked Sweets Clothing! We’re seeking kids & family channels & accounts with children aged 2-8 to model our unique designs and create fun, engaging content for Instagram and TikTok.

Was this newsletter forwarded to you? Subscribe Here

Not on Creatorland yet? Join Here.

👋 Happy Networking!

~ Brian F.

Get Your Team Booked on 3.8 Million Podcasts Automatically

It's 2025. Want to finally be a regular podcast guest in your industry? PodPitch will make it happen. Even the beehiiv team uses it!

The best way to advertise isn't Meta or Google – it's appearing on podcasts your customers love.

PodPitch.com automates thousands of weekly emails for you, pitching your team as ideal guests.

Big brands like Feastables use PodPitch.com instead of expensive PR agencies.

Get your FREE personalized demo!

Content We Referenced Today:

1. Trump asks Supreme Court to pause potential TikTok ban - CBS Evening News

2. 5 brands who WON social media in 2024 - Joel Marlinarson

3. AI UGC Content - Luke Thorburg