The creator economy is thriving and on track to become a $500 billion industry by 2027, making it more important than ever for brands and creators to stand out from the pack. At the third-ever Creator Economy Live conference in Las Vegas, industry leaders – brands, marketers, platforms/tools and creators – uncovered some invaluable insights and growing trends to help them do just that. Spoiler alert – our favorite buzz word ‘authenticity’ is just the tip of the iceberg. From platform strategy (hint: LinkedIn is that girl!) to community engagement (real-time interaction continues to be king), here are five gems we uncovered during the conference that can help both brands and creators navigate and excel in this ever-evolving space.
1. Don’t Sleep on Shorts
Short-form content continues to dominate. No surprise, as our attention spans are even shorter, making it even more important to capture audiences quickly and early. Looking beyond TikTok, a creator staple whose fate keeps us on our toes, the love for Instagram Stories and YouTube Shorts was strong. A staggering 11% of TV viewing is now spent on YouTube, and the platform offers long-tail conversion opportunities—meaning content can gain traction and engagement long after its initial release. This makes YouTube Shorts an essential tool for creators looking to sustain audience interest and expand their reach, with an opportunity to pique interest for longer-form content.
2. The Rise of the “Grandpa Edit”
Long-form content with low production quality—fondly dubbed the “Grandpa Edit”—is proving to be a hit over highly-produced alternatives. This approach embraces authenticity over polish, demonstrating that audiences increasingly value raw, real, and relatable storytelling. And while this trend has been around for some time, counter-movements like deinfluencing—which encourages honest reviews that push back against excessive consumerism—along with a growing preference for more conversational engagement between brands and consumers, and an increase in viewers who are willing to invest their time and are along for the full story add credence to this style. An easy way to ensure authenticity is to bring creators in on that creative process, ensuring a “Grandpa Edit” is more than just a rough cut but robust in authentic storytelling with a conversational vibe that isn’t shortened by previous time constraints.
3. Representation is Critical
Despite industry-wide DEI rollbacks, representation remains a best practice in the Creator space. Diversity is not a trend—it’s the foundation of cultural influence. Panelists throughout the conference emphasized the crucial role women, people of color, and queer communities play in shaping digital culture, content and conversion. To create content that truly resonates, brands and creators should actively consult, feature, and collaborate with these communities as a mandatory part of their discovery process. These communities and their perspectives bring fresh narratives, authenticity, and engagement that drive the Creator Economy forward to hyper target audience communities.
4. Bring Followers on the Journey
The most successful creators and brands understand the importance of real-world interactions and the lasting impact sharing that journey with their audience can have. It’s important to take out the transactional nature of a pure content play when a creator truly resonates with a brand and build upon the relationship to expand beyond traditional social content. Fan integrations, collaborations, product drops, community meetups, and in-person activations are some of the best ways for creators to give back to supporters and deepen relationships with highly engaged communities. At the McCain Regen Fries US launch event, Edelman partnered with food creator Dan Pelosi (aka Grossy Pelosi to host a meet up at the event for his ‘Grossy Gals’, allowing them to try his recipe and mingle on-site. Followers saw his content and showed up to attend and engage with Dan at the event, where he signed cookbooks fans of his brought, took photos and even spoke to fans on FaceTime. He even reshared tagged content from the event to show appreciation for his fan base while simultaneously extending brand reach.
5. Expand the Traditional Definition of an Influencer
At Edelman, we recognize the core difference between “Influencer” and “Creator” as we appreciate the unique skillset that this group brings to the table. And it’s more than just influence: Creators bridge culture and serve as gatekeepers to audience communities, making them a critical part of any marketing strategy. Take fan accounts, for example —they are emerging as powerful partners in brand and content collaborations. These accounts are fun, flexible to work with, are typically more accessible than the creator or celeb and have a deep understanding of their niche communities, making them valuable allies in digital marketing strategies.
Bonus Gem: LinkedIn as an Underutilized Creator Goldmine
LinkedIn is proving to be an overlooked treasure trove for creators and B2B brands. The platform is all about building trust within niche audiences, making it an ideal space for thought leadership, brand collaborations, and professional networking. Smart creators are leveraging LinkedIn to establish credibility, share thought leadership, and tap into a highly engaged audience that’s looking for unique content and news.
Creator Economy Live featured a mix of content and discussion around the state of the industry, incorporating AI into process, thought leadership and insights that sparked conversation and highlighted where the business is today and where it’s headed. From short-form content that inspires, prioritizing authenticity, engaging diverse communities, fostering real-world connections, and redefining influence, creators can build lasting, impactful brands. The future of the creator economy belongs to those who don’t rinse and repeat, but rather innovate, adapt, and meaningfully contribute to culture.
