Instagram notes explained, AI clones take TikTok, strategies for inclusive partnerships
Hi there! This is Amanda, and welcome to our weekly creator-economy newsletter, Business Insider Creators.
Here’s what to expect in this week’s edition:
- An Instagram feature you may not have heard of is growing at a 'wild pace'
- Get ready to see AI clones of influencers in your TikTok feed
- 2 ways to be a better brand partner to creators of color
- And more, including the rise of STEM influencers and how a college track-and-field athlete scored over 20 sponsorships.
You may have recently seen some of the people you follow on Instagram start sharing short messages.
Instagram is pushing a feature called "notes," which lets users share and respond to their followers with short status update-like messages.
Shriya Bhattacharya and Sydney Bradley spoke to creators about how they use the feature and how it could be improved.
Some said they used notes to boost engagement on their Instagram stories, reels, and carousel posts.
However, these influencers said the feature could be used only by those they followed back, which greatly limited its reach.
AI-generated avatars are coming to ads in TikTok.
Dan Whateley wrote some of these avatars will be created using the likenesses of paid actors and creators.
The feature is meant to help brands and creators make content faster, yet some have raised concerns about how generative AI could disrupt their livelihoods.
"If this is something that caught on, I'd be very scared for the future of my business," micro influencer Kristen Bousquet told Business Insider in May.
The influencer manager for jewelry brand Pandora shared top strategies for working with creators of color.
Influencer marketing as an industry has faced challenges ensuring fair pay for BIPOC creators.
Shriya Bhattacharya broke down two strategies Nikki Jenkins and her team at Pandora implemented to make their brand collaborations more inclusive.
Several creators from underrepresented backgrounds told BI they love working with the jewelry brand.
Last week, I attended Open Sauce , a wacky science fair for creators and engineers.
There, I walked around several conference halls, amazed by inventions like a 16-foot functioning keyboard and real-life Flappy Bird (new bar game?), all while some of the most popular science and tech creators on YouTube roamed the halls and spoke on panels.
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Although this was my first time attending, the annual STEM conference returned for its second year with massive lines each morning through the arena’s parking lot. A spokesperson for the event said over 20,000 people attended this year.
The conference was founded by YouTuber William Osman, an OG creator with 3 million subscribers on YouTube who is known for videos like “Can a Car Window Break Your Finger?” and “Training My Roommate To Walk Quietly.”
Attending the event opened my eyes to the boom in science and engineering content on YouTube. I even met a creator at the event, whose channel is named Astrum (1.9 million YouTube subscribers), who makes content solely about the solar system.
Behind the scenes, the creators refueled and socialized in a private camp-themed room sponsored by YouTube. The room had food, drinks, a giant artificial campfire (made from wood Osman and his team collected days before the event), but most importantly, a table just for candy.
VidCon anyone?
I’ll be attending VidCon next week, Wednesday through Saturday. Send me an email if you’d like to meet up, invite me to your dinners and parties (please), or want to share an interesting tip from this year’s event! :)
Be sure to check out the panel I’m speaking at on Friday, “Al-Powered: The Creator Economy in 2025 & Beyond” with Gaurav Misra , Brett Dashevsky , and Chris Do .
I’ll also be moderating a panel on Saturday, “Living Out Loud: Inside the World of Lifestyle Content” with Janette Ok, Arianna Hailey, Microsoft, Sofia Bella, and Kelly Kay.
Hope to see you there!
More coverage from this week:
The business of being a creator
- How a former athlete who scored over 20 sponsorships built a career in NIL (Business Insider)
- Athlete marketing is booming, creating new career opportunities (Business Insider)
Social platforms and creator-economy startups
What’s happening in digital culture
- Gen Z influencers who supported Biden in 2020 turn against him (The Washington Post)
Thanks for reading! Send me your tips, comments, or questions: aperelli@insider.com.