Key Insights From Linktree’s 2023 Creator Economy Report Ft. Monica Austin, CMO Of Linktree
How can creators cut through the noise online? Critical insights from Linktree’s 2023 Creator Economy Report break down the data behind how creators are growing and monetizing their side hustles successfully. Keep reading for key insights from Monica Austin, the Chief Marketing Officer of Linktree.
Over 200 million creators are competing for your attention online, making growing an audience more challenging than ever — especially as people report feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of content and choices on the Internet.
Some creators turn to creating more content to fight this, but the best solution, per Linktree’s report, is unifying your content and brand.
On average, social media users have seven different profiles, with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok being the most popular ones and making up 25% of Linktree links since the beginning of 2022.
Unsurprisingly, TikTok links have grown by 300%, but Eventbrite has also received a significant increase of 200%, with LinkedIn growing by 42% and Google Docs (for courses, workout plans, etc.) increasing by 27%.
So, why is having your links all in one place so important?
For starters, your audience may not realize that you’re active on other platforms, have an Amazon storefront, or have a product. Unifying your links on Linktree also results in three views a monthper visitor, demonstrating that people are eager to return and see what else you offer once exposed to your links.
The takeaway? Unify your links and online presence with everything all in one place, and then put these links everywhere. The average Linktree receives traffic from 12 sources!
Key Insights From Linktree’s 2023 Creator Economy Report Ft. Monica Austin, CMO Of Linktree
Breaking Through the Algorithm
Algorithms are key for discovery on social and search engines. However, algorithms constantly evolve, leading to a gatekeeper-like relationship between content creators and their audiences.
Unfortunately, this relationship leads to “content collapse,” where social media users see the same content repeatedly. 75% of creators want to diversify what they create and share but feel stuck making the same content that the algorithm rewards.
The solution?Be your own algorithm.
Austin explains that newer creators are realizing the value of building intimate communities where they can make authentic connections with their audience around shared interests, helping creators beat the algorithm.
She shares, “We’ve seen this huge spike in the utilization of community platforms like Typeform, like Reddit, like Patreon, like contact details, where folks are kind of building that community. That’s allowing them to do then is break through the algorithm and be their own algorithm because that authentic connection is what’s gonna be able to help you reach the people that you care about the most that you’re not gonna be as subjected to whatever the algorithm is prioritizing today.”
The benefits of building a loyal community are huge, but notably, a loyal community helps you adapt to changing algorithms, making you less reliant on algorithms as a whole.
Linktree’s reports note a significant increase in community platforms linked, such as Patreon, Reddit, Contact Details, Typeform, and Substack — all platforms that creators use to directly engage with and monetize their audience outside of standard social media algorithms.
In particular, Discord was hugely beneficial to creators, with an 83% engagement rate, even for creators with less than 1,000 total views on their Linktree.
Austin adds, “The other thing we see universally as a best practice is to really make sure you are linking everything you are through your Linktree and making sure you are going deep and then putting that link on all the platforms. That is the way to really drive that unification.”
Whether you have a large or small audience, keep your links consistently in social media descriptions so your audience can easily find and follow you on other platforms, especially community-building platforms like Patreon or Substack.
The Shift to Affiliates Over Traditional Brand Deals
Many content creators are interested in turning their side hustle into a long-term career, and half of the creators studied made money from their content in the last year.
72% of creators reported making less than $500, 17% shared that they made between $500 and $5,000, 5% earned between $5,000 and $10,000, and only 6% reported making over $10,000 in 12 months.
Regardless of how you look at it, most creators aren’t making enough to pay their bills.
However, Linktree’s study found that direct payment features like tips, gifts, and paid requests for products and services made a huge difference, with the average monthly revenue paid to creators increasing by over 25%.
Austin says, “Overall, it is harder to monetize than ever. This space is rapidly growing, so creative funds and brand deals are depleting a bit due to the boom of people becoming influencers. They’re all vying for this infinite pool of dollars, and what affiliate marketing is able to do is make it accessible to everyone. Small creators can really utilize it to promote products for their dedicated audiences. “
The good news? There are more ways than ever for creators to rely less on brand deals and ad dollars. Look into direct payment features, community subscriptions like Patreon, and affiliate links or programs, like setting up an Amazon Storefront.
Linktree reports that Shopify and Sping link clicks increased by 58% since the beginning of 2022, driving more than 38 million clicks in the last year alone.
Austin shares, “It’s not about scale. It’s not about size. It’s really about authenticity and being able to sort of tap into here.”
Creators of all sizes can take advantage of affiliate marketing, especially during Prime Day or the holiday season, which are massive opportunities for creators.
In 2022, Amazon links experienced an 184% growth in clicks, with a 39% increase in average daily clicks compared to October.
Austin says, “Visitors are super eager to explore their favorite creator storefronts. I like to think about creators, almost as the new shops where you feel like you have that natural connection, you have a natural interest in what they’re promoting — the breadth can be super wide or super specific — and it’s really a way for creators to be able to connect to this huge momentum we’re seeing around social commerce.”
Final Thoughts
Austin says regarding the creator economy and the report’s findings, “Our goal is to empower creators, help solve their problems, and then build products for them that can really help amplify what they’re doing. We want them to be able to take ownership of their audience and their content, and our platform is really designed to help creators breakthrough, especially right now, break through the algorithm, build the community, and, ultimately, establish a sustainable career.”
In helping creators achieve this goal, Linktree is planning several new features to help creators connect with their audience. The platform has built new features like “buy me a gift,” allowing fans to thank their favorite creators.
Calendly, a highly requested integration by users, has also been integrated into the platforms so users can schedule directly through Linktree.
Linkers who utilize Calendly are seven times more likely to receive a booking than those who don’t, showing the true power of removing the number of clicks needed to book or purchase something.
Read the full Linktree 2023 Creator Economy Report here.
Amy DeYoung is a freelance blog post writer covering influencer marketing and business topics. As the daughter of two business owners, she's been fascinated by all things business from a young age, which led her to graduate from college with a bachelor's degree in business. When she's not typing away, she spends her time reading nonfiction books and mystery novels, baking scrumptious desserts, and playing with her dog.
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Unify Your Content
Over 200 million creators are competing for your attention online, making growing an audience more challenging than ever — especially as people report feeling incredibly overwhelmed by the amount of content and choices on the Internet.
Some creators turn to creating more content to fight this, but the best solution, per Linktree’s report, is unifying your content and brand.
On average, social media users have seven different profiles, with YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok being the most popular ones and making up 25% of Linktree links since the beginning of 2022.
Unsurprisingly, TikTok links have grown by 300%, but Eventbrite has also received a significant increase of 200%, with LinkedIn growing by 42% and Google Docs (for courses, workout plans, etc.) increasing by 27%.
So, why is having your links all in one place so important?
For starters, your audience may not realize that you’re active on other platforms, have an Amazon storefront, or have a product. Unifying your links on Linktree also results in three views a month per visitor, demonstrating that people are eager to return and see what else you offer once exposed to your links.
The takeaway? Unify your links and online presence with everything all in one place, and then put these links everywhere. The average Linktree receives traffic from 12 sources!
Key Insights From Linktree’s 2023 Creator Economy Report Ft. Monica Austin, CMO Of Linktree
Breaking Through the Algorithm
Algorithms are key for discovery on social and search engines. However, algorithms constantly evolve, leading to a gatekeeper-like relationship between content creators and their audiences.
Unfortunately, this relationship leads to “content collapse,” where social media users see the same content repeatedly. 75% of creators want to diversify what they create and share but feel stuck making the same content that the algorithm rewards.
The solution? Be your own algorithm.
Austin explains that newer creators are realizing the value of building intimate communities where they can make authentic connections with their audience around shared interests, helping creators beat the algorithm.
She shares, “We’ve seen this huge spike in the utilization of community platforms like Typeform, like Reddit, like Patreon, like contact details, where folks are kind of building that community. That’s allowing them to do then is break through the algorithm and be their own algorithm because that authentic connection is what’s gonna be able to help you reach the people that you care about the most that you’re not gonna be as subjected to whatever the algorithm is prioritizing today.”
The benefits of building a loyal community are huge, but notably, a loyal community helps you adapt to changing algorithms, making you less reliant on algorithms as a whole.
Linktree’s reports note a significant increase in community platforms linked, such as Patreon, Reddit, Contact Details, Typeform, and Substack — all platforms that creators use to directly engage with and monetize their audience outside of standard social media algorithms.
In particular, Discord was hugely beneficial to creators, with an 83% engagement rate, even for creators with less than 1,000 total views on their Linktree.
Austin adds, “The other thing we see universally as a best practice is to really make sure you are linking everything you are through your Linktree and making sure you are going deep and then putting that link on all the platforms. That is the way to really drive that unification.”
Whether you have a large or small audience, keep your links consistently in social media descriptions so your audience can easily find and follow you on other platforms, especially community-building platforms like Patreon or Substack.
The Shift to Affiliates Over Traditional Brand Deals
Many content creators are interested in turning their side hustle into a long-term career, and half of the creators studied made money from their content in the last year.
72% of creators reported making less than $500, 17% shared that they made between $500 and $5,000, 5% earned between $5,000 and $10,000, and only 6% reported making over $10,000 in 12 months.
Regardless of how you look at it, most creators aren’t making enough to pay their bills.
However, Linktree’s study found that direct payment features like tips, gifts, and paid requests for products and services made a huge difference, with the average monthly revenue paid to creators increasing by over 25%.
Austin says, “Overall, it is harder to monetize than ever. This space is rapidly growing, so creative funds and brand deals are depleting a bit due to the boom of people becoming influencers. They’re all vying for this infinite pool of dollars, and what affiliate marketing is able to do is make it accessible to everyone. Small creators can really utilize it to promote products for their dedicated audiences. “
The good news? There are more ways than ever for creators to rely less on brand deals and ad dollars. Look into direct payment features, community subscriptions like Patreon, and affiliate links or programs, like setting up an Amazon Storefront.
Linktree reports that Shopify and Sping link clicks increased by 58% since the beginning of 2022, driving more than 38 million clicks in the last year alone.
Austin shares, “It’s not about scale. It’s not about size. It’s really about authenticity and being able to sort of tap into here.”
Creators of all sizes can take advantage of affiliate marketing, especially during Prime Day or the holiday season, which are massive opportunities for creators.
In 2022, Amazon links experienced an 184% growth in clicks, with a 39% increase in average daily clicks compared to October.
Austin says, “Visitors are super eager to explore their favorite creator storefronts. I like to think about creators, almost as the new shops where you feel like you have that natural connection, you have a natural interest in what they’re promoting — the breadth can be super wide or super specific — and it’s really a way for creators to be able to connect to this huge momentum we’re seeing around social commerce.”
Final Thoughts
Austin says regarding the creator economy and the report’s findings, “Our goal is to empower creators, help solve their problems, and then build products for them that can really help amplify what they’re doing. We want them to be able to take ownership of their audience and their content, and our platform is really designed to help creators breakthrough, especially right now, break through the algorithm, build the community, and, ultimately, establish a sustainable career.”
In helping creators achieve this goal, Linktree is planning several new features to help creators connect with their audience. The platform has built new features like “buy me a gift,” allowing fans to thank their favorite creators.
Calendly, a highly requested integration by users, has also been integrated into the platforms so users can schedule directly through Linktree.
Linkers who utilize Calendly are seven times more likely to receive a booking than those who don’t, showing the true power of removing the number of clicks needed to book or purchase something.
Read the full Linktree 2023 Creator Economy Report here.