Submissions to the International Women’s Podcast Awards Are Now Open for 2026
The International Women’s Podcast Awards (IWPAs) have opened 2026 submissions under new host Tink Media, with a deadline of July 31, 2026. Entrants can submit up to 10 minutes of audio for any of the ten existing categories plus a new “Moment of Artistry in Advertising” award, paying a $50 fee per entry. The awards remain queer‑ and trans‑inclusive and will offer a scholarship program to cover entry fees and Toronto event tickets for creators facing financial barriers. Eligible audio must have aired between June 10, 2025 and July 31, 2026.
Fuel Your Next Wave of Growth on YouTube with Demand Gen
YouTube’s new Demand Gen suite blends AI‑driven video creation with creator partnerships, letting advertisers produce high‑impact ads faster. The platform now supports dynamic product videos via Google Merchant Center and expands inventory to Google Maps, checkout links in nine markets,...
What Should Hollywood Learn From Kane Parsons?
Kane Parsons, a 20‑year‑old YouTube creator, turned his viral Blender animation series "The Backrooms" into a full‑length A24 film premiering on May 29, 2026. The first episode posted in January 2022 amassed 20 million views within two weeks, sparking a massive online following....
The Scoop: Kickstarter Admitted It ‘Botched’ Adult Content Policy Change
Kickstarter announced it had "botched" a recent overhaul of its adult‑content guidelines and promptly reinstated the previous rules. The change, driven by Stripe’s compliance requirements, sparked sharp backlash from creators—especially comic artists—who feared project shutdowns and lost revenue. COO Sean...
Kickstarter Is Walking Back Mature Content Rules After Backlash
Kickstarter has rolled back a newly introduced adult‑content policy after a wave of backlash from creators and backers. The original change was meant to align the platform’s rules with payment processor Stripe’s compliance requirements, but it instead created confusion and...
From MAC Counter to Times Square: Inside Marjan Tabibzada’s Creator Business Built on Trust
Afghan‑American beauty influencer Marjan Tabibzada, known as YoungCouture, turned a decade‑long MAC counter apprenticeship into a creator empire with over 7 million followers. Her recent Times Square billboard for Tutor highlighted how trust‑driven authenticity fuels high‑value brand partnerships with luxury names like...
![How Creators Make Money Online in 2026 [Business Models]](/cdn-cgi/image/width=1200,quality=75,format=auto,fit=cover/https://influencermarketinghub.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/59402c44-chatgpt-image-may-20-2026-02_08_51-pm.jpg)
How Creators Make Money Online in 2026 [Business Models]
The creator economy surpassed $250 billion in 2026 and Goldman Sachs forecasts it could reach $480 billion by 2027, encompassing more than 200 million global creators. While half of these creators earn under $15,000 annually, those who diversify across three to four income streams...
Video Podcasts Are Converging with TV, Finds Ofcom
Ofcom’s latest “Audio listening in the UK” report shows video podcasts are gaining traction, with 68 % of weekly listeners having watched a video‑enabled episode. While overall podcast consumption rose to 33 % of adults, only 27 % say they prefer video when...
How Makeup by Mario Balances Paid and Organic Content
Makeup by Mario’s senior influencer manager Marisa Sargenti explains how the brand blends paid and organic creator strategies, emphasizing authenticity and community listening. A surge of Instagram demand—about 70% of comments—prompted the permanent relaunch of the Ethereal Eyes Palette, showcasing...
Aussie-Born Platform Envato Unveils ‘Creative Flow: Activated’ Global Campaign via SuperHeroes
Envato, the Australian‑born marketplace for creative assets, has unveiled the "Creative Flow: Activated" campaign in partnership with New York‑based agency SuperHeroes. The initiative positions Envato as an all‑in‑one subscription that bundles AI tools, stock footage, music, graphics, and fonts to keep...
Mamamia Hits Second in Podcast Ranker After Key Role Made Redundant
Australian Podcast Ranker for April 2026 shows Hamish & Andy leading with 832,058 monthly listeners, while Mamamia Out Loud holds second place with 722,478 listeners. News remains the dominant genre, attracting nearly 5 million listeners, followed by Society & Culture and...
YouTube Will Let Creators Use AI to Insert Themselves Into Other People’s Videos
Google unveiled AI‑powered upgrades to YouTube at its I/O event, including a Shorts "Remix" tool that lets users rewrite a video’s style or embed their own likeness using Gemini Omni. The feature mirrors OpenAI’s Sora capabilities but adds watermarks and...
All the YouTube News From Today’s Google I/O
Google unveiled two major AI-driven updates at I/O: Ask YouTube, a conversational search tool that lets Premium members pose complex queries and receive structured video results, and Gemini Omni, an AI engine that powers Shorts Remix and the YouTube Create...
Twitch Adds New Community-Driven Monetization Tools for Eligible Creators
Twitch unveiled three community‑driven monetization tools—Creator Badge Drops, Custom Power‑Ups, and expanded Hype Train formats—to let creators turn viewer participation into direct earnings. Badge Drops let streamers design event‑specific badges unlocked by subscriptions or watch time, delivering up to a...
Amazon Affiliate Cuts Put Publishers and Creators Under Pressure
Amazon has slashed affiliate commissions by up to 50%, pulling premium rates from roughly 10% down to 4‑5% in several categories and eliminating milestone‑based bonuses. It also weakened product‑level reporting, leaving publishers, creators, and Influencer participants with far less visibility...
Listener.com Marks First Anniversary with Launch of Campaigns 2.0, Airchecks, and Industry-First MCP Integration
Listener.com celebrates its first anniversary by unveiling Campaigns 2.0, Airchecks, and a groundbreaking MCP integration that feeds podcast data into Claude and ChatGPT. In its debut year the platform was adopted by more than 25 podcast networks, over 3,000 independent shows,...
Lance Armstrong’s THEMOVE Returns as the Definitive Tour De France Companion Podcast Through New Libsyn Partnership
Libsyn announced an exclusive partnership to host and monetize the July 2026 Tour de France episodes of Lance Armstrong’s podcast THEMOVE. The deal makes Libsyn the sole platform for daily race breakdowns, video simulcasts, and host‑read ads during the event. THEMOVE...
Coleman Insights Debuts New Study on How Podcast Trailers Drive Listening Intent
Coleman Insights, together with Pantheon Media, Nova Podcasts and Earbuds Podcast Collective, will unveil new research on podcast trailers at The Podcast Show in London on May 21. The study A/B‑tests trailer versions from four shows – two from Pantheon...
After Raising $5M, Adobe-Backed Tamber Officially Launches Its AI Music-Making Platform
Adobe Ventures‑backed Tamber raised $5 million and launched an AI‑powered music suite that acts as an "intelligent creative layer" inside existing DAWs. The platform, dubbed "sonic intelligence," translates abstract prompts—like colors or textures—into usable musical elements rather than generating finished tracks....
What TV Broadcasters Can Learn From The Sidemen
Broadcasters are re‑thinking YouTube as a core engagement platform, emulating creator tactics to nurture fandoms around IP such as the BBC’s Bluey. Analyst Ben Woods points to the Sidemen collective, whose multi‑channel strategy—short‑form reacts, lifestyle content, and long‑form weekly videos—creates...
Influencer Marketing Grows Up
Influencer marketing has shifted from a gut‑based tactic to a measurable performance channel, treating creators as standalone media assets with CPMs and attribution. Publicis Groupe cemented this trend by acquiring AI‑powered platform Influential for roughly $500 million, plugging it into its...
Believe Founders Denis Ladegaillerie & Romain Vivien Explain the Global Rise of Their Multibillion-Dollar Music Company | Billboard News
Believe, founded by Denis Ladegaillerie and led by Romain Vivien, has grown into a multibillion‑dollar music company that now commands roughly 10% of the global digital music market. The firm ranks among the top three players in 12‑13 of the...
Meta Adds New Creator Publishing Tools
Meta unveiled two creator‑focused publishing tools on May 18, 2026. The web‑based Creator Studio now includes a Content Planner that visualizes scheduled posts, flags timing gaps, and links directly to performance insights. A revamped bulk‑upload flow for Reels lets creators add captions...
X Is Making a Major Creator Push, Launching Ad Product to Connect Brands and Users (Exclusive)
X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, announced Creator Connect, an AI‑powered marketplace that pairs brands with creators, especially niche and emerging influencers. Leveraging technology from its sister company xAI, the service matches creators based on campaign goals, real‑time trends,...
Libsyn Appoints Todd Pringle as Vice President of Product to Accelerate Platform Innovation and Creator Growth
Libsyn announced the appointment of Todd Pringle as Vice President of Product, tasking him with leading product strategy across its publishing, distribution, monetization and advertising solutions. Pringle brings over two decades of experience, most recently as a founding member of...
New Ausha Case Study: How BlackRock’s “The Bid” Climbed to #1 on Apple Podcasts
BlackRock’s branded podcast “The Bid” surged to the #1 spot on Apple Podcasts in the United States after a focused search‑visibility overhaul. By targeting both topic‑specific keywords and brand‑centric terms, the show climbed roughly 99 positions in search results, with...
Athlete Influencers Outperform Traditional Creators by More Than 2x, per Report
OpenSponsorship’s 2026 State of Athlete and Influencer Marketing report finds athlete creators generate more than twice the engagement of traditional influencers—10.97% versus 4.92%—and deliver a 7× return on ad spend, producing $5.78 in media value per dollar invested. Deal activity...
Steven Bartlett’s Flightcast Adds Apple Podcasts Video Support, HLS Publishing for All Customers
Flightcast, the podcast hosting platform co‑founded by Steven Bartlett, has rolled out full Apple Podcasts video support and HTTP Live Streaming (HLS) publishing for all customers at no extra cost. The update lets podcasters publish 4K video directly to Apple...
No Logo’s Lola Wants to Be the AI Talent Manager Independent Creators Can Afford
No Logo, an Edinburgh‑based creator agency, has launched Lola, an AI‑powered talent manager aimed at independent creators who earn below the $50,000‑$100,000 annual threshold required by traditional agencies. Lola automates deal sourcing, pitch drafting, brand matching, and rate guidance for...
Why Brands Are Still Undervaluing YouTube Creator Partnerships
Brands continue to undervalue YouTube creator partnerships despite the platform’s proven ability to drive deep audience trust and higher purchase intent. Short‑form platforms like TikTok and Instagram dominate marketing dashboards, leaving YouTube sponsorships perceived as opaque and hard to benchmark....
Zara Larsson Respawns on Roblox with 'Midnight Sun' Virtual Concert
Swedish pop star Zara Larsson has launched a limited‑time virtual concert on Roblox to celebrate the deluxe edition of her 2025 Grammy‑nominated album Midnight Sun. The experience, titled “Zara Larsson’s midnight sun world,” lets users explore sun‑ and moon‑themed spaces, play mini‑games, and...
Influencer Boost Budgets Are Throwing Gas on Social Video Spending Fire
Brand spending on social video is accelerating as influencer amplification budgets surge. Marketers now routinely allocate part of paid media spend to boost creator videos, with budgets ranging from a few thousand dollars to as much as $5 million per campaign....
The Case for and Against Clipping
Clipping—short‑form remix of long‑form creator content—has become a $7.7 million business in its first ten months, powered by over 20,000 contracted editors. Founder Anthony Fujiwara’s Clipping and Jimmy Donaldson’s Vyro illustrate how creators and brands are buying cheap, algorithm‑friendly views, with rates...
‘Less Money For Talent’: Karl Stefanovic Issues Grim Warning For TV & Explains Why He Launched A Podcast
Veteran broadcaster Karl Stefanovic warned that shrinking advertising returns are forcing Australian TV networks to slash talent salaries and production budgets. After three years of negotiations with Nine, he launched The Karl Stefanovic Show podcast to gain creative freedom, noting...
Markiplier's Iron Lung Finally Has a Streaming Release Date
Markiplier’s horror film *Iron Lung* will debut digitally on YouTube on May 31, 2026, as a paid offering on the platform’s Movies & TV storefront. The price hasn’t been disclosed but is expected to fall between $19.99 and $29.99, mirroring typical new‑release...
Why Is Dropout Changing so Much? CEO Sam Reich Explains
Dropout.tv CEO Sam Reich says the company’s flurry of new projects—Blu‑rays, a 24/7 streaming channel, licensed outside content, a Superfan tier, an animated anthology, and a crowdfunded board game—have been in development for years and coincidentally converged in 2026. Early...
Myntra Expands Creator Commerce Push with New Affiliate Feature
Myntra has introduced an affiliate feature within its Ultimate Glam Clan (UGC) programme, allowing creators to share personalised storefronts and earn commissions on sales. The tool activates after a creator publishes three UGC posts, expanding the platform’s creator‑led commerce model....
YouTube's AI Deepfake Detection Tool Is Now Available to All Creators 18 and Older
YouTube is rolling out its AI likeness detection tool to all creators 18 and older. Previously limited to Partner Program members, journalists and politicians, the feature scans uploaded videos for unauthorized use of a creator’s face and flags potential deepfakes....
LinkedIn Reportedly Planning To Launch Thousands Of Creator-Led Events
LinkedIn is preparing to host up to 4,000 paid creator‑led events each year, with early pilots featuring high‑profile professionals such as data scientist Cassie Kozyrkov and journalist Codie Sanchez. Internal documents show more than 50 events slated for 2026 and a goal...
LinkedIn Reportedly Planning To Launch Thousands Of Creator-Led Events
LinkedIn is gearing up to host up to 4,000 paid creator‑led events each year, aiming to enlist more than 1,000 creators by mid‑2027. Early pilots with high‑profile professionals have already generated $19 million in Premium Event revenue over the past six...
Meet Brandon Pleshek, the Third-Generation Janitor Who Turned TikTok Into a Tentpole Business
Brandon Pleshek, a third‑generation janitor, turned his cleaning expertise into the multi‑platform creator brand Clean That Up. Leveraging TikTok’s algorithm, he built a following of over four million across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube, plus a 17,000‑subscriber newsletter. His annual "Spring...
Spotify Expands Video Podcast Distribution as Apple Podcasts Integration Nears
Spotify has broadened its video podcast distribution by linking its Distribution API with five hosting platforms—Libsyn, Podigee, Audioboom, Audiomeans and Podspace—allowing creators to push video episodes directly to Spotify and earn revenue through the Partner Program. The company also announced...
VidCon Returns to Anaheim for 15th Annual Event With Twitch, Snap, Spotify Execs, Debut Brand Match Accelerator
VidCon will return to the Anaheim Convention Center on June 25‑27, 2026 for its 15th annual gathering, uniting creators, fans, brands, and industry leaders. The lineup features executives from Twitch, Snap, Spotify, Pinterest and Tubi, with Twitch CEO Dan Clancy...
Europe’s Creator Economy Reaches 8.6 Million Income-Generating Creators, Report Finds
The Creator’s Hub report shows Europe’s creator economy now includes 8.64 million income‑generating creators and was valued at €28 billion (≈$30.5 billion) in 2025. It projects the market will expand to €135 billion (≈$147 billion) by 2032, a 25.1% CAGR, outpacing the global creator economy’s...
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Zimbabwe Adds Online Content Creators to Tax Bracket
Zimbabwe’s revenue authority (Zimra) announced that all local online content creators must pay income‑tax, PAYE or capital‑gains tax on earnings from platforms such as YouTube, TikTok and Facebook. The deadline for filing overdue returns from the Jan 1 2026 reforms is June 30 2026,...
ESPN’s YouTube Clip Crew Built an Empire With Billions of Views
ESPN has turned sports highlights into a core product, amassing over 100 billion YouTube views and maintaining the largest U.S. TikTok sports brand with nearly 58 million followers. The network operates a dedicated clipping team that creates multiple formats for each broadcast,...
Amazon Bets Creator Video Podcasts Can Be the Next TV Network – if It Can Fix Measurement
At its May 11 Upfront, Amazon announced a push to turn creator‑led video podcasts into multi‑platform franchises that can compete for traditional TV ad budgets. The company envisions "360‑degree" properties that span Amazon retail, livestreams, social clips, and live events, leveraging...
StreamElements Prepares to Shut Down Website and Creator Platform (Updated)
StreamElements, the long‑standing livestreaming services platform, announced it will close its website and sunset its creator tools within 30 days. The company, which powered free bots, overlays and a brand‑partnership marketplace for more than 23 million creators, is in talks with...
Oleg Kuzovkov Regains 'Masha and the Bear' Control, Now in Pre-Production on Feature
Oleg Kuzovkov, creator of the preschool hit *Masha and the Bear*, has reclaimed exclusive creative control of the franchise and launched Studio MiM, an independent studio operating out of Los Angeles and Moscow. The new studio has entered pre‑production on the...
Meta Announces Latest Round of Edits Updates
Meta unveiled a new suite of features for its Edits video‑editing app, adding transition‑speed controls, opacity sliders for text and stickers, and live‑photo support for iOS users. The update also introduces roughly 200 new sound effects, expanding the app’s audio...