I’M WALKIN’ HERE WITH

Happy New Year! Welcome to Creator Economy NYC — the premier place for all things creator economy in the Big Apple.

2024 was quite the ride for creators, brands, and everyone building in this space. And now that we're stepping into 2025, I figured what better way to kick off our first newsletter of the year than with some predictions about where things are headed?

But these aren't your typical "AI will change everything" predictions. These are insights I've gathered from our Creator Economy NYC events, building products in the space, and countless convos with folks who are actually doing the work.

Let’s dive in.

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BROUGHT TO YOU BY BEEHIIV

The foundation every creator needs (learned from experience)

Before Creator Economy NYC, I started in this industry by launching a newsletter with my brother, and it taught me one crucial lesson: owning your audience is everything.

That's exactly why I use beehiiv, the newsletter platform behind this very email you're reading. Like me, beehiiv believes in freeing creators from algorithm dependency, giving you the tools to build genuine, lasting connections with your community.

I've lived this journey — now it's your turn! Grow your brand with the most powerful newsletter platform on the planet.

CITY SPOTLIGHT

The creator economy is growing up: 2025 predictions from the ground

Our Creator Economy NYC events over the years have become a melting pot of creators, marketers, and industry leaders who are actually doing the work — not just talking about it. And from all these conversations and experiences... well, I've got some thoughts about 2025.

From the rise of in-person communities to how brands measure influence, here's what I think is coming next in the creator economy.

And hey, bookmark this — let's check back next year to see what I got right (and what I totally whiffed on).

1. The great URL-to-IRL migration

Running Creator Economy NYC has shown me something powerful: when online connections transform into real-world relationships, magic happens. The hunger for genuine, face-to-face connection is undeniable.

I believe 2025 will mark a significant shift where in-person community building becomes as valuable as online metrics. Sure, having a million followers is impressive, but getting 50 dedicated community members to show up consistently to your events? That's where real impact happens. We're entering an era where depth of connection matters more than breadth of reach.

From our events, we've seen that successful IRL community building comes down to three elements: consistency, intentionality, and authentic value. The creators who are crushing it aren't just throwing random meetups — they're building structured, recurring experiences their community can count on.

Many of you are already leaning into this shift, and the momentum is building.

2. The audience ownership evolution

Every successful creator I meet shares one common thread: they've built strong, owned relationships with their audiences. This isn't just a trend — it's becoming essential for survival in 2025 (looking at you, TikTok ban).

Smart creators are already building email lists, developing communities, and creating direct relationships with their audiences. Tools like beehiiv and Teachable aren't optional anymore; they're fundamental to creator business models.

But here's what's fascinating — this isn't happening at the expense of social platforms. Instead, creators are getting more sophisticated, using platforms for discovery while building their own community infrastructure.

3. LinkedIn's creator evolution

I've been beating this drum since 2022 (receipt 1 and receipt 2), and I'll say it louder for 2025: LinkedIn is becoming one of the most exciting spaces for creators. It’s having its ‘TikTok moment’ (as I’ve seen others in the industry say, like Tommy Clark and Lia Haberman) in terms of viral growth and views… especially with short form video.

And I'm not just saying this — it's been my primary platform, and I've watched it transform from a resume repository into a strong creator ecosystem.

During our panels, LinkedIn consistently comes up as the platform to be creating on. Why? Because it's getting comfortable with itself. It's focusing on its strengths: fostering meaningful content and discussions while maintaining a surprisingly positive community vibe.

If you're not already creating here — well, 2025 is definitely your year to start. And let’s follow each other.

Bonus: The rise of comment section analytics

This one's close to my heart — I’ve been co-building Siftsy, the comment section analytics tool, specifically because we saw this shift coming. Comments aren't just vanity metrics anymore; they're becoming the gold standard for measuring how content truly resonates with audiences.

Working with agencies and brands over the year, we’ve been watching in real-time as they pivot away from full reliance on surface-level metrics. They're asking deeper questions: How is the audience actually responding? What's the sentiment like? Is this driving meaningful conversations?

For marketers heading into 2025, this is your edge. Looking at holistic metrics and diving into comment section conversations will improve your ROI and win you more clients. (And yes, Siftsy can help you do it – give it a try here!)

Final thoughts

The creator economy is maturing, and with that maturity comes a more nuanced understanding of what success looks like.

What excites me most is how these trends point toward a more sustainable, community-focused creator ecosystem. It's less about viral moments and more about creating lasting impact — whether that's through in-person connections, meaningful engagement, or robust community building.

And that's something worth building towards.

CITY HAPPENINGS

We’re in the process of prepping a ton of programming for 2025. While a lot is in the works, some tentative dates have been mapped out — like our first event on January 28!

Get on the list early here →

INDUSTRY HAPPENINGS

Vegas is calling all creators and marketers!

Creator Economy Live is back for its flagship conference, and this time, they’re taking over Vegas! And if you're tryna improve creator ROI or tryna to crack the code on influencer partnerships, this is the place to be.

I’ll be there, and you should come join me February 4-5 to hang with folks from Disney, Google, Fenty, and like 40 other brands and agencies you'd actually want to meet.

And because you’re part of my crew — get 20% off with code 20CENYC. But get ‘em before they sell out soon!

PICKS & PERKS FOR YOU

Start a newsletter: It’s time you own your audience and start a newsletter. Get 20% off your first 3 months on any beehiiv paid plan. Snag it here →

*Optimize your influencer campaigns: Siftsy analyzes comment sections to uncover sentiment and trends, helping you improve performance and prove ROI. Discover more here →

Get shareable clips in seconds from long form: I’ve been using OpusClip to easily create high-quality clips from our panels. Try it out here →

*Siftsy is something I’ve co-founded, and working to make it the best damn tool out there for influencer marketers and brands.

ICYMI

Last week I shared with you two free resources to help supercharge your creator journey in 2025. If ya missed it, you can download both for free:

The Goal Setting Guide: A simple but powerful document to help you declare who you want to BECOME in 2025. Get it here →

2. The Accountability System: Your visual companion for consistent creation in 2025 (I’m using this now to send one newsletter a week!) Get it here → 

STAND CLEAR OF THE CLOSING DOORS PLEASE

Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you thought of it by replying to this email!

See you next week,

Brett