Trends in social media: The Motherhood, one of the top influencer marketing agencies, scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!
Influencer Marketing Industry Resources
Tom Goodwin: I was wrong about influencers. Here’s what I’ve learned about working with them. – January 29, 2026
At The Drum’s Predictions event, Tom Goodwin outlined the macro and micro shifts he sees happening in the advertising world. In this column, he expands on an idea that brands need to be honest about their motives for spending on influencer marketing.
A Business Case For Looking Beyond The Usual Suspects Of Content Creators – January 27, 2026
The dinner table in a Los Angeles restaurant sat eighteen. On one side sat marketing executives from Fenty Beauty, Netflix and other major companies. On the other, content creators with followings ranging from 50,000 to over 500,000, each handpicked for engagement rates and authentic voice. Managers, agents and plus-ones were persona non grata.
Digiday staffers tackle the creator vs. influencer divide – January 27, 2026
The creator economy is bursting at the seams — or is it that influencer marketing is booming? For an industry that’s big on labeling things, there’s one debate that seemingly has yet to settle: when to call someone an influencer over a creator. The question is: Is there a difference between a creator and an influencer. If so, what’s the difference and why does it matter to marketers?
How influencer marketing is evolving from vanity metrics to tangible impact – January 26, 2026
If the early 2000s were the infancy of influencer marketing — birthed at least in part by “mommy bloggers” — the 2010s were undeniably its rebellious teenage years defined by the rise of the “Instagram aesthetic,” where a polished image was everything and follower counts were the only metric that mattered. But this all changed in 2020 when a perfect storm of global disruption forced the industry to grow up fast. COVID-19 didn’t just confine consumers to their homes, it rewired how they consumed culture. As traditional ad production shut down, brands turned to creators who could produce content from their living rooms, proving they were not just “influencers” but full-stack production houses.
The Creator Economy In 2026 : The Era Of Consolidation – January 26, 2026
For most of its existence, the creator economy expanded without much structure. Independent creators, boutique managers, influencer agencies and software vendors all grew at the same time, often in parallel rather than in coordination. That fragmentation helped the market scale quickly. It also postponed the kind of operational discipline that large brand budgets ultimately require.
How AI Influencers Generate Millions Per Year – January 25, 2026
Meet Lil Miquela. She’s worked with high-end fashion brands like Prada and Calvin Klein as an influencer. She’s reportedly earned an average of $2 million per year since 2016. She doesn’t sleep, eat, travel, age or miss deadlines. She also isn’t real. AI has edged its way into influencer marketing, a practice that used to be a safe bet to be driven purely by humans. Synthetic influencers like Miquela now represent a new facet of influencer marketing, one that’s outearning some human influencers. Projections from PR firm Ogivy in 2024 estimated that AI virtual influencers would account for 30% of influencer marketing budgets in 2026. Brands are interested in hiring them. Creators are eagerly developing them.
The truth about the creator economy: MrBeast’s revelations on payment structures – January 25, 2026
Earlier this week, global YouTube phenom MrBeast (Jimmy Donaldson) ignited a new round of debates about the sustainability of the creator economy when he noted that YouTube alone has paid creators more than R1.62 trillion ($100 billion) over the past four years, “more than all other social platforms combined.” The statement isn’t just bragging rights. It underscores a seismic shift in how digital content is monetised, and who actually foots the bill in an ecosystem still dominated by a handful of platforms and major brands.
Dick’s invests in in-house influencers as brands seek control – January 22, 2026
The creator economy is booming and DICK’s Sporting Goods is vying for a bigger slice of the pie. Applications opened this week for the retailer’s latest iteration of its creator program. That in-house program gives Dick’s more control over its relationship with influencers and opens the door for ad revenue from external brand deals.
How Macy’s is flexing its Style Crew affiliate program beyond social media – January 22, 2026
The creator economy is on a growth streak, and as the segment continues to evolve and mature, marketers have steadily upped their investments in the space. For Macy’s, that has meant expanding its Style Crew affiliate marketing program, an effort that currently includes over 600 influencers and is projected by the brand to grow to a total of 1,000 members.
A Decade Of Trippin’ With Tarte: Inside The Viral Brand Trip Machine – January 19, 2026
When Tarte Cosmetics founder Maureen Kelly brought a small group of beauty influencers to Turks and Caicos on a whim in 2015, she hit the jackpot in a wild gamble. During an era when lavish YouTube hauls were on trend, and perfectly curated Instagram aesthetics defined a creator’s brand, the luxe excursion checked every imaginable box. Influencers were no strangers to elaborate gifting, but this was different.
Why creators are taking the reins on event hosting – January 12, 2026
You’ve heard of celebrity meet and greets. Welcome to the era of the creator meet and greet. In the last year, creators across industries have taken it upon themselves to get out into the world and engage with their fandoms IRL, ranging from podcast tapings to book tours and run clubs. “It feels like it has grown exponentially, the amount of creators wanting to put on these events,” Sophie Crowther, global talent partnerships director for creator agency Billion Dollar Boy, told us.
Head of Instagram Faces Huge Backlash From Influencers Claiming the Platform “Failed to Protect” Them Against “AI Slop” in 2025 – January 2, 2026
Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri faced backlash from influencers after a post about AI use on the platform missed the mark with many creators. The post, which was shared just a day ago over New Years, revealed Mosseri’s thoughts on the future of AI on Instagram and why creators are integral to the platform’s trustworthiness.
Year in Review: Unilever’s influencer pivot ripples through the industry – December 31, 2025
In March, the CPG giant’s new chief executive announced that the company would allocate half of its media budget to creator-led marketing. It was a seminal moment for a sector that has worked to prove its value on media plans in recent years. Here’s a recap of what happened. If there was one marketing discipline that came of age in 2025, it was influencer marketing. What was once dismissed as a messy, hard-to-measure add-on has become a board-level priority for some of the world’s biggest brands, a central pillar of their strategy.
Instagram Influencer Rates: A Complete Guide for Brands in 2026 – December 30, 2025
How much should brands really expect to pay for Instagram influencers in 2026, and why do rates vary so widely between creators who look similar on the surface? As influencer marketing matures, brands are no longer satisfied with rough guesses or outdated rules of thumb. They want clear benchmarks, realistic pricing expectations, and a better understanding of what drives cost. Instagram continues to play a central role in influencer marketing performance. Recent survey data shows that 32% of marketers report their strongest influencer marketing returns coming from Instagram.
Nano Influencer Rates Explained: A Complete Cost Guide For Brands in 2026 – December 29, 2025
As influencer marketing matures, brands are asking sharper questions about cost and value.
- How much should a nano influencer really cost in 2026?
- And why do creators with just a few thousand followers continue to dominate brand campaigns across social platforms?
On Instagram, creators in the nano tier make up roughly 75% of the entire influencer ecosystem, making them the most common partner brands encounter when sourcing talent.
Micro Influencer Rates For 2026: A Complete Cost Guide for Brands – December 29, 2025
Brands planning influencer campaigns in 2026 are asking sharper questions than ever.
- How much do micro influencers actually cost?
- And why do their rates vary so widely across platforms, niches, and content formats?
The growing shift toward performance-driven influencer marketing has pushed micro influencers to the center of brand strategy. Our own industry data shows that 64% of marketers have already partnered with micro influencers, and 47% report that this tier delivers their strongest campaign results.
EGC (Employee generated content)
How to Ignite Passionate Engagement in Your TeamDo you really want urgency, or do you want passionate engagement? – January 24, 2026
When my CEO client walked into our coaching session, she was practically shaking with anxiety. She explained to me that her startup was in dire straits. Product development had taken far too long. She had been forced to accept tough investor terms. Now, after finally securing capital, she thought her team had “lost their edge.”
SOCIAL NEWS
TikTok is still down, here are all the latest updates – February 2, 2026
More than a day after TikTok’s issues began, TikTok USDS says the problems are the result of a power outage at a data center and subsequent cascading systems failure. Starting early Sunday morning, TikTok’s now under new ownership US arm started breaking down just a couple of days after Oracle & Co took the reins. Its For You page algorithm is suddenly unreliable, while features like comments are failing to load or loading slowly, and publishing new videos seems nearly impossible for many people.
Meta Announces Discovery Improvements for Creator Marketplace – February 1, 2026
Meta has announced some updates for its Creator Marketplace, which enables brands to find relevant creators to work with on paid partnership campaigns. And there are some handy additions here, including updated creator recommendations, based on creators who follow your brand or have previously engaged with your posts, ad performance indicator badges which are reflective of each creator’s audience, and whether Meta’s system thinks they’ll be interested in your products, while Meta’s also expanding access to the tool.
Meta Outlines AI-Powered System Improvements – January 29, 2026
After posting its latest performance update yesterday, in which CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his enthusiasm for the company’s coming AI-powered functions, Meta has now also outlined how its advancing AI systems are already driving performance improvements, and creating more personalized, more fun experiences in its apps.
Edits Gets Simplified Copy and Paste, Improved Track Linking – January 27, 2026
The Edits team is back with yet another update, as it continues to roll out more video creation features within Meta’s dedicated video editing app. And if you’re creating content in 2026, you definitely need to know about Edits. The video creation tool includes a heap of tools and features, so many that it’s hard to get your head around what’s possible in the app unless you actually use it.
Is Australia’s Teen Social Media Ban Actually Working? – January 27, 2026
The Australian government continues to claim that its teen social media ban has been a big success, with more than 4.7 million accounts believed to be operated by teens either deactivated or restricted since the implementation of the new laws last month. And that is a big amount, especially in a country with a population of only 28 million people. Meta alone says that it’s removed 544k accounts in accordance with the new rules, while Snapchat reportedly had around 440k users aged between 13 and 15 in its app.
What Is Human-First Marketing? – January 25, 2026
Look, marketing experts have been yapping on about a “human-first” approach to advertising and promotions since the dawn of time, so much so that it can often feel trite and cliché, and potentially spammy when you see some wannabe LinkedIn influencer re-posting some ChatGPT regurgitated rubbish about human-centric connection. I get it, but it’s also such a common message because it’s true, that people don’t care about your brand or product, they care about what your brand or product can do for them, and how it will help in their personal experience.
Will TikTok Change Under US Ownership? – January 25, 2026
It’s a new day for TikTok in the U.S., under its new U.S. ownership, and already TikTok users are complaining about reliability issues, questionable post performance and, most concerningly, potential censorship. How much of that is true, and how much is imagined based on the broader context, is impossible to say, but the new U.S. TikTok will certainly be under scrutiny in the coming months, as American users look for cracks in the app’s revised TikTok operating structure in the nation.
TikTok’s US operations sale is official – January 23, 2026
After a yearslong saga, TikTok’s US operations are now under new management. The $14 billion deal that was signed last month to form the TikTok USDS Joint Venture was finalized late Thursday night after the US and Chinese governments gave it the green light. Moving forward, Oracle, Silver Lake investing, and the Abu Dhabi–based MGX investing will own just over 80% of the company’s US operations, with 19.9% of ownership remaining in the hands of TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance.
TikTok Confirms Joint Venture To Comply With US Law – January 22, 2026
TikTok has now officially confirmed that it’s established a new joint venture with a group of U.S. partners to meet the requirements of the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in the U.S., which will ensure that the platform remains in operation for U.S. users.
Meta Announces Global Expansion of Threads Ads – January 21, 2026
After initially suggesting that it would wait until Threads reached a billion users before integrating ads, Meta is now opening up Threads ads to all regions, providing another steady income stream for Zuckerberg’s ever-expanding behemoth.
Brands that skimp on social media marketing do so at their own peril – January 14, 2026
- The share of revenue sparked by social media marketing grew 40% compared to a year ago.
- Social media is more important than ever for US retail sites during the peak shopping season.
- Clicks from social media and affiliates, such as influencers, drove a quarter of holiday revenue for retailers.
Chinese Officials Weigh US TikTok Proposal – January 1, 2026
Look, I’m not saying that TikTok is likely to be banned in the U.S. later this month, but…While reports just before Christmas suggested that a TikTok U.S. deal had been signed, ensuring that the app would remain in operation in America, with a local version of the platform to be sold into U.S. ownership, the statements from Chinese officials on any deal sound a lot less definitive, and a lot more like there are things to to be finalized before any such deal might go into effect.
2026 Planning: The AI Dilemma – January 1, 2026
It’s a new year, which means that it’s time to map out a pathway forward, and put some kind of plan in place for your business or personal brand growth (if that’s what you’re after) in 2026. But with so much changing so constantly, it can be hard to know what you should be focused on, and what skills you’ll need to maximize your opportunities. With this in mind, we’ve put together an overview of three key elements of focus for the new year.
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