Publisher The Information Increases Creator Economy Coverage

The creator economy has made millionaires out of ordinary people, and it could do the same for the publishers that cover it. The Information launched its creator economy newsletter in April, covering the tech companies and people working in the creator economy, from Clubhouse to investors to Patreon, to gauge reader interest in the nascent tech sector. Now, demand for that newsletter has led the publisher to expand its coverage of the subject. On Monday The Information released an updated version of its proprietary Creator Economy Database, which contains subscribers-only information on more than 100 creator-centric startups, and today it is hosting its first-ever virtual Creator Economy Summit. Coverage of the creator economy, including topics like its hottest entrants and history of skewed payouts, has generated a six-figure subscription revenue for The Information, said general manager of consumer business Sam Rosen. The publisher uses paywall technology to attribute subscriptions to the specific content that converts a reader into a paying customer. The Information Launches Newsletters to ‘Super-Serve’ Readers and Deeply Report on Niche Areas Reporting on the sector has additionally led to a separate six-figure revenue in corporate subscriptions, and The Information has been able to sell six figures’ worth of advertising against its Creator Economy Summit, said vp of brand partnerships Ann Marinovich. The publisher declined to provide specific financial figures or subscriptions numbers. “The Information really focuses on the under-covered topics that are going to have the biggest impact in business,” Rosen told Adweek. “We found that there was a lack of content on the creator economy, and that people are really hungry for it." The summit brings brand parnters into the vertical Over 1,000 people have registered to attend the Creator Economy Summit, making it the largest event the publisher has ever hosted, according to Marinovich. Attendance was free for current subscribers, whose subscriptions range from $39 per month to $749 per year, but non-subscribers could attend by either purchasing a discounted annual subscription for $199 or paying $249 for a ticket. The event itself has generated a substantial number of subscriptions, with only a minority of non-subscribers opting to purchase a ticket instead of a subscription, Rosen said. It also generated corporate subscriptions from companies looking to plug into the booming creator economy. Its six premier sponsorship partners include established businesses like Accenture, as well as creator-centric outfits like Patreon and Jellysmack. While The Information does not run advertisements on its site, it does interweave content from brand partners in its roster of newsletters. The creator economy newsletter has not included any sponsored content yet, but it will begin to work with corporate partners after the summit, Marinovich said. “The Summit is our kickoff to bringing brand partners into our creator economy coverage,” Marinovich said. “We’ve been building the audience and the community for the last six months, but now we are going to start opening email sponsorship opportunities in the newsletter.” Building out creator economy coverage The bulk of The Information’s creator economy coverage comes from Kaya Yurieff, its only reporter dedicated exclusively to the subject and the author of its four-day-a-week creator economy newsletter. Readers can subscribe to the newsletter for free, but must subscribe to read articles online. The publisher declined to specify the number of subscribers the newsletter has, though its open rate is between 30% and 40%, Marinovich said. For reference, the industry standard for media and publishing is around 22%, according to Mailchimp. A rotating cadre of staff contribute reporting to The Information’s creator economy coverage, and as the publisher scales up its reporting on the sector, it plans to add additional roles, Marinovich said. The updated Creator Economy Database, which The Information initially launched in June, aims to supplement the more standard written coverage with financial findings. The database provides information such as the product description, total funding, current valuation if available, headquarters location, latest round and lead investor for more than 100 startups. In the highly competitive world of Silicon Valley venture capital, such data carries extra weight. “We see the summit, the database update and everything surrounding it as us launching the next phase of our creator economy coverage,” Rosen said. “This is just the beginning of a larger franchise.”

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The Information Amps Up Creator Economy Coverage Spurred by Demand

Reporting on the subject has generated multiple six-figure lines of revenue

Mark Stenberg

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Mark Stenberg