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Intel
Where I share information you should know.
Instagram is now searchable on Google
THIS IS A BIG DEAL - in the same way that YouTube and Reddit content can pop up as search results on Google, now Instagram content can as well. The implications are that highly search-relevant IG content now has much more power to drive traffic, so I bet more brands end up spending on Instagram content and Creators to drive search. Link
Insight
It’s weird out there
You've probably noticed that our economy today is a contradiction.
The stock market is at an all-time high…
And yet 54% of consumers feel like the economy sucks.
Life feels hard to afford for everyone who isn’t a multimillionaire.
It’s kind of the same in the brand deal space.
I polled my LinkedIn audience, which includes quite a few Creators and managers, and got completely mixed messages on how the brand deal market is doing - it was 50/50 between “Flying high” and “Tightening up”.
One exec who runs a podcast ad agency confirmed my suspicion:
Those who are moving forward with us are well established brands, it's the new/startups that I see stepping back.
It didn't use to be like that.
When the economy was still flush with cash and everyone was crushing it, there was money everywhere - startups and big companies spending willy-nilly, inboxes full of requests to partner, and outrageous sums paid for low ROI partnerships.
The good times have come and gone.
You gotta work for it
It’s important to note that there is still plenty of money out there for Creators:
While the number of companies allocating money to influencer marketing is down 10%, it’s still 76% of all companies.
More companies than ever are naming “Creator Agencies of Record”, indicating a huge amount of capital to invest and not enough internal resources to handle it.
What’s changed is that brand deals are no longer low-hanging fruit for the vast majority of Creators. If you’re not a big, buzzy name in a high-spend category, you’ll need to do some climbing to get fruit higher up in the proverbial tree:
Focus on companies that are flush with cash. Do research on their profitability, recent fundraises, etc., to understand their financial position.
Save time by targeting properly. If you get eyeballs but don't drive conversions, don’t bother with companies who measure success based on sales. Likewise, if you are small but drive sales, talk to performance marketers and avoid companies building awareness and brand (or, better yet, try affiliate platforms like LTK and ShopMy so you can get a cut of the upside).
Don’t wait - do your own outreach. Unless you are fortunate enough to be a buzzy name with amazing numbers in the right brand-friendly categories, you are probably getting fewer inbound opportunities than in the past. There is still money out there for you, but you have to go hunting for it. If that’s not something you’re very practiced in, I personally recommend (and have taken courses with) The Creator Wizard, Justin Moore.
My last recommendation is one everyone talks about: diversification.
Now is the time to start figuring out other sources of revenue - given how unpredictable the economy is looking, it's best not to have all of your eggs in one basket.
BTW - If you're interested in daily news, resources, and community discussions on monetization, check out the free Creator Logic community (and be sure to join the WhatsApp group).
Resources
Fresh links to events, articles, communities, and products that will help you build your business.
This week’s resources:
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About: Creator Logic was founded by Avi Gandhi - award-winning Creator agent, producer, and executive - with the mission of helping 1 million people find freedom in the Creator Economy
Poll
Is the brand deal market flying high or tightening up?
Stay Curious
Where I share some things I find interesting.
NeoReach 2025 Creator Economy Report
Influencer marketing agency NeoReach surveyed 3,000 Creators to understand earnings trends, business challenges, and where the Creator Economy is going. Worth reviewing. Link
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