What’s Next for Creator Platforms? Learning to Sell

In the past few years, startups like Substack, Patreon, and Shopify have created alternative ways for creators to build businesses online through direct transactions, rather than advertising. This shift exposed a simple fact: in an ad-driven world, creators were generally under-monetizing their audiences.

Instead of focusing so heavily on content expansion, creators and publishers need to be thinking about building features they can provide their most loyal customers-- the subscriber. The goal should be to have subscribers identify directly with the creator and feel invested in their work.

Independent internet-native creators leverage the internet’s frictionless content creation and distribution, but they’re still trapped by traditional business models like subscriptions and advertising.

A subscription model is based on the promise of the production of future gated content. A publication or creator is paid to continue production, not ... See more