The top influencer business trends stories of 2020
Hi, this is Amanda Perelli and welcome back to Insider Influencers, our weekly rundown on the influencer and creator economy. Sign up for the newsletter here.
During 2020, influencer-marketing professionals and creators adjusted to keep earning a living during the coronavirus pandemic.
At the start of the year, all eyes were on the new short-form video app TikTok, and talent managers and agents fought to sign these up-and-coming stars.
Then, managers helped clients weather the coronavirus' impact on the business as advertisers trimmed budgets and canceled events.
Influencers turned to alternative revenue streams this year, like selling merch, direct-to-consumer products, and launching subscription services.
Brand deals are slowly coming back and creators are adjusting to a new normal.
This week's newsletter is dedicated to highlighting some of our best stories in 2020 - from how influencers earned their money this year to the power players who helped them.
We will be back to a regular schedule next week. Here are our top stories of 2020:
Power players in the business:
The top talent managers and agents for TikTok influencers (Amanda Perelli and Dan Whateley, April)
Top talent managers helping micro influencers land brand deals (Sydney Bradley, October)
An interactive database of the top talent managers and agents for influencers and who they represent (Amanda Perelli, Dan Whateley and Sydney Bradley, December)
Inside the industry according to managers, agents and creators:
Inside the turmoil at the TikTok influencer mansion Drip Crib (Dan Whateley, July)
Insiders say TikTok rival Triller reported monthly active users that were 5 times higher than what some internal metrics showed (Dan Whateley, October)
Leaked Fashion Nova campaign briefs reveal what it's offering to pay influencers for sponsored content (Amanda Perelli, December)
- Influencers say a talent-management firm required they pay $299 'deposits' up front and wouldn't refund them (Sydney Bradley, December)
How influencers make money and how much they earn:
Inside the world of cannabis influencers who can make over $1,000 for a sponsored post (Dan Whateley, February)
Plant influencers are getting brand deals and growing their businesses online (Sydney Bradley, August)
6 real media kit examples that influencers use to land brand sponsorships (Amanda Perelli, Dan Whateley and Sydney Bradley, December)
TikTok, YouTube and Instagram trends:
TikTok
Inside TikTok's music division, where staffers analyze data to spot trends (Dan Whateley, August)
An analysis of hundreds of exec interviews shows TikTok's impact on a wide variety of companies in 2020 (Dan Whateley, December)
YouTube
2 of MrBeast's childhood friends explain what it's like to work on the YouTube star's team (Amanda Perelli, February)
8-year-old Ryan Kaji is the world's top-earning YouTube star. His parents took us inside his business (Amanda Perelli, October)
How a cooking Instagram influencer doubled his follower count in one month using Reels (Sydney Bradley, September)
A part-time Instagram influencer and mom of 2 shares the exact email template she uses to pitch brands (Sydney Bradley, December)
Thanks for reading! Send me your tips, comments, or questions: aperelli@businessinsider.com