The Creator Economy in 2026: 20 Trends You Can’t Ignore (and how to play them)
If 2025 was “everybody became a creator,” 2026 is looking like “every creator needs a system.”
And I don’t mean a fancy Notion template (though folks in my Inner Circle know that I love a good template). I mean a real operating model: how you get discovered, how you earn, how you protect your work, and how you keep trust high when AI can fake anything.
I’m a fan of lists, because they’re easy to digest and review. So over the holiday period, Happy New Year BTW, I came up with this list - my top 20 creator economy trends for 2026 - this is for real working creators, not just hype-watchers. See there I go already - talking crazy huh? It’s going to be one of THOSE kinda years folks - put your seatbelt on 😉
1) Creator marketing becomes a core media line item
Brands aren’t “testing creators” anymore. Budgets keep shifting from traditional channels into creator-led campaigns, with forecasts showing creator ad spend continuing to climb.
Your Move: Start treating your creator work like a business: rate card, media kits, packages, outcomes, and a pipeline.
Shouts out to my good friend Stephanie Garcia for being a leading voice in this space that made me want to put this at the top of the list
2) Performance > vibes (ROI, CAC, AOV become creator metrics)
Brands are pushing hard toward measurable outcomes. Think sales, sign-ups, and retention - not just impressions.
Your Move: Build a “proof kit”: screenshots, case studies, link tracking, and a simple post-campaign report. Do this along with that media kit I mention above.
Learning Break:
In plain terms, CAC and AOV are business health metrics that more creators need to understand - especially as brands treat us less like “influencers” and more like performance media partners, and y’all know how much I dislike the term influencers…
CAC — Customer Acquisition Cost
Definition: CAC is how much it costs to acquire one new customer.
The simple formula
CAC = Total marketing + sales cost ÷ number of new customers
Example (creator + brand context)
A brand pays you $2,000 for a campaign
Your content helps generate 40 new customers
CAC = $50 per customer
If that same brand usually pays $90–$120 per customer through ads, your content just became high-value performance media.
Why CAC matters for creators
Brands compare you to:
Facebook ads
Google search ads
Influencer networks
If your content lowers CAC, you’re not “expensive” you’re efficient
Creator mindset shift
You’re not selling posts. You’re selling cost-efficient customer acquisition.
AOV — Average Order Value
Definition: AOV is the average amount a customer spends per purchase.
The simple formula
AOV = Total revenue ÷ number of orders
Example
Your affiliate link drives $8,000 in sales
Across 100 orders
AOV = $80
If your audience buys bundles, upgrades, or higher-ticket offers, your AOV goes up and brands love that.
Why AOV matters for creators
Higher AOV means:
Brands can afford to pay more per customer
Your traffic is higher intent
A creator who drives $40 AOV traffic vs $90 AOV traffic is not the same asset
3) Long-term partnerships beat one-off deals
Creators and brands are both leaning into ongoing partnerships because it’s more efficient and usually performs better over time.
Your Move: Pitch retainers with 3-month scopes: “content + usage rights + light paid amplification.”
4) Micro/nano creators keep winning trust
Smaller audiences with deeper trust keep outperforming “big reach, low connection” in many categories.
Feel free to read that again - smaller audiences with deeper trust outperform those that just throw spaghetti on the wall and hope it sticks!
Your Move: If your audience is niche, stop apologizing. Productize it.
5) “Creator content flywheel” becomes the playbook
Brands want your content to work everywhere: organic, paid ads, email, PDP pages, retail screens, affiliate, etc.
Your Move: Add a line item for content licensing/usage. Don’t give away paid-ad usage for free.
Shouts out here to my guy Jeff Sieh because he has a dialed-in framework for creating your own flywheel and positioning it for massive growth.
6) AI becomes a production multiplier (but not a personality replacement)
AI is embedded in creator workflows. Hard stop.
From editing, scripting, ideation, testing, etc. That being said, remember that our/your audiences still crave a real human voice.
Your Move: Use AI to scale operations, not to outsource your identity.
I recently connected with Caren Glasser and I have to credit her for restating this premise during our last conversation. In summary she talked about not being intimidated to leverage emerging technology. Those who embrace it will flourish in this next industrial revolution that, like it our not, has AI as a huge component of.
That’s such a dope statement I may put it on a t-shirt in the merch store!!
7) The “authenticity premium” rises
As AI content floods feeds, credibility becomes currency. Real POV, real receipts, real experience matters more.
Your Move: Make “proof” a content pillar: behind-the-scenes, process, results, lessons learned. But you already knew that right? I’m just here restating the obvious!
8) Deepfake risk forces trust signals and verification
AI impersonation is already being used for scams and creators with audiences are targets.
Your Move: I’ve said before if you don’t have haters or trolls you’re not doing enough so lock down your accounts (2FA + passkeys), create an “official links” hub, and tell your audience how to verify you.
9) Compliance and disclosure get stricter in practice
Disclosure is no longer optional, it’s foundational trust infrastructure. FTC guidance is clear that endorsements require clear disclosure.
Your Move: Standardize your disclosure language across platforms. Pin it. Repeat it in live streams.
10) Search-first social keeps growing (and Reddit benefits)
People are increasingly using social platforms like search engines and forums/community answers are getting amplified in search.
Your Move: Create “answer content”: titles that match real questions + clean captions + strong keywords. Similar to this list I’ve built (see what I did there?)
The remaining 10 trends are going to require YOU to put some commitment in here too - I’m going to be delivering this higher level of premium content that’s ACTIONABLE, MEASURABLE, and SPECIFIC - essentially stuff you can execute on immediately. Your subscription support allows me to continue to bring this higher level of value.
#respectfully
