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Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
These Small Creators Are Outselling Big Influencers
The creator economy has evolved far beyond t-shirts with catchphrases and quick-hit merch drops. As more than 1 million creator stores have launched, a new kind of entrepreneurship is emerging, powered by loyalty. "We've had creators come in and create 1.5 million stores," says Aaron Day, CEO of Amaze. 'A lot of them are thinking beyond a one-hit merch drop, they're starting to build a brand.' And that brand-building looks very different from what most legacy retail executives are used to. Perhaps the most striking example of this new wave of microbrand success is a creator called Howie the Crab. With just 15,000 subscribers on YouTube, she turned storytelling, engagement and fan inclusion into $280,000 worth of product sales. "She basically created content about the life and challenges of this crab," Day explains. 'It was really fun to watch. You'd think it would be for kids, but her fan base was very adult. She had about 15,000 followers, and the community was very engaged. She weaved them into the story. As she created products, it was very methodical. Those products became part of the community. She sold to 60% of her audience.' In a world obsessed with follower counts, the crab's success speaks volumes: connection matters more than clout. Another breakout microbrand is Katie Shober, whose book club-inspired lifestyle brand Beach & Bubbly has turned seasonal campaigns into a lucrative business. "She's got a group of mainly women, basically like a book club," says Day. 'She doesn't try to monetize the obvious. She doesn't sell books or t-shirts. She sells champagne glasses and things you can use while enjoying the lifestyle she creates. Every time she drops a new seasonal campaign, it's hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars worth of sales.' This approach is experiential brand-building that aligns with lifestyle, not just content. For years, creators chased virality: a big video, a quick merch drop, a fleeting moment of monetization. But that model is shifting. "Creators used to come to us and just say, 'I want to sell something' and put out a random t-shirt," Day says. 'And then they'd get all sad that nothing happened. But now they're asking, 'Can you give us some data on our users?' They're starting to think about audience data. We're seeing the intelligence and maturity of creators improve quite a bit.' This evolution has made community feedback not just a feature of product launches, but a core pillar. The time it takes to launch a store has dropped dramatically, thanks in part to AI. "It might have taken two to three months to get a store live and beautiful. Today it takes five days," says Day. 'We've built in generative AI tools that suggest products based on video content or social data. We're using AI to look at the fan base, look at the fan data, and create lookalike audiences. Then we suggest products to the creator.' This changes the game for creators with limited resources, giving them a data-backed co-pilot for brand development. A surprising takeaway from Amaze's data is that smaller creators often outperform larger ones. "We've got creators with 500 followers and others with 20 million," says Day. 'But we're seeing huge success with those that have 10 to 20,000 followers and a really engaged community. A lot of the micro-creators are small brands—yoga instructors, health enthusiasts, small restaurants. They emphasize community.' These microbrands may never run Super Bowl ads, but they don't need to. Their fans show up, buy in, and stick around. Industry data backs this trend. According to a 2024 report by Influencer Marketing Hub, micro-influencers (those with under 50,000 followers) now drive the highest engagement rates across every major platform—including an average 3.86% engagement on Instagram, far above macro and mega influencers Selling to your audience used to carry a stigma, a fear of looking inauthentic or overly commercial. But that's changing, fast. "If you want to be successful, you have to promote," Day states plainly. 'This idea that 'I want to monetize, but I don't want to promote' just doesn't work.' Platforms like TikTok Shop are normalizing long-form selling, and creators are embracing a more confident approach to commerce. 'Before, promoting a product wasn't really authentic. But now you can find a happy medium. Just that extra little bit of promotion can drive conversion.' The rise of creator-led microbrands is a wake-up call for traditional retailers and DTC brands. "If you think about it, a lot of brands don't even know who their customer is," says Day. 'Creators do. They're having two-way conversations every day.' In that way, creators are teaching legacy brands something profound: sell with, not to, your community. Looking ahead, Day sees an even larger shift coming: brand x creator partnerships at scale. "I think you're going to see brands at scale connecting with creators at scale in a tech-driven way, not agency-driven," he says. 'You're going to see these really nice partnerships between creators and brands come together and dominate in certain communities.' The takeaway? The future of retail might look like a million tiny storefronts, each powered by a loyal community, a distinct voice and a creator who understands that loyalty is the new scale. This article is based on an interview with Aaron Day from my podcast, The Business of Creators.
Vogue
2 days ago
- Vogue
Carrie, Sam, and the Underexamined Grief of Losing a Best Friend
Some losses shape us more than we realize. From the starting point of Big's death, And Just Like That set out to chart how Carrie Bradshaw would recover and heal after losing The One. But maybe it has missed another, equally deep heartbreak. Watching her drift through grief, only to then, in time, reignite her romance with the possessive Aidan, I couldn't help but notice the more glaring absence: Samantha. For me, the loss that lingers isn't the husband whose ashes she sprinkled over the Seine, it's the best friend who's no longer by her side. One of the low-key radical elements of the original Sex and the City was its depiction of friendship as a kind of romantic destiny all on its own. It was always the four characters first, then the men. We've been conditioned to chase the dramatic highs and painful lows of romantic love, but maybe the relationships that truly define us unfold more quietly. Not in grand gestures, but in the steady, sustaining solace of friendship. Last year, I lost someone who wasn't a romantic partner, but who nonetheless shaped my life and the person I am today. Katie was my first great love. From the moment I met her at the start of secondary school, I was in awe. She was brilliant, mischievous, funny. I was awkward, lacking in confidence and direction. But she made me feel interesting—worthy of attention and friendship. Ours would continue for the next three decades. At 18 we backpacked through Italy together. This was the pre-smartphone era: no Google Maps, no Netflix. For entertainment we had one terrible book stolen from a pub and a single mixtape. We lived in one another's pockets for six months, all while listening to Barry White, Jurassic 5, and The Smiths on repeat. Somewhat miraculously, looking back, there were no arguments or drama. We were young, but we knew each other's needs, as well as the limits that only real friendship teaches. It was our coming of age story, our Goonies adventure. When we went to different universities, my monthly phone bill soared past £100. I struggled with the separation, even after meeting my now husband—a man I love unconditionally—in my first year. It was Katie's emotional presence that carried me through those formative years. Later, when I moved to Dubai, the different time zones and our respective chaotic schedules meant we spoke less and knew less of the minutiae of each other's lives, but the distance was only ever physical. A bit like Samantha's occasional texts to Carrie in AJLT, a message or voicenote from Katie calmed me like nothing else could. So often, it felt like she was the only person who truly understood how I was feeling.
CBS News
2 days ago
- CBS News
Ratatouille Pie recipe
Have you started harvesting vegetables from your backyard garden yet? Rania Harris has the perfect summer recipe to use them. She's showing Katie how to make Ratatouille Pie. Ratatouille Pie For the Crust: For the filling: Directions: Make the dough: In a large bowl, mix together flour, salt to combine. Mix in cubed butter with your hands, pinching and squeezing the butter cubes (or use a pastry blender or food processor) until the largest pieces are the size of lima beans. Drizzle in the water a little at a time, mixing until the dough starts to come together into a mass. You may not need all the water, or you may need to add more. When the dough is starting to hold together but is still somewhat crumbly, transfer it to a lightly floured surface and press and knead it together into a smooth ball. Flatten into disk, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. While the dough chills, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine the olive oil with the garlic, rosemary, thyme, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste in a large glass measuring cup. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss together eggplant with enough of the herbed olive oil mixture to lightly coat. On a second rimmed baking sheet, toss together the cherry tomatoes, onion slices with just enough of the herbed olive oil mixture to lightly coat. On a third rimmed baking sheet, toss together zucchini with just enough of the herbed olive oil mixture to lightly coat. Place all the pans in the oven (or work in batches if they don't all fit at once) and roast until vegetables are browned, tossing every 10 minutes or so; about 25 minutes for onions and the tomatoes; 20 minutes for the zucchini, and 40 minutes for eggplant. Remove from oven and let cool. On a floured surface, roll out dough to a 12-inch circle, then transfer to a 9.5 inch deep dish pie pan. Crimp edges to make a decorative crust. Place in the freezer for an hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line dough with foil, fill with dried beans or rice and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil carefully and continue baking until the dough is just baked through and barely turning golden on the edges, about 5 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. In a medium bowl, beat egg until well mixed, then fold in both cheeses, mayonnaise, a pinch of salt and pepper. Scrape all roasted vegetables into a large bowl, add basil, and toss well. Taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed. Spoon mixture into the baked pie shell, then top with cheese mixture. Arrange plum tomato slices on top, and scatter with olives. Bake until filling is lightly golden, about 30 minutes. Cool for at least 20 minutes before serving warm, or at room temperature. Serves: 6 to 8
