Influence Weekly

Verbatim is a boutique marketing agency that helps SMBs and startups grow through influencer marketing and speaker sourcing, specializing in SaaS and eCommerce brands. The agency focuses on helping businesses tell compelling stories that drive measurable results rather than just creating content for visibility.

Ceci chats with Brianna Doe, Head of Influencer Marketing and Founder at Verbatim, to hear her perspective on three critical issues: why SMBs and startups approach creator marketing differently than enterprise brands and what infrastructure gaps prevent smaller companies from scaling programs effectively, how the rise of B2B influencer marketing has changed what types of creators and partnerships make sense for SaaS companies versus traditional consumer brands, and what brands at the SMB level misunderstand about building sustainable creator programs when budgets are tighter and every dollar needs clear attribution. Tune in for practical frameworks on making creator marketing work at startup scale.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this May episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene unpack three stories revealing how brands are rethinking creator program structure, compensation models, and platform commerce strategies:

🎯 Does "Make It Cool First, Scale Second" Actually Work?: A Net Influencer roundtable asked industry professionals whether brands need a macro creator to anchor credibility before scaling through micro creators. The consensus? The logic works in theory, but you don't always need a celebrity—just the most trusted voice in a niche, regardless of size. The real insight: treating macro and micro as separate budgets breaks the entire system. Nii argues the anchor doesn't have to be a creator at all—cultural events like the Grammys, NBA playoffs, or F1 Miami can serve as the universal touchstone that smaller creators triangulate around.

💳 Target Drops Commissions for Gamification: Target is replacing its commission-based creator program with challenges, rewards, gift cards, and products—part of a broader retail shift toward gamified programs that scale creator marketing at lower cost. Nii's take: only a handful of brands have enough cache to pull this off. Target is ubiquitous enough that creators will participate without cash, but most companies still need actual financial incentives. This model works when you're a household name that looms large in American consciousness—not when you're still building brand equity.

🛍️ Instagram's Shoppable Reels Rollout: Instagram launched a feature letting creators tag up to 30 shoppable products directly in Reels, including affiliate links, with in-app checkout. Facebook followed with a similar update launching Amazon first, then Temu and eBay. Meta says tagged content will appear in partnership tabs for brand discovery. Nii's verdict: too little, too late. While Meta focused on the metaverse for three years, ShopMy and LTK built giant creator commerce networks that now dominate boutique curation and creator-led shopping. Instagram's new features help creators not on those platforms, but the zeitgeist already shifted.

From rethinking tier strategy beyond celebrity anchors to compensation models that only work for household brands to Instagram playing catch-up in creator commerce—this episode captures the tactical and structural shifts brands are navigating in mid-2026.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

Sounds Profitable is a media property covering strategic and tactical changes in the podcasting business through newsletters, podcasts, and industry research. The company produces educational content, conducts quarterly research series, and provides advisory services to keep companies informed on the state of podcasting. Bryan Barletta also serves as President of Podcast Movement, the world's largest conference for podcasters.

Ceci chats with Bryan Barletta, President of Podcast Movement and Partner at Sounds Profitable, to hear his perspective on three critical issues: how the podcasting industry's infrastructure and measurement capabilities compare to where creator marketing sits today and what brands need to understand about attribution differences, why the convergence of podcasting and the broader creator economy creates opportunities for brands to think about audio creators as part of their overall influencer strategy, and what the shift from experimental podcast budgets to core marketing spend means for how the industry must mature its tooling and standards. Tune in for strategic context on positioning podcast creators within enterprise marketing programs.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

Spotter is a platform that provides creators with capital, community, and AI-powered tools to accelerate growth. The company has deployed over $940 million to YouTube creators for reinvestment and operates a premium catalog generating 88 billion monthly watch-time minutes, offering brands a scaled media solution that's transparent and brand-safe.

Ceci chats with Christian Liquigan, Director of Brand Partnerships at Spotter, to hear his perspective on three critical issues: how brands can move beyond transactional influencer campaigns to build partnerships where creators and brands tell authentic stories that actually drive results, what the shift from traditional advertising to creator-led content means for how media buyers allocate budgets and measure success, and why the combination of creator capital and brand partnerships creates opportunities that neither side can unlock alone. Tune in for practical guidance on designing campaigns that leverage Spotter's unique position connecting top YouTube creators with enterprise brands.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

Creator Revolution is a talent management and advisory firm that helps top creators scale businesses through strategic partnerships and long-term monetization while helping companies unlock creators as a core growth channel. Founded by Monica Khan, the firm operates at the intersection of creator management, platform strategy, and corporate advisory, including work with McKinsey & Company.

Ceci chats with Monica Khan, Founder and CEO of Creator Revolution, to hear her perspective on three critical issues: why the creator economy needs to move beyond treating creators as contractors and brands as ATMs toward partnerships where both sides actually build together, how her decade at YouTube, Facebook, and Spotter shaped her understanding of what separates creators who build media empires from those stuck chasing algorithm luck, and what brands must change to design collaborations that creators actually want instead of awkward influencer campaigns. Tune in for strategic frameworks on building sustainable creator businesses and authentic brand partnerships.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

OWM is a platform building infrastructure to help creators move from brand deals into equity and ownership. The company standardized the influence-for-equity agreement, created creator stock option pools, and built systems that let founders, operators, and creators partner on attention-first businesses with real upside.

Ceci chats with Jeff Frommer, Founder and CEO of OWM, to hear his perspective on three critical issues: why creators need to make ownership an "and" conversation instead of an "or" conversation when brands come knocking, how the three barriers blocking creator equity (lack of standardization, education gaps, and manager compensation models) can finally be solved, and why brands using equity as growth capital need to build creator advisory boards that activate storytellers instead of treating them like transactional megaphones. Tune in for concrete frameworks on structuring deals where creators invest social capital for long-term returns.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

In this Q2 kickoff episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene unpack three stories that reveal how brands are scaling creator programs—and where the industry still falls short:

📱 **Samsung Goes All In**: The Galaxy S26 Ultra launch brought 140 creators from 35 countries to San Francisco for a three-day summit with structured content tracks (camera, gaming, sound), live streams hitting 17 million views, and an award ceremony recognizing top performers. This wasn't just a product launch—it was a mini-conference designed to create algorithm-spiking density. Nii breaks down what other brands can learn about using real-life events to generate authentic UGC and why creating creator ecosystems beats flying out individual influencers.

📈 **Mr. Beast's 117M Subscriber Secret**: The largest single-year gain in YouTube history came from running 428 ads monthly through his company Creator Global, targeting India, Indonesia, and Vietnam with localized content. At peak, 298 unique ads ran in a single day. But Nii questions the strategy: is this growth for growth's sake, or can these markets actually deliver advertiser ROI? The bigger opportunity? Most brands aren't thinking about paid YouTube ads to grow their own channels—and they should be.

🤝 **The Partnership Gap That Won't Close**: An IAB study shows 60% of buyers say creator partnerships are their top priority, yet creators still face late payments and over-scripted briefs daily. Net Influencer's roundtable with 70 industry voices surfaced the same themes: creator freedom, fair pay, stop treating them as distribution. Nii's take? The conversation won't change until someone bridges the gap between how brands think (channels, demographics) and what creators need (creative liberty, partnership respect).

From creator summits as algorithm strategy to paid growth at YouTube scale to the operational gaps holding partnerships back—this episode captures both the sophistication and dysfunction of creator marketing in 2026.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

Later is a leading influencer marketing and social platform that helps brands identify creators and launch campaigns backed by data-driven intelligence. The company serves both B2C and B2B companies looking to build scalable creator programs with measurable ROI.

Ceci chats with Scott Sutton, CEO at Later, to hear his perspective on three critical issues: why B2B companies stayed on the sidelines of creator marketing for so long and what changed to make it relevant now, how attribution technology finally enables SaaS companies to track creator content from click to install to subscription revenue, and what separates experimental creator tactics from programs that CMOs can defend as legitimate growth channels. Tune in for concrete guidance on building creator strategies that deliver measurable business outcomes in B2B contexts.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

Amaze is an integrated commerce platform that helps creators and brands turn content moments into revenue streams. The company provides tools for product launches, audience insights, and monetization infrastructure that enable creators to build businesses around their audiences rather than relying solely on brand deals.

Ceci chats with Danielle Pederson, CMO at Amaze, to hear her perspective on three critical issues: why the creator economy is shifting from attention and brand deals into a third wave focused on ownership and equity, how engagement signals from fans translate into actual product opportunities that creators can capitalize on quickly, and what brands misunderstand when they over-index on reach instead of audience intent. Tune in for actionable guidance on building creator businesses with compounding value beyond one-time partnerships.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.

QYOU Media is a global creator marketing and media company that helps brands design creator-led campaigns reaching audiences across social platforms. The company works with major brands, studios, and entertainment companies to execute strategies that blend creator partnerships with media amplification and distribution.

Ceci chats with Glenn Ginsburg, President of QYOU Media, to hear his perspective on three critical issues: how creator marketing shifted from experimental budgets to enterprise-level infrastructure inside major corporations, why media amplification has become necessary for brands investing six and seven figures in creator programs, and what breaks when companies try to scale creator marketing from 10 creators to hundreds while maintaining brand consistency. Tune in for concrete guidance on building creator strategies that deliver measurable impact at scale.

The Big Three by Influence Weekly: 3 Biggest Stories. 1 Essential Conversation.