6 2025 Trends to Watch in the Creator Economy

Indisputably, creators have had a massive impact on the way brands connect with consumers and we see several sizable shifts (and yes, we included AI) coming our way in the new year. From shopping live streams to self-serve partnerships, we expect 2025 to be a new era of creator marketing. Keep reading for our biggest 2025 predictions.

1. Shopping Live Streams Will Become Essential in Driving Sales

Live streamed video is becoming more popular than ever with 37% of social media users finding live video content to be the most engaging type of in-feed content. And live stream watchers are also 43% more likely than average to say they’ll buy the premium version of a product which bodes well for brands across verticals. With platforms continuing to launch new social ecommerce features, shopping becomes even more seamless and on demand. 

Already, adoption for livestream commerce is contributing meaningfully to big sales days like Black Friday and Cyber Monday. We expect this to continue to roll out to other big sales days like Amazon Prime Day and holiday shopping weekends like Labor Day and Memorial Day. As creators prove that the ROI is there with livestreams, brands will need to build livestream strategies, casting creators who have adopted early and can promote, launch and convert.

2. Creators that Crack SEO Will Win (as will the brands that work with them)

As social media platforms (especially TikTok) become next gen search engines, the most successful creators will become pros at SEO and driving commerce via inspiration. More and more consumers are going online and looking to be inspired – “TikTok made me buy it” – than they are researching a specific product, especially for Gen Z. “Gen Z are more likely to use the internet to find new ideas and inspiration (51%) than to research products/brands (42%).” For the first time ever, video scripts are just as important as captions and hashtags in driving discoverability for your video content. Brands will need to be more intentional with how their creator partners are talking about them to propel them to the forefront of discoverability.

3. Cultural Relevance Driven by Creative Exploration

Chasing virality has never been more gauche. Instead, brands are investing in cinematic advertising with cultural relevancy. Most recently, Volvo and Jaguar went head to head when they both dropped new campaigns in Fall 2024. The former broke every social-media advertising rule with its four minute runtime, overproduction and format. Yet it was widely praised for its moving and heartfelt storytelling, shot by Interstellar and Oppenheimer cinematographer Hoyte Van Hoytema. In contrast, Jaquar’s rebranding efforts were widely panned, their campaign a case study for style over substance. 

Meanwhile, Taco Bell made waves and broke creative molds when it tapped Gen Z creator Ashley Xu to write and direct a commercial for them. The commercial has yet to drop but both Volvo and Taco Bell are proving that unconventional or rule breaking creative treatments are necessary to break through the noise and capture audience attention.

4. Death of the Follower, Rise of the Newsletter

In 2024 we saw the beginnings of two major social media behavior shifts. First, to continue to grow their audience, the most successful creators will need to diversify their revenue streams. And second, social algorithms have officially evolved into an interest graph. For You feeds have completely overhauled how we are served and search for content. Even content from follower accounts are only served if you show sustained interest and engagement. This means creators will need to think about how to engage their audience in new ways and on new platforms to maintain loyalty and long-term community building. 

Enter: Substack. Where subscriptions failed on social, they will succeed in long-form content formats, driving incremental revenue for creators and increasing placement and partnership opportunities for brands.

5. Creators Will De-influence AI

Everyone is predicting that AI influence will only grow stronger in 2025 but we’re not convinced that it will take as big of a foothold in the content creation process. Generative AI will certainly make processes more efficient and marketers can and should leverage tools like social listening and AI learning to optimize their strategies and creator partner research. But with social media users already wary of influencer recommendations (friends and family remain the top trusted resource for product recommendations), we predict a groundswell of support for human-centered content and not artificial human content.

6. Emerging Creators Will Thrive Through Scaled Self-Serve Partnerships

Emerging creators are finding more opportunities as self-serve platforms simplify the way they connect with brands. With tools like auto-booking and turnkey campaigns, creators will easily land their first brand deals and start scaling their businesses earlier in their journey. Brands are also leaning into these platforms, trusting them to streamline the process, which leads to faster, more efficient collaborations. This is highly relevant for brands as micro-creators, in particular, are becoming a go-to choice for brands, as their content drives higher engagement and conversions while keeping costs low. (Source 2) (Source 3)

Collective Voice is a Creator Marketing agency that does it all. With smart strategy, guidance, and a full suite of offerings, we create holistic solutions tailored to your marketing objectives. Sign up to learn more about what we can do for your brand.