Hey digital wanderers! 👋

Dive into the unusual with us. While TikTok obsessed over marital mayhem last week, we’re here to explore the uncharted, drama-free. Ready for today’s fresh, curious picks? Let’s roll.

Instagram’s creator marketplace goes global

Calling all creators and businesses on Instagram! They're expanding their marketplace, connecting brands with influencers in 8 new countries.

The platform launched in the US in 2022 and has seen great success aka thousands of creators and brand collab, so it's expanding to:

• Canada 🇨🇦

• Australia 🇦🇺

• New Zealand 🇳🇿

• UK 🇬🇧

• Japan 🇯🇵

• India 🇮🇳

• Brazil 🇧🇷

Think of it like a matchmaker for the influencer world.

Here's the lowdown:

• Creators will receive all brand messages in a dedicated "Partnership messages" folder within the Instagram app. This way, you can easily see collaboration requests and review campaign details all in one place, no app-switching required!

• Brands can find creators who fit their campaigns and easily manage collaborations.

This is a big step for creators in these countries to monetize their content and for brands to reach wider audiences. The marketplace will be opened for the 8 regions in the upcoming weeks. 

Stay tuned to see how this platform evolves!

^{Sponsored by Canva}

🌈 Got a knack for creating? Canva's looking for Empower Canvassadors! Share your skills, make tutorials, and join a community eager to learn and grow. From TikTok to YouTube, we’re all about spreading creative vibes. 🎨 

Perks? Beta testing, workshops, and some cool Canva swag. Applications open again in March 2024. Learn more!

Pinterest launches first-ever streaming TV show

Pinterest is stepping into the world of streaming with its first-ever show, "Deliciously Entertaining," in partnership with Tastemade.

What's cooking?

Hosted by the fabulous Danni Rose, it’s a series of 10 episodes featuring a special guest and a unique ingredient to inspire viewers to cook, create, and gather. From cozy brunches with Asia Jackson to poolside BBQs with Kalisa Marie “inspired by Pinterest trends,”.

You can shop the look.

The best part? Each episode is shoppable! Simply scan the QR code during the show to access a Pinterest board packed with recipes, DIY tutorials, and products to recreate the episode's magic at home.

You can read more about each episode here. 

Is Threads becoming a copycat? 🦇

Two popular platforms, Threads and X, are starting to look more like each other.

App researchers spotted some interesting changes being tested:

• X is testing a carousel-style image gallery: Say goodbye to the grid view, folks! X might be switching things up with a swipeable gallery for photos, just like Threads.

• Threads is getting spaced out: Buttons on Threads are getting some breathing room, with researchers noticing a more spread-out layout.

While Meta insists that Threads isn't trying to be a copycat, these visual tweaks are bringing the two platforms closer in terms of design.

Social media updates:

• TikTok urges creators to post photos instead of videos. They claim, compared to videos, can get: 2.9x more comments, 1.9x more likes, and 2.6x more shares (link)

• X adds a new ‘Monetization’ tab to help creators keep track of pending payouts (link)

• Instagram has now confirmed that it is indeed working on a new “Friend Map” display in the app, which is pretty much Snap Map (Instagram’s version). (link)

• LinkedIn has launched a new promotional campaign for its LinkedIn Premium subscription product (link)

Creator spotlight 😍

Ever wondered HOW your favorite creators' started? What books spark their imagination, podcasts ignite their minds, or shows leave them buzzing? 

Well, we’re introducing your new favorite section where we'll be shining light on a popular creator every week. 

This week's featured creator: ✨MKBHD✨

Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, is a tech creator with 18.5 million YouTube subscribers, a podcaster, and a pro ultimate frisbee player.

This man kept his middle name a secret till he hit 10 million subs!

Why?

Well, it’s a funny story. 

Brownlee claims “It started as a joke years ago that I wouldn’t tell people my middle name because the K in MKBHD was the 1 private thing I had left. I jokingly started saying I’d reveal it at 10 million subscribers because clearly, that would never happen”

Eventually, as the channel kept growing and picking up steam, people started digging…

“Fun fact: You can’t edit your own Wikipedia. So as people guessed, they’d edit my Wiki with their guess. To the point where Wiki would occasionally lock the page for vandalism…” 😂

Well, Brownlee did hit 10M.

So there it is. 

KEITH.

“It’s my Dad’s middle name too. And his Dad’s. We’re all MKBs, I’m just the first HD one 🤓”

P.S. Just last week, he took on a new role as Chief Creative Partner at Ridge, a wallet and accessories brand, where he also holds positions as an executive board member and investor.

Keep reading…

• Financial lessons to be learned from the viral 'Who TF Did I Marry?' TikTok series

• These Are the Highest-Paying Side Hustles for a Single Day of Work

• Netflix salary data shows how much the company pays for 220 jobs across content, finance, marketing, and more

• Read the memo Vice's CEO sent staff saying it will stop publishing on its website and lay off hundreds

• VSCO's CEO explains how the app found a profitable and sustainable business model — and breaks down 3 lessons for new social-media startups

See you next week with more creator economy tea! ☕