As we illustrated in our article, “Why The Creator Economy Needs To Be Fixed”... well, the creator economy needs to be fixed.

Its current inadequate state unnecessarily leaves too much on the table for all stakeholders, but mostly for the creators that form its heart. There is still so much potential ahead for creators. So how do we go about righting where the creator economy went wrong?

The solution begins with a leap in engagement. Interactive content such as recipes, craft walkthroughs, and fashion purchasing guides that followers want to engage with are currently hamstrung by rudimentary (or entirely absent) clickthrough capabilities on practically all existing platforms — and that lost next step to interactivity is also a lost opportunity for all stakeholders in the creator economy.

What’s needed is a platform-agnostic, digital “third place” for followers to “follow through” on their favourite content; a layer between the social platform (the first place) and the creator’s digital home (the second place) where followers can engage instantly and seamlessly. In this in-between ecosystem, viewers of drool-inducing food-Toks can follow simple step-by-step guides to making the meal they just watched being made (or even while it’s being made with a live commerce feature) and now crave, and can find links to procure the creator’s exact recommended ingredients.

Creators can receive incentives for purchases generated through this tool, gate content behind a paywall, feature sponsored products from brand partners, and collect ad revenue — all things they can do now, but on a slicker platform with the potential scale. And completely complementary to their existing suite of revenue-generating options.

Crucially, any creator could take advantage of this tool; not only those with 10,000+ followers. This digital third place, by lowering the barriers to entry to creator monetization, can make a real toolkit out of the tangled mess of revenue opportunities available today.

To put it another way: this tool for instant interactive gratification can make a real economy out of an almost economy.

I’m sure this sounds either obvious, completely fantastical, or like a sales pitch. And it may be a bit of the latter because that’s what we’re building here at getbird.bio, and we’re more than excited to take on the challenge. Yet even regardless of us, if you’re a part of the creator economy today, you know it’s broken. Not only for creators (though they get the shortest straw in the lot), but for advertisers, brand partners, retailers — even the platforms themselves.

We’ll talk more about that soon — because naturally there’s plenty more to discuss, in features and nuance. But for the time being, simply take a moment to consider a creator economy with lower barriers to monetized entry, more rewarding engagement for avid followers, and a more sustainable revenue stream for all. It’s not a digital utopia; it’s just the next opportunity.

Want to learn more about what we’re building at getbird.bio & stay tuned to further insights on the future of creator success. Sign up to stay in touch here.