Hi, this is Amanda Perelli and welcome back to Insider Influencers, our weekly rundown on the influencer and creator economy. Sign up for the newsletter here.
In this week's edition:
An interactive database of the top influencer mansions
How TikTok was a fashion brand's key to Gen Z
The best platforms for selling online courses
TikTok's newest star is ... Yahoo News
The top influencer mansions and who lives in them
Lavish creator mansions extend far beyond prominent groups like The Hype House and Sway House, and this trend is surging across the world, from Los Angeles to London.
We put together an interactive database of the top influencer mansions and who lives in them.
Content houses aren't new, and top gaming creators, Vine stars, and YouTubers have led the trend for years.
But the concept found new relevancy among TikTok stars starting with The Hype House, which brought together 19 influencers in an LA mansion in 2019.
Here are some highlights from our database:
The Wave House, based in London, gained two million followers within three weeks of its launch. Now, the group works with brands like Pretty Little Thing.
Based in Atlanta, The Valid Crib started as a group of 20 creators messaging over Instagram and Snapchat.
- ByteHouse is a group of UK-based TikTok stars and the creators have worked with Nickelodeon and Boohoo.
Looking forward: The trend isn't slowing down and creators are quickly scaling business by collaborating together and pitching themselves to brands as a bundle.
Check out the interactive database here.
Have more information on creator houses? Email me: aperelli@insider.com.
How fast-fashion brand Princess Polly became a Gen-Z favorite
Australian fast-fashion brand Princess Polly became a favorite among US teens in 2020, partly thanks to TikTok.
My colleague Sydney Bradley created a case study of the brand:
It was at the right place at the right time when it joined TikTok in October 2019.
The brand benefitted from the rise of TikTok "try-on hauls" and an army of influencers it had built up over the past few years.
Beyond influencers, Princess Polly has also found success through paid ads on TikTok.
Read more about the brand's social media strategy here.
The top platforms influencers are using to sell online courses
During the pandemic, many creators have embraced selling courses as a new revenue stream.
Fitness influencers are launching at-home workouts and food bloggers are hosting their own cooking classes.
Sydney Bradley and Mark Stenberg broke down the top platforms for building courses.
Plant influencer Darryl Cheng said he earned about $2,000 per month from his course hosted on Teachable, one of the platforms.
Check out the 10 platforms here.
Yahoo News is surging on TikTok
Yahoo News recently hit 1 million followers on TikTok.
My colleague Dan Whateley wrote that the outlet's success shows how interest in news content is on the rise on TikTok.
He spoke with the team behind the account to learn more about Yahoo's TikTok strategy:
TikTok has helped Yahoo News reach a new Gen-Z audience.
The team uses TikTok's livestreaming feature to broadcast events like the White House press briefing.
Yahoo News uses the comments section to gather questions and then host Q&As with reporters.
- The team uses TikTok's "green screen,""duet," and "stitch" effects to drive engagement on the app.
Read more about Yahoo News' TikTok account here.
More creator industry coverage from Insider:
- Newsletter bundle Every has raised investment and left Substack (Mark Stenberg)
Industry updates:
Instagram is working on a vertical stories feed and the update could feel similar to TikTok. The platform is also testing removing the option to share feed posts within stories.
Esports group FaZe Clan has signed with talent agency UTA.
TikTok launched a weekly podcast hosted by Brittany Broski, call the For You Podcast. Episodes can be found on TikTok (@TikTok) and all of the major streaming platforms.
A new management firm launched: Underscore Talent Management Agency. Founding members include industry execs Michael Green, Reza Izad, Dan Weinstein, Austin Mayster, Linnea Toney, and Megan Brown.
This week from Insider's digital culture team:
Controversial influencer Lovely Peaches told her arresting officer that she sprayed perfume in her dog's eyes to get followers, according to police report
Influencer Lovely Peaches was recently arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty.
Brittany Johnson, aka Lovely Peaches, has been a controversial social-media figure for almost five years.
Insider reporters Moises Mendez II and Kat Tenbarge reported that Johnson told police that she sprayed her dog in the eyes with perfume to gain followers.
The report says she made "statements about harming or killing her dog" to earn followers.
More on digital culture:
Porn star Belle Delphine makes $1.2 million in a month with OnlyFans (Kat Tenbarge)
Timeline: Trisha Paytas and Moses Hacmon's relationship, which started on a YouTube dating show (Lindsay Dodgson)
Sephora cut ties with an influencer after she seemed to support the Capitol riot (Amanda Krause)
- Insider's digital culture team is hosting a Clubhouse panel on Thursday at 1 p.m. EST about the recent feud between Jeffree Star, Shane Dawson, and Trisha Paytas. More info here.
Here's what else we're reading:
The stock traders of Reddit and TikTok (Taylor Lorenz and Mike Isaac, from The New York Times)
Vice asked an influencer to share how accurate books are about influencers (Bettina Makalintal, from Vice)
League of Legends teams in the US are recruiting the world's best players by offering huge salaries (Kellen Browning, from The New York Times)
A reporter asked her Tinder matches to explain the stock market to her (Morgan Sung, from Mashable)
One last thing!
We are considering starting an Insider Influencers Discord server. Is that something you'd be interested in joining? Are there any other platforms you think we should be on? Let me know: aperelli@businessinsider.com.
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