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WME/@bryant

Welcome to this week’s Influencer Dashboard newsletter!

This is Amanda Perelli, and I’ll be briefing you on what’s new in the business of influencers and creators.

TikTok’s surge in popularity sparked a talent war in the entertainment industry, with agents and managers competing to nab these new viral stars.

“It started this frenzy,” said Justin Greenberg, a digital agent at WME. “We found it really interesting because we are now dealing with sort of the premier Gen Z creator, who is defining the various pop-culture trends for teenagers.”

Hollywood talent agencies like WME and United Talent Agency – which represent the biggest movie stars and musicians – have departments dedicated to working with digital creators across platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and now TikTok.

Earlier this year, WME signed TikTok star Chase Hudson (15 million followers), who founded the creator collective Hype House, along with Addison Easterling (known as Addison Rae, with 22 million TikTok followers) and her parents.

I spoke to Greenberg and two other execs at WME about how the company plans to expand these creators’ digital businesses and what it looks for in TikTok talent.

The agency has already begun placing Hudson and Easterling at events, and as seen on Instagram, they have each started to promote brands like Fendi, Dolce Gabbana, and Reebok to their millions of followers. (Read the full post here.)

You can read most of the articles here by subscribing to BI Prime. And if this is your first time reading Influencer Dashboard, subscribe to the newsletter here.

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Samantha Lupo Photography

Twitch is the most popular platform in the world for livestreaming, with more than two million active broadcasters. But only a fraction of those broadcasters earn money while they stream.

My colleague Kevin Webb wrote about the Twitch Affiliate Program, which offers a clear path to monetization for creators who want to turn their hobby into a profession.

Twitch affiliates can earn money through multiple revenue streams, including viewer subscriptions, ad revenue, and Twitch Bits.

Read the full post on how gaming influencers earn money, here.

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Ariana Offray/Heartbeat

“Micro” and “nano” influencers – who usually don’t work full-time as creators – are cheaper to hire and can often appear more authentic than “celebrity” and “mega” influencers with millions of followers.

My colleague Dan Whateley wrote about a recent report from the influencer-marketing agency, Linqia, which found that marketers were most excited about hiring micro influencers (creators with between 5,000 and 100,000 followers) versus other creator categories in 2020.

77% of marketers surveyed by the firm said they wanted to work with micro influencers this year.

“If you’re thinking about engagement as a measurement tool to optimize around – you’re looking at cost per engagement or cost per thousand – a nano influencer or micro influencer can deliver much higher value to brands who are buying on awareness,” said Brian Freeman, the CEO of the influencer-marketing platform Heartbeat, which focuses on creators with relatively low follower counts.

Read the full post on micro influencers as a top category to hire in 2020, here.

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Natalie Barbu

YouTubers often don’t know how much money they will earn off a single video. Some have strategies for boosting their earnings and others get lucky with a viral hit.

How much money a creator on YouTube can earn from a single video varies depending on the audience that watches it, the amount of time they spend watching, and how long the video is, among other factors.

Some topics, like finance, get a higher rate because the audiences they attract are valuable to advertisers.

I spoke to eight YouTube stars who each shared the most they’ve made from a single video. Their answers ranged from from $6,000 to $97,000.

Check out the full post on how much money YouTube stars have made from a single video, here.

What else happened this week on BI Prime:

• A teeth-whitening brand studied TikTok’s algorithm to decide which influencers to hire and ended up gaining 100,000 followers in a week: Dan spoke to HiSmile’s second-in-command to learn the inside story of how its TikTok campaign was conceived and executed.

• Why the influencer business is better for a gamer than competing on an esports team, according to ‘Street Fighter’ legend Justin Wong: Kevin spoke to Justin Wong, who spent more than two decades traveling the world to play games like “Street Fighter,” and then switched to building a career as a gaming influencer.

• A brand testing TikTok’s demographic and behavioral ad targeting says the platform is up to 400% cheaper than Instagram for driving website visits: HiSmile told Dan that TikTok’s ads had been three to four times cheaper for driving traffic to its website than ones on Instagram.

• How much TikTok stars should earn from a brand deal, according to a talent manager who says they often ‘can get a lot more money’ than they think: I spoke to a TikTok manager who broke down how much money a creator with one million followers should charge for a brand sponsorship deal.

• Inside YouTube star Brent Rivera’s content company, which created a superhero for TikTok and wants to become the next Disney Channel: Dan spoke to 22-year-old YouTuber Brent Rivera, and his business partner Max Levine, about their talent incubator and content group.

• How much money do YouTubers make a month? A minimalist influencer with 77,000 subscribers shares exactly what she earns and spends: I spoke to minimalist influencer Kyra Ann, who has 77,000 subscribers, and she shared how much money YouTube paid her in February.

We want to hear from you!

• Dan and I are seeking nominations for the top influencer-marketing agencies and creator marketplaces. We want to hear from you on which companies have been the most innovative and impactful in the industry. Please submit your ideas here, or by emailing: aperelli@businessinsider.com and dwhateley@businessinsider.com.

Industry updates: Coronavirus

• The esports industry was expected to top $1 billion in revenue this year, but it’s being rocked by event cancellations as the coronavirus spreads. Kevin reported that the spread of the coronavirus is presenting esports leagues, gaming events, and players with unprecedented challenges.

• Coachella is postponed until October amid coronavirus concerns.

• The Shorty Awards won’t be a physical event for the first time in 12 years because of the coronavirus. This year’s awards ceremony will be held virtually on May 3 and will be livestreamed on ShortyAwards.com. Here’s the full list of finalists.

• YouTube is demonetizing videos about coronavirus, and creators are mad, according to Julia Alexander at The Verge.

Here’s what else we’re reading:

• A power struggle and trademark dispute are rocking TikTok’s Hype House as the influencer collective finds fame and fortune: Hanna Lustig from Insider reported on the controversy threatening to destabilize the Los Angeles-based content creator collective.

• YouTuber Tana Mongeau is Gen Z’s Paris Hilton, redefining tabloid stardom for today’s teens: Kat Tenbarge from Insider joined Tana Mongeau and her friends on day two of Playlist Live Orlando.

• ‘Detox tea’ company will pay $1 million over Instagram influencer ads: Taylor Lyles from The Verge wrote that the FTC says a “detox tea” company misled consumers with health claims and ads from influencers who failed to clearly disclose they were being paid.

• Instagram Is Bringing Creators Closer to the Purchase Process: Our colleagues at eMarketer recently published a report and interviewed 16 creators about how they work with brands, what they measure, and what they want marketers to know about working with them.

• ‘TikTok has taken over our lives’: What happens when a beauty product goes viral: Emma Sandler from Digiday wrote about how a TikTok spiked Urban Skin Rx’s retail sales.

Thanks for reading! Send me your tips, comments, or questions: aperelli@businessinsider.com.