Why Every Brand Needs to Become a Creator

Read Time: 3 Minutes 9 Seconds

Hey there,

In today's edition:

• A 2025 marketing trend you need to know about

• Why every brand needs to think like a creator

• How to build your own creator department

Remember when having your social media manager post product photos was enough?

Those days are long gone.

According to this study by Raptive & Nielsen:

Creator-led content drives 40% higher purchase intent than traditional brand content.

But here's what most people miss:

The magic isn't in hiring creators. It's in becoming one.

And in 2025?

This isn't just a nice-to-have.

It's a marketing trend you can't ignore.

Let's break down how leading brands are doing exactly that:

1. Think Like a Creator, Not a Brand

The numbers are clear:

77% of creator fans feel connected to brands featured in creator content (Raptive & Nielsen).

But here's what's interesting.

Most brands see this and think:

"Let's do more influencer partnerships!"

But leading brands? They're thinking bigger.

They realize that one-off partnerships give you moments.

Videos produced by dedicated members of your team build movements.

Take a look at what @faytlabel has done. This would never make it to the creative brief of an influencer partnership…

faytlabel

View more on Instagram

Insider.

Unhinged.

You feel like you’re getting a genuine look behind the scenes.

You see, when you have content made from within your brand instead of from partnerships…

• You can provide a direct look behind the scenes to your audience

• You don't need a 20-page brief for them to "get" your voice.

• You don't need to communicate for weeks over the deliverables.

And you can save thousands of marketing dollars.

2. The New Marketing Department

Here are the most popular ways to produce organic social content:

1. Influencer Partnerships: Contract creators on a one-off or recurring basis to advertise your product to their audience.

2. User-Generated Content: Contract creators on a one-off or recurring basis to produce video ads that will go on your socials. You own rights to the videos.

3. Social Media Agencies: Contract an agency to produce content on a monthly retainer.

4. Community-Led Content: Source content from your customer community through contests, campaigns, and rewards programs.

5. AI-Generated Content: Use AI tools to create or enhance social media content, with human oversight for quality control.

Each approach has its place.

But brands are discovering that their best content comes from having creators on their team full-time.

Why?

Because long-term authenticity can't be outsourced.

For example,

@woobles brought on @emelia.steenwyk (26k)

@whop brought on @austingeorgas (85k)

@stanforcreators brought on @wherescalebshaw (91k) and @seanoulashin (642k)

Traditional marketing can sometimes feel corporate.

Influencer posts can feel transactional.

But when creators are part of your team, it feels real because it genuinely is.

They're living your brand every single day.

And that's the kind of authenticity you can't buy.

3. The Reporting Structure

Here's what a successful in-house creator setup looks like:

Marketing Manager

↓

Content Creator

↓

Content & Community

The Marketing Manager’s Role:

• Sets overall content strategy

• Provides brand guidelines

• Handles budget and resources

• Reviews performance metrics

• Gives final approval on content

The Creator’s Role:

• Generates content ideas

• Produces daily content

• Engages with community

• Spots and acts on trends

• Reports on what's working

Think of it like this:

Your marketing manager steers the ship. Your creator is the engine making it move.

The key is finding the right balance:

• Give the creator as much freedom as possible to be authentically themself…

• While still adhering to clear brand principles

• Create quick approval processes

Remember: The best marketing managers don't micromanage their creators.

They set clear boundaries, and then let creativity flow.

Thanks for showing up this week. We’ll see you in the next :).

Sincerely,

Ryan & Thomas

P.S. Hiring creators can be difficult, especially if you don’t know what to look for.

P.P.S. Good news, we can do it all for you!