Season 1, Episode 2

Here’s what we’re covering in today’s episode:

• The newest tool for your business: Impact Radius’ Creator Marketplace (4:02)
  Monica & Michelle discuss Impact’s new app, which is designed to simplify the influencer marketing process by providing tools for creating tracking links, managing proposals, and applying to brands. They explore the potential benefits of this platform for both influencers and brands.
• Threads and Influencer Engagement (10:01)
  Thoughts on Threads and its potential for creators, its decline in popularity, and its impact on influencer engagement strategies.
• iOS 17 Update and Its Implications for Creators (22:09)
  How the upcoming iOS 17 update might affect creators. The importance of affiliate networks in supporting creators and navigating changes brought about by software updates.
• Navigating Changes in the Creator Landscape (18:54)
  Adaptation and staying flexible in response to changes in the creator landscape, from social media platforms to software updates. When to experiment and pivot when necessary.

Episode Links

Impact Radius Creator Marketplace

iPhone Case

Ask Us Anything

Have a question on the influencer space or how to become more established in the creator economy? Send us your questions and we’ll get them answered on upcoming episodes. 

DM on Instagram at @insidetheclick

Email at hello@insidetheclick.com

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The Transcript:

[00:00:00] Michelle: Welcome back, week two, Inside the Click. Your weekly creator economy, uh, resource discussion. I guess we’re doing all the things here. So yeah, welcome everyone. Uh, thank you so much for the awesome response last week. It was super, super well, I guess, no, it will be last week by the time we post this one.

[00:00:30] Michelle: Yeah, 

[00:00:31] Monica: exactly. We know it’s so exciting. It’s so exciting. So you can expect new episodes every Tuesday. Um, that’ll be our cadence, but yeah, we appreciate it so much. This has been a project that we’ve been so excited about. And on the note of last week’s episode, so you know how we were talking about, um, how.

[00:00:54] Monica: Everyone could possibly be a creator one day. I saw, and I don’t know if [00:01:00] you saw this, but the of Colorado on their practice football practice jerseys, they’re doing instead of their last names, they’re doing their social media handle. 

[00:01:12] Michelle: Whoa. Yeah. Really? 

[00:01:15] Monica: Yeah. And I’m like, well, now that athletes, college athletes can get, you know, those sponsorship opportunities.

[00:01:23] Monica: I’m like, that’s such. a clutch way to kind of like dive into that. 

[00:01:31] Michelle: I thought that was so interesting. Yeah. Yeah. That whole thing is so fascinating to like, because also I grew up swimming and a, a big, um, question that everyone had was, did you want to go pro or did you want to swim in college and like, uh, The people that like peaked in high school and went to the [00:02:00] Olympics, like it was basically the only way that you could get, I guess this is the same thing too with like gymnastics and basically any lesser known sport.

[00:02:10] Michelle: The only way that you could like make a ton of money um, through after that exposure would be like, you had to go pro and then you couldn’t do it in college. Right. 

[00:02:22] Monica: That’s so funny. Cheerleading is the exact. Opposite. Well, not exact opposite. There’s just no money in cheerleading, but I remember in high school, probably like senior year, I would get asked, do you want to be a professional cheerleader?

[00:02:35] Monica: And I was like, one NFL cheerleaders are dancers. So no, because dancing was not, was not my strength when it came to cheer. It was being five one and being thrown in the air. But yeah, so I did college. But yeah, after that, there’s like absolutely no trajectory, but like these [00:03:00] cheerleaders now could be influencers.

[00:03:02] Monica: And I feel like that’s a whole new level that did not exist. 

[00:03:10] Michelle: Yeah, there’s a couple of them that have like millions of followers and are making really good money. But I feel like I did see something about that maybe a couple of months ago where there, there was like maybe heckling or something. I mean, it, it comes with its own set of challenges, um, I’m sure, but wow.

[00:03:34] Michelle: So that was University of Colorado. Yeah. So. 

[00:03:37] Monica: They’re on it. I also think like this past year, they’ve just been trying to be in the media. I think they’re, because isn’t, didn’t they get a new coach? Anyway, we’re, we’re getting off track, but I thought that was interesting. Since we had talked about last week, but let’s get into what’s going on this week in the influencer creator [00:04:00] economy world.

[00:04:01] Monica: Yes. 

[00:04:02] Michelle: So, um, we’ll actually, we’re going to, uh, split this into a couple of different segments. So this first one, we’re going to talk about some weekly highlights that both of us found throughout the week. So the first one is. Impact launched their, um, they are calling it their creator marketplace. And it is an app where you can create tracking links in one click, manage proposals and invites in one swipe, and apply to brands and promote new products with one tap.

[00:04:47] Michelle: So not a creator app, but a way to like manage all of like some of the business side. Interesting. 

[00:04:57] Monica: Okay. So honestly, [00:05:00] this makes so much sense. Or if you’re not that familiar with impact. But you are a creator, you probably are using impact and you just don’t know it. So they essentially are the in between the retailer and then a platform like collective voice or LTK or shop my, and they are the ones who are tracking the information of the order of the click and then sending that data to.

[00:05:31] Monica: Collective voice. So the retailer gets the order, they push it through impact. Impact has all the rate information. So, and all of that is all decided in the network. So if you’re ever like, why is this retailer 15%? That’s something that the retailer has sent through to the network. And then these other platforms just aggregate that.

[00:05:54] Monica: So 

[00:05:55] Michelle: in. Uh, Monica, correct me if I’m wrong. So [00:06:00] there’s quite a few affiliate networks. Impact is one of the big ones, but one, a retailer typically just chooses one affiliate network to be on. And then any, they’re called like sub affiliates, like LTK, collective voice, Howell. They would need to sync up with that affiliate network to be able to work with that retailer, 

[00:06:27] Monica: right?

[00:06:28] Monica: So it makes so much sense that a network would do this because then they don’t really need Ltk Collective voice like they can just do it and these networks are kind of the ogs of this business like affiliate marketing has existed well before bloggers existed If you think about, like, how old, like, some of these affiliate companies are, they’re probably double in age as a ShopStyle [00:07:00] or LTK.

[00:07:03] Monica: Yeah. So that makes sense. I also saw they’re doing an influencer trip this week to Seattle. It’s probably 

[00:07:09] Michelle: to kind of, like, promote this. Celebrate. Because it’s, like, hot off the press. Like, literally, they posted it two days ago. Um, and I think it also… Not only is it interesting that through doing that, right, you’re cutting out some of the sub affiliates potentially, but there’s, I mean, there are also different benefits like with different sub affiliates and we can talk about this.

[00:07:34] Michelle: At length too, but sometimes if you’re going to do a campaign and you need to do like white listing, some sub affiliates may already have that set up. Um, so there can be like different headaches that are, um, alleviated through going through a sub affiliate, but it does also take another pain point, which is just like the whole campaign management.[00:08:00] 

[00:08:00] Michelle: Process and it makes it like putting it into technology is great Yeah, so I agree. 

[00:08:09] Monica: I think that’s huge and I think Creators also like to know that they have some control in the campaign process of being able to reach out to a brand And not just sit there waiting and hoping that their account comes up in some search that makes them relevant to a campaign, because yes, you can like cold pitch and like find an email through LinkedIn of who might be that person, but that takes so much time and for platforms to start evolving and having more ways that the creator can feel like they’re owning their business and not just sitting there waiting makes a lot of 

[00:08:51] Michelle: sense.

[00:08:53] Michelle: Yeah, so 

[00:08:55] Monica: is it an actual app or is it just like on [00:09:00] desktop right now and mobile? 

[00:09:02] Michelle: So let me

[00:09:09] Michelle: see, um, they say marketplace, simply apply to become a partner and verify your details. Oh, how to join marketplace. Now, I’m not a creator. Monica is a micro influencer, so maybe she’ll sign up. 

[00:09:33] Monica: Well, I am, I am signed up for something with Impact Radius, but I signed up for whatever that is before. They announced this whole creator thing.

[00:09:46] Monica: Yeah, so I’ll have to log in and see if it pushes me somewhere 

[00:09:50] Michelle: I don’t know. Uh We’ll talk about this in a future one if it’s an app or a site. I would imagine it’s probably [00:10:00] both 

[00:10:01] Monica: We can also drop the link in the show notes and y’all can go explore and let us know what you think Yeah Okay, let’s talk about threads 

[00:10:10] Michelle: All right.

[00:10:11] Michelle: Um, 

[00:10:13] Monica: I personally was really excited about threads and I think the first three days of it, it was like my full time job to just be on threads. I loved it so much. And now I don’t know the last time I opened it. But I think about it. I think, like, when I’m falling asleep at night. I’m like, thinking thoughts and I’m like, oh, that would have been funny for threads, but I never post it.

[00:10:39] Michelle: Ohhhh. I know. I feel like the one time I think about threads is when I’m on Instagram and I see the persons like, when they join threads. Oh yeah, 

[00:10:50] Monica: yeah. Are they an early adopter or late adopter? 

[00:10:54] Michelle: Uh, yeah. I’m 

[00:10:56] Monica: like, oh, I’m in the first million signups. [00:11:00] 

[00:11:01] Michelle: Um, I saw like, that is amazing. I think I was 3 million, but you know what, when I signed up and like, you don’t really have anyone like going into your feed, right?

[00:11:15] Michelle: Cause like, you’re not really following anyone. Cause it’s like this new thing. Yeah. I was actually thinking like. Should I try to become a threads influencer? Why not? Like you literally could. Yes. 

[00:11:28] Monica: I think, I mean, and here’s the thing. I think a lot of people get hung up with the becoming a creator, influencer, whatever you want to call it and being like, well, I can’t take pictures.

[00:11:41] Monica: I don’t have things to take pictures of every day. Like there’s such a visual component or I don’t want to be on video all the time. That’s my thing. I don’t want to. be talking to video all day every day. I did that and now I’m just like over it. But if you are someone who’s really good at writing [00:12:00] and really witty, Threads is so good.

[00:12:03] Monica: Like you can’t, you don’t have to be like the stereotypical of what you think of an influencer. And I think Threads opens that door again, that Twitter, Twitter is a dark, mysterious place sometimes. 

[00:12:20] Michelle: Especially now. Yes. 

[00:12:22] Monica: Also, are we ever going to start calling it X, or is it just always going to be Twitter and Elon Musk is going to be the only one calling it X?

[00:12:30] Monica: Like what have we decided as a collective? Because it’s still Twitter, to me, 

[00:12:36] Michelle: just without the bird. Well, I feel like I, when you see it in articles, it’ll be like… X parenthesis, formerly known as Twitter. Like, I feel like literally if you only say X, it seems like it’s just a placeholder. Yeah. Cause that’s what I do.

[00:12:55] Michelle: I’ll be like, like capital X’s or whatnot if I’m like [00:13:00] trying to think of some like filler. Yeah. And it would look like a mistake. Yes. 

[00:13:06] Monica: A hundred percent. Did you see that they’re auctioning off? I think they might’ve already done it. Everything that was in the Twitter office, including the bird that was on the side of the building.

[00:13:16] Monica: I kind of wanted the bird. I was like, if I, if I had like that level of disposable income and a place to put it, I’d, I’d like ask my assistant. To put in a bid for the birth. I, like, thought, I had this all planned out in my head, like, I had, like, I don’t know, in another life I would have put it in, a bid for the birth.

[00:13:40] Michelle: I actually was just, like, thinking in my head, I’m like, does she have an assistant? I wish. Like, in your dream life. Okay, pro 

[00:13:50] Monica: hack for creators, pretend like you do have an assistant. When you’re pitching to brands, pretend Do it from [00:14:00] like a generic email, like hello at my blog. com and pretend that you’re the assistant.

[00:14:05] Monica: And that’s going to help you kind of put a different hat on, especially with negotiations. So when I used to do this, I used to just use my friend’s name. And then I have a friend who uses my name and yeah, it’s like your alter ego. And at the end of the day, as dumb as it is, people kind of do take you more seriously if you have like your assistant coming in and trying to negotiate or pitch to you.

[00:14:35] Michelle: Yeah, that’s in going back to what, uh, we started to talk about last week, treating this like it’s an actual business that is part of it. Like. You would have a bigger organization and everyone’s responsible for their different things and it is up to, you know, that [00:15:00] person that’s in charge of whatever function, let’s take negotiations to get the best.

[00:15:06] Michelle: price and to get the best payment for the company. So that’s really smart. Fake it till you make it. Yeah. Yeah. But 

[00:15:17] Monica: yeah, so back to threads, I saw since July 31st, it’s declined like 85%. 

[00:15:24] Michelle: Oh that, I saw 75%. I would think that 85% is more accurate now. Like I think that that’s another thing, though, where when it comes to little, like, pithy statements, Like, okay, that was Twitter.

[00:15:44] Michelle: People were really obsessed with that when it first came out. And, like, so that’s why it’s kind of the go to for that. But then when it came to threads, like, I think at first everyone was just having a good time, like, watching Elon [00:16:00] freak out that he was downloading it, but then it’s like, what do I actually do here?

[00:16:05] Michelle: Right. 

[00:16:07] Monica: Do you think that somewhere in the Instagram offices, there’s like, meetings right now where they’re like, should we just put the threads capability inside Instagram? So then you can just post your little blurb within Instagram? Or is it just going to melt 

[00:16:25] Michelle: away? I don’t know, because if you put it into Instagram, is that kind of like you’re admitting failure of it’s just also like, I read that they’re trying to add features and whatnot, but how.

[00:16:46] Michelle: Like they need to have a bigger purpose for what to use it for. Cause right now it’s kind of like. People will post on threads, but then they post on Instagram the thread’s photo. [00:17:00] Yeah. Yep. 

[00:17:02] Monica: No, that’s a good point. It also goes to show how you can’t release something just to be in competition with something else.

[00:17:10] Monica: Like you can’t, that can’t be your only reason just because you want to compete. And I think that, you know, right now in the influencer space, LTK is the only one with a consumer app and it could be asked, why is no one else trying to do that too, because it clearly works very well, but if we kind of use this as an example, you can’t just launch a product and put all this investment unless you have a deeper reason other than.

[00:17:44] Michelle: And same thing even with the platforms that you choose as a creator to be on, not just trying to get on all of them, but showing [00:18:00] up poorly because you don’t know what your perspective is and using that platform. 

[00:18:07] Monica: Yeah. Do you think creators need to be on every platform? Like, do you have to be on Facebook, Instagram?

[00:18:17] Monica: TikTok in order to have a successful 

[00:18:23] Michelle: business. I think that you need some sort of variety because you can’t only be on like one or two, because these platforms are beyond our control and there’s going to be changes. Yeah. So if you, you need to have some sort of diversification, but then you can’t be on too many where it just becomes a chore and then you burn out.

[00:18:54] Michelle: Exactly. Exactly. Yeah. Like that. I think [00:19:00] also you could theoretically have, be on less platforms if you are really following what’s going on with that platform and you’re able to use data to it. Evaluate like where in the funnel are things breaking down. If you’re able to do that, then you can adapt and like Bob and weave a little better to changes that you encounter.

[00:19:32] Michelle: Yeah. 

[00:19:34] Monica: And also on that note, when it comes to looking at your data, when it comes to social media platforms, let’s just say Instagram for the example, this goes. Looking at this goes beyond just. putting blame on the algorithm. Like, the algorithm’s gonna do whatever it wants. I believe that the algorithm isn’t out to get you.

[00:19:58] Monica: Because at the end of the day, Instagram [00:20:00] wants creators to keep posting and people to keep watching. So they’re not trying, they’re not out to get you. Even though that’s how a lot of people make it sound. But you can still use data. You can still make decisions and not feel like you’re just at the whim of that algorithm, right?

[00:20:22] Michelle: Yeah. And it’s even the case, if you think about a more traditional company, all marketing departments know that if they, if they have a budget, like let’s say you have a 1 million budget in 2023, you can’t have that same budget in 2024 and expect the same results, right? Things are going to keep getting more expensive.

[00:20:47] Michelle: Like the algorithms are going to change or even just like the logic that, uh, even advertising platforms use that evolves. So you can’t expect to just [00:21:00] keep doing the same thing and for your success to just like. Keep being at the same level or even increase. You always have to adapt, especially in this industry.

[00:21:12] Monica: Yeah. Well, and you even see when someone goes viral and they’re got, they’re asked, How did that go viral or whatever? They’re usually like, well, I did something different. I tried something new. So we pivoting. Yes. 

[00:21:31] Michelle: And like not, I just, I always love thinking about, um, it’s always like the definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results.

[00:21:44] Michelle: I think about that all the time. Like if something’s not working. It’s like, change it, do something new, like why would you keep like banging your head against the wall and doing the same thing and thinking that there’s going to be a different outcome? 

[00:21:59] Monica: My [00:22:00] therapist said that’s why I need to update my dating app profile picture.

[00:22:05] Monica: So I mean. 

[00:22:06] Michelle: Yeah, the logic applies. 

[00:22:09] Monica: It does to everything in life, to everything. I’ve never seen that logic not be. Of sound advice. Yes. So, okay. So speaking of changes pivoting, we all know that every time there’s a new iOS release, panic arises and that’s right around the corner, isn’t 

[00:22:33] Michelle: it? Yep. I think September.

[00:22:36] Monica: Oh yeah, that is. Yeah. It’s always in the fall. Yep. Right. I, I don’t know if I’m such a nerd. I remember in college being so excited to watch the like Apple keynote talk, I would like sit at my computer and I would literally watch the two hour keynote on introducing all the new Apple products.[00:23:00] 

[00:23:02] Monica: I haven’t done that in years, but I used to live for it. 

[00:23:06] Michelle: When, when I’ve worked at like other tech companies. Like, I remember one time, uh, the whole iOS team, we reserved a conference room and we watched it. And everyone was like, I mean, everyone there was super excited. Um, but my, just a question. Okay. This has always driven me nuts.

[00:23:27] Michelle: Has the, has this always kind of been the same format where they do the keynote even from the beginning of. time or was the keynote and like the whole like presentation that now everyone’s trying to copy Um, is that a relatively newer thing? I could look it up but 

[00:23:47] Monica: I’ve What I know is that i’ve watched it since The iPhone came out.

[00:23:56] Michelle: Because I, when I was in high school, [00:24:00] this was before, or no, maybe like right when iPhones were starting, but I had the old iPod, which for all you young kids. Uh, it was just like black and white, like not even no graphics, nothing to start out. And so I was like, okay, I’m going to take my money that in high school was not super plentiful and I bought the iPod photo and it was like pretty, right?

[00:24:33] Michelle: Like it actually showed photos, which was a new thing. Literally, I’m not kidding. The next week. The video came out and I was already, I had already used a photo and I was like, this is a disaster. What? I always remember that. And I’m like, was that before they established the official cadence? Like how could I [00:25:00] have known, but I think so.

[00:25:02] Monica: I think, and I could actually, this is a complete assumption, but maybe like the iPhone is kind of what. Made it this, like, huge thing. I remember in, I think it was, I guess, early high school. So my dad, every Sunday, he would make me choose an article from the Wall Street Journal. And I would have to present it to him.

[00:25:27] Monica: How, how I didn’t go to Harvard is behind me.

[00:25:35] Michelle: That is amazing. Oh, you don’t 

[00:25:37] Monica: want to know. You don’t even want to know what I was having 

[00:25:40] Michelle: to do. I have some insight into your journal.

[00:25:45] Monica: Yeah, no, if I go into further detail, then it’s going to be a lot of red flags why I didn’t go to an Ivy League. But anyway, I remember the one article that I remember is the one where they announced the iPod. [00:26:00] And there was this, it was like this full spread in the wall street journal on the iPod. And it is like seared into my memory, which is just so wild how Apple has done that.

[00:26:17] Monica: Like we have life milestones that we can tie to their products. 

[00:26:23] Michelle: Yeah, I mean even the you see it now when people switch from Android to iPhone and it’s like celebrated with like the blue bubbles Yeah, you now have in text 

[00:26:35] Monica: Also, how does everyone have the air pods max? Those are like 500 headphones How everywhere I look everyone has I I still have the ones at the court Oh my god, I can’t be trusted with air pods because I lose them But I’m just like, where do people listen to music, I guess, [00:27:00] that much that they need?

[00:27:03] Monica: It’s like, it doesn’t matter what age you are, you have the AirPod Max ones. I feel like it’s like the most mind blowing phenomenon to me. Or 

[00:27:13] Michelle: even just like normal AirPods. I mean, that’s a very premium thing. Like, I had growing up I thought so until I saw the other 

[00:27:24] Monica: ones. 

[00:27:27] Michelle: Remember, remember those, at first it was everything was over.

[00:27:31] Michelle: Yeah, and then you change to like 

[00:27:33] Monica: the under, yeah, I saw a tick tock yesterday. So this isn’t fact checked, but AirPods alone make more revenue than like Spotify and a bunch of different companies and is barely second to how much Adobe makes in revenue. Just AirPods alone. I can see that. [00:28:00] And if you, I don’t know, I just.

[00:28:03] Monica: I lost one. I fell asleep on a plane and couldn’t find it and I was just like, you’ve lost your privileges. 

[00:28:11] Michelle: Back to the cord. That’s usually how I am, but I got the AirPods that, because the normal ones don’t fit in my ear. It’s so weird. Like my inside of my ear, I think like pushes out too much. Like, it doesn’t sit back.

[00:28:30] Michelle: I wonder if that’s 

[00:28:30] Monica: why mine fall out all the time 

[00:28:32] Michelle: when I have them. I could never use even just the normal Apple headphones. I was always using different ones. Yeah. So I use the ones that, the AirPods that suction in much better. Got it. Okay. Yeah. Maybe you don’t know. Yours too. Who knew? Okay. 

[00:28:55] Monica: Back to iOS changes.

[00:28:58] Monica: So, [00:29:00] as a creator, when there is a new software update shebang, not like the little version 0. 3, like the big ones that come out. So also why is it 17? That’s coming in on not 16. Are we at 16? Wait, 

[00:29:19] Michelle: for some reason I thought 15, but wait, that’s like, I think it’s 17. Is it 17? Hold on. IOS 17.

[00:29:32] Monica: Well, it’s like sometimes they come out with an iPhone and it’s like, iPhone 6 came out, but then iPhone 8 is the next one. It’s like, why did we skip 7? So, but anyway, iOS 17. Yes. Do creators need to be worried? 

[00:29:50] Michelle: So, I think that with some of this stuff. It can sound scary, but I [00:30:00] think that affiliate networks have creator’s backs.

[00:30:05] Michelle: Yeah. Because of some of the things that they’re trying to do to make some of the restrictions have a much lesser impact. Yeah. 

[00:30:16] Monica: Well, and at the end of the day. An affiliate network is not going to make money if the creator isn’t making money. So they want to make sure that they can have the creator drive those sales.

[00:30:31] Monica: So that’s always going to be this. It’s kind of like the Instagram algorithm. Like we need to just stop pretending that everyone is just like trying to make your life more difficult. You have more tech people in your corner than you think you do. 

[00:30:45] Michelle: Yes. Yes, and I mean it’s it’s also interesting because when Apple did launch, was it 14 that basically like Destroyed Facebook.[00:31:00] 

[00:31:00] Michelle: Oh, I forgot about that. Yeah, because that’s what started all the panic. Yes Because there is some sort of, oh my gosh, by the way, for those watching, look at my nails. I love 

[00:31:13] Monica: them. I noticed the other 

[00:31:14] Michelle: day. I like, love them. Uh, she did a very good job. She did. But, um, so. It’s kind of like what, what companies are trying to do.

[00:31:26] Michelle: And now they’re, I think that they do have some consumer interest in mind where they’re trying to be like, you can protect your data. Like you don’t have to be tracked at the end of the day. I always let everyone track me saying like, yeah, like we’re not doing anything weird, no, but then also. I mean, this is a separate thing, but I love ads, especially when I’m in the exploration phase.

[00:31:54] Michelle: Like, if I’m trying to, like, look for a new phone case, like, I like going to a few sites, [00:32:00] and then I’m like, ads, come to me. Yes, that’s how I found my phone case. It’s loopy. 

[00:32:06] Monica: Oh, not sponsored. Okay, I’ve always wanted to, but then I didn’t know if it was just like, So heavily influencers that like, it’s not a good product.

[00:32:17] Monica: I don’t know. You know how there’s some products that you’re just like, they’re going so deep and influencers that I don’t 

[00:32:24] Michelle: know. Do you like it? Yes. I’ve had, um, these cases for like a few years. Okay. 

[00:32:32] Monica: But to make sure we link to it, 

[00:32:34] Michelle: it’s nice too, because like with the loop, like you can do other things.

[00:32:37] Michelle: Yeah. So I can be like, Oh, here’s my water. 

[00:32:41] Monica: Yeah, I feel like that also looks more comfortable than the pop 

[00:32:46] Michelle: socket. Yes. Well, the main reason that I did this, I did already have a case, but it was because they, they did like a promo, not a promo, but an effort where they put a higher percent to helping [00:33:00] Maui.

[00:33:00] Michelle: Oh, nice. So, I was like, you know, this is like, different than my last case, and like, more money will go to, I should have just donated what I spent, but email sucked me in. We do what we 

[00:33:14] Monica: can. We’re all philanthropists in our own way, but 

[00:33:21] Michelle: Oh, going back to, uh, the iOS changes, so they’re, they’re like framing it as, um, you know, they’re helping protect your privacy because they’re not sharing as much data or they don’t allow like other apps to share data with other apps.

[00:33:39] Michelle: And so it’s kind of under the guise of privacy, but part of me also just wonders, like, Did they just want to take some other companies down because they own the operating system? But. Yeah. Yeah. But what you can do as [00:34:00] a creator is. One, not only educate yourself behind like, why is this changing? What does this mean?

[00:34:08] Michelle: Um, and that’s also why we’re here because we like doing stuff like that, but then also doing your research and figuring out who is adjusting. Like, who is trying to get around this or work with these changes or who’s introducing a new way where you can make money because this thing is happening, right?

[00:34:34] Michelle: So that’s also where, like Monica said, there’s a ton of technical people that are here to help you in ways that you don’t even like realize. 

[00:34:45] Monica: Because I think what a lot of people don’t see behind the scenes is, okay, let’s say. You’re linking to, I can’t even think of an example, a water bottle company. I just looked at my water bottle, [00:35:00] whatever, and you choose.

[00:35:04] Monica: LTK to link to that product and you might think, okay, what is LTK doing for this whole cookie thing and privacy and all that they’re, they’re just creating like the link for you and like showing you the data and all that the network, like we were talking about with impact, they’re the ones that are kind of doing that techie stuff behind the scenes.

[00:35:30] Monica: So, it also doesn’t really matter which platform you use, whether it’s LTK or ShopMy, because they’re all using the same exact networks for the same retailers. So, as long as you know that, These networks are working on it and you can go to their websites and you can read like they have blog posts on this and things like that.

[00:35:53] Monica: So if you educate yourself on it, you’re going to feel a lot more calm. [00:36:00] 

[00:36:00] Michelle: That also, and Monica, I don’t know if we’re going to have time for Q& A today. We may have to push that. But I, I do think it’s important that creators know this too. Like Monica said, it is all coming from the same network, whether you use collective voice, LTK, Howell shop, my, they are all getting the same data.

[00:36:28] Michelle: So it’s just interesting when you see like some sub affiliates, which is what all of those are like saying that they can like operate in different, um, Like revenue models, ones that are very, very different from the norm, or like show you more data or whatnot. End of the day, everyone can see the same data.

[00:36:56] Michelle: So there, there’s a reason [00:37:00] why they’re saying that they can show you more, but then there’s also a reason why some other companies are not. Correct. So, I mean, and we talked about this last week, a lot of shiny objects. I think there could be a lot of shiny promises too, but just know that it’s the same.

[00:37:20] Michelle: How many affiliate networks are there, like eight to ten? 

[00:37:23] Monica: Yeah, I would say that. I would say there’s four major ones. And then for that, kind of like, there’s always going to be one big retailer 

[00:37:34] Michelle: on it. So, I think it’s important that everyone knows that, and maybe we could even 

[00:37:42] Monica: talk about this. Do an affiliate network deep dive, yeah.

[00:37:44] Michelle: Yeah. 

[00:37:46] Monica: Yeah. Let’s do that. Okay. Q& A, we’ll start that next episode, so that we make sure we answer y’all’s questions. But other than that, make sure you subscribe if you haven’t yet. [00:38:00] Also, we would appreciate so much to review. to rate depending on if it’s Spotify or Apple Podcasts. It makes such a difference in the early stages, so we appreciate that so much.

[00:38:12] Michelle: Yes, and thank you everyone. This is so fun. So, I appreciate all your support. See y’all next week. Bye.