Social media
creatorshubYouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Reels. What the platforms are changing, where attention is moving and how creators earn from it.
Air Bank tops new Czech Instagram efficiency benchmark
The agency Hustle ranks Czech brands on Instagram by how efficiently they work with their audience. Air Bank leads with 77.2 points, and the best sector is mobile operators, with a median of 58.8 points.
What will YouTube present to creators at Made On YouTube 2026?
YouTube is calling creators to New York on 23 September for its annual Made On YouTube event. The official programme for 2026 has not been published. Last year it showed Veo generative tools for Shorts, livestream news and AI clips.
Gary Vee gained a million views in 90 days from old footage
Gary Vaynerchuk’s long YouTube videos used to get five to ten thousand views each. Strategist Jake Trinder repackaged his existing keynote footage into new videos that reached a million views in 90 days.
Gap pays employees commission for posts about its brands
Gap Inc. has opened its creator programme to employees in offices, stores and distribution centres. Its external version drew nearly 30,000 posts reaching 154 million people in under a year. Starbucks and Ulta Beauty run similar schemes.
Yope grows without an algorithm or ads and plans to earn from subscriptions
London social network Yope has grown to nearly 15 million registered users without an algorithm, ads or public creators. Northzone led its $12.3 million seed round. Brands and influencers have no way in yet.
Search Console now measures Instagram and TikTok, even for brands without websites
Google has launched platform properties in Search Console. Creators and brands can see for the first time how their content on four social networks performs in search. Organic reach from social media now gets its own number and a hint of visibility in AI Overviews.
Meta: paid campaigns convert, organic content builds relationships
Notes from a Meta event say reels should reach non-followers 90% of the time, and strong creators’ broadcast channels equal 5 to 10% of their followers. Paid campaigns serve conversion, organic serves relationships.
LinkedIn shows where your reach comes from. A guide to growing in 2026
LinkedIn now separates reach from your followers and connections from reach beyond them. The second figure is the first direct measure of growth, and most of what we know about the network this year points the same way. Reach is made by people, not company pages.
Instagram moves to television. The audience is splitting
Instagram plays Reels on TV screens, and YouTube leads the Nielsen ranking with 13.5% of viewing. Alternative apps built on taste and privacy grow alongside video podcasts on connected TV. Mandatory labelling of AI content in the EU applies from 2 August 2026.
The ad-free TikTok era begins, though not entirely
TikTok launched Ad-Free in the UK at £3.99 a month. Platform ads disappear, while sponsored creator content stays visible to subscribers. With one line in its pricing, TikTok has split advertising from creator content for the first time.
Creators as studios: YouTube teaches brands to invest in shows before they exist
At Brandcast 2026, YouTube sells partnerships with creators rather than ad spots. Its Creator Partnerships tool uses Gemini to match brands and channels, brands invest before a show premieres, and the rights stay with the creator.
One slide, one caption: Instagram is finally fixing the carousel
Instagram is testing a caption for each slide in a carousel, not just one for the whole post. The test comes as carousels attract a higher engagement rate than Reels.