Notes
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Who Is the Merchant of Record on a Creator's Sales? Check Before You Scale
The merchant of record owns the receipt, the sales tax and the customer. How it works on TikTok Shop, YouTube affiliate, Meta and merch platforms, and how to check yours.
Amelia Gagne
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A Creator Holding Company Needs More Than a Bio Link and a Spreadsheet
A creator holding company works when one set of books sees every line: products, memberships and brand deals. What the big examples show and where to start.
Amelia Gagne
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Creator Brand Deals Now Ask for Proof You Own Something. A Follower Count Is Not Enough.
What brands can verify in creator brand deals: current engagement, owned email and site numbers, FTC disclosures and usage rights, plus a media kit template.
Amelia Gagne
Build
A $250 Million Fund Described the Creator Business It Wants to Buy. Use It as Your Checklist.
A $250 million fund backed by CAA and TPG buys creator businesses. Here is what it looks for, and how to build a creator business that would pass its checklist.
Amelia Gagne
Build
The Patreon Profile Merge Paused Creator Payouts Until They Clicked. What You Rent and What You Own.
The Patreon profile merge paused posting and payouts for creators who had not combined profiles. What changed, what an auto merge deleted, and what to own instead.
Amelia Gagne
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Leaving Substack Keeps Your List. Email Deliverability Decides Who Sees It.
Moving a newsletter off Substack keeps your list. Email deliverability does not move with it: what Gmail requires, why opens mislead, and what owning it takes.
Brian Gagne
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Cannes Lions Started Rewarding Systems. Does Your Creator Business Have One?
Cannes Lions 2026 began judging the systems behind brands. Apply it to your creator business: own your site, list, sales and records, and use platforms for reach.
Amelia Gagne
Build
Brands Are Adding AI to Creator Marketing. The One Thing They Can't Generate Is an Owned Audience
Brands are adding AI to creator marketing, but creator ad spend still grew. Why an owned audience is what keeps creators paid, plus New York's AI ad label rule.
Brian Gagne
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Ask YouTube Answers Questions With Your Videos. What Tutorial Creators Should Do Now
Ask YouTube is YouTube's conversational search, now open to U.S. viewers. What YouTube has published, how it may affect tutorials, and what creators can do.
Amelia Gagne
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Patreon Made Every Creator Merge Into Its New Network. Own Your Audience Before the Next Change.
Patreon's 2026 network, Quips and the irreversible profile merge, with dates from its help center, plus five steps to own your audience as a creator.
Amelia Gagne
Build
Picsart Just Scrapped Follower Minimums for Creator Payouts. The Economy Is Pivoting to Pay Per Proof.
Picsart's creator payouts drop follower minimums and pay on performance. What the first numbers show and how creators build income they own.
Amelia Gagne
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App Store Fees Just Made Your Patreon Fans Pay 43% More. You Didn't Get a Vote.
App Store fees take 30% of new iOS Patreon memberships. The math behind the 43% price rise, the November 2026 deadline, and how creators keep control.
Brian Gagne
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Instagram Insights Shows Where Viewers Drop Off Your Reels. It Only Works If You Never Leave.
Instagram Insights now shows Reels retention and skip rate. What the metrics mean, what you can export, and how creators should use them without depending on one app.
Amelia Gagne
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Facebook Creator Fast Track Pays Up to $3,000 a Month. Read the Fine Print First.
Facebook Creator Fast Track pays up to $3,000 a month for three months. What Meta requires, how Content Monetization pays after, and what to build meanwhile.
Amelia Gagne
Build
The Creator Tool Stack Is Broken: How to Audit It and Keep What You Own
Your creator tool stack likely costs more than you think. A one-afternoon audit, what to export before cancelling, and how to secure the logins you keep.
Amelia Gagne
Build
Only About 4% of Creators Earn Over $100K. What Actually Drives Creator Income?
Creator income is lopsided: about 4% of creators earn over $100K. Where the money comes from, what platforms pay, and how to build income you control.
Amelia Gagne
Build
Stop Renting Your Audience on Instagram: How to Own Your Audience
How to own your audience when Instagram controls your reach: what Meta says about ranking, a 30-day email list plan, and the email rules to follow.
Brian Gagne