How Linktree vp Lara Cohen is championing for creators to get a bigger piece of the pie

According to Digiday+ research, there has been a significant growth trend in influencer marketing investment. In Q1 of 2022, 69% of agency professionals reported that their clients spent at least a very small portion of their marketing budgets on influencers. By Q1 of 2023, this figure increased to 76%, indicating a growing reliance on influencer marketing within brand strategies.

Linktree is positioning itself as an intermediary in the creator economy, aiming to facilitate growth and provide creators with two main benefits:

• Their fair share of the money: Linktree advocates for creators to be paid more for their contributions to the economy.

• More sovereignty over their online presences: Linktree offers a link-in-bio tool that helps creators maintain control over their online presence and potentially monetize their content more effectively.

Linktree is contemplating ways to integrate commerce directly into its platform, which would allow creators to sell products and services more efficiently. The goal is to eliminate extra steps for potential buyers, increasing the likelihood of conversions directly through a creator's Linktree. This integration would also support the company's vision of creators receiving a larger portion of revenue, beyond the typical 3% affiliate rate.

Linktree's current business model is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) product. They offer pro tools and subscriptions that provide valuable analytics and features to creators, helping them make informed brand deals and increase their market value. Looking ahead, Linktree is considering a direct sales model where they would take a cut from transactions made on the platform. With a user base of 45 million creators, Linktree believes it could leverage its size and scale to negotiate better terms for creators within any commerce marketplace.