Making a Living Off 'Likes': The New Influencer Paradigm | Andreessen Horowitz

When influencers can monetize, platforms benefit:

Sponsorships and ads are no longer sufficient – it’s time for social networks both new and old to focus on building tools to allow influencers to make money on-platform.

1. The defensive play: It keeps influencers engaged.

4. A new metric: It allows creators to track not only their followers, but also their superfans.

In an era of fierce competition and shifting demographic loyalties, it’s more important than ever for social platforms to keep their influencers engaged.

Subscriptions, also known as channel memberships, may include various benefits: private chat groups, expert paid content, paid Q&As, and native ecommerce.

2. The strategic play: It collects payment information.

3. Fun for fans: It caters to users, not advertisers.