🎓 Major: Medicine. Minor: Influencing.
China’s new law just upped the influencer game
Hi friends,
China just passed a law requiring influencers to have degrees before discussing topics like law, medicine, or finance, blurring the line between creator and credentialed expert.
Also, ShopMy just hit a $1.5B valuation turning affiliate links into infrastructure, and Meta’s testing ad-free Instagram, where organic creator content becomes premium real estate.
The creator economy is maturing and we are here for it.
Let’s get into it.
(October 28th)
💰 ShopMy hits $1.5B valuation, creators invest in their own economy
ShopMy raised $70M at a $1.5B valuation in a round led by Avenir, with investors including mega creators Sofia Richie Grainge, Aimee Song, and Revolve’s Raissa Gerona.
Positioned as “infrastructure for premium creators,” the platform now connects 40,000 creators with 3,000+ brands across beauty, fashion, and wellness.
💸 Meta introduces $2.99 ad-free subscriptions for Instagram and Facebook
Meta is now testing a $2.99 monthly subscription in the UK that removes ads from both Instagram and Facebook. While it may seem like a small experiment, it could shift the way influencer marketing budgets are measured, fewer ads mean organic content from creators could become even more valuable real estate. Analysts say this may also pave the way for future premium creator tools or exclusive experiences tied to the paid tier.
🎓 China now requires degrees for influencers discussing “professional” topics
In a move that blurs the line between expertise and influence, China’s new regulations require creators who talk about professional subjects, like law, finance, and medicine, to hold accredited degrees. Platforms like Douyin and WeChat are now verifying qualifications before allowing creators to post such content. The crackdown aims to curb misinformation but could have a chilling effect on independent voices and niche experts. It’s a reminder that creator credibility is becoming regulated, not just earned.
🧠 Brand Move of the Week
AG1 flips the script: giving scientists the influencer treatment
Meet the new AG1 NIL Stars!
AG1, the wellness brand that turned green powder into a lifestyle flex just launched the first-ever NIL program for scientists.
While most brands throw endorsement deals at athletes or creators, AG1 flipped the model, signing three early-career researchers as official brand partners. Each will receive funding, visibility, and support for their work in sleep health, female nutrition, and microbiome science.
The roster includes Chidera Ejikeme (Brigham & Women’s Hospital), Hannah Eberhardt (Florida State University), and Dr. Margaret Hilliard (UC Davis). Their studies cover everything from sleep and blood pressure to gut bacteria and metabolic health.
This isn’t a token gesture. AG1 is backing the program with a $20 million research investment over the next three years, part of a broader partnership with UC Davis and its Innovation Institute for Food and Health. The company says the goal is simple: “to give scientists the same stage as athletes.”
It’s also smart marketing. The traditional NIL market for college athletes is on track to hit $2 billion by 2026, but credibility — not reach — is the new gold in wellness. Rather than paying for influence, AG1 is buying authority.
🔭 Trend Watch
The Rise of the Expert Creator: Are We FINALLY Entering the Age of Credentialed Influence?
China just made it law: influencers discussing medicine, law, or finance must now hold degrees or professional certifications to speak on those topics. At first glance, it feels authoritarian, but look closer, and it’s not hard to imagine Western platforms heading the same way, at least algorithmically.
After years of “bro science,” fake gurus, and content farms, trust has become the scarcest commodity online. And while Western platforms haven’t legislated expertise (yet), the market is already doing it on its own.
Take AG1’s latest campaign. Instead of more athletes or lifestyle influencers, the brand handed the mic to scientists. Real experts. The people who built the product. It’s a brand acknowledging that influence now flows through authority as much as relatability.
So what does this shift mean?
For brands: credibility becomes a strategy, not a compliance box. Expect more partnerships with credentialed experts, doctors, coaches, researchers: blended with traditional creators to tell the story.
For creators: the bar rises. Entertainment will always win attention, but education now demands evidence. The next wave of “edutainment” creators will pair credentials with charisma.
For the creator economy: it signals a maturation. Influence is professionalizing — from chaos to craft, from popularity to proof. In a few years, the most valuable creators won’t just have audiences; they’ll have authority.
I’m so here for this next phase. Bring back actual thought leaders and experts.
Ok, see you next week. In the meantime, Sell! Sell! Sell! 🫡