Ten predictions for creators in 2024
Looking back at the past few years, it’s been difficult to predict where everything will net out. Will there or won’t there be a recession? Will cookies ever actually go away? Will advertisers spend money with independent creators or big media? Will Taylor Swift make American football even more popular?
That last one is the only question we can actually answer “yes” to.
2024 is still bound to be quite the ride. With election season kicking in and generative AI fundamentally shifting how everyone works, we’ll all be kept on our toes. Whatever’s in store, we’re here as always to help creators get to next!
But first, a quick look back at a few highlights from 2023 at Raptive:
- This year, more sites joined Raptive than ever before. Raptive now serves 5,000 of the best sites on the internet!
- Raptive creators’ year-over-year performance was stronger than ever, even before we hit the holidays (when ad spending is already stellar).
- After a lot of hard work, we rebranded to Raptive!
- We more than doubled the size of our direct sales team and presented at important industry events like Newfronts and Cannes Lions.
- We published an open letter calling on corporations to protect content creators in the age of AI, and thousands of people have signed so far.
The ad revenue trends we predicted for 2023 came true, with a slow start to the year that ramped up to a very strong finish—in fact, Raptive creators saw some of their best RPMs ever in Q4 2023.
This year, we’re casting the net a little wider to look at broad trends likely to impact creators in a big way, from AI to ad spend. We talked to experts across Raptive who are deeply ingrained in industry conversations and have a good pulse on where the year is headed—here’s what they’re predicting for creators in 2024.
Our 10 predictions for creators in 2024
- Creators will need to adapt as the world shifts to AI-generated content.
AI will impact the creator economy in so many ways. To start, there’s Google’s ‘Search Generative Experience’, which could turn SEO on its head. Then, there’s AI-generated content, AI-powered tools to streamline workflow, and a multitude of other applications that society is only just beginning to explore.
One thing we do know—creating truly original content is critical for success. Creators will need to tap into their unique voices in new ways to produce content that stands out among the AI-generated competition.
- AI as we know it today will look totally different by this time next year.
AI-generated content is going to get closer and closer to the quality of human-generated content, to the point where it will be difficult—and potentially impossible—to differentiate. The tech will improve exponentially, with products including built-in AI image and video capabilities that make it easy for anyone to implement special effects. AI will also become more precise, and we’ll see fewer hallucinations.
- Advertisers will place a renewed emphasis on brand-safe, high-quality content.
Between the influx of AI-generated content and Made for Advertising sites, we expect to see a ‘flight to quality.’ Chris Kane, Jounce Media’s founder, urges the ad industry to work with companies like Raptive because of our strict vetting process, stressing the importance of quality sites versus quantity.
Brands want to place their ads next to content they trust. Yes, they want to know which domains they’re buying on, but we’ll also see a strong emphasis on who they’re buying from, making it even more important to work with a trusted partner like Raptive.
- The end of third-party cookies is in sight…sort of.
Despite giving us all *literal years* of notice, Google’s own proposed cookie replacements are still in a half-done state, and many ad tech companies are not ready for third-party cookies to go away. While Raptive has worked hard to be prepared for the change, the industry as a whole has been dragging its feet in adopting new technologies.
This leaves Google in a tough spot: how will they get rid of these stale third-party cookies without cratering the digital ads ecosystem? We suspect we’ll see a slower-than-planned transition to a fully cookie-less world, giving the industry more time to develop new tools while gradually removing cookies from a small percentage of Chrome browsers.
- Major events will drive strong ad spending for next year, and advertisers will closely monitor performance.
Between a stabilizing economy, the Olympics, and prominent elections, 2024 global ad spend is poised to outpace what turned out to be a good 2023. Of course, with these big events comes outsized potential for misinformation (especially with AI-generated ads), so advertisers are more cautious about where their budgets are going. Advertisers will continue to focus on performance to make sure they’re spending their budgets as effectively as possible.
- As people seek out alternatives to Google search, creators will have more opportunities for cross-promotion.
Whether real or perceived, the ongoing decline in search quality is approaching a tipping point. As Gen Z audiences opt for TikTok and Instagram over Google search and the buzz continues around search quality, we anticipate more instances like the Helpful Content Update as part of continued efforts to clean up search results.
Rather than embark on a quest to uncover Google’s secrets, creators are better off focusing on diversifying their traffic sources by building a strong, authentic brand presence across platforms.
- The most successful creators will diversify their revenue streams.
Creators will breathe new life into their product and affiliate strategies, which will be major revenue drivers across platforms. We’ll see social-first creators launch websites to drive monetization while existing site owners explore opportunities through social platforms. We may also see an increased interest across the board in owned communities and membership sites.
- Affiliate marketing will be a more important revenue source for creators.
As consumer concern over fake reviews increases and search traffic becomes less reliable, we’ll see more opportunities for affiliate programs and product review content. We’ve been investing in our affiliate solutions throughout 2023 and look forward to making affiliate revenue easier and more lucrative for Raptive creators.
- Email is still a high priority.
Email identity will help compensate for the loss of third-party cookies, with email-identified traffic earning 80-100% more in cookieless environments. But a good email strategy goes beyond ad revenue—email is also an important channel for keeping your brand top of mind with your audience, which combats the changing search landscape and disruption from AI.
- Your brand persona is your ticket to success—especially in video.
Recent research from IAB shows that 39% of consumers are watching more creator content than they were just a year ago. The data also shows that they’re more likely to seek information on a topic or engage with it further after watching creator content compared with studio content. In short, video is power, and the power is in your hands.
Creators who have strong personas and build brands around themselves will thrive, especially in video. ‘Hands in pans’ videos won’t cut it anymore, with readers wanting to connect with the person behind the camera. Bring your unique self to your content to engage your audience and keep them coming back for more.
No matter how many of these predictions prove to be true, you can trust that we’ll be here, advocating for your success and bringing you the highest RPMs along the way. Here’s to an exciting 2024!
