Money

• Pay for help: Instagram has invited creators to earn for “referrals.” The program pays $100 for every new user who creates an Instagram account through the creator’s link or $100 each time 1,000 new users navigate to Instagram via the creator’s links. [Entrepreneur]
  Tilt Take: Word-of-mouth is a strong marketing tool. You don’t need to pay $100 per referral, but consider how a rewards program could grow your audience.

Audiences

• SEO and AI: A new study of 25,000 AI search answers finds the No. 1 site on the Google results page appears in the answers from tools like ChatGPT and Perplexity. [Search Engine Journal]
  Tilt Take: Traditional search engines may see fewer users, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t pay attention to your Google search rankings.

Tech and Tools

• More data: LinkedIn added more analytics for text and video posts. Creators can track profile views, follows, and premium button clicks tied to each post. [Matt Navarra]
  Tilt Take: Great opportunity to see which content motivates your audience to learn more or engage with you beyond a comment or reaction.
• You’re real: Bluesky expands its verification program. The rounded marker indicates verified users. The star-like checkmark represents “trusted providers,” which can award their own blue ticks in the app. [Social Media Today]
  Tilt Take: Always add credibility indicators when you can.

And Finally

• Rock microentrepreneurship: Familiar and still good advice for content entrepreneurs: 1. Niche down, hard. 2. Productize your knowledge. 3. Leverage microcontent. 4. Use direct monetization tools. 5. Build trust, not clout. [Rolling Stone]
  Tilt Take: More media are talking about how popularity and social media aren’t the best entrepreneurial route for most creators.