Latest / Influencer Marketing with Fexingo: Creators, Sponsorships, and Modern Endorsement Deals / How Influencers Are Becoming Their Own Media Companies
Transcript
- Lucas: So we talk a lot on this show about influencers working with brands — sponsorship deals, affiliate links, the whole ecosystem. But lately I've been watching a different move: influencers who stop thinking of themselves as talent and start thinking of themselves as media companies. Luna: You mean like, they launch their own newsletter or podcast and sell sponsorships directly, instead of just posting on Instagram? Lucas: Exactly. They're building owned audiences on platforms like Substack or through independent podcasts, and then going to brands with a media kit that's not about their follower count, but about their subscriber base and engagement. It's a fundamental shift. Luna: I've seen a few examples. The beauty influencer who started a weekly skincare newsletter — I think she hit something like 50,000 subscribers in the first year. Lucas: That's exactly the one I'm thinking of. Her name's Mia Ellis — started as a makeup reviewer on YouTube, built about 300,000 subscribers there, but she was making maybe sixty thousand a year from brand deals. Then she launched a paid newsletter called 'The Gloss' in 2024, and by last year it was generating over two million dollars annually, mostly from sponsorships and subscriptions. Luna: Two million — that's a huge leap from sixty thousand. What changed? Lucas: She owned the relationship. On YouTube, she was renting attention from the platform. The algorithm could tank her views anytime. But with the newsletter, every subscriber gave her their email voluntarily. She controlled the distribution. Brands started treating her like a media property — they'd sign quarterly sponsorships instead of one-off posts. Luna: And I imagine the CPMs are better too. A newsletter reader is way more targeted than a random scroller. Lucas: Much better. Her newsletter CPM — cost per thousand impressions — was around 50 dollars, compared to maybe 10 dollars on YouTube. Plus she had the subscription revenue on top. She charged 10 bucks a month for premium content, and about 8,000 people paid. That alone is almost a million a year. Luna: So the math works. But not every influencer can pull this off, right? You need an existing audience to seed the newsletter. Lucas: True. But the interesting thing is that the threshold is lower than you'd think. Another case: a fitness influencer with only 20,000 Instagram followers started a podcast called 'Stronger Every Day' — no video, just audio interviews with nutritionists. Within six months, he had 15,000 monthly listeners and signed a 12-episode sponsorship with a supplement brand for 30 grand. That's more than he made in all of 2025 from Instagram deals. Luna: And the supplement brand gets a host-read ad in a context where listeners trust the host. It's a better ad experience. Lucas: Exactly. And the influencer gets recurring revenue. The brand isn't buying a single post — they're buying a sponsorship slot across a whole season. That predictability changes the creator's business model entirely. Luna: It also changes the power dynamic. The influencer isn't at the mercy of an algorithm update anymore. Lucas: Right. And that's why I think this trend is accelerating. In the last year, I've counted at least 30 mid-tier influencers — people with 50,000 to 500,000 followers — who've launched some form of owned media. Newsletters, podcasts, even paid community platforms like Circle or Discord. Luna: Quick honest thing — a handful of listeners chip in monthly through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo, and that's literally what funds making this many of these. Lucas: Yeah, it's listener-supported, no ads. If these marketing conversations have sparked something you've actually used, that's where it comes from. Luna: And it keeps us independent, which I think matters for shows like this. Lucas: So back to the trend — one thing I find fascinating is how brands are adapting. They now have media buyers who specifically look for creator-owned properties, because the engagement metrics are better. Luna: Are they paying more for those placements? Lucas: Often yes. A podcast host-read ad can charge 50 to 100 dollars per thousand listeners, compared to maybe 15 dollars for a YouTube pre-roll. Brands are willing to pay for the trust and attention. Luna: But there's a risk too. If the influencer's newsletter or podcast doesn't grow, they're stuck with a small audience and no platform safety net. Lucas: Absolutely. It's not for everyone. But the ones who succeed are building real businesses. Mia Ellis now has a team of three people — an editor, a sponsorship manager, and a part-time researcher. She's effectively a small media company. Luna: And I imagine the barriers to entry are pretty low. You can start a Substack for free, and a podcast with just a microphone. Lucas: Right. The hard part is consistency and finding a niche that people will pay attention to. But once you have that, the economics are compelling. Luna: What about the platforms? Are they fighting back? Lucas: Instagram and TikTok have been adding more creator monetization tools — subscriptions, bonuses — but it's still platform-dependent. The smart creators are using those platforms as top of funnel to drive people to their owned channels. Luna: So it's a hybrid model: use social media for discovery, then convert to email or podcast for retention. Lucas: Exactly. And that's the playbook I'm seeing more and more. One travel influencer I follow posts Reels of her trips, but the real content — detailed guides, hotel reviews — is in her paid newsletter. She makes 40 grand a month from subscriptions alone. Luna: That's wild. And it's a complete inversion of the old model where the platform got most of the value. Lucas: Yeah, the creator captures more value now. And brands are waking up to it. I think in the next few years, we'll see a lot more influencer-media companies, and maybe even some M&A — brands buying creator newsletters to own the audience directly. Luna: That would be a fascinating shift. A brand buying a newsletter instead of just sponsoring it. Lucas: It's already happening in B2B. There was a case last year where a software company acquired a niche Substack about project management for an undisclosed sum. The writer became the company's head of content. So the talent gets a role, the brand gets an audience. Luna: So the line between influencer, media company, and brand is blurring. Lucas: Completely. And for listeners who are creators themselves, I'd say: if you have an engaged audience, even a small one, consider building an owned channel. The math works better than you think. Luna: And for brands: start thinking about creator-owned media as a legitimate ad channel, not just a side experiment. Lucas: Good place to leave it. I'm curious to see how this evolves over the next year. Luna: Same here. Thanks, Lucas. Lucas: Thanks, Luna.