Credibility Over Clout: Inside LinkedIn’s Vision for Creators
Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
Release Date: 01/22/2026
Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In this episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Gracie Schram, Head of Strategic Initiatives for Creators at Epidemic Sound, live from Dubai during the 1 Billion Followers Summit. Gracie brings a rare, dual perspective to the conversation, shaped by nearly 15 years in the music industry as a recording artist and her current role helping creators and brands harness the power of sound at scale. Together, Brit and Gracie explore how the creator economy has matured into the economy—and why sound is one of the most underutilized tools in modern storytelling. Gracie breaks down...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In this episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Sam Clanon, Director of Product, Create at LinkedIn, live from Dubai during the Billion Follower Summit, to explore how today’s platforms can better serve creators, professionals, and businesses alike. Sam reflects on his career shaping content ecosystems at TikTok and Snapchat before stepping into LinkedIn’s uniquely complex mandate: designing tools that help people translate content into real economic opportunity—not just attention. At the heart of the conversation is LinkedIn’s philosophy of “Create,” not...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In this episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Jenna Habayeb, President of Posh Peanut and four-time CMO (formerly of IPSY and Ruggable), to unpack how community, speed, and product obsession power sustainable brand growth. Jenna shares Posh Peanut’s origin story—founded by Fiona on Etsy—and how the brand differentiated itself in kids apparel through buttery-soft viscose bamboo fabric, bold maximalist designs, and a founder-led commitment to listening closely to customers. At the center of the conversation is retention. Jenna explains how Posh Peanut’s exceptional...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
As 2025 comes to a close, Alex Rawitz—CreatorIQ’s Director of Research & Insights—hosts the final How to Build Brands and Influence People: Live of the year with a special crossover guest: Brit Starr, CreatorIQ’s Chief Marketing Officer and host of the Earned podcast. Together, they unpack the biggest creator marketing shifts of 2025 and lay out what brands should prepare for in 2026. Brit names 2025 the year the creator economy became inevitable—an inflection point where creators moved from “nice to have” to a true business imperative. They dig into the data behind that...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In this episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Leah Walker, Director of Social Media at Adobe, to unpack how one of the world’s leading creative companies is scaling its creator strategy. Leah reflects on her decade at Adobe and shares how the brand moved from scattered influencer activations to establishing its first dedicated influencer marketing team—marking a major shift in how Adobe views creators as core to its marketing engine. Leah offers an inside look at programs like CAMP, Adobe’s Creator-Led Content Amplification Program, which repurposes creator content...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In this episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Nina Zadeh, co-founder of Sidewalker Daily, to explore the evolving landscape of the creator economy and the transition of creators into savvy entrepreneurs. Nina shares her extensive experience in brand management and offers invaluable insights into how creators can strategically position themselves as essential partners to brands. The discussion highlights the significance of long-term partnerships, the role of data transparency, and the need for fair compensation, as creators increasingly take control of their business...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
This week on Earned, we dive into the dynamic evolution of the creator marketing landscape. Recorded onsite at our CreatorIQ Connect LA event, this episode brings you insights from industry leaders like Kate Brady from PepsiCo, Brian Manning from Wayfair, Leah Walker from Adobe, Dana Paolucci from Dove, and Amy Johnson from Wasserman as they discuss the shift from traditional advertising to more genuine, storytelling-driven strategies. Explore how brands are embracing community-driven growth and the transformative power of qualitative metrics over traditional engagement measures. We highlight...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In this episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Alisa Metzger, co-founder of INNBEAUTY Project, to explore her journey from leading roles at beauty giants like L’Oréal and La Prairie to building her own clean, vegan, affordable skincare brands. Alisa shares how her passion for beauty and marketing fueled the creation of INNBEAUTY Project with co-founder Jen Shane, and how they’re redefining customer engagement in a rapidly evolving market. You’ll hear how INNBEAUTY Project emerged to fill a critical gap in skincare—blending scientific rigor with storytelling to...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In Episode 184 of Earned, CreatorIQ’s Chief Marketing Officer Brit Starr sits down with Jasmine Enberg, former VP, Principal Analyst at EMARKETER. We dive into CreatorIQ’s annual State of Creator Marketing Report and what it reveals about the future of trust, community, and content performance. Brit and Jasmine unpack the shift from creator-focused to content-first strategies that are driving measurable business impact. You’ll hear how influencer marketing investment has surged 171% year over year, signaling a major move from traditional media to creator-led strategies. We dig into how...
info_outlineEarned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy
In Episode 183 of Earned, CreatorIQ’s Chief Marketing Officer Brit Starr sits down with Liz Gramp, VP of Marketing and Communications at Moose Toys, to explore how the brand brings play to life through characters kids love—like Bluey and Little Live Pets. Liz pulls back the curtain on Moose’s approach to capturing attention during the all-important July–December season, guiding caregivers through purchase decisions, and keeping kids engaged through platforms like Instagram and TikTok. We also dig into YouTube’s evolving role in toy marketing, from the rise of scripted content to...
info_outlineIn this episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Sam Clanon, Director of Product, Create at LinkedIn, live from Dubai during the Billion Follower Summit, to explore how today’s platforms can better serve creators, professionals, and businesses alike. Sam reflects on his career shaping content ecosystems at TikTok and Snapchat before stepping into LinkedIn’s uniquely complex mandate: designing tools that help people translate content into real economic opportunity—not just attention. At the heart of the conversation is LinkedIn’s philosophy of “Create,” not “Creator.” Sam breaks down the three major forces defining creation on the platform today: people creating content in service of their careers, professional creators building media businesses, and brands behaving as creators in a world where distribution is a prerequisite for growth. Together, Brit and Sam unpack why LinkedIn prioritizes credibility over clout, rewarding perspective, experience, and specificity rather than purely viral engagement. The episode also dives into how LinkedIn thinks about content distribution, the balance between personal and professional expression, and why impressions alone are often the wrong metric. For many creators and founders, Sam argues, success may come down to a single meaningful message—from the right customer, investor, or employer. Brit and Sam discuss the challenges of building for such a wide range of use cases, the importance of avoiding survivorship bias in product decisions, and how better analytics and clearer feedback loops can help creators define what “performance” actually means for them.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
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How LinkedIn is evolving to support diverse creators.
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The shift from virality to credibility in content strategy.
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Why personalization drives real professional connections on LinkedIn.
Connect with the Guest:
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Sam’s LinkedIn - @samclanon
Connect with Brit Starr & CreatorIQ:
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Brit’s LinkedIn - @britmccorquodale
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CreatorIQ LinkedIn - @creatoriq
Follow us on social:
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CreatorIQ YouTube - @CreatorIQOfficial
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CreatorIQ Instagram - @creatoriq
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CreatorIQ TikTok - @creator.iq
CreatorIQ Twitter - @CreatorIQ