LTK hosted its first-ever LTK Creator Upfronts at Queensyard in New York City on May 13, 2025, offering an exclusive look into the evolving Creator economy—projected to reach $500 billion by 2027. The event brought together brands, advertisers, and media buyers to explore the future of Creator-led marketing and how LTK is driving full-funnel results through its Creator network and unparalleled marketing platform.
Attendees were treated to an afternoon of refreshments followed by a lively tour of the reinvigorated video-first LTK app, designed for engagement far beyond shopping. With features such as geo-targeted discovery and interest-based Creator matching, the app aims to bridge entertainment, commerce, and community.
And with AI driving so much in our world, we couldn’t forget the advanced tools powering everything from Creator casting to campaign decision-making. LTK offers everything you need, and as 96 percent of brands look to expand their Creator investment, the LTK Upfronts delivered timely inspiration to help you shape your Creator strategies.
Keynote Session: State of the Industry with Kristi O’Brien, Stephanie Sandbo, and Rodney Mason
LTK GM of Brand Platform Kristi O’Brien led the keynote session on where the industry is headed in 2025. She was joined by colleagues Stephanie Sandbo and Rodney Mason. Together, the trio spotlighted the tremendous growth of the Creator economy and how Creators fuel a full-funnel strategy.
Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Trust drives brand spend. Consumers trust Creators more than traditional ads. Millennials (78 percent) and Gen Zers (91 percent) look to them for what’s trending, inspiring brands to invest in Creators.
- The right voices influence purchases. A substantial 57 percent of millennials and 73 percent of Gen Zers turn to Creators to inform purchases.
- Creators shape culture. Creators dominate social platforms, fostering the connections 74 percent of consumers say they crave.
Consumer needs are constantly shifting—and brand marketing must keep up. LTK sees more than 7 million pieces of original content published per year—but that’s just the start. The keynote walked through the new community-focused LTK experience and innovative new brand platform features, making it easier than ever for marketers to access, amplify, and measure creator content in one place.
- LTK Leaderboard and Power Gifting: Identify and reward top-performing Creators in the app and track performance across paid and organic campaigns.
- AI Discovery: Match with best-fit Creators using LTK’s first-party data.
- Social Listening: Monitor organic conversations surrounding your brand.
Creators Reach Across All Media
Creator content is now a driving force across multiple media channels, with audiences wanting more of it beyond social, from connected TV to in-store content. Creator content is now being used across an average of four media channels, and LTK has the tools to help brands scale winning content faster.
LTK in Action: Building Bachelor Nation
LTK is the premier Creator platform, and many of our partnerships simply redefine engagement, including a first-of-its-kind social commerce experience with The Bachelor. We announced a new partnership with Warner Horizon that has culminated in the Bachelor Nation LTK channel. With it, viewers can shop fashion, beauty, and home products from the show through the LTK app, enabling them to actively engage even when the show ends. Powerful social commerce tools make it easy for the channel to reach the trendsetting audiences in LTK’s 40 million monthly shoppers.
Panel: The Power of Creators Across Media
Reesa Lake, LTK’s VP and Head of Creator Agency and Partnerships, moderated a panel discussion with prominent local LTK Creators, including Kit Keenan (@kitkeenan), Brandon Edelman (@bran_flakezz), and Alexis Wilkerson (@a.wilkyy). Throughout a conversation focused on building up communities and brands with an evolving blend of media ranging from user-generated content to connected TV to retail media, the panelists shared tested advice for brands trying to stay ahead of the curve.
Want to learn more? Catch all the insights shared at the LTK Creator Upfronts in our on-demand webinar.
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