Where Creator Content Is Headed Next: Trends, Formats, And Future Bets

In the creator world, it seems the only constant is change:

Platform updates are nonstop. Generative AI is rapidly making its way into top campaigns. Search patterns are shifting from search engines to social media and AI. And, amidst all of the chaos, audiences still crave fresh, personal, and entertaining content.

Talk about keeping creators and brands on their toes!

Brands and creators work hard to create fresh content that engages audiences across multiple platforms, strategize to remain visible in feeds and search, and keep a pulse on what’s trending online and in their respective niches.

We’ve interviewed several creator marketing experts and reviewed top current reports to put together this guide to help brands and creators stay ahead of the curve. It covers new content trends and formats that should be on everyone’s radar.

1. Gen AI is set to become its own content format

Generative AI is creeping into every corner of daily life—and social campaigns are no exception. For creators and marketers, its arrival is both a promise and a provocation. Some see it as a shortcut to scale, others as a threat to authenticity.

Lia Haberman, Professor of Social Media and Influencer Marketing at UCLA and the writer of ICYMI, sees it evolving into something new altogether.

“Gen AI will have its place on our feeds—but it won’t replace human creators. Instead, it’ll become its own genre, like UGC or short-form video,” says Haberman. “There will be an audience for surreal, hyper-stylized AI-generated videos. Just like people follow meme pages, animation creators, or parody accounts, there will be an audience that loves the experimentation and creativity that AI delivers.” 

That genre may already be taking shape. A study by Billion Dollar Boy found that four in five creators (81%) report better engagement on their generative AI content, and nearly three-quarters believe it improves quality and diversity. On the brand side, three-quarters of marketers are increasing investment in AI-driven creator content due to its efficiency, scalability, and effectiveness, reallocating spend from other channels.

The 2025 Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report points to similar momentum. More than a third (36.6%) of respondents say AI integration has somewhat improved performance, while nearly 30% report it has significantly improved results.

For creators, this signals an opportunity to expand their toolkit by experimenting with new formats that blur the lines between physical and digital, while still preserving their personal voice. For brands, it means AI content won’t be a novelty for long. It’s on track to become a mainstream category with its own rules of engagement.  Brands that figure out how to pair the efficiency and scale of generative AI with the credibility and connection that only human creators can bring may be the ones to come out on top (...or not).

2. Many people still prefer rugged, human content

Not every creator economy expert thinks AI content will continue to have the same luster.

“People are already tired of the flood of AI-generated content,” says AJ Kumar, Founder & CEO of The Limitless Company. “I see a movement coming where audiences proudly say, ‘I support humans.’ The creators who lean into personality, lived experience, or performance will dominate because they offer what AI cannot. Either way, audiences will reward creators who bring a human spark that algorithms cannot replicate.”.

The data backs up that skepticism. A majority of the public (51%) say they’re more concerned than excited about AI’s rise, compared with only 15% of experts, according to research by Pew.

And with influencer marketing built on connection, another figure stands out: 57% of the public are highly concerned that AI will reduce human connection, compared with 37% of experts.

Some experts believe this sentiment will prompt creators to move in the opposite direction—toward more raw content that’s easier to identify as “human-made.”

“The next big format shift will probably come from the cultural side of things,” says Mimi Nguyen, Founder of Cafely. “Tech and platforms will continue to evolve over time, but real change is driven by the ways people want to connect. More and more unpolished content is taking over, think live streams, or low-cost, somewhat-polished TikToks that seem more honest and totally unfiltered.” 

“Creators are gaining more influence by not portraying perfection, but rather sharing their truth, including their failures, us being tired and messy people, and/or their burnout. But that honesty builds that trust with their audience that brands won’t ever be able to buy or cultivate in the same layered way.”.

For creators, this may be the paradox of the AI era: the more synthetic content floods the feed, the more valuable real, flawed, human connection becomes.

3. Live-streaming is the leading content format

With audiences craving more connection, it makes sense that live streaming is having a moment. It’s the most direct way for creators to interact with followers in real time—comments, reactions, and purchases happen instantly, creating a feedback loop that pre-recorded content can’t replicate.

Currently, live streaming is the top content format, with 52.4% of experts stating that it delivers the highest engagement and conversions, particularly when combined with live shopping. 

For creators, this live format lowers the barrier to entry. In other words, you don’t need high production value to go live; you just need presence. For brands, it offers immediacy—product demos, Q&A sessions, and drops can spark urgency and authenticity at the same time.

The bigger question is how far live-streaming will expand. If short-form video set the standard for discoverability, live content may be what anchors long-term loyalty, keeping audiences not just watching but participating.

4. Community leadership is the new influence

Craving connection in 2025 shows up in different ways. At its simplest, it’s watching a creator live-stream and recognizing that the person on the other side is real. At a larger scale, it’s about creators anchoring communities, leading conversations, shaping culture, and becoming trusted points of reference.

As a writer and community leader of 150,000 content marketers, I see this dynamic firsthand. The posts that consistently perform best aren’t generic ads—they’re peer-to-peer conversations. Members return daily because the dialogue is familiar and built on trust. 

That ongoing relationship and continuity make it easy to spot what partnerships will genuinely resonate and which ones should be passed on. It’s proof that when a community trusts its leader, they’re more receptive to the content—and the brands—that leader introduces.

 “The most successful creator-brand relationships are those that flip the traditional power dynamic—where creators act as community architects who understand their audience's needs and help brands serve those needs more effectively,” says Harikrishna Kundariya, CEO & Co-founder of eSparkBiz Technologies.

“This shift is moving away from the broadcast model of influence toward 'community consultation,' where creators act as cultural translators and market researchers who help brands connect with specific communities. The most valuable creators are those who can demonstrate not just audience size or engagement, but audience trust and community health.”

That community-first model is showing up across niches. “Community-based micro-influence is the next big trend in the creator economy,” adds Nguyen. “For Cafely, we’ve been able to find more traction working with niche creators who may only have a few thousand followers but have real trust within small communities of enthusiasts.”.

5. People want niche creators—and niche platforms are on the rise

The move toward community-first content is also reshaping how influence itself is defined. Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Trust is. And that’s why micro- and nano-influencers—the ones rooted in specific communities—are taking the lead.

On Instagram, nano-influencers now make up 75.9% of creators, with engagement rates (1.73%) that far exceed those of macro and mega influencers (around 0.6%). TikTok is even more skewed: nearly 88% of creators are nano, and their engagement rates are off the charts—10.3% for nano creators compared to 7.1% even for mega accounts. In other words, smaller audiences are often more attentive, more engaged, and more trusting.

“Instead of seeking huge audiences, creators are going niche with their interests, passions, and topics and getting followers who follow them and their advice blindly,” says Rodaer.

That niche focus is shaping platforms too. Emerging spaces like Lemon8 and Bluesky are gaining traction precisely because they cater to subcultures—not the masses. For brands, that creates opportunities to connect with highly defined audiences, but only if they choose creators who already hold authority inside those circles.

“We’re prioritizing niche experts (stylists, estheticians, bridal creators) over general lifestyle reach. We give creators whitelisting access, then scale their best posts as paid, measuring CAC, new-customer rate, and LTV alongside view,” says Kate Ross, lead of creator partnerships at Irresistible Me. “Creators see the dashboard; top partners earn higher rev share. It’s influence as a business outcome, not a vanity metric.”

Khris Steven, Founder of KhrisDigital, notes how the focus on expertise is shifting the entire influencer model. “Brands are changing their emphasis to creators who can lead actual discussions, particularly in niche fields such as wellness or personal finance. Instead of selecting influencers based on their following, companies are now seeking out creators who are regarded as experts or thought leaders in particular groups. This change is indicative of the increased role of trust in the decision-making process of buying, where creators with genuine voices will have more influence than ever.”

6. Social is shaping search—and pushing creators toward searchable formats

If a tree falls in the woods and no one sees it, does it exist? The same question now applies to content. If it isn’t searchable, it may as well not exist.

Currently, 41% of Gen Z and 35% of millennials turn to social media first when searching for information. TikTok, in particular, has become a go-to search engine: 64% of US Gen Z say they’ve used it to search, versus just 41% of the general population.

“TikTok and IG are becoming product search engines—vertical videos tuned for search, that solve a query and let you buy in-flow. Expect creator-led tutorials that live on as reference and ad,” says Ross.

Kundariya adds, “Platforms are evolving into discovery engines where content is organized around intent and problem-solving rather than just entertainment. This shift is being driven by a generational change in how people seek information. Younger audiences are increasingly using social platforms like primary search engines looking for product recommendations, how-to guides, and decision-making content.”

7. Short-form fuels discovery, long-form builds loyalty: the parallel trends reshaping social content

Two seemingly opposite forces are defining the current content landscape. On one side, short-form video still dominates discovery. On the other, long-form formats are quietly powering deeper engagement. Together, they’re creating a layered ecosystem where both immediacy and endurance matter.

Marketers and creators are rediscovering the pull of longer formats. Research from Billion Dollar Boy shows that 68% of marketers increased long-form production in the past year, with 70% planning to expand further over the next 12 months. Creators are following suit—64% are ramping up their own long-form output, from live streams and podcasts to blogs and episodic video.

“The resurgence of long-form content feels somewhat nostalgic. It represents a growing rejection of passive scrolling habits and a return to more considered media consumption… creators are rediscovering the power of long-form mediums and finding that by diversifying their formats, they can reach alternative audiences and engage existing ones in new ways,” says Sophie Crowther, Talent Partnerships Director at Billion Dollar Boy, in the agency’s Long-Form Content is Surging report.

At the same time, short-form vertical video remains unmatched in terms of reach. In the Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2025, 38.1% of experts called it the most important content type of the year.

For creators and brands, the opportunity lies in balancing both. 

Short clips act as the entry point, pulling audiences into the funnel. Long-form builds the trust, loyalty, and narrative arcs that keep them there. 

Kumar frames this shift as proof that social is taking on a new identity. “Social media is evolving into television 2.0. The creators who stand out will not just post one-off clips; they will build shows and series with repeatable formats. With Nikki Haskell, we created a series called Things I Know in My 80s That I Wish I Knew in My 20s, and it consistently drives millions of views every month. Audiences remember characters and formats more than random content.”

For brands, that means treating short and long-form not as competing formats, but as complementary strategies: one sparks discovery, the other sustains connection.

Where creator content goes from here

At a glance, these seven trends may feel fragmented—AI, live streaming, community, niches, search, short vs. long. But together, they point to the same truth: the creator economy in 2025 is about connection with purpose. The formats may shift, but the winning playbook stays the same—be discoverable, be trustworthy, and above all, be human.