GLP-1, AI, and SaaS Sectors Aim to Reshape Creator Economy

The number of creators willing to work with brands grew by 160% in
Q1 2026 compared to Q4 2025. New categories like AI and GLP-1 demand
educators, scaling sectors such as SaaS are looking for
high-performers, and mature markets such as beauty and skincare rely
on consistency and long-term collaborations.

April 15, 2026. A new analysis of over 22,000 brand collaborations
by Billo App, the largest creator marketing platform in the US, shows the
creator economy is no longer operating as a single market. Instead,
it is splitting into three distinct layers: emerging, scaling, and
mature sectors. 

According to the analysis, some of
the prominent emerging sectors are AI and GLP-1-related, and they
are driving education-led content. Scaling sectors like
Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) are becoming performance-driven, and
mature industries like beauty rely on long-term, repeat creator
partnerships.

According to creator economy expert Donatas Smailys, CEO of Billo
App, these categories now require different marketing strategies.

“What we’re seeing is the creator economy reacting in
real time to new categories forming almost overnight,” says
Donatas Smailys. “GLP-1 didn’t exist last year, and now,
together with AI, these sectors are growing fast, while consumer
understanding is still catching up. That creates a clear role for
creators: not just to promote, but to explain and educate.”

Currently, AI is becoming its own creator-driven space, particularly
among B2B brands. At the same time, GLP-1, a class of drugs used for
obesity and type 2 diabetes as well as general weight management, is
rapidly expanding into consumer-facing ecosystems, with the
market projected to grow from $73 billion in 2026 to $254 billion by 2034.

As these categories scale, brands face a gap: products are complex,
but audiences are unfamiliar.

“We’re moving toward creators who act as
educators,” says Smailys. “In AI, that means breaking
down tools and use cases. In GLP-1, it’s about long-term
experience, trust, and responsible storytelling.”

In practice, this creates different content models. Smailys shares
that in AI, creators should focus on demonstrations and showing how
tools work and where they fit.

“They act as translators between technical products and
everyday users,” he says.

In GLP-1, content blends medical, lifestyle, and behavioral
narratives. Creators are expected to balance personal experience
with accuracy and trust, often over longer periods of time.

While new categories are still forming, more established sectors are
scaling rapidly. SaaS and technology companies are increasing
investment in creator partnerships.

Here, the role of creators changes again – from explaining
products to driving directly measurable outcomes. According to Meta
data, partnership ads (a format where both the creator’s and
the brand’s handles appear on the same ad) deliver a 13%
increase in click-through rates, a 19% decrease in cost per
acquisition, and a 71% increase in brand lift, reinforcing the move
toward performance-led creator strategies.

Smailys sees that Meta is actively pushing partnership ads in
practice, making the collaboration explicit to audiences, and their
effectiveness is driven by fit, not reach.

“Partnership
ads work because of relatability and credibility,” says
Smailys. “In categories like GLP-1 or AI, the creator often
has to have direct experience or professional expertise. That
relevance is what drives results, it’s not about the amount of
followers anymore,” he adds.

In return, brands
gravitate toward more deliberate creator-brand matchmaking,
especially in complex or high-trust categories.

Billo
data shows that creator applications grew by approximately 160%
quarter-on-quarter in Q1, marking a sharp surge in creator supply.

At the other end of the spectrum, beauty remains the most mature
category.

“Creator marketing here is embedded. Brands run always-on
strategies, with repeat collaborations replacing one-off campaigns.
Beauty has moved beyond testing,” says Smailys.
“We’re seeing long-term creator relationships become the
default.”

Even within this mature space, new subcategories are emerging.
Haircare and scalp care are gaining traction, creating room for new
creators within an otherwise saturated market. At the same time,
repeat advertisers continue to dominate, reinforcing a shift toward
consistency over one-off campaigns.

“Different categories now operate in fundamentally different
ways,” says Smailys. “Overall, a note that marketers
should take is that emerging sectors primarily need education-based
content, scaling sectors need performance-driven solutions, while
mature markets ask for consistency.”

This shift is also creating new opportunities, particularly for B2B
and tech-focused creators, where demand is growing faster than
supply.

About Billo App

Billo is the leading UGC marketplace founded in 2019 that connects
brands with creators to produce high-performing social video ads. It
is based in San Francisco, CA, and is led by the co-founder and CEO,
Donatas Smailys. The platform combines the power of UGC content with
a streamlined production process, helping brands increase brand
awareness, drive traffic, and boost conversions with authentic
creator videos on TikTok, Meta, YouTube, and other platforms.

Media contact:

Aivaras Vilutis
aivaras.v@sensuspr.com