Good morning. Did you see Jake Paul is already set to rematch Tommy Fury as early as July? That was quick—guess it’s hard to be a sore loser when you're already stretching out the hamstrings for the next bout.

— Hannah Doyle & Nate Graber-Lipperman

How Sporked Grew the Mythical Universe

It’s been one year since comedy creators Rhett and Link’s Mythical Entertainment launched Sporked, the grocery-focused food review website that’s equal parts humor and exhaustive guide—think An Honest Review of Starry, PepsiCo’s New Lemon-Lime Soda and I Renew My Costco Membership Just to Buy This Cake.

So how is Sporked doing, one year in?

Sporked, which publishes food analysis that complements Mythical’s other channels—like Rhett and Link’s food reactions on Good Mythical Morning (GMM) and experimental cooking on Mythical Kitchen—has resonated with Mythical’s audience:

• Sporked has published over 1,000 articles and tallied 2+ million likes and views on Shorts, Reels, and TikToks.

• The videos on GMM’s Good Mythical More after show that feature Sporked staff have received 42% more views on average than typical uploads.

Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling and managing editor Gwynedd Stuart told us there are three keys to Sporked’s success:

1. Creating a flywheel and fan journey: Mythical’s YouTube videos direct viewers to the Sporked website—and vice versa with Sporked to the channels, keeping consumers in the same Mythical ecosystem for all their food content.

2. Opening Mythical to SEO opportunities: Food is among the most popular search categories on the web, and Sporked capitalizes on that by growing via SEO and targeted search (think “Best Of” rankings and taste testing viral snacks). “Having a robust SEO strategy has been really important in building beyond the built-in Mythical audience,” Stuart said.

3. Delivering on Mythical’s characteristic personality: “We’ve struck the right balance of writing about food in a way that’s accessible but funny and useful,” Stuart said.

Big picture: Sporked has 1) allowed Mythical to differentiate its growth strategy and 2) expanded Mythical’s reach into the grocery category, which is unique in a corner of the creator industry populated mostly by lengthy recipes and hands-in-pans videos.

And as Mythical’s audience continues to grow, Sporked offers a new kind of content for Rhett and Link fans.

“I think everyone will see the direction we’re going with integrating Sporked’s food expertise with Rhett and Link’s sense of creativity without making them eat 25 Kid Cuisines,” Sterling said.

Affiliate Marketing Wins Over Creators and Brands

Affiliate marketing is becoming a growing revenue driver in the creator economy as both companies and creatives opt for more efficient partnerships with lower barriers to entry.

Why we’re thinking about this now: We saw this tweet from Michelle Goad (a former Innovation GM at Nike) that touched on the ways Gen Z creators like mega-lifestyle creator Alix Earle are prioritizing affiliate partnerships.

FYI: Affiliate campaigns typically involve creators promoting products or services, linking a unique URL, and earning a commission from any resulting sales.

Some of the big names in the affiliate space:

• Amazon, who according to Goad is still “king,” offers its free Amazon Associates affiliate program, the largest of its kind and Amazon's most widely used program for creators.

• LTK gives 200,000 creators the ability to curate shopping lists from over 6,000 partner retailers for their followers.

• Rakuten Advertising uses AI to match creators to potential partners like Sephora and Wells Fargo.

Big picture: Despite the economic woes that hamstrung some marketing budgets last year, spending on affiliate marketing is increasing—it reached $8.2 billion in the US last year, up 10.8% annually from 2021, according to Statista. And affiliate deals are today a top revenue source for 31% of creators, per Glossy.

Our question for you: Do you prefer affiliate deals or flat fee partnerships? Hit reply and let us know!

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CJ So Cool Drops First Creator Sneaker

Lifestyle creator Cordero James Brady—known to his followers as CJ So Cool—teamed up with a group of sneaker industry veterans to launch Frostbite, the first-ever original sneaker from the new joint venture.

The collaboration between Brady, community marketplace SoleSavy, and end-to-end footwear manufacturer Garrixon is the first step toward fulfilling “the demand from creators and artists to bring their sneaker visions to life,” according to Garrixon founder John Lee.

Context: In 2022, global sneaker revenues were valued at $72.7 billion—and that’s before accounting for the growing resale market.

FYI: The Frostbite SS4 is now available to preorder from Brady’s store for $175.

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