The Creator Gazettehttps://thecreatorgazette.com/The business of creators. Analysis, data and explainers on the business of creators.enFri, 25 Sep 2026 23:14:52 +0200Instagram's Insights, Metric by Metric, as Meta's Own Documentation Defines Themhttps://thecreatorgazette.com/explainers/instagram-insights-metrics-explainedhttps://thecreatorgazette.com/explainers/instagram-insights-metrics-explainedFri, 25 Sep 2026 23:12:48 +0200ExplainersReach is not impressions, views is not plays, and accounts engaged is an estimate. Meta's reference documentation for Instagram professional accounts spells out what each number in the insights panel actually counts.Runtime, Cadence and Hit Rate: A Second Look at 335 Shorts From One Channelhttps://thecreatorgazette.com/data/popcorntheory-runtime-cadencehttps://thecreatorgazette.com/data/popcorntheory-runtime-cadenceFri, 25 Sep 2026 23:12:48 +0200DataOur first analysis of PopcornTheory looked at what the channel makes. This one looks at when, how often and how long. The 31-to-40-second short is the channel's engine, the top tenth of uploads carries 78 percent of all views, and busy weeks produce hits far more often than quiet ones.TikTok's Creator Rewards Program: The Eligibility Rules, From TikTok's Own Pageshttps://thecreatorgazette.com/explainers/tiktok-creator-rewards-ruleshttps://thecreatorgazette.com/explainers/tiktok-creator-rewards-rulesFri, 25 Sep 2026 23:12:48 +0200ExplainersTen thousand followers, a hundred thousand views in 30 days, videos over a minute long and a personal account in good standing. TikTok's support pages set out who can join its rewards program and how a payout is calculated.What a Verification Badge Means, According to the Platforms Themselveshttps://thecreatorgazette.com/analysis/what-a-verification-badge-meanshttps://thecreatorgazette.com/analysis/what-a-verification-badge-meansFri, 25 Sep 2026 23:12:48 +0200AnalysisYouTube says it is not an award. TikTok says it is not about followers. Meta sells it by the month. Read side by side, the three platforms' own pages agree on one thing: the checkmark confirms identity, and nothing else.How YouTube Shares Shorts Ad Revenue With Creators, According to Its Own Ruleshttps://thecreatorgazette.com/explainers/youtube-shorts-revenue-sharehttps://thecreatorgazette.com/explainers/youtube-shorts-revenue-shareFri, 25 Sep 2026 23:12:48 +0200ExplainersThe money from ads between Shorts goes into a pool, part of it pays for music, and creators keep 45 percent of what is allocated to them. Here is how YouTube's published policies describe each step, and what changes in 2027.Anatomy of a 685-Million-View Shorts Channel: What the PopcornTheory Numbers Sayhttps://thecreatorgazette.com/analysis/popcorntheory-numbershttps://thecreatorgazette.com/analysis/popcorntheory-numbersFri, 25 Sep 2026 22:35:11 +0200AnalysisDeni's PopcornTheory has published 335 shorts since March 2025. We pulled the public figures on every one of them. The pattern behind the hits is more disciplined than it looks.