Social media superstars are over. It's all about niche creators now.

Creators are finding it harder to become global superstars as TikTok and Instagram increasingly personalize users' feeds. With For You pages tailored to individual tastes, many creators reach fewer new audiences, a change Reed Duchscher called the hardest it's ever been to break through.

The industry is shifting toward niche creators who produce specialized content, cultivate small but loyal fan bases, and build businesses beyond the social feed. Kelsey Reese says she wouldn’t try to enter the creator sphere now without a niche, and many managers have stopped betting on incubating A-list talent.

Top creator rankings have also become more static: Social Blade data shows little turnover on TikTok and YouTube, with MrBeast remaining YouTube's most followed individual. Agents such as Kai Gayoso and Nick Jacklin are focusing less on follower counts and more on helping creators narrow their focus and scale businesses outside of follower metrics.

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