LinkedIn. — Photo by Lorenzo Di Cola/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Hi, welcome back to Insider's influencer industry newsletter: Insider Influencers.

This is Amanda Perelli, and I'm part of our team that reports on the business of influencers, creators, and social-media platforms.

In this newsletter, you'll find a weekly look at what's new in the influencer industry at large.

Every Thursday, I'll take you inside the creator economy, highlighting the top news of the week, chatting with the power players in the business, and breaking down the ways influencers earn their money online.

Our looks at the industry range from investigations to how-to guides.

I hope this newsletter helps you stay ahead of the curve. Send tips or feedback to me at aperelli@insider.com.

Sign up for the newsletter here.

In this week's edition:

LinkedIn influencers get a new set of creator tools and the platform tests a Clubhouse competitor
Instagram is throwing money at some top TikTok influencers
The exact 26-page media kit a new TikTok influencer group uses to pitch brand sponsors
The influencers paying their way through college by posting YouTube videos
And more including how much money a Instagram micro influencer earns and her rate calculator and David Dobrik losing sponsors for his podcast.

LinkedIn eyes influencers and audio with new tools and features

LinkedIn is updating its product and developing new features with influencers in mind.

Dan Whateley wrote that the platform is launching new tools and a "creator mode" to help users build a following on the app.

Along with these tools, the platform is also in the early stages of testing audio features similar to those on the app Clubhouse.

Its investment comes at a time when supporting creators has become key for all social platforms.

"With creator mode, we are saying, 'Hey, if you want to start the process of building an audience past your network or you have an audience and you want to showcase your content, make it more in the forefront, we're going to give you a chance to do that,'" said Keren Baruch, LinkedIn's creator product lead.

Here's how the platform plans to lean more into content:

LinkedIn is currently hiring for a new creator management team, and it's considering other ways to help creators monetize directly on its platform.
Users who land on a creator's profile will be prompted to "follow" rather than "connect" with them by default.
Creator profiles showcase a user's articles, posts, and newsletters above everything else, including their professional resume.

"The reach [on LinkedIn] is absolutely insane," startup founder Taylor Offer said. "There's fewer people posting than consuming. It flips when it gets content saturated like Instagram or Facebook."

Read more about LinkedIn's creator tools here and its Clubhouse competitor here.

Have a tip on LinkedIn's creator tools? Email Dan Whateley: dwhateley@insider.com.

Instagram is funding new shows from some of TikTok's top stars in its latest effort to woo creators

Instagram is expanding an initiative to fund content created by influencers and social-media stars.

Sydney Bradley wrote that the platform plans to fund shows by TikTok stars such as Sway House, Collab Crib, and Shluv Family.

With this new funding, Instagram is taking steps to woo some of TikTok's biggest influencers.

This week, the Sway House launched its first show, "Sway Life," across IGTV, Facebook Watch, and Messenger's Watch Together.
Instagram plans to fund the cost of Bunim/Murray, the production company making the show.
And the platform intends to cover the production expenses of video projects for a handful of creators, including two other influencer collab houses.

Check out the other examples of upcoming content drops here.

A new TikTok influencer group shares the exact 26-page media kit it uses to pitch brands

TikTok mansion The Crib Around The Corner (TCATC) recently secured AT&T TV as its house sponsor.

Dan broke down the full 26-page media kit the group uses to pitch itself to brands:

The media kit states that TCATC will be in operation for 7 months (through August 31, 2021).
In the first 24 hours, the group account gained: 53,300 new followers, 402,000 video views, and 3,507 comments.
The media kit also highlights COVID-19 precautions it's taking to protect its creators.

TCATC launched last month with a focus on putting a spotlight on Black creators.

Check out the full media kit here.

Meet the 'study influencers' paying their way through college by posting YouTube videos on exam tips, productivity hacks, and campus life

"StudyTube" has become a popular trend on YouTube, and some study influencers have seen a lift in brand interest since the pandemic took learning online.

Molly Innes spoke with popular study influencers who are earning thousands of dollars through AdSense and brand partnerships.

Elliot Choy told Insider that his channel made just over $32,000 from YouTube's AdSense program within the first week of posting a video about a trip to Harvard University.

In total, the video has more than 23 million views and earned Choy more than $90,000 in AdSense revenue.

Choy said his YouTube channel, where he posts videos about productivity and college life, has helped him fund his way through college at Vanderbilt University.