Plus, 1099s are on the way, and highlights from the Tastemaker Conference  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ ­ Hi Raptive, Over the weekend, TikTok’s 12-hour shutdown left millions of Americans without access—prompting strong reactions from creators, influencers, and brands. It was a clear reminder that owning your audience is everything. Social platforms are powerful, but they’re rented space. To create something lasting, focus on what you own—your website, brand, and email list. Raptive creator Yumna Jawad of Feel Good Foodie was recently featured in Business Insider, sharing her thoughts on the TikTok ban and why diversifying your platforms is key to staying ahead. This week’s newsletter shares more on the theme of owning your audience—including a creator-exclusive resource about why your email list is one of the best ways to future-proof your business. What’s new Keep an eye out for your 2024 1099s We’re sending 1099 forms to all eligible creators for 2024 tax purposes by the end of this month. If you’re receiving a 1099, it will be sent to the email address listed in your Raptive dashboard under the Payments section. The chart below will help you determine: Will I receive a 1099? Raptive connects with food creators at the Tastemaker Conference Earlier this week, we sponsored and attended the Tastemaker Conference in Las Vegas—a top event for food creators and industry pros. The conference brought together food creators, photographers, and storytellers to learn, grow, and connect. Attendees joined hands-on workshops, heard from inspiring keynote speakers, and explored tools and strategies to elevate their brands and engage their audiences in today’s evolving digital space. We were excited to support this talented community of creators shaping the future of food and lifestyle. The event gave us the opportunity to connect directly with creators, share insights, and celebrate the creativity and passion driving this space. Raptive’s SVP of Creator Performance talks ad strategies, creator success on Tastemaker webinar series James Baldwin, Raptive’s SVP of Creator Performance, joined the Tastemaker Talk webinar series to discuss what it takes to succeed in today’s creator economy. James shared how our cutting-edge ad management platform and business solutions empower creators to grow their revenue and businesses. “You can’t just take a one-size-fits-all approach. We have about 40 analysts and technical support engineers who are dedicated to helping creators dial in their ad layout for revenue based on how readers behave on their site.” James Baldwin SVP of Creator Performance The conversation covered key topics like optimizing ad layouts for higher earnings, navigating new privacy regulations, and the future of digital advertising. Listen to the full interview here → Top resource 6 reasons you should build your email list Your email list is yours to own—it’s the key to deeper engagement, higher CPMs, and a loyal community that stands behind your brand, no matter how the digital landscape shifts. In this resource, we’ll show you why building your email list is more important than ever—especially with the uncertainty of social platforms and the looming phaseout of third-party cookies. Read the full article → Creator spotlight Yumna Jawad of Feel Good Foodie spreads the word about the importance of diversification With two million TikTok followers, Yumna Jawad—founder of Feel Good Foodie—has built a thriving brand. She was recently featured in The New York Times, where she shared her thoughts on the potential TikTok ban and discussed the importance of not relying too heavily on a single social platform for her work. In a new Business Insider article, Yumna reflects on losing access to her Instagram account in 2014—a wake-up call that showed her the importance of diversifying platforms to protect her business. She also discusses how the future of TikTok could impact her sponsored content rates and highlights why keeping control over her audience has been key to staying ahead. Read Yumna’s story here → Skinnytaste creator Gina Homolka is a Woman’s World cover star Gina Homolka, founder of Skinnytaste, is featured on the latest cover of Woman’s World. She shares her quick and delicious sheet pan pork tenderloin recipe in this issue—a perfect solution for busy weeknight dinners. At Raptive, we love celebrating creator wins because they showcase the incredible influence of our community. Creators like Gina don’t just share recipes—they shape how people cook, gather, and connect around food. Your creativity inspires millions, transforming the way audiences discover, enjoy, and bring new ideas (and recipes) to life every day. Have a win you want to share with the team? Let us know—we’d love to celebrate with you! Was this email helpful? This email was sent to email.clausen@gmail.com. You've received this email because you work with Raptive, and we're excited to help you continue to grow. To ensure our emails arrive in your inbox, please add hello@email.raptive.com to your contacts or safe sender list. If you wish to no longer receive these emails, you can update your preferences. 1411 Broadway, 27th Floor New York, NY, 10018, US © 2025 Raptive. All rights reserved. Unsubscribe | View online