3 Things We Learned Talking to Hundreds of Creators at the Fastmoss Event

On October 15–16, we went to the Fastmoss Creator Event in Long Beach.

It was two days packed with energy, creators, panels, and conversations — and honestly, it was one of the most fun and relaxed events we’ve been to all year. No big trade show booths. No aggressive brand pitches. Just hundreds of creators openly sharing what they care about, how they choose what to promote, and what they need to succeed long-term.

After talking to so many of them, a few themes became clear.

Here are three takeaways every brand should understand before working with creators.

1. Creators want to belong

The creators who showed up weren’t just there for free samples. They were there for connection and networking.

When I asked a few of them what they loved most about these events, almost everyone said some version of:

“It’s nice to meet people who actually understand what I do.”

That sentence says everything.

Being a creator can be isolating. You spend your day filming, editing, and analyzing numbers alone. So when a brand or agency creates a space where creators feel part of something—where their work is seen, their insights are heard—that’s when the relationship changes.

It reminded me that at the end of the day, creators just want to feel part of something bigger — a brand, a mission, or even a community that gets it. When you create that sense of belonging, everything changes. Their tone shifts from promotional to personal. Their content feels more natural, more proud, more real.

At Reach, we’ve noticed that our best-performing creator programs always have community at the center. It’s not about paying the highest commission. It’s about making creators feel they’re part of a mission—whether that’s building the next big CPG brand or helping more people discover better-for-you products.

The moment creators feel like they belong, they start producing differently. Their tone shifts from transactional to personal. Their videos stop sounding like ads and start sounding like stories they actually want to tell.

2. They want to make this a full-time job

If you talk to enough creators, you’ll notice something: they don’t just want sponsorships—they want stability.

Many of them dream of going full-time, but the unpredictable nature of brand deals and affiliate sales makes that tough. So when brands show up with consistency—monthly retainers, recurring product seeding, long-term partnerships—it means more than just money. It signals belief.

A few creators mentioned: I want to ultimately be able to do retainers with brands — because that means stability and a long-term partnership

That’s the real goal for most creators. They don’t just want sponsorships or one-off collabs; they want to turn this into a sustainable career. They want consistency — not just from income, but from the relationships they’re building.

This is where TikTok Shop changes the game. It gives creators a way to build recurring income—not from endless outreach, but from products they already love. And it gives brands a chance to turn affiliates into ambassadors.

If you’re a brand reading this: don’t just think about how many creators you can recruit. Think about how you can help a few of them make this their career. Support them with creative freedom, better briefs, and ongoing paid opportunities.

The brands that win aren’t the ones who burn through 500 creators—they’re the ones who help 20 make a living.

3. Most creators are weary of promoting products that aren’t great

This came up again and again: creators are protective of their reputation.

They’ve spent years building trust with their audiences, and one bad promotion can break it. That’s why even if you pay well, many will still say no if your product doesn’t deliver.

At the event, one creator said something that stuck with me: “If I wouldn’t recommend it to my mom or my best friend, I won’t post it.”

That’s the new standard—and it’s a good thing.

It forces brands to care about product-market fit before creator marketing. You can’t fake retention or repeat buyers. You can’t rely on short-term hype if your product disappoints once it arrives.

The best collaborations happen when the creator genuinely believes in the product—and when they can show that belief authentically on camera.

So before investing in creators, ask yourself:
Would I be proud if this became someone’s full-time product to promote?
If the answer is no, it’s not a creator problem—it’s a product one.

Closing

What stood out most to me after two days in Long Beach is that this still feels like the beginning of the creator economy.

There were maybe two to three thousand creators at the event — not executives, not marketers, just everyday people who’ve decided to make content their job. And it’s not hard to imagine how much bigger this whole thing could grow.

Right now, we’re watching the early infrastructure of a new industry being built in real time — one where creators are not just part of marketing, but the marketing itself.

The next generation of successful brands will understand this deeply. They’ll stop seeing creators as “content volume” and start seeing them as extensions of their story.

Because the truth is simple: when creators feel proud of what they’re promoting, the numbers follow.